And the hits just keep on coming: Turner Classic Movies will celebrate the John Wayne Centennial by showing no fewer than 35 of his best movies May 21-26.Meanwhile, over at Box Office Mojo, Scott Holleran reports from Newport Beach on a major Wayne retrospective and tribute. The money quote: "Seeing the Duke on the big screen—mostly at Edwards Cinemas in Newport Beach's Fashion Island—is an experience: during opening credits, the theater goes silent as a big, rousing score comes through the speakers and, when the movie begins, there's a palpable sense of shared excitement for what's coming; the audience reacts, laughs, and thoroughly enjoys the show. An unmistakable difference between today's audiences and a John Wayne audience: reverence for the motion picture. They're there to see the movie—the action, the story, the hero—not to be blown away by a giant video game."
4 comments:
I've never understood the appeal of Wayne. He was a dreadful actor, and single-handedly ruined an otherwise wonderful picture--The Long Voyage Home--with the worst Swedish accent imaginable. John Qualen would have done a better job!!
No offense, but I don’t see the logic in writing off an entire career because of one bad performance (or, more specifically, one bad accent). And besides: John Wayne’s resume also includes The Searchers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Red River, The Shootist, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Hondo. He’s a much better actor than many people are willing to admit.
Point taken--but don't forget The Conqueror!
I think God punished him more than enough for that one. (That is, if you believe the stories about his cancer being directly related to exposure to irradiated sand during production of that classic.)
Post a Comment