Friday, February 04, 2011

One Step Beyond the Outer Limits of the Twilight Zone


Happy 80th Birthday, Rip Torn! He's an actor who gets all the better as he ages. Above, his character Nathan Bryce faces off with David Bowie's alien (Newton) in Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976).  One of my favorite Torn characters is the "slightly bombastic" author "Q" in Curtis Hanson's Wonder Boys (2000). "I - am - a - Writer," he proclaims.  He's got it down perfectly. I'm looking forward to the DVD release of Joseph Strick's Tropic of Cancer (1970) with Rip as Henry Miller.

Happy Birthday, Charlotte Rampling (65), great career actor along the lines of her peer, Catherine Deneuve (67). Whether in Georgy Girl (1966) -- popping out of the screen as Meredith -- or as Dorrie in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories (1980, above) or as Sarah Morton in Swimming Pool (2003), she rocks.

Also like Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling has taken on many edgy roles.

RIP, Maria Schneider (58), most famous for her portayal of Jeanne in Bernardo Bertolucci's Ultimo Tango a Parigi / Last Tango in Paris (1972) opposite Marlon Brando, who lived to be 80 and died in 2004.  For those who haven't seen it, Last Tango is dark, sandwiched between a suicide and manslaughter with Brando saying many bizarre things in French.  

Let's not forget a belated Happy Birthday to Angela Davis, who turned 67 on January 26. She's now Visiting Professor (Distinguished Professor of Women's and Gender Studies and African American Studies) at Syracuse.

Today's Rune: Defense.

5 comments:

Johnny Yen said...

Rip Torn is terrific in the "Men In Black" movies, which I love watching with my kids.

the walking man said...

Maria Schneider, Angela Davis and Rip Torn (who came up with that name?)...now these folks deserve the nod.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Rip Torn was a perfect match for Larry Sanders too. He can do it all.

Charles Gramlich said...

Angela Davis seems to have landed on top. I don't know much about her history. Just a little.

Anonymous said...

How can you mention Rip Torn without mentioning his masterful performance as Artie on the Larry Sanders Show?