Another Distinguised Septuangarian
Aug. 3rd, 2010 12:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakOn a more cheerful note than the last entry; today's newspaper (The Süddeutsche Zeitung) informs me it's Martin Sheen's 70th birthday and goes in in detail about his career, by which I mean two thirds of the article are about Apocalypse Now and one third lists what else he's done. The West Wing gets "he also starred in the tv show The West Wing", but no more than that. Somehow I don't think that would happen in an American or British article on the same subject.
Not, mind you, that he wasn't good in Apocalypse Now, but really, it wasn't the be all and end all of his acting existence. Also, one of my personal heresies is that the documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, which George Hickenlooper made out of Eleanor Coppola's material, is far more entertaining and watchable than the film itself. (I love several Coppola movies dearly. Just not this one.) If you want a true directorial god complex, watch Coppola, in response to Martin Sheen’s heart attack mid-filming and discovering this was blabbed to the money people in Hollywood, yell that this must not happen again and “if Marty dies he’s not dead until I say so!” Plus I love George Lucas’ (who was originally supposed to do the filming) deadpan response to the idea of filming in actual Vietnam in 1968 (when it was first proposed).
But to return to Martin Sheen: Hearts of Darkness contains footage of the scene in Willard’s hotel room where in a very 1970s filming kind of way, Coppola made his actor face the darkness within (this involved getting drunk and smashing mirrors and keeping filming, never mind the real blood), cross cut with an interview of 1990s Martin Sheen commenting, and it’s pretty powerful, so have a look:
Regarding That Other Iconic Role: I think one of the reasons why Sheen as Jed Bartlet works so well for me is that while Bartlet in some ways is an idealized president, the writing, both in the Sorkin era and in the Wells era, never stops giving him not simply quirks (that endless geeky fondness of trivia) but genuine flaws, and not just “pretty” ones (a la “oh, that Jed, he’s so stubborn”). He could be, as his wife put it, a jackass (and btw, the Jed/Abbey relationship was a great example of how to write a decades old marriage just as engaged and interesting as a relationship between the young ‘uns), and while he controlled it most of the time, he was quite capable of being cruel (ask Toby). And Martin Sheen sold all that. So, Jed Bartlet, the geeky, the awesome, the angry, the thoughtful and the petty sides:
President Bartlet discovers the pleasures of the Butterball hotline:
Jed Bartlet, high on painkillers:
The famous take on homophobia justified by bible quotes:
While we're at Bartlet wielding the verbal sledgehammer, let's have a presidential debate during campaigning:
Back to geekery, one of my favourite Jed and Leo scenes, in which the President explains Peanuts and Star Wars to Leo. Has bonus Mrs. Landingham:
and now for a scene where Bartlet is in the wrong, to prove the show goes there, too. In this case, Toby squaring off with him after finding out the President has MS.
and in conclusion, you have to be at your acting best to carry off an entire rant in Latin at God:
Not, mind you, that he wasn't good in Apocalypse Now, but really, it wasn't the be all and end all of his acting existence. Also, one of my personal heresies is that the documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, which George Hickenlooper made out of Eleanor Coppola's material, is far more entertaining and watchable than the film itself. (I love several Coppola movies dearly. Just not this one.) If you want a true directorial god complex, watch Coppola, in response to Martin Sheen’s heart attack mid-filming and discovering this was blabbed to the money people in Hollywood, yell that this must not happen again and “if Marty dies he’s not dead until I say so!” Plus I love George Lucas’ (who was originally supposed to do the filming) deadpan response to the idea of filming in actual Vietnam in 1968 (when it was first proposed).
But to return to Martin Sheen: Hearts of Darkness contains footage of the scene in Willard’s hotel room where in a very 1970s filming kind of way, Coppola made his actor face the darkness within (this involved getting drunk and smashing mirrors and keeping filming, never mind the real blood), cross cut with an interview of 1990s Martin Sheen commenting, and it’s pretty powerful, so have a look:
Regarding That Other Iconic Role: I think one of the reasons why Sheen as Jed Bartlet works so well for me is that while Bartlet in some ways is an idealized president, the writing, both in the Sorkin era and in the Wells era, never stops giving him not simply quirks (that endless geeky fondness of trivia) but genuine flaws, and not just “pretty” ones (a la “oh, that Jed, he’s so stubborn”). He could be, as his wife put it, a jackass (and btw, the Jed/Abbey relationship was a great example of how to write a decades old marriage just as engaged and interesting as a relationship between the young ‘uns), and while he controlled it most of the time, he was quite capable of being cruel (ask Toby). And Martin Sheen sold all that. So, Jed Bartlet, the geeky, the awesome, the angry, the thoughtful and the petty sides:
President Bartlet discovers the pleasures of the Butterball hotline:
Jed Bartlet, high on painkillers:
The famous take on homophobia justified by bible quotes:
While we're at Bartlet wielding the verbal sledgehammer, let's have a presidential debate during campaigning:
Back to geekery, one of my favourite Jed and Leo scenes, in which the President explains Peanuts and Star Wars to Leo. Has bonus Mrs. Landingham:
and now for a scene where Bartlet is in the wrong, to prove the show goes there, too. In this case, Toby squaring off with him after finding out the President has MS.
and in conclusion, you have to be at your acting best to carry off an entire rant in Latin at God:
no subject
Date: 2010-08-03 08:01 pm (UTC)Well, it's a TV show. And a popular one. From Hollywood. Why should it get any precious space in the feature pages? TV's just too mainstream for that. Bah.
/ disgruntled former reader of German newspapers
Also? I love the Coppola quote. I hadn't heard that one before. (And I'm still guffawing at the idea that Lucas should have directed Apocalypse Now. I have known about this for years, but it never ceases to be funny.)
no subject
Date: 2010-08-03 09:18 pm (UTC)If you can, check out Hearts of Darkness, it's one of the most entertaining documentaries I've ever seen. And contains both the Coppola quote and Lucas' reaction to the whole "off you go to Vietnam, young George!" idea.:) (Agreed, Lucas-directing-Apocalypse-Now never ceases to funny.)
no subject
Date: 2010-08-04 02:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-04 06:07 am (UTC)