Here's something you might be interested in.
Like Mr. Marks, I am excited to see Martin Scorsese's Hugo Cabret, in part because of its source material, in part because it means Scorsese will be working in violation of W.C. Fields' famous dictum about working with children or animals, and in part because it will be the first major Scorsese feature in a decade or so that does not star Leonardo DiCaprio. Looking back:
Gangs of New York (2002):
The Aviator (2004):
The Departed (2006):
Shutter Island (2010):
I'm not saying these were bad movies, but I will suggest that they were not made better by Mr. DiCaprio's presence. (Of course, your mileage may vary.) To me, he just keeps on looking like a long-in-the-tooth Tiger Beat heartthrob. Or maybe it's just that it's such a dramatic shift from Scorsese's last go-to onscreen muse, Robert DeNiro:
Mean Streets (1973):
Taxi Driver (1976):
New York, New York (1977):
Raging Bull (1980):
The King of Comedy (1982):
Goodfellas (1990):
Cape Fear (1991):
Casino (1995):
...and I'm sure there are one or two more that I'm missing. ANYWAY, all this is by way of saying I get that sometimes a director and an actor seem to get into a collaborative groove, for better or for worse. But hey, David Cronenberg: Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud in A Dangerous Method? Really? I know an actor shouldn't be afraid to play against type, but isn't he a trifle...robust?
Tell me about your mother.
Yes, yes, Mr. Cronenberg, we get that you established a good working relationship with Mr. Mortensen in A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. And we'll even grant the quality of your efforts to make him resemble old Dr. Subconscious in middle age:
But still: imagine how much more fun you could have had working with Jonathan Schwartzman (who, at 5'5", is closer to Freud's 5'7" than Mortensen's relatively strapping 5'11") as a young Freud:
And yeah, this whole post was an excuse to post that last image. Analyze this!
Like Mr. Marks, I am excited to see Martin Scorsese's Hugo Cabret, in part because of its source material, in part because it means Scorsese will be working in violation of W.C. Fields' famous dictum about working with children or animals, and in part because it will be the first major Scorsese feature in a decade or so that does not star Leonardo DiCaprio. Looking back:
Gangs of New York (2002):
The Aviator (2004):
The Departed (2006):
Shutter Island (2010):
I'm not saying these were bad movies, but I will suggest that they were not made better by Mr. DiCaprio's presence. (Of course, your mileage may vary.) To me, he just keeps on looking like a long-in-the-tooth Tiger Beat heartthrob. Or maybe it's just that it's such a dramatic shift from Scorsese's last go-to onscreen muse, Robert DeNiro:
Mean Streets (1973):
Taxi Driver (1976):
New York, New York (1977):
Raging Bull (1980):
The King of Comedy (1982):
Goodfellas (1990):
Cape Fear (1991):
Casino (1995):
...and I'm sure there are one or two more that I'm missing. ANYWAY, all this is by way of saying I get that sometimes a director and an actor seem to get into a collaborative groove, for better or for worse. But hey, David Cronenberg: Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud in A Dangerous Method? Really? I know an actor shouldn't be afraid to play against type, but isn't he a trifle...robust?
Tell me about your mother.
Yes, yes, Mr. Cronenberg, we get that you established a good working relationship with Mr. Mortensen in A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. And we'll even grant the quality of your efforts to make him resemble old Dr. Subconscious in middle age:
But still: imagine how much more fun you could have had working with Jonathan Schwartzman (who, at 5'5", is closer to Freud's 5'7" than Mortensen's relatively strapping 5'11") as a young Freud:
And yeah, this whole post was an excuse to post that last image. Analyze this!