Bullitt to Brazil

I briefly mentioned yesterday that I had finally seen Bullitt. It's a shame Steve McQueen isn't still with us. After seeing The Towering Inferno a few months ago and The Magnificent Seven last November, I've definitely gained an appreciation for this actor. So many films and television shows were influenced by Bullitt, and I definitely saw shades of Jack Bauer among others in McQueen. McQueen plays it cool from beginning to end, and never screams or shoots anyone in the kneecaps, but then Bauer has his cool moments in between his explosions, and in those I see a little bit of Bullitt. One thing is for certain: no one drives a car like McQueen. The car chase scene is what this film is most famous for, and given the fact that its stars did a lot of their driving and logged a lot of hours on real racetracks to get used to high speeds and add authenticity to their performance, I have nothing but awe and respect for it.

As I mentioned, I was watching it at work, and at one point one of my coworkers came by and asked, “What are you doing? Why are you watching that? That's OLD. Watch something that people are talking about, movies that MATTER.” I sarcastically apologized for not watching Vin Diesel in The Fast and the Furious yet. In 1968, there were no computer enhancements or special effects. Actors, and possibly stuntmen, were out there doing it for real. Every movie matters, just as history matters, in understanding where we are now and how we got here. By the time he reminded me that I also need to see Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2, I realized any further defense of Bullitt would be lost.

Last night I jumped ahead 10 years and watched the 1978 science fiction classic The Boys from Brazil. When I say “science fiction”, it may conjure images of aliens or spaceships to some, but this is sf in the most traditional sense. It's set in what was present day at the time and the science elements involved were not only based in reality, but something that today is more of a reality than it was back then. I'm sure many of you know the “secret” of the film whether or not you've seen it; I knew what it was about going in and the revelation suffered slightly for it. The film boasts an impressive cast, from Gregory Peck as the despicable Nazi geneticist Josef Mengele to Sir Lawrence Olivier as Nazi-hunter Ezra Lieberman. This is also one of Steve Guttenberg's first films, the drama does nothing to suggest his career would go on to include Police Academy, Cocoon, or Three Men and a Baby. I've made a mental note to stop thinking of him as “not Howie Mandel. And Jeremy Black gives such chilling performances that I'm surprised to see this is his only acting credit.

As I watched, several supporting characters stood out to me as well. My friend said old movies didn't matter, that people didn't talk about them anymore. If that's even remotely true, it should be changed. I recognized Anne Meara, wife of Jerry Stiller, mother of Ben Stiller, and a performer I've seen in many projects, including a soap opera my mom watches. Stiller and Meara have been married since 1954 I see--that's an impressive record, especially for celebrities. Besides Meara, one old man with a small role seemed very familiar, especially his voice. I didn't think it could possibly be him, yet it did indeed turn out to be Michael Gough, who I'm most familiar with as Alfred Pennyworth in the 1989-1997 Batman quadrology. Gough wasn't the only actor an entire generation may erroneously associate solely with a comic book character. Some will hear the name Rosemary Harris and only be able to cite her role as Aunt May in Spider-man and Spider-man 2. Before yesterday, I would not have been able to cite more than those two films myself. While she's much younger, her voice is distinctive and her hair his pulled back in the same familiar bun.

Every movie matters. It's all part of one large pattern, one tapestry of actors, careers, influences, and advancements. They are dewdrops glistening on a perfectly spun spider’s web, and I choose to SEE them rather than walk right through it.