December 3, 2003

Robert Duvall is a hell of a nice guy…

One does not often get to sit down and break bread with people who are legendary in one’s eyes. Duvall is that for me. M*A*S*H, The Godfathers, Network, The Seven Percent Solution, Apocalypse Now, The Great Santini, Tender Mercies, The Natural, Lonesome Dove, Stalin, Falling Down, A Family Thing, The Apostle, A Civil Action, Assassination Tango and now, Open Range. He was my “mick, kraut friend.” He was Frank Hackett. He loved the smell of napalm in the morning. He was cuckolded by his father, played by Laurence Olivier, in The Betsy. He turned down Godfather III on principle. He was Boo freakin’ Radley!

On Tuesday, he was just a guy at the table… a guy with an intense and active joy of life at almost 73 years old. He and his beautiful young partner, Luciana Pedraza, spend a bit of time on the farm in Virginia and a bit of time in Buenos Aires. Right now, they are looking for a place here in Los Angeles, as he’s soon to start a Will Ferrell comedy, playing Ferrell’s father. (All Ferrell needs is a film with Al Pacino as his father and another with Marlon Brando as his grandfather and he’ll be part of the Godfather legend.) He is done with New York… a man of the world… finding the things he enjoys and embracing the things he finds.

For all of the toughness, which still shows itself, the gentleman farmer in him is very much present. And there's still that light in his eye that sparks with the idea of something new… something interesting… something great. He sparks pretty good to conversations about people he doesn’t much care for. There is something about Robert Duvall putting someone in their place that makes you feel like they will be in that place forever. But he is much happier when discussing the positive.

He’s excited about seeing Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai, as he holds Cruise in high esteem as an actor. He talks lovingly of Juan Jose Campenella’s Son of the Bride… of Ricardo Darin… of Javier Bardem… tales of Julian Schnabel… stories of “Francis”… memories of Olivier… Horton Foote… Michael Corrente…

He’s not a guy living in the past. Not at all. But you get the feeling from him that he is working on a different level now. He can see the seams on life’s fastball.

When you talk about his remarkable performance in Open Range, what he remembers most clearly is the beauty of the country they were working in (the mountains outside of Vancouver), fishing when there was down time and the fight to get through the detailed shoot because so much was shot with Steadi-Cam, which requires planning. When it comes to the work, he just does it. He prepares. He knows whom he is playing. But he just does it, pushing aside all the preparation and just talking and listening. Acting 101. But who else can teach the class like Duvall.

You realize after a while what a wonderful listener Duvall is. He is so much the center of energy in his film work that you barely notice. But in real life, you sit there and he listens like Robert Duvall. He is more generous with the conversational ebb and flow than he needs to be. Then you find out, he’s really interested. Every time he offers a strong opinion, he leads with, “I don’t know how you feel about it, but…” or “I know it’s heresy to say this, but…”

Duvall knows a lot about directors. He’s worked with over 75 of them, including some of the best ever. But he’s looking to know more. We talk about some great Spanish-language directors… young directors from here… he’s rolling. He’s trying to get a director settled for his next project as an actor/producer and is excited that he may have one… a legend of the 80s who hasn’t had a hit in a while, but still, as Duvall delivers in his velvet growl, a lot of talent.

He’s a walking skyscraper… story after story after story… but they all fit. And they all define the man. How he works… how others work… who he likes… whom he hates… who hates who and why… it’s how he tells the stories. How a guy pretends to be tough, but isn’t really. Pretensions. Raw arrogance. We talked crab cakes and his Mexican farm manager (in Virginia) and the pastry chef at the Four Seasons. He doesn’t really like criticizing other actors… at least not for their acting. He loves My Life As A Dog, Michael Caine in The Cider House Rules and Jeff Bridges, even though he doesn’t really know him, though he does know Beau, and he knows some great stories about Lloyd. It was like sledding downhill on fresh powder.

And by the way… he’s a serious contender for an Oscar nomination.

Great guy.

READER OF THE DAY: NOT 99 writes: “Tonight, a friend and I went to see Ron Howard's "The Missing," since the idea that Tommy Lee Jones might give a great performance again after so many "paycheck flicks" had me almost salivating as the lights went down and the picture started. And Mr. Jones, for oncei n a VERY long time, did not let me down.

His performance was everything that a great performance should be and, like any good or great performance in a Ron Howard film, it rises above the rest of the muck. Sadly, I disagree with you on this point. ron Howard has not redefined anyhting in regards to his directing style. Once again, he seems incapable of making any kind of personal statement in his films. Be it his usual commercial slop or this stab at achieving some street credit, he falls amazingly flat, as he always has. I wanted to see him also rise above this B grade material but he seems to wallow in the almost banal trappings of the story.

As for Ms. Cate, well, what can I say? Yes, she is good, even great in certain moments of this flick, but in the end, it is nothing revelatory. No, Mr. Jones is the stand out here.

Where Kevin Costner admirably mined the Western conventions with his "Open Range," which is looking more and more like one of the best films of this or any year, and was able to expand upon them (think of that great robert Duvall moment where he opens up about his long dead family, the way he is given time to almost breathe as his character), Howard seems to just be wallowing in his stereotypical views of not only the West but also any type of genre he tries to make work within his limited vision.”

And JOE SOMEBODY writes: “I don't think critics who compare "The Missing" to "The Searchers" are out of line, especially since the makers of the former film are so blatant in their homages to the latter. Don't get me wrong: I appreciate "The Missing," on its own terms. But just look at the final scene: Cate Blanchett delivers PRECISELY THE SAME LINE that John Wayne delivers as HIS final line in "The Searchers." When you include that sort of wink-wink, nudge-nudge touch in your movie, you're just asking for critics to make (mostly unfavorable) comparisons.

P.S. In the unlikely event that you haven't had a chance yet to interview Jay Tavares, I recommend that you do so. And not just because he gives good quote: I think we may be seeing/hearing more of him. He has, IMHO, powerful screen presence in a minor "Missing" role, and now I'm looking forward to seeing him in "Cold Mountain" (even though I strongly suspect that my lady friend will once again be disappointed by the brevity of his part).

E ME: Brevity of his part?!?!?! Can you smell the love of napalm in the morning?