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Post by hi224 on Feb 2, 2019 17:22:11 GMT
Should Clift have played the lead?.
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Post by politicidal on Feb 2, 2019 17:53:33 GMT
No, Holden was better at playing up the more weaselly side of Joe Gillis.
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Post by hi224 on Feb 2, 2019 18:50:07 GMT
Yeah but feel like Clift wouldve perhaps been more important within playing up the self loathing aspects. Plus it likely wouldve defined his career.
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Post by hi224 on Feb 2, 2019 18:50:47 GMT
But you make a fair point as well.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 2, 2019 19:29:26 GMT
No. If it ain't broke … why fix it ?
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Post by hi224 on Feb 2, 2019 19:31:47 GMT
Well i mean it can always be played with.
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Post by teleadm on Feb 2, 2019 19:32:27 GMT
No. If it ain't broke … why fix it ? Yes why mess with something that turned out great! |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 2, 2019 19:34:41 GMT
but why ?
re=casting would produce an entirely different film and Sunset Blvd is pretty close to perfect as it is (imo) !
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Post by hi224 on Feb 2, 2019 19:50:27 GMT
but why ? re=casting would produce an entirely different film and Sunset Blvd is pretty close to perfect as it is (imo) ! I was personally never huge on our lead performance as is. He nails the dry sardonic qualities but simply way confident and masculine as the lead. |
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Post by Doghouse6 on Feb 2, 2019 21:58:07 GMT
No, Holden was better at playing up the more weaselly side of Joe Gillis. I imagine Monty could have pulled off the weaselly aspects of Joe; his Morris Townsend in The Heiress is as weaselly as they come. While I've always considered Clift to be the far superior actor of the two, a facet of Joe that I'm not sure he could have sold as well as Holden would be what we'd now call snarkiness: Joe's hardened, wise-ass sarcasm and cynicism. For all the impact Clift had in his brief film career of 18 years, something he had virtually no opportunities to display was a lighter side. His performances were marked overall by a sense of earnest seriousness. It's difficult to picture him tossing off lines like, "That's where the popcorn business comes in: buy a bag and plug up your ears," "They'll love it in Pomona" or "Come midnight, how about blindfolding the orchestra and smashing champagne glasses over Max's head?" with the kind of bitterly insouciant elan that Holden managed, and that so much reflected Billy Wilder's own irreverently lacerating sense of humor. Still, just because he'd never done it doesn't necessarily mean he couldn't have, and Wilder seems to have had enough confidence in him to have offered the role. But it's something that will forever remain in we'll-never-know-land. |
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Seto
Sophomore
@seto
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Post by Seto on Feb 2, 2019 23:17:22 GMT
It is interesting to think what could have been.
Perhaps the role would have benefited with a method actor, like Clift.
Holden was a solid screen star, exemplifying Hollywood at the time. So you could say he doesn't quite fit in a film that is deconstructing Hollywood.
Clift on the other hand, would work well as Swanson's opposite. Showing how Hollywood was changing.
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Post by petrolino on Feb 3, 2019 1:26:22 GMT
I think William Holden had a special affinity with Billy Wilder. They made 4 feature films together.
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Post by hi224 on Feb 3, 2019 2:45:09 GMT
Clift would've been a better admonishment of Hollywood as well, which might not have sat well with certain people but very interesting.
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Post by them1ghtyhumph on Feb 4, 2019 8:37:39 GMT
Did Monty just rise from the grave?
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Post by pimpinainteasy on Feb 4, 2019 10:08:00 GMT
BRANDO
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 4, 2019 16:31:13 GMT
Finally found the reason for the OP suggesting Montgomery Clift as Joe. On the advice of Libby Holman, Montgomery Clift, who had signed to play the part of Joe Gillis, broke his contract just two weeks prior to the start of shooting. Billy Wilder quickly offered the role to Fred MacMurray, who turned it down because he didn't want to play a gigolo. Marlon Brando was considered, but the producers thought he was too much of an unknown as a film actor. Gene Kelly was then approached, but MGM refused to loan him out. Reluctantly, Wilder met with William Holden, who hadn't done much after the great Hollywood innovator Rouben Mamoulian's Golden Boy (1939). Holden's films after that time had not impressed Wilder ... They eventually worked together on several films and became longtime friends. It was largely from his association with Wilder that Holden would enjoy the greatest acting successes of his career in the 1950's. I thought the OP was just pulling a name out of his hat (so to speak)  TONS MORE SUNSET TRIVIA HERE |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 4, 2019 16:34:02 GMT
I think William Holden had a special affinity with Billy Wilder. They made 4 feature films together. See the quote above re Billy and Bill... the affinity came after Sunset |
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Post by hi224 on Feb 4, 2019 19:49:26 GMT
Finally found the reason for the OP suggesting Montgomery Clift as Joe. On the advice of Libby Holman, Montgomery Clift, who had signed to play the part of Joe Gillis, broke his contract just two weeks prior to the start of shooting. Billy Wilder quickly offered the role to Fred MacMurray, who turned it down because he didn't want to play a gigolo. Marlon Brando was considered, but the producers thought he was too much of an unknown as a film actor. Gene Kelly was then approached, but MGM refused to loan him out. Reluctantly, Wilder met with William Holden, who hadn't done much after the great Hollywood innovator Rouben Mamoulian's Golden Boy (1939). Holden's films after that time had not impressed Wilder ... They eventually worked together on several films and became longtime friends. It was largely from his association with Wilder that Holden would enjoy the greatest acting successes of his career in the 1950's. I thought the OP was just pulling a name out of his hat (so to speak) TONS MORE SUNSET TRIVIA HERE Even if i was would that be a big deal?. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 4, 2019 20:02:00 GMT
Not at all ! But I was wondering "now why did he pick Clift to play Joe out of all the possible other actors around at the time ?" . Not knowing that Clift had actually been signed to do the movie and then backed out made it a bit of a mystery !
Can usually follow your rather minimalist thread OPs but this one had me puzzled ! 
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Seto
Sophomore
@seto
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Post by Seto on Apr 29, 2020 12:53:06 GMT
Having just watched the film today for the first time in awhile I have to say Holden was definitely the right choice over Clift in the end.
Holden brings a certain dark sarcastic wit that really works for the tone of the picture. I doubt the melancholic Clift could have pulled that off.
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