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serai.
*sigh* Roy Scheider died.
Most everybody remembers him for his role in Jaws, and he was really great in that, as well as funny. ("We're gonna need a bigger boat!") But for me, he'll always be Joe Gideon - self-centered, pill-popping, workaholic, philandering genius of a choreographer.
All That Jazz has for nearly thirty years ranked as one of my Top Ten films, and Roy was a huge part of the reason. He was magic in that role, and despite the fact that I would never in a million years have gone near that guy, Roy made it easy to see why other women would. He had a hurtful, demanding charm about him, the kind of guy who, even while making it clear you'd never be good enough, made you determined to try. He captured exactly why dancers will damn near kill themselves for a choreographer. It's not just the art - there are tons of artists who never make it - it's the combination of art and charisma, and he nailed it big-time.
If you've never seen this film...damn, I can only say, "Get thee to Netflix NOW." Because there's nothing like its hypnotic phantasmagoria of music, dance, sweat, and self-destruction. It's a jaw-dropping tour de force, absolutely amazing. Rarely has such a combination of fantastical art and brutally honest autobiography been seen anywhere. Bob Fosse, director/choreographer extraordinaire, ripped himself open in this film, inviting the world into his psyche, his struggles and triumphs. It is poetry, real art.
So goodbye, Roy. Thank you from me for this dazzling performance, which I'll always treasure as the quintessence of why I love dance so much. You did wonderful work in many films, but this was It for me, and I'll always be grateful. On you go to your next gig - as Joe would say,
It's showtime, folks!
Most everybody remembers him for his role in Jaws, and he was really great in that, as well as funny. ("We're gonna need a bigger boat!") But for me, he'll always be Joe Gideon - self-centered, pill-popping, workaholic, philandering genius of a choreographer.
All That Jazz has for nearly thirty years ranked as one of my Top Ten films, and Roy was a huge part of the reason. He was magic in that role, and despite the fact that I would never in a million years have gone near that guy, Roy made it easy to see why other women would. He had a hurtful, demanding charm about him, the kind of guy who, even while making it clear you'd never be good enough, made you determined to try. He captured exactly why dancers will damn near kill themselves for a choreographer. It's not just the art - there are tons of artists who never make it - it's the combination of art and charisma, and he nailed it big-time.
If you've never seen this film...damn, I can only say, "Get thee to Netflix NOW." Because there's nothing like its hypnotic phantasmagoria of music, dance, sweat, and self-destruction. It's a jaw-dropping tour de force, absolutely amazing. Rarely has such a combination of fantastical art and brutally honest autobiography been seen anywhere. Bob Fosse, director/choreographer extraordinaire, ripped himself open in this film, inviting the world into his psyche, his struggles and triumphs. It is poetry, real art.
So goodbye, Roy. Thank you from me for this dazzling performance, which I'll always treasure as the quintessence of why I love dance so much. You did wonderful work in many films, but this was It for me, and I'll always be grateful. On you go to your next gig - as Joe would say,
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no subject
Date: Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 04:21 am (UTC)r.i.p. Roy...
Date: Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 06:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 11:48 am (UTC)