It is amazing that Martin Ritt and Paul Newman made this film between their two masterpieces "Hud" and "Hombre". It seems that they should have known that the stage acting that Newman was doing would not be effective on film. In stage acting, you play broad and loud because the 23rd row has to see and hear you. In film you can adjust the volume and go in for the close-up to make sure the slightest gesture gets shown. For whatever strange reason, everybody, with the exception of super-old pro Edward G. Robinson, is doing stage acting. It comes across as over-the-top and ridiculous most of the time. The acting seriously undercuts the serious metaphysical questions about truth that the plot raises.
Newman's performance matches his worse performance in "From the Terrace," although, I haven't seen him in "the Silver Chalice" (allegedly his worse). He reminded me of the 1960's cartoon commercial character for Frido's Corn Chips, "the Frido Bandido." He has on heavy stage make-up, so he is hardly recognizable, and his accent sounds quite fake. The real problem is that this is not a leading man role, but a role for a character actor. There were probably hundreds of out of work Spanish speaking actors in Hollywood at this time who could have done the role better.
William Shatner isn't playing to the 23rd row, he is playing to the 46th row. As a priest who has lost his faith, he has one pained look throughout the movie. One of the nice things about Shatner is how relaxed and animated he is in all his roles, from the Twilight Zone to Star Trek to Boston Legal. Here he is the opposite: restrained to the point of being a cartoon cut-out.
Claire Bloom and Laurence Harvey also give mundane and forgettable performances.
For cinema fans this is worth seeing because it is a Martin Ritt film and he was a terrific director. However, like every great director, he had his misfires, and this is one of them. It is watchable, but much more should have been delivered considering the classical source material.
Newman's performance matches his worse performance in "From the Terrace," although, I haven't seen him in "the Silver Chalice" (allegedly his worse). He reminded me of the 1960's cartoon commercial character for Frido's Corn Chips, "the Frido Bandido." He has on heavy stage make-up, so he is hardly recognizable, and his accent sounds quite fake. The real problem is that this is not a leading man role, but a role for a character actor. There were probably hundreds of out of work Spanish speaking actors in Hollywood at this time who could have done the role better.
William Shatner isn't playing to the 23rd row, he is playing to the 46th row. As a priest who has lost his faith, he has one pained look throughout the movie. One of the nice things about Shatner is how relaxed and animated he is in all his roles, from the Twilight Zone to Star Trek to Boston Legal. Here he is the opposite: restrained to the point of being a cartoon cut-out.
Claire Bloom and Laurence Harvey also give mundane and forgettable performances.
For cinema fans this is worth seeing because it is a Martin Ritt film and he was a terrific director. However, like every great director, he had his misfires, and this is one of them. It is watchable, but much more should have been delivered considering the classical source material.