An apology of sorts, to a certain Mr. Dix -
Posted: February 19th, 2008, 1:11 pm
Over the years I've poked a wide share of fun at Richard Dix - his cardboard characters, his stiff, 5-&-dime-Barrymore affectations, his voguing & posing, his unfortunate affliction under Valentino-style make-up, his swaggering dime-novel gait . .
And sure as sun-up, Cimarron has no sparsity of any of those conditions . .
But -
(And, just like the lost little boy said to the lifeguard: it's a big but - )
While watching this movie for the 3rd time this afternoon, I had my first opportunity to really study the "sermon tent scene", and I got to say-
From the time Richard Dix walked into that tent, to the aftermath of his "smokin' " those "bushwhackin' polecats", that man was on fire! His lines were crisp and immediate, his smile truly magnetic, his gestures smooth and yet commanding . . and damn if the direction & camera work didn't fall flawlessly right in behind his lead.
Brilliant!
The rest of this movie? Still, as ever, IMHO, very much a matter of taste.
But for that one scene - reassuring the Hebrew parishoner of his welcome, cajoling the townsfolk into raising money for the church-to-be, championing the cashless Indians, weaving his Bible quotation into a subtle warning to his lurking nemesis - sheer & shimmering cinematic brilliance.
Kudos, RD, kudos indeed!
And sure as sun-up, Cimarron has no sparsity of any of those conditions . .
But -
(And, just like the lost little boy said to the lifeguard: it's a big but - )
While watching this movie for the 3rd time this afternoon, I had my first opportunity to really study the "sermon tent scene", and I got to say-
From the time Richard Dix walked into that tent, to the aftermath of his "smokin' " those "bushwhackin' polecats", that man was on fire! His lines were crisp and immediate, his smile truly magnetic, his gestures smooth and yet commanding . . and damn if the direction & camera work didn't fall flawlessly right in behind his lead.
Brilliant!
The rest of this movie? Still, as ever, IMHO, very much a matter of taste.
But for that one scene - reassuring the Hebrew parishoner of his welcome, cajoling the townsfolk into raising money for the church-to-be, championing the cashless Indians, weaving his Bible quotation into a subtle warning to his lurking nemesis - sheer & shimmering cinematic brilliance.
Kudos, RD, kudos indeed!