The Silver Screen Oasis

Sometimes there are two equally talented and popular actors paired together in a film. It is sometimes hard to figure out who is the lead since the story is shared equally by both. What are some of your favorites?

Charles Laughton and Clark Gable in Mutiny On The Bounty (1935)
Laughton was the brutal Capt. Bligh and Gable the rebellious Fletcher Christian. They are an explosive combination when they are together.

Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas in Gunfight At The OK Corral (1957)
I know they co starred in several other films but this is my favorite. I liked Burt as the straight arrow lawman and Kirk the roguish gambler who join forces.

Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole in Becket (1964)
Two powerhouse English voices in one film. They started as friends but become mortal enemies. O'Toole as the ranting, swaggering King Henry II thinks his pal Becket (Burton) will help him out politically but he turns on him.

Don't mean to be rude here Jim, but considering the thought that many many films of great quality seem to feature two great leading actors either in conflict with each other or in alliance with each other as the story unfolds, and thus because there are probably hundreds if not thousands of these sorts of films that could be mentioned here, I'm thinking perhaps a better idea for this thread might've been the idea of suggesting films that feature THREE great leading actors in them, and so which could make us wrack out brains a little bit more in search of them.

(...just a suggestion here...you're certainly free to disregard it if you wish...and like I said, I didn't mean to be rude here)

***Additional edited thought to follow***

Upon further reflection here and instead of offering my above thought, perhaps it would be a better move on my part to start a thread with the above stated premise and instead of what could be interpreted as a dismissal of your thread, Jim. And so if I do, please do not take it that I'm in any way attempting to upstage you here. Thanks.

Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson in The Missouri Breaks (1976)

I have a marvelously good time watching Brando clown around as a psychopathic "regulator" with a dress-up fetish. Nicholson smartly plays it very straight, thus balancing it.

I'll take the easy way out here and throw in....

SPENCER TRACY and FREDRIC MARCH in INHERIT THE WIND('60)
One could aptly title this movie "The War Of The Gargantuans" as two cinematic giants square off in a movie making main event equal to "ALI vs FOREMAN". I still feel it's March not at his best, but way beyond that. He awe-strikes me every time I watch this.

Sepiatone

Dargo wrote: ↑March 6th, 2023, 12:34 pm Don't mean to be rude here Jim, but considering the thought that many many films of great quality seem to feature two great leading actors either in conflict with each other or in alliance with each other as the story unfolds, and thus because there are probably hundreds if not thousands of these sorts of films that could be mentioned here, I'm thinking perhaps a better idea for this thread might've been the idea of suggesting films that feature THREE great leading actors in them, and so which could make us wrack out brains a little bit more in search of them.

(...just a suggestion here...you're certainly free to disregard it if you wish...and like I said, I didn't mean to be rude here)

No problem. I was just thinking of times where two BIG stars were paired together in equal roles. There are many instances of someone like John Wayne appearing with Ward Bond, but you could hardly call them on equal footing in the same film. I was interested in two actors who were huge stars on their own and in roles where you couldn't tell which was the lead.

I still would like to hear some of your suggestions since I respect your opinion on movies.

Sepiatone wrote: ↑March 6th, 2023, 12:41 pm I'll take the easy way out here and throw in....

SPENCER TRACY and FREDRIC MARCH in INHERIT THE WIND('60)
One could aptly title this movie "The War Of The Gargantuans" as two cinematic giants square off in a movie making main event equal to "ALI vs FOREMAN". I still feel it's March not at his best, but way beyond that. He awe-strikes me every time I watch this.

Sepiatone

Excellent example, they are like two rams butting heads in this one.

Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea in Ride the High Country. If I recall correctly, they were originally cast in the opposite roles that they eventually played.

By the way, I would not necessary characterize the pair as "two great actors," but I would characterize them as "two great movie stars."

I response to Dargo's idea, I might mention The Guns of Navarone, with Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn.

Lee Marvin and Toshirô Mifune in Hell in the Pacific.

Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in Sleuth.

Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner in Venus in Fur (La Vénus à la Fourrure)

Tom Noonan and Karen Sillas in What Happened Was . . .

Persona (1966)
Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann

My avatar says Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey.
Loads of movies with dual major stars though, as noted earlier in the thread.
Grant again with Robert Mitchum in The Grass is Greener, just to stick with him. The list would be quite long.

Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor - Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967).

I suppose we could name every one she did with Burton as well. Although Burton is certainly no Brando.

How about Lawrence Oliver and Michael Caine in Sleuth. And they were the only two!

A few more-

John Wayne and James Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift in From Here To Eternity (1953)

Sean Connery and Michael Caine in The Man Who Would Be King (1975)