Paul Newman 1925-2008
I knew this was coming. We all knew it would happen someday. But it still stings. Paul Newman committed himself not only to being a true artist, but to being a good man. When I think of Paul Newman in comparision to his peers, there seems to be something special about him. He was in a class all by himself. He was in loving relationship with his wife Joanne Woodward for 50 years, he worked with an astounding number of talented directors and actors, including Sidney Lumet, Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford, Sydney Pollack, Sam Mendes, Robert Altman, and Alfred Hitchcock (just to name a few).
I'm ashamed to admit that I became truly aware of Paul Newman fairly late in life (especially for a film student such as myself). The first film I remember seeing him in was Road to Perdition in 2002 in the theatre. Since them, I've seen, and loved, such classics as The Sting, Cool Hand Luke, The Hustler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Verdict, and my personal favourite (being the Tennesee Williams fan that I am), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Throughout his long career, he refused to sucumb to the temptation of commercial, lesser quality fare that have claimed so many of his contemporaries (Robert De Niro, and Al Pacino being the two examples that spring to mind). Even his last major project, Cars, is a quality film by Pixar that is sure to be loved by children for generations.
To say his passing is sad news seems too...glib somehow. Upon reflection, I'm not even sure I have a reason to feel this way. We're not talking about an actor who died before his time. We're not dealing with a life of unfullfilled potential. This is a man who lived exactly the way you're supposed to live, both professionally and personally. And yet, I can't help but wonder - had he been in better health - if there wasn't at least one more great performance left in him. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be. No matter how much you accomplish in life, there is always be a sense of incompleteness. If your life is truly rich, you should always look forward to the next big accomplishment, not backwards at what you've already achieved. After all, we're talking about a man who was given an honarary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 1986, only to earn the Best Actor Oscar for The Color of Money the very next year.
And so, in memoriam:
Paul Newman
1925-2008
"I just hadda show 'em what the game can be when it's great." ~ Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson, in The Hustler (1961)