"To hell again and back."

[greygirlbeast]

George Kennedy is dead. He appeared in very many of my favorite films, but, for me, his role as Dragline in Cool Hand Luke, (dir. Stuart Rosenberg, 1967) will always be the quintessential George Kennedy performance

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[setsuled]

his role as Dragline in Cool Hand Luke, (dir. Stuart Rosenberg, 1967) will always be the quintessential George Kennedy performance.

I think that's my favourite role for him too. I love that they had such a collection of actors whose mannerisms or facial features were so distinct in a film outdoors with a lot of raw, sweaty, high contrast colour. Kennedy contributes to a sense of the normal weirdness of this humanity. Though I've watched Charade more times.

"Authenticity, Immersion, and Character in Fantasy and Science Fiction."

Nice. Sounds like fertile territory.

Last night we watched Charles Laughton's brilliant 1953 adaptation of Davis Grubb's novel Night of the Hunter (1955). Few films were such powerful formative influences on my fiction.

It's such a shame that Laughton was discouraged from directing any other films.

Watching it again last night, I was struck by the irony that the last great example of German Expressionist film was shot in the San Fernando Valley.

I might make an argument for Shock Corridor but Night of

Night of the Hunter

[ext_3098933]

Most of that superb film was shot a few miles from where I now live in McMechen, WV. Grubb himself lived for a while in Moundsville. Sam Shepard was here a few years ago filming in the old penitentiary.