By Tom Lisanti
Steve McQueen: The Actor and His
Films by Andrew
Antonaides and Mike Siegel from Dalton Watson Fine Books is one of the finest,
most lavish movie books about a single actor that I have ever read. All of
iconic superstar Steve McQueen’s films are equally discussed from his classics
(The Blob, The Magnificent Seven, The
Great Escape, The Cincinnati Kid, The Sand Pebbles, Bullitt, The Thomas Crown
Affair, Papillon), to his lesser known earlier movies (Never Love a Stranger, The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery)An Enemy of the People, The Hunter),
to his misfires (The Honeymoon Machine,
Soldier in the Rain, Baby the Rain Must Fall), to his TV series (Wanted: Dead or Alive). Most coffee table-type movie books
that I have encountered are extravagantly- made, featuring glorious photographs,
but containing very little substance. However, Steve McQueen: The Actor and His Films
is not only handsomely produced, featuring over 1,000 rare B&W and color
photographs, but also contains an in-depth analysis of all of McQueen’s movies
listed chronologically. This does not mean McQueen’s life story is ignored. The
writers expertly weave in the actor’s journey into each chapter. Reading
about his childhood clarifies his actions and behavior as an adult, such
as his legendary insecurities and his determination not to bested by anyone
particularly a co-star. Each film is allocated one chapter
featuring a plot summary; a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie
(often with comments from cast or crew); the reaction of
critics and the audience to the final product; and an analysis of the movie
itself and McQueen’s performance. All of this is accompanied by rare photos and a plethora
of international color posters/lobby cards. Considering how much effort and
expense went into the making of this book, you might expect it to be nothing but a paean
to the actor no matter what the merits of a specific movie. Not here. I commend
the writers for taking an honest and balanced approach in commenting on
McQueen’s choices and his performances.
As a film historian myself, my
favorite part of the book is the backstory for each of the movies. The King of
Cool on screen was not so beloved by many of his co-stars or directors off-screen.
It is interesting to read about the tricks McQueen employed to upstage agitated
movie star Yul Brynner on the set of The Magnificent
Seven. Similarly, on Soldier in the Rain McQueen, somewhat immaturely, took out his frustrations on Jackie Gleason
and director Ralph Nelson when his choice to direct the movie, Blake Edwards, walked
just before filming began. The authors are correct to take him to task for his
behavior here and on other movie sets. They rightly point out he was miscast as
Soldier in the Rain’s loser G.I.,
delivering a performance that was “another oddity and one of the worst misfires
of his career.†Indeed, it's McQueen’s awkward
performance that drags co-star Jackie Gleason down. Sans McQueen on screen, Gleason is
wonderful as evidenced in his scenes with the sparkling Tuesday Weld as his
dumb blond blind date, who has some surprising insights to the world.
Each chapter of this book is
wonderful in its own way. The standout chapters for me are those pertaining to The Sand Pebbles and Papillon, one of my favorite movies of
all-time. The authors fairly give equal credit to the success of these films
both to McQueen and their directors/writers.
Thus, I was surprised that in their
analysis of The Cincinnati Kid, the authors give director Norman Jewison most
of the credit for its success and didn’t even mention screenwriter Terry
Southern who took Ring Lardner, Jr.’s original script and rewrote it even as
the movie was being shot. Some of the most iconic images from the film come
from the mind of that genius satirist.
The authors offer such knowledgeable
insight into McQueen’s less-successful films that I now have an urge to view. For instance, Nevada Smith,
the prequel to 1964’s hit The
Carpetbaggers. Critics dismissed this Henry Hathaway-directed western in
1966 and I believed the criticism of it being below-par. And since leading lady
Suzanne Pleshette is one of my least favorites from the Sixties, I really had
no desire to sit through it despite my admiration for McQueen. However, the
authors create a convincing case for giving it a try, from the beautiful vistas
that fill the wide-screen, to the expert way Hathaway juggles character
development and action, to Pleshette’s character being not the typical love
interest. Not to mention the fact that McQueen is shirtless throughout a lot of
the movie, though they concede that it is a stretch to believe the actor, who
was in his mid-thirties at the time, as a teenage half-Indian vowing
revenge on the varmints that tortured and killed his parents. However, they
conclude that McQueen triumphs over this and his performance “engages the
viewer emotionally.â€
I highly recommend Steve
McQueen: The Actor and His Films by Andrew Antonaides and Mike Siegel
to fans of the superstar and to Sixties/Seventies film enthusiasts. The authors
do a superlative job from their perceptive prose to the magnificent visuals
selected to accompany each chapter. A bit pricey you may say at $69 (cheaper on
Amazon.com), but this spectacularly produced book is more than worth it.
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