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RIP Paul Newman 1925-2008 — Why Now?
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RIP Paul Newman 1925-2008

by Bryan

Paul Newman died in his Connecticut home yesterday according to CNN. Actor, director, producer, racing driver, philanthropist, and liberal, he was proud to have been on Nixon’s Enemies List, because he was an enemy of what Nixon stood for politically.

There is more information on his Wikipedia and IMDb pages.

If you are inclined to get one of his films, try a 1981 release directed by Sydney Pollack, Absence of Malice. You might find the themes and story line amazingly contemporary. For some reason it doesn’t show up on television very often.

9 comments

1 hipparchia { 09.27.08 at 2:13 pm }

noooooooo!!!!!!!!! sigh….

absence of malice is definitely worth watching again.

2 Steve Bates { 09.27.08 at 6:12 pm }

I miss him already.

3 Bryan { 09.27.08 at 8:56 pm }

He was an actor, and would go for just about anything. He has been doing voice-overs lately, even though he obviously didn’t need the money. It was what he did and who he was.

I liked his “little films” more than the better known movies.

4 cookie jill { 09.27.08 at 9:38 pm }

One of my alltime favorite movies of his…Slap Shot!

Newman has also stated publicly that the most fun he ever had making a movie was on Slap Shot, as he had played the sport while young and was fascinated by the real players around him. He has also stated that his role in the film is among his favorite roles of his entire career.

5 Jack K., the Grumpy Forester { 09.27.08 at 9:45 pm }

…nailed the recommendation, Bryan. When I heard the news this morning, the first movie I flashed on was Absence Of Malice because I have always thought it was an underappreciated gem (judging from the fact, as you mention, that it never seems to be on TV). Wilford Brimley’s comment to the DA about what he’d do after government service is one of my favorite quotes in all of my movie-watching history, and Newman’s…er…complicated and unresolved relationship with Sally Fields made even a hard-eyed ol’ grumpy forester like me sit there shouting at the screen “Come on, You TWO! Figure This OUT!”

One of the worst things about getting older is seeing those who framed your life, either personally (as with family and friends and mentors and such) or culturally (like Paul Newman), passing out of your life…

6 Bryan { 09.27.08 at 10:15 pm }

Slap Shot was definitely a lot of fun, Jill, and you could tell the people making it had fun.

I was shocked the first time I saw it, Jack. It was an afternoon movie on television and I couldn’t figure out why I had never heard of it, and hadn’t seen it since. Paul Newman directed by Sydney Pollack is a pretty powerful pairing.

7 Kryten42 { 09.28.08 at 8:45 am }

We just watched ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ (I have the DVD) again a couple nights ago… Nostalgia trek.

What a shame… He’ll definitely be missed! *sigh*

8 Bryan { 09.28.08 at 9:11 am }

“Who are those guys?”

9 Kryten42 { 09.29.08 at 1:30 am }

That’s the one! LOL

*sigh* The good ones always go too early! 🙁