A Thousand Clowns (1965)
I’ve always really liked Martin Balsam, and have specifically watched movies just because he’s listed in the cast. He’s a good, solid character actor who adds professionalism and warmth to any role. However, I don’t understand why he won an Academy Award for A Thousand Clowns. He did more acting in his one monologue of Middle of the Night.
Jason Robards, whom I normally can’t stand, plays a kooky, irresponsible loser. His performance, beyond irritating, did nothing to change my opinion of his acting. I tried cutting him slack, realizing that it was mostly Herb Gardner’s screenplay I hated, but I still found nothing redeeming in his delivery of such lousy lines. Gardner’s play was obviously changed little in its adaptation to the screen. The artificial dialogue and stage-y situations were just cringe-worthy. No one talks like that in real life, and if they did, no one would want to spend time with them. Barry Gordon, who played Jason’s twelve-year-old nephew, perhaps suffered the most with the dialogue. No twelve-year-old in the world talks the way Barry talked. Gardner must have wanted the same sort of irony many playwrights aim for when writing wise-beyond-their-years children, but kids in real life don’t act that way.
Unless you love Jason Robards, I can’t recommend this movie. I couldn’t stand it. The message, the characters, the dialogue, and the acting all grated on my nerves. What else is there?
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "ASA Movie Craze" for posting!
More Martin Balsam movies here!
Jason Robards, whom I normally can’t stand, plays a kooky, irresponsible loser. His performance, beyond irritating, did nothing to change my opinion of his acting. I tried cutting him slack, realizing that it was mostly Herb Gardner’s screenplay I hated, but I still found nothing redeeming in his delivery of such lousy lines. Gardner’s play was obviously changed little in its adaptation to the screen. The artificial dialogue and stage-y situations were just cringe-worthy. No one talks like that in real life, and if they did, no one would want to spend time with them. Barry Gordon, who played Jason’s twelve-year-old nephew, perhaps suffered the most with the dialogue. No twelve-year-old in the world talks the way Barry talked. Gardner must have wanted the same sort of irony many playwrights aim for when writing wise-beyond-their-years children, but kids in real life don’t act that way.
Unless you love Jason Robards, I can’t recommend this movie. I couldn’t stand it. The message, the characters, the dialogue, and the acting all grated on my nerves. What else is there?
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "ASA Movie Craze" for posting!
More Martin Balsam movies here!