Telluride Film Festival: Paul Newman knew how to get it done!

Every year the Film Festival picks a guest director to pick about six movies that reflect a personal theme. This year the honors went to Michael Ondaatje, the author of such books as The English Patient..

which has to be the movie I hate the most of all the movies I can think of sitting in at a table in thiscoffee shop, off the top of my head.
Why? Because it disturbingly proves that movies have the power to emotionally lead you on, for two hours, until in the end- after you have seen all the horrible things and suffering the main character has lived through, you are cheering for the nurse to overdose him on morphine and end his pain.It is the movie that made me realize the great power and propaganda cinema wield and how they can sway the masses- we are still in the arena of Roman and frankly the movers and shakers are still throwing us bread or at least they would like to.
So yeah- not too excited about Ondaatje being here- but Sa La Vie- and did get a really cool view of The Hustler- Paul Newman's 1961 Dark drama of a young kid trying to best the best of the best played by Jackie Gleason and also starring George C Scott.

Ondaatje is not only an author but a director of documentaries and had just completed a book on Editing- what he finds paramount to film and the reason he chose The Hustler- it being the movie that showed him the craft of magic making when he was younger.

To see Paul Newman, such a master on the big screen...

with a room full of admirers to his abilities that we took time in a festival of new movies to come marvel at him- really for me put a lot in to perspective.
Reality- that most of what is being touted up here, will fade, rather soon, replace with next year and next year. You can be swayed to the artistry in a place like this, think that everything becuase it is here- is wonderful- and then you sit in a dark room and look back forty years to a Master actor, whose doesn't even have to try- hough the film is in black and white- his blue eyes pierce the screen and me sitting there.
I want to go home and watch him more.... re watch Cool Hand Luke,

and Butch Cassidy...

Hud...

The Long Hot Summer ...

And my most favorite, or better moving Paul Newman if not well known is Exodus....

Writing this, I see that I have to thank my mother, who is notwords but sitting in the family room with her I gained my  knowledge and love of film and my father actually who genetically I recieved the love of these old classics from.

When I get home I desperately want to see the semi sequel to The Hustler- The Color of Money...

                                   

with Tom Cruise...where now he is the master pool player and Tom Cruise is the kid.

I think I can say that Cruise is really as much as an iconic actor-in my generation of the 80's and 90's that Newman also was.

Being reminded of Paul Newman, is not something I thought the author of my most hated movie would give to me, but being reminded of Newman has helped me feel the cost of this extravagant festival pass worth it! And seeing him on a huge darkened theater is such more of a delight then seeing him on DVD- though I will be rediscovering him all this winter and remembering to thank my mom for introducing me to "blue-est eyes" God gave anyone.