12 November 2011
"He was the best looking son of a bitch who ever lived..."
I hope Bill Blass was smiling when he said that about Gary Cooper. Fast forward to 4:38 and see a patient Cooper in the wings as Billy Wilder (looking very Peter Lorre) is interviewed by the ugliest coat in all of France. Don't miss Cooper's "Bang" at the end.
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9 comments:
Saturnine and insouciant. Gary Cooper had it in spades, attributes the French usually held tightly and recognized only in their actors such as for the likes of Jean Gabin, and later, Jean Paul Belmondo.
That they would allow American actor Gary Cooper to grace their presence without him saying anything is a very high complement, indeed. Then again, the French always did greatly admire our film noir, themselves having coined the phrase.
-DB
DB- I thought it kind'a rude of the interviewer but also thought the Frenchman was, as I would have been, terrified, in awe, etc, etc whereas Wilder seems amazingly approachable and hysterical.
As you and I would often do in our younger days...It looks like Cooper is smoking Lucky Strikes (just for a second I saw LSMFT on the pack he fished out of his coat pkt) but damned if I can figure out what brand Wilder pulled out.
At one point Cooper examines and then bites his nails--not a terribly stylish thing to do whilst being filmed.
andrea- I knew a guy who, in conversation with friends, would take his watch off, smell the back of the leather strap and put the watch back on without missing a beat.
The point? It's all relative.
Oh, lovely. But the difference is your watch-sniffing fellow was not a famous movie star who knew he was being filmed.
I realize I sound very tut-tuttish but I was a little surprised to see it.
Me again... I just wanted to add that at 4:42 Gary Cooper sticks his finger in his nose.
Andrea-
Okay for the flotsam & jetsum but not ok for the 'celebrity.' I think you missed the point of Cooper. He was a simple guy. You pointing out his nail biting is not only tut-tutish but pru-prudish. But that's ok.
a.-
I saw that. At 7:03, he reads an email on his mobile phone as well.
The thing is, when I see a "style icon" picking his nose and biting his nails on film I have to wonder why he did it. Was it in silent, perhaps unconscious, protest at the situation he found himself in--one of not only not being the center of attention, but being actively ignored and spoken of in the third person for nine minutes?
P.S. jetsam.
andrea- I don't put a quick bite of the nail on the same level as picking the nose. And I'm not sure Mr Cooper ever considered himself a style icon.
Not only was Cooper being ignored and spoken of in the third party but there was a camera there as well. Not sure how intrusive it was but I think Cooper did a wonderful job of playing along.
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