Glenn Close, star of stage and screen, was born on this day in 1947.
In the above interview (Stephen Colbert seems genuinely curious about his guest, doesn't he?), mention is made of the Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard, in which Close plays the mentally unstable former silent film star Norma Desmond, a role she had first tackled in the 1990s...
...to much acclaim.
A clip from that earlier production:
Jane Goodall couldn't have delivered a better eulogy.
Before it was an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Sunset Boulevard was a 1950 motion picture directed by the great Billy Wilder. Though she didn't sing, Gloria Swanson, above, was the first person to play Norma Desmond. A classic line from that classic movie:
"I am big. It's the pictures that got small."
Or course, Norma, whether played by Gloria or Glenn, had no way of knowing just how small those pictures were going to get.
"All right, Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up."
I saw the musical in London a while back. I don't know why exactly but the music didn't do it for me. Everyone I was with loved it. Maybe it needed Glen Close or London's Elaine Page (she was replaced that evening!!!). Still, the songs just don't stick in my mind.
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DeleteThe music's running through my mind, Mitchell, because I just watched the whole thing two days ago, but the basic appeal for me is still Billy Wilder's and Charles Brackett's story, including the character of Norma Desmond whoever plays her, and the person who DOES play her in this post, Glenn Close.
DeleteBy the way, I watched the whole thing on YouTube. Perhaps not the best way to view a Broadway show, but it's inexpensive.
Hi, Kirk!
ReplyDeleteTwo of my favorite people are presented in your post. I love, respect and trust Stephen Colbert, a brilliant comic and desperately needed voice of reason amidst the chaos in America today. I also greatly admire actress and activist Glenn Close, whose career I have followed for many years. I have seen Glenn in the films The Big Chill, Fatal Attraction, The Paper, Mars Attacks!, Le Divorce and The Stepford Wives, and on the small screen in The Shield and Damages.
I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard, but I have seen the film with Gloria Swanson in the role of the troubled Norma Desmond.
Have a great week, good buddy Kirk!
Close is one of the great actresses of our era, Shady, probably why she was chosen to play a great actress of a different era.
DeleteDespite her career highlights, I don't think I've seen her in much
ReplyDeleteAdam, I think probably her most famous part was the Hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woman-scorned villainess (my computer keeps telling me that's not a word--oh, well)in Fatal Attraction. At least see her in that if you get the chance.
DeleteI loved her in Airforce One and Paradise Road
ReplyDeleteShe's got something for everyone, John.
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