Farewell & A Few Favorite Things
Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 6:29PM The Film Experience is thrilled to have Cara Seymour taking over the blog for the day. Here's her final post! - Editor
A Favorite Actor
I took this picture of the brilliant Patrick Fitzgerald in Dublin when we were performing "Gibraltar," his adaptation of James Joyce's "Ulysses". He worked on that novel, with the devotion of a monk and discovered things that no other academic had found. The greatest acting challenge I ever had was performing the Molly Bloom monologue, which was, even edited, forty minutes of stream of consciousness. Patrick coached me every step of the way. The great Terry Kinney went on to direct a production with us, at The Irish Rep. We also performed together in Mike Leigh's "Ecstasy" in 1995, the first big hit for The New Group. We have had extraordinary moments together on stage. He's one of my favorite actors.
A Favorite Song
Philip Chevron singing "Thousands are Sailing"
One of my favorite songs about Irish immigration. I used to go and see The Pogues. He performed this song in a spotlight, I remember him sparkling in the light, not sure if that was his jacket or his soul.
A Few Favorite Films
Martin Scorsese's King of Comedy (1983) and Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up (1990). Love these movies, they feel like cousins. Something about class, fame and delusions and wanting to be someone else. And, of course, Robert DeNiro is just magical. I'd love to watch these movies together one night...if I ever got my son to bed early.
Mama Roma (1962). I've watched this so many times. I love Pasolini movies. Anna Magnani's performance is just brilliant. That laugh. That twinkle. And pain. There's a couple of seconds in that movie that just rip me apart.
There are many, many reasons to be a fan of Steven Soderbergh, who I've been working with on "The Knick," and one of them is that he used footage from one of my favorite English films, Poor Cow (1967) directed by Ken Loach in his haunting movie, The Limey (1999). Terence Stamp was magnetic in both movies. Carol White was the lead actress in Poor Cow. Carol White was really something. Ahead of her time.
"Poor Cow" with Carol White and Terence Stamp
love this clip
My takeover of The Film Experience is now just love notes. I could go on and on... so I better sign off! Thanks for reading.
The Knick is back in October. I start work next week on Elisabeth Subrin's film A Woman, A Part with Maggie Siff and John Ortiz. Check out Subrin’s blog, Who Cares About Actresses?
- Cara Seymour