By John H. Foote
Quentin Tarantino, ego firmly present, once remarked “film directing is definitely a young man’s job.”
What a stupid statement from a man who should, WHO SHOULD, know better! His composer for The Hateful Eight (2015) was nearly 90 when he won an Oscar for his score on that film. Or are composers different in so we way than filmmakers?
Sometimes it would behoove Mr. Tarantino to keep his mouth shut. Who made him the Sheriff of filmmaking?
Mr. Tarantino never counted on Martin Scorsese (77), Woody Allen (84), or the king of elderly film directors, Clint Eastwood. The four-time Academy Award winner, two for directing, two for producing Best Picture winners Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) is 90 and at work on another film.
90.The man is 90 years old.
Yes, he has the energy of a man in his very early sixties and his mind is razor sharp, but making a film, directing a film is damn hard work. I met Eastwood when he was 80 and you would never have guessed his age. Why would anyone, let alone a colleague, suggest Eastwood could NOT make a film at his age? Such an irresponsible, foolish statement.
Cry Macho sees the actor-director as an elderly rodeo rider, and that sentence alone puts me in the audience. Eastwood has twice been nominated for Best Actor, in Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, and should have been a nominee for The Bridges of Madison County (1995) and Gran Torino (2008). He evolved into a very fine actor as he aged, leaving behind the granite jawed, squinty eyed hero of many 1970’s films. Eastwood was terrific in The Mule (2018), so there is no question he can bring it.
And was there ever a better title for an Eastwood film? Cry Macho.
Look for it next year and look for the film in the Oscar race. Go ahead, doubt me, make my day.
Eastwood is a miracle.
John H. Foote is a well-recognized Canadian film critic/historian who has been an active critic for 30 years. His deep love for the movies began at a very young age. He began his career as co-host of the popular TV show Reel to Real where he remained for nine years. While on TV he began dabbling in education, eventually ascending to Director of the Toronto Film School, where he also taught film history. After leaving the college to care for his wife, he returned to teaching at Humber College where he taught both Film History and Method Acting Theory. John has written two books: “Clint Eastwood – Evolution of a Filmmaker” and the upcoming “Spielberg – American Film Visionary”. He is currently working on two books, one about the films of the seventies and another on the films of Martin Scorsese. Through his career he has worked in TV, radio, print and the web. John has interviewed everyone in the industry (more than 300 interviews) except Jack Nicholson, he says sadly. Highlights include Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep Robert Duvall, Jane Fonda, Francis Ford Coppola and Kathryn Bigelow.
