Happy Centenial, Burt Lancaster!
Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 7:34AM 
Anne Marie here to celebrate a Hollywood icon on his 100th birthday.
November 2nd is the centennial of that charismatic giant of an actor, Burt Lancaster. He had Clark Gable's charisma, Cary Grant's charm, The Grin, a mop of hair that couldn't be tamed, and a voice that dripped sweetness from every syllable. With all of these admirable qualities, Lancaster could have settled into a career as a leading man, however he chose to pursue challenging roles and a career directing and producing as well. I first saw him in The Rainmaker starring opposite Katharine Hepburn. It takes something special to tear my attention away from Kate The Great, but the minute Lancaster appeared I was starstruck.
But if we're going to talk about iconic Lancaster performances, we have to start here:
While this particularly sexy kiss is what we all remember the film for, it's worth mentioning that Lancaster's also very good in the film. As Sgt. Warden, Lancaster balances military bravado, empathy for his soldiers, passion, vulnerability, and steeliness on his well-muscled shoulders. He was rightfully nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. [Trivia Note: From Here To Eternity is tied with 8 other pictures for "most acting nominations from one film" with 5 (!) an achievement that is now extremely rare, ending with Network (1976)]
Lancaster wouldn't win the gold until Elmer Gantry in 1960...
Elmer Gantry is a role tailor-made for Lancaster's particular brand of charm. Gantry is a con man who starts starts evangelizing at revivals because he wants to get into the habit of Sister Sharon (Jean Simmons). Gantry is a bad man preaching the Good Book. But my goodness, I could listen to him read the phone book! It's impossible not to root for him or fall for him. Lancaster roars and cajoles and cries while he's preaching, but his quiet moments are equally powerful. One such quiet scene is between Gantry and a prostitute played by future Partridge Family matriarch Shirley Jones. Lancaster portrays Gantry's powerful personality with an equally potent physicality, so when the wordsmith is temporarily broken, you can see it in his shoulders as well as his eyes. Elmer Gantry is more a whirlwind than a simple performance.
Burt Lancaster's career was as long as it was diverse. He played pirates, preachers, thugs, Nazis, conmen, convicts, and cowboys. One thing's certain: he was definitely never dull. Happy Birthday, Burt!
What's your favorite Burt Lancaster movie?
Reader Comments (23)
Such a great actor, wasn't he? It's hard to choose just one film for him, but I'm going for Sweet Smell of Success. Just the cool, calculating nature of his role in that film is one that's doesn't leave you.
Anna -- the funny thing is that even when I think he's less than great (occasionally) I always am glad to be watching him. He seemed to me like the kind of actor who was not willing to just coast and kept testing himself. So even when it doesnt' completely work (like, say, Come Back Little Sheba or I'd even argue The Rose Tattoo a little bit... and there are even a couple of moments in Elmer Gantry that I was like "can he really pull this off" but then he did) you can't help but admire his stretching
If I had the time I'd have done a whole week on him! ;)
This summer I saw, for the first time, Come Back, Little Sheba, The Rose Tatoo and Separate Tables and I absolutely agree with you, Nathaniel. That's why I would probably choose Atlantic City as his best film. All those "stretching years" paid off.
I don't know if it's my favorite but there is something iconic about those photos of him and Ava Gardner in The Killers.
Favourite movie: The Leopard. A Hollywood actor going over to Italy and working with Visconti? As Nathaniel says, an actor who's always willing to test himself and try new things.
Favourite performances: Atlantic City, Elmer Gantry and Sweet Smell of Success
Mine has to be "The Killers". He and Ava Gardner had smoldering chemistry.
I confess to not being as well-versed in his work as I should be, but I LOVE The Sweet Smell of Success and I think he's great in it. He bought an intellectual menace to the role that matched what he established in his physicality. I'm waiting for the right time to watch The Leopard (it's looooong), I've attempted to watch it twice but both times it was way too late to be trying to devote that much attention to such a slow-paced film. Not to mention the fact that I don't speak Italian!
He is great in Eternity among a field of classic performances, that's probably what cost both Montgomery Clift and he an Oscar for their work, who could decide.
He was very canny in the way he varied his output making sure he retained his box office clout with his derring-do movies like The Flame and the Arrow, utilizing his circus background, interspersed with his weightier projects. Then segueing into quality supporting work, he makes his small role in Field of Dreams into a thing of beauty.
He's the star of the month on TCM this month with plenty of his work on display!
Does anyone else see a resemblance between Lancaster and Damian Lewis?
When I was in elementary school, they used to play The Birdman of Alcatraz a lot on our local TV station. It was one of my brother and my favorites- we had such sympathy for him. He's an actor that you can understand even as a kid, there's something real and human about him.
I also like Local Hero, The Rainmaker, Atlantic City, and The Swimmer (so strange and fascinating). I still have not seen but look forward to: The Leopard, The Rose Tattoo, Gunfight at OK Corral.
Best: The Leopard
I first saw him and Stanwyck in a noir called Sorry, Wrong Number as a kid. Those steely blue eyes had a presence.
Other favorites: The Swimmer, Brute Force, Gunfight at The OK Corral, The Rose Tattoo, Sweet Smell of Success, The Killers, The Train, and Birdman of Alcatraz
The Oscar for EG is one the most memorable and deserved Best Actor prizes ever. He brought such charisma and conviction to all his roles. He possessed such a force of will on the audience. Even with gray powder in his hair in Judgement at Nuremberg, he draws you in completely. A caring actor who never stopped learning and teaching.
Burt Lancaster adds so much to every movie he's in. He always delivers a performance worth watching and I'm happy you are recognizing his birthday today.
My favorite Lancaster movie is probably Atlantic City. I love when he explains how he would go as far out into the ocean as he could after he was through with a job, just to clean himself off. Then when he came back to shore, he felt cleansed. Perfect performance in a perfect movie.
I also really like Field of Dreams. If I watched that today, I'd probably ball my eyes out and part of it is because of Lancaster.
From his early work, I really enjoy his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz, earning him a well-deserved Oscar nomination, but my favorite of his older movies is probably Brute Force. Great film noir prison movie from Jules Dassin made in 1947.
Top 10 Lancaster Movies:
1. Atlantic City (1981)
2. Field of Dreams (1989)
3. Brute Force (1947)
4. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
5. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
6. Seven Days in May (1964)
7. The Killers (1946)
8. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1956)
9. The Rose Tattoo (1955)
10. The Train (1964)
Best movie: The Leopard
Best performance: Sweet Smell of Success (with Atlantic City a close second)
I always forget how much I love Burt Lancaster. Whatta HUNK. Favorite films/performances (almost but not quite randomly listed):
Atlantic City
The Swimmer
Elmer Gantry
Brute Force
Sweet Smell of Success
The Rainmaker
From Here to Eternity
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Killers
Birdman of Alcatraz
Trapeze
Sorry, Wrong Number
Come Back, Little Sheba
1900
I don't think he was the most handsome of stars, but he was among the sexiest. The way he stands over Deborah Kerr in "From Here to Eternity'. Just.... I want a man like that.
"Airport" is trash, but it's really fun trash. And "Field of Dreams" made me cry on an airplane.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Lancaster!
Oh lordy, you guys can have the "art," I'll take Burt shirtless or wearing skintight clothes any day. In fact I vividly recall him wearing nothing but tights in a couple of movies. Please tell me I didn't dream it?!
He was a good luck charm at the Oscars for actresses who were in his films:
* Six wins (Shirley Booth, Anna Magnani, Donna Reed, Shirley Jones, Wendy Hiller and Helen Hayes)
* Nine nominations (Terry Moore, Marisa Pavan, Deborah Kerr -twice-, Maureen Stapleton, Thelma Ritter, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Garland and Susan Sarandon).
I left one Best Actress nominee out! Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number.
I'm torn between "From Here to Eternity" and "Judgment at Nuremberg".
Atlantic City is my favorite.
Burt se ha hecho así mismo. Su niñez tuvo suerte de tener una biblioteca y gustarle leer, porque sino, ahora no hablaríamos de un gran actor. Ha sabido encarrilar su vida, y al ser autodidáctico tiene su mérito. Hay actuaciones buenas y menos buenas, pero a su madurez y según yo, a partir de IL GATTOPARDO, Burt maduró como actor sin freno alguno. Hay varias películas que son mis favoritas, entre ellas Gattopardo, El temible burlón, El fuego y la palabra, etec.
Burt の若い頃の映画を観ました。一人歩くをやっと観ることが出来ました。はっきり言ってこの映画大好きです。カークとBurt の初共演は魅力的です。Burt は何を演じても存在感が凄い！
上手く説明出来ないですが、ハンサムな俳優は大勢いますが、Burt はそれだけではない惹き付けられるものを持っています。Burt は映画の中で今でも生きています。