Kirk Douglas is 98 today. One of the greats of movies. He had heart in his roles; whether a slave gladiator Spartacus, a proud Viking or, as seen here, a war weary Colonel Dax with a terrible commanding order to execute in Kubrick’s Paths of Glory.
A brief opening scene has his appearance in a sidecar riding to the rear to be given orders to go over the top in an apparently no-win attack. It is one (of many) of Kubrick’s masterpiece’s.
When in San Francisco I HAD to go to a few select locations of one of my favorite Steve McQueen movies: Bullitt.
The iconic car chase shows off the stunt drivers craft as well as this city of inclines all too well. I enjoyed going through the streets on foot, by tram, motorcycle and car. Though none as rapidly of Frank Bullitt.
I wished I could have rented a ’68 fastback ‘stang!
“Look, you work your side of the street, and I’ll work mine.”
A latter day recreation of Ann Margaret this time good guy George Clooney goofing about on his Bonnie.
Classic line in a classic British film from 1969. Caine is marvelous as Charlie Croker the gold bullion theft ring-leader. The car chase is in the top 3 of chases (Bullitt, The Blues Brothers?). The alpine and Turin scenery sublime.
It was on the telly last evening in unedited wide screen format. Fabulous! It just so happens the scene where they blew more than the bloody doors off was filmed in Crystal Palace Park in south London. I first learned to ride a motorcycle in that park back in 1996. A Suzuki 125.
Aka The Seven Samurai. John Sturges western remake of the Akiro Kurosawa classic Shinchinin no Samurai. 七人の侍
This was a big production with notable actors playing the hired guns: Yul Brynner, Brad Dexter, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn and introducing Horst Bucholtz. Eli Wallach was the antagonist Calvera running the bandits. Oh, and of course Steve McQueen.
Steve and Yul were Vin Tanner and Chris Adams respectively. A great pairing with Colt, Winchester or ‘pepper gun’.
Riding? Yep on four legs not two wheels but I bet he had a 500 Triumph desert sled handy between shoots.
V for Victory? When asked about the progress of village preparations Vin replies:
” Reminds me of that fella back home who fell off a ten-story building. As he was falling, people on each floor kept hearing him say, “So far, so good.” Heh, so far, so good.”
“A mole.”
A neat tee! Army green ready to tunnel with the best of ’em and pound your baseball on the cooler wall. Triumph name too. Waiting for more reasonable Target prices. Sixty bucks for a T-shirt IS a bit steep!
This iconic image from The Great Escape says it all: Hilts, Moto, Germans. Well someone in the Chicago area has s recreated Triumph TR6 TGE bike that is available for purchase.
Including HALT sign, all you’d need is a barbed wire fence and Swiss border. And somewhere to tote your baseball glove…. And wirecutters .
Back to the moto: it a very clean mechanical recreation in gunmetal grey to look like a German wartime beemer. Which is what Bud Skins did for the movie. A wee bit of artistic license to maintain coolness; I’m fine with that!
Peter O’Toole (1932-2013) – the last of the original pot war actor rebels who knew how to drink and regale like the best of ’em (and that includes Button, Harris, Reed and other imbibous gents of the theater) . he made his name as The Only True TE Lawrence in one of the most magnificent cinematic outings: Lawrence of Arabia.
As we all know Larry met his end one of the bucolic country lanes near his countryside escape at Clouds Hill near Wareham Dorset. The film opens with this scene the retreats to his middle eastern endeavors during the Great War.
The motorcycle was the Brought Superior SS100, ride of voice by TEL.
Here’s our Bristol Old Vic pal Peter cutting a dashing figure as always on one for some movie promotion.
Here’s Larry on (one of) his bikes…
Smashing film about a situation that we’re still seeing the heavy ripples from that time. O’Toole is outstanding in this most perfect of roles. A giant until the end.
Bond #2 was George Lazenby, still quite a controversial selection; but in my mind better than Roger Moore bringing a serious role to the proceedings. His car was a new model Aston Martin DBS a 6 cylinder
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was the adventure when JB met Tracy Do Vicenzo played by the truly delightful Diana Rigg taking a break from her fame making Emma Peel in The Avengers.
This has the ending where Bonds nemesis Blofeld has the newly married Mrs Tracy Bond shot as they sit in the Aston overlooking the Riviera.
“This never happened to the other fellow!”
Connery as Bond, Aston Martin DB5, alpine road… Stylish, superlative and sinuous… In that order!
Licensed to Kill: Pierce Brosnan was a great James Bond; a suave agent with a calculated gentleman’s approach to his job. Not the tough guy Daniel Craig who has taken the mantle to great effect, but a clean-cut Fleming protagonist. He was see in his second outing Tomorrow Never Dies riding a BMW R1200C with Michelle Yeoh hurling through the Ho Chu Minh City.
I prefer the Aston Martin that happens to be Bonds favorite vehicle. Here he stands with a Vanquish.
Of course with the very British marque of Triumph going from strength to strength JB should be seen on a Bonneville gadget equipped by Q’s quartermaster department.
Here’s Irishman Pierce taking a stance aboard an emerald green Thruxton. This week he was filming a new movie in Cambridge and his professorial don character totes around the college town on a Triumph: looks like its catching on…
Looking stylish Mr Bond!
The Englishman’s Englishman Clive Owen fly’s under the radar is most mainstream films. His low key characters are played seemingly effortlessly without too much fuss. Always a worthwhile watch. His latest offering is a 70’s crime thriller set in New York NY about two brothers separated by the law: Blood Ties.
Billy Crudup is his sibling and here they ride a period Triumph Bonneville, much like mine the Oil in Frame model of that time. Owen on pillion. The jackets are class! I had a tan blazer like that for wearing down the pub… Clive’s character gets to marry Mila Kunis’….. Not bad for an acting role! Look at that three piece suit! I didn’t have one of those for popping to the local!
Actor Richard Gere utilizes an old familiar ride in this nondescript forgettable film from twenty years ago. We saw him on a T140 and whites in An Officer & a Gentleman… Here he totes around as some character with bipolar disorder with a more classic 60’s Bonnie.
It least he got to tootle around some sunny Californian streets on a sweet moto.
Rush, the latest movie from Ron Howard: Opie to some Richie to others but nonetheless a great director. It concerns the rivalry between James Hunt & Niki Lauda during the ’76 Grand Prix season. A balanced mix of the human tale along with some marvelous racing footage. The 70’s are evoked superbly and the main actors take on their roles of these racing legends with aplomb. The bawdy lifestyle of Hunt is contrasted sharply with Lauda’s near monkish approach; yet their respect for each other as worthy opponents comes through to the closing.
Two thumbs up! And why not!
There was a brief mention yesterday of the Great Lee Marvin. We know him for some of the great ‘tough guy’ roles in movies: Frank Ballinger in the Chicago based M-Squad, Tully Crow in The man who shot Liberty Valance, Kid Sheleen/Tim Strawn in Cat Ballou (Oscar too!).
His somewhat pivotal role as Chico in The Wild One, leader of the Beetles, got him into riding when trying to be on par with Marlon Brando.
His past included serving as a US Marine in The Pacific during WWII chasing the counter attack across numerous islands seeing some of the fiercest fighting. No doubt this laid the foundation for many of his characters. He did take up motorcycle racing utilizing the Tiger Cub …
Here with fellow racer and character actor Keenan Wynn.
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