Always an interesting actor. To pick a performance at random, his stoned space-cadet tank commander Oddball is completely out of place in World War II – everything about him says 1960s, Vietnam, and psychedelia – but Kelly’s Heroes goes up a gear whenever he’s on screen.
He was also good in more serious, patrician-type roles, as in Six Degrees of Separation.
I expect a lot of the obits will mention his turn in Don’t Look Now. He might have been very good in it, but it bores me to tears every time I try to watch it to the end, and not even Julie Christie in that scene (you know the one) can really save it. But DS was still worth watching.
Of course it is Darling. Reducing it to Julie Christie in that scene, which is one of the most tender sex scenes you could see, needed in order to demonstrate their love before things fall apart, words fail me.
Apologies if I’m doing it a disservice, but it has always left me cold. I get the tenderness of that scene, and its importance to both their relationship and the story, but it’s the scenes that surround it that spoil the film.
For me, it feels like a film where the mystery and atmosphere overwhelm the characters, and the sex scene would have extra impact if there was a bit more warmth before and after it to negate some of the chill (the tragic loss of a child, the general odd goings on, etc.). I’m happy to recognise its status as a classic, but I’m not a fan.
The Beeb’s tribute has just mentioned his turns in MASH and Klute – two more great films. They’ve also reminded me that he never picked up an Oscar. Truly there is no justice.
Lovely actor- always worth watching. Apart from the obvious ones I’d like to nominate his role as Mr. Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. He was so natural and comfortable with the other cast members and you could believe they were a real family.
He was suitably evil as President Snow in the Hunger Games films.
Was going to make exactly the same point – his performance in Pride and Prejudice is tender, kranky, funny – more than any performance of Mr Bennett I’ve seen he makes him a sympathetic character whose love for his daughter is palpable and moving. A great actor, worth watching in any film he’s in.
Unlikely though it may seem, pre-fame he was knocking around Swinging London, as he appeared in two episodes of the magnificent ‘Man In A Suitcase’, including probably the best one of all, ‘Which Way Did He Go, Magill?’
That’s the one where Sutherland roams around the Home Counties killing anyone who diddled him out of his share of a robbery a few years before.
Odd how many of those old Monty Berman shows ended up only running for one season/series – guess that was usually the ones built around US “stars” (Richard Bradford in Suitcase, Steve Forrest in the Baron and that bloke who no one ever heard of before or after in The Strange Report
“She’s wonderful, Kate Bush. Wonderful. I love that I did it,” Sutherland continued. “I remember being in the car and the hill and them taking me, taking Reich, away and looking back through the back window of the car and seeing her, seeing Reich’s son Peter, standing there. And I remember the first morning on set seeing her coming out of her trailer smoking a joint and I cautioned her, saying she shouldn’t smoke that, it’d affect her work, and she looked at me for a second and said she hadn’t been straight for nine years and I loved her.”
He was based in England for a while before he hit it big in Hollywood. Turns up in a supporting role in an old black and white episode of ‘The Avengers’.
My friend Paul, on his first visit to Canada, decided to take in a baseball game and found himself sitting next to Sutherland, who very kindly talked him through the minutae of the game unfolding in front of him, including when they all had to leave the stadium while they put the roof over.
Lest we forget, he also has a connection to the Buffy universe, having played Merrick – the Watcher who introduced our heroine to her destiny as the Slayer – in the original movie.
And another huge thumbs up for his brief, but pivotal, performance as the revelatory Deep Throat in Oliver Stone’s JFK.
He was also IRA charmer/cad Liam Devlin in the Eagle Has Landed, snaring the young Jenny Agutter with his whimsical ways. Definitely the sort of film you’ve seen thirty eight times, but you always end up watching it to the end when it pops up on BBC 2.
Yes, a giant of modern cinema.
Saw him once on Rue St Catherine in Montreal loading an enormous television into his car. He looked flustered so I didn’t try to talk to him or help.
Agreed. A great actor.
If I had to pick one film of his it would be Robert Altman’s
McCabe and Mrs Miller
Is Donald Sutherland in that film? Great movie. Great actor. I just don’t recall him being in it.
Pretty sure he wasn’t
Doh!
He would’ve have been very good if he had, though
Apologies for my CRAFT moment
Always an interesting actor. To pick a performance at random, his stoned space-cadet tank commander Oddball is completely out of place in World War II – everything about him says 1960s, Vietnam, and psychedelia – but Kelly’s Heroes goes up a gear whenever he’s on screen.
He was also good in more serious, patrician-type roles, as in Six Degrees of Separation.
I expect a lot of the obits will mention his turn in Don’t Look Now. He might have been very good in it, but it bores me to tears every time I try to watch it to the end, and not even Julie Christie in that scene (you know the one) can really save it. But DS was still worth watching.
RIP.
Disagree DLK is a masterpiece
Of course it is Darling. Reducing it to Julie Christie in that scene, which is one of the most tender sex scenes you could see, needed in order to demonstrate their love before things fall apart, words fail me.
I always read it as the first time they had sex since their daughter drowned, and a healing and reconciliation before the horror to follow.
Yes you put it better.
Apologies if I’m doing it a disservice, but it has always left me cold. I get the tenderness of that scene, and its importance to both their relationship and the story, but it’s the scenes that surround it that spoil the film.
For me, it feels like a film where the mystery and atmosphere overwhelm the characters, and the sex scene would have extra impact if there was a bit more warmth before and after it to negate some of the chill (the tragic loss of a child, the general odd goings on, etc.). I’m happy to recognise its status as a classic, but I’m not a fan.
I love this little scene, where he acts the whole film off the park:
I always liked Eye of the Needle.
The Beeb’s tribute has just mentioned his turns in MASH and Klute – two more great films. They’ve also reminded me that he never picked up an Oscar. Truly there is no justice.
Lovely actor- always worth watching. Apart from the obvious ones I’d like to nominate his role as Mr. Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. He was so natural and comfortable with the other cast members and you could believe they were a real family.
He was suitably evil as President Snow in the Hunger Games films.
Was going to make exactly the same point – his performance in Pride and Prejudice is tender, kranky, funny – more than any performance of Mr Bennett I’ve seen he makes him a sympathetic character whose love for his daughter is palpable and moving. A great actor, worth watching in any film he’s in.
It’s a lovely performance but like all film Mr Bennets, gets the character wrong. That’s more the fault of the script than the acting, though.
true dat
Unlikely though it may seem, pre-fame he was knocking around Swinging London, as he appeared in two episodes of the magnificent ‘Man In A Suitcase’, including probably the best one of all, ‘Which Way Did He Go, Magill?’
That’s the one where Sutherland roams around the Home Counties killing anyone who diddled him out of his share of a robbery a few years before.
He was in a lot of those old ITC TV shows around that time as he’d relocated to London where young Kiefer was born
Also the “The Superlative Seven” episode of The Avengers…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M3b9q0tfjo
Think he was in The Saint around that time.
Odd how many of those old Monty Berman shows ended up only running for one season/series – guess that was usually the ones built around US “stars” (Richard Bradford in Suitcase, Steve Forrest in the Baron and that bloke who no one ever heard of before or after in The Strange Report
Well, if nobody else is going to post it, I will…
and quite right too.
“She’s wonderful, Kate Bush. Wonderful. I love that I did it,” Sutherland continued. “I remember being in the car and the hill and them taking me, taking Reich, away and looking back through the back window of the car and seeing her, seeing Reich’s son Peter, standing there. And I remember the first morning on set seeing her coming out of her trailer smoking a joint and I cautioned her, saying she shouldn’t smoke that, it’d affect her work, and she looked at me for a second and said she hadn’t been straight for nine years and I loved her.”
The surprising thing about that song (to me anyway) is that is a true (ish) story.
You can actually go an stay in Orgonon: https://wilhelmreichmuseum.org/museum/the-property-orgonon/
Bonus points for Wilhelm Reich’s other appearance in popular song.
Hawkwind Orgone Accumalator
Well done – though I was half-hoping there would be one I hadn’t heard of.
He was based in England for a while before he hit it big in Hollywood. Turns up in a supporting role in an old black and white episode of ‘The Avengers’.
My friend Paul, on his first visit to Canada, decided to take in a baseball game and found himself sitting next to Sutherland, who very kindly talked him through the minutae of the game unfolding in front of him, including when they all had to leave the stadium while they put the roof over.
Lest we forget, he also has a connection to the Buffy universe, having played Merrick – the Watcher who introduced our heroine to her destiny as the Slayer – in the original movie.
And another huge thumbs up for his brief, but pivotal, performance as the revelatory Deep Throat in Oliver Stone’s JFK.
He was also the uber-cool professor in Animal House
He was also IRA charmer/cad Liam Devlin in the Eagle Has Landed, snaring the young Jenny Agutter with his whimsical ways. Definitely the sort of film you’ve seen thirty eight times, but you always end up watching it to the end when it pops up on BBC 2.
This is wonderful, well worth 10 minutes of your time (allow a few seconds to recover).
Brilliant!