Mature a better actor than he was given credit for - The Last Frontier (1956) Discussion

[–] railyard 17 years ago

Victor Mature was one of my very favorite actors. I'll watch any movie with him in it. In fact, I have a big, tough, handsome Tomcat named after him. Vic takes an awful lot of knocks from some people about his acting. It is true that in a handful of movies he wasn't very good, but that's because he wasn't interested in the movie and he really wanted to be somewhere else playing golf or having fun. He was just a big kid at heart. In reality, he was a very good actor, especially when he was emoting inner pain or anguish eg: Demetrius and the Gladiators or The Robe. He made some really fine film noir movies eg: Kiss of Death and Cry of the City. He was great in comedies and musicals eg: After the Fox and My Gal Sal. I thought he was terrific in this movie (Last Frontier). Actually, the more I write this, the more I realize what a good actor he was and it isn't fair for some people to judge his entire career on just a handful of films. Every actor has a bad day now and then, but the good greatly out numbers the bad.

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[–] wmjahn 16 years ago

Vic Mature was a GREAT actor and - as his name says - he was a mature = intelligent man. He had a superb hand for chosing good movies, even if some of them look dated today (which is nothing to be sad about, I LOVE old-fashioned movies!). He played heroes as well as loners in his noirs.

I have not seen every of his movies, but EVERY of his movies which I saw, was something special and has at least a couple of great scenes with him! The LAST FRONTIER is just a WONDERFUL Anthony Mann-movie, clever, intelligent, funny, poignat, for me as good as the well-deserved praised ones with Jimmy Stewart. This one here with Vic is of equal greatness.

And what I really do admire is that Mr. Mature called it a day, when he felt too old to do movies. He quit and enjoyed life from the early 60ies on. After that he made just a handful well chosen appearances.

This guy lived a life in full, he was a man in full and if people would take the time to watch old movies, he would be well remembered for some of his really great roles in such classics as KISS OF DEATH, THE ROBE, THE EGYPTIAN, BETRAYED, VIOLENT SATURDAY, ...

Long live his legacy !

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[–] nutsberryfarm 8 years ago

got tons of gravitas.

🌴"I'm not making art, I'm making sushi." Masaharu Morimoto🌴

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[–] carrie45 11 years ago

And sexy too.

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[–] som1950 16 years ago

Check out "After the Fox" in which he turns a self-parody into a surprisingly affecting denouement.

In that he was given no credit at all, being better than he was given credit for is very faint praise!

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[–] Bruno Antony 15 years ago

I agree. He's very good here and in Kiss of Death and I think he's absolutely fantastic in My Darling Clementine (as is Walter Brennan, another vastly underrated actor).

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[–] The_Dying_Flutchman 13 years ago

With 3 Oscars to his credit, Walter was anything, but underrated.

Let it be unsaid: insignificance is the locus of true increpation.

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[–] herc_takes_five 12 years ago

re: brennan: i think the comment was referring to today's audience rather than during his own time, when he was obviously appreciated by his peers. today, a lot of baby boomers remember him more for 'the real mccoys' than for his movies.

i agree with the other comments that mature was very good, and i enjoy watching his movies even if they are dated. he was rko's go-to guy for certain types of roles, after robert mitchum (another underrated actor who seems to be gaining appreciation with modern audiences). i can't see mitchum though "making with the holy look." for a chuckle, check out mature's cameo in the monkees' weird 1968 "trip" movie, 'head.'

quotes: after being turned down for membership in the swank Los Angeles Country Club because they didn't accept actors: "I'm not an actor -- and I've got 64 films to prove it!"

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[–] Bilwick1 11 years ago

"In reality, he was a very good actor, especially when he was emoting inner pain or anguish eg: Demetrius and the Gladiators or The Robe."

Indeed. In the latter movie, the scene where he breaks the master-slave bond and denounces Marcellus (Richard Burton) and the whole Roman Empire always puts a chill down my spine. The movie is interesting in that Mature, whose acting abilities are for some reason denigrated, out-acts Richard Burton.

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[–] mam13143 10 years ago

Terribly underrated during his time till the present. I guess he is the male equivalent of a sexy woman who can act but no one notices. So many good movies from when he played doc holiday opposite Fonda to all the period pieces like this one. A shame, but I think he never let it bother him.

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[–] bruno-32 9 years ago

WOW, under rated, to a point. I had to squirm during the scene when he appears drunk in front of the Colonel and the troops...not a good drunk. I am also surprised of the previous posts here, not mentioning one of his most famous role, and quite good at it, as Samson in "Samson & Delilah"...well maybe its because, everyone, including myself was too busy looking at his co=star in that movie, Hedy LaMarr.

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[–] Veritas_Lux_Mea 9 years ago

I laugh a little because Robert Mitchum used to call Victor Mature, "Smelly old Victor Mature" and I'm sure quipped on several occasions "Victor Manure"...however Vic is great in this and gives a fantastic performance. This is a truly fantastic western that needs Grover Crisp to rescue it to a blu-ray. Basically, every one of Anthony Mann's westerns needs to be on blu-ray.

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[–] nedeljkodjukic88 9 years ago

Very good western and great performance by Mature. I love watching him.

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[–] Noirfan55 9 years ago

I loved "I Wake up Screaming" - although why - I couldn't tell you. I guess he had - presence...

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