Of all the Stuart Whitman movies that I've seen this one is his best. His performance is remarkable.
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Nick "A hell of a great guy! NOT!"
Actually his best performance comes from the film "The Mark" which gave him his only Oscar nomination but this has alway's been one of my favorite films! Please...DVD!!!!!
shareWhitman's performance here is definitely remarkable .
The final scene is unforgettable.
well - it's his best role anyway - one he seemed born to play
it's a rare occurance when the token American in a British production turned in a performance the overshadowed the British actors
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Agreed. Never understood why he didn't become a bigger star.
A few years later he'd be starring in Rene Cardona Jr. crap. Oh the horror...
I haven't seen "The Mark" (it's not on disc and rarely screened), but I'd agree this is the best thing I've ever seen Stuart Whitman in. All I really seem to remember him from otherwise is bland action films and Television work in mundane movies and shows.
He always struck me as an actor in the Rod Taylor mold, a bit more rugged looking though, which probably tended to typecast him.
I'm not really one of those "live and let live" kind of guys...
The Mark was once available on DVD exclusively from Movies Unlimited, but I don't think it's around anymore. It was a very controversial film even in its day, with Whitman playing a child molester released from prison, trying to lead a normal life. The subject matter alone, and the very different thinking about such people in the public mind today, would seem to make this movie even more controversial now than it was in 1961, especially as Whitman's character is basically sympathetic. Popular pressure would damn such a depiction nowadays, one reason the film has never made it onto regular DVD, and is never shown on television anymore.
Whitman was an odd choice for such a role (especially since the movie was made in England), but his performance was excellent and even just giving him an Oscar nomination for such a dark role in an obscure film was a surprise at the time -- testament in itself to his performance.
So to the thread question: is Sands of the Kalahari his best movie -- or his best performance? I'd say The Mark was indeed his best performance, but as to best film...well, The Longest Day and The Comancheros, for two, were about as good, and his roles in each were very different, giving us a wider view of his talents. But overall, Sands might be the best confluence of role-and-movie for Whitman.
Incidentally, though he had only a few years at the top, and was, as another poster pointed out, later reduced to doing a lot of junk in movies and on TV, no need to feel too upset over the decline in Stuart Whitman's acting career. He continued to perform for decades more, and on the side became a highly successful businessman and multi-millionaire, acting mainly for the fun of it. Stuart Whitman is 86 as of this post, and we happen to share the same birthday (though not year!), February 1.
I think your comparison to Rod Taylor (a favorite of mine) is very apt. Another great actor who never quite made the top. He would have been good in this film, too.
Actually, I just bought the DVD today off of Amazon.
I hadn't even heard of the movie before today, & then I tried to find it on streaming/utube, but no dice. But did find a copy on Amazon.
Mr. Whitman in an interview said that Richard Burton had first been up for the role, but was busy with another film, so it was offered to Whitman. He was flown to England before he even knew what the film was about, & after finding out, he really did not want to play the character (he said he even wanted to say that he had come down with an illness so he didn't have to play it), until he met up with Rod Steiger & they practiced some scenes together ~ he then decided to give it a go.
"Much communication in a motion, without conversation or a notion"
I checked it out, and it looks like the same disc I got some time back. Hope you enjoy The Mark!
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