MovieChat Forums > Comes a Horseman (1978) Discussion > Alan J. Pakula-the Director also Died

Alan J. Pakula-the Director also Died


in a freakish accident in 1998.

Can you fly this plane?
Surely you can't be serious.
I am serious, and don't call me Shirley

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I believe he was on the Long Island Expressway and a metal pipe flew off of a truck in front of him and went through his windshield. Very sad accident since he made such wonderful movies and seemed to be a great person.

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Yes, a metal pipe on the road may have been kicked up by another car and crashed through his 1995 Volvo's windshield.
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/20/movies/alan-j-pakula-film-director-dies-at-70.html?ref=alanjpakula

Quite a Resume'
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Up the Down Staircase (1967)
Klute (1971)
The Parallax View (1974)
All the President's Men (1976)
Comes a Horseman (1978)
The Pelican Brief (1993) & more



Can you fly this plane?
Surely you can't be serious.
I am serious,and don't call me Shirley

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It was a shocking death from a terrific director who couldn't be pinned down by genres or styles. In addition to the (mostly) excellent films you listed, these are worth checking out if you can find them:
The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
Starting Over (1979)
Sophie's Choice (1982)
Dream Lover (1986)
See You in the Morning (1989)
Consenting Adults (1992)

Not all of these are top-notch, but they have a true humanity that Mr. Pakula always brought to his films. We could use more like him today.

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Sometimes you just can't beat bad luck. He left a fantastic cinematic legacy across a range of genres and clearly he had a very productive relationship with Jane Fonda.🐭

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He indeed did have an excellent working relationship with Fonda. It's too bad he wasn't around a bit longer to direct Fonda in some of her later-career work, which I think can safely be labeled inconsistent.

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It's too bad he wasn't around a bit longer ...
Yes, it's a pity we can't always have a say in that sort of thing.
... which I think can safely be labeled inconsistent.
Ha-ha! Don't tell me you weren't into "Monster - in - Law"?🐭

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I found "Monster-in-Law" absolute torture!

And coincidentally, tonight I just watched a recent Jane Fonda film called "Peace, Love and Misunderstanding," which is almost as bad. I wish Fonda would take on more nuanced roles at this point in her career rather than playing cliched, one-dimensional characters.

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I'm about to check out one of her more recent appearances too in one called This Is Where I Leave You, which I gather was a bit of a critical and commercial flop. It'll be interesting to see how the old girl goes.

It's arguably fair to say that for many good senior actors a lot of the juicy roles dry up and they end up taking just about anything.

Have a scroll through some of Larry Olivier's offerings during his final years (E.G. The Betsy???).

Michael Caine's pretty honest about this sort of topic. He just wants to keep working and if the role and movie are critically well-received, well that's a bonus.🐭

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I just put "This Is Where I Leave You" on reserve at my local library, which is my main source for new releases now that most of the video stores near me have closed. Only one other person has it on hold, and 47 copies are available!

Unfortunately, the good roles seem to dry up for both men and women in their later years, though women seem particularly hit hard by the trend, playing characters that are downright embarrassing if not demeaning. Michael Caine has defied the trend by creating unique characters that are often better than the films themselves. I believe he has said he does this to keep himself entertained, and he certainly has that effect on me as well.

Laurence Olivier had a hodgepodge of roles in his latter years, though "Marathon Man" and "Boys From Brazil" were quite good. I recently unloaded "The Betsy" along with most of the rest of the movies I've acquired over the years, and I found it a bit of a bore.

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I just put "This Is Where I Leave You" on reserve at my local library, which is my main source for new releases now that most of the video stores near me have closed.
Same with me and that's where I got my copy. May be I'm the member in front of you.

The good news is that the film is much better IMO, than I expected and that JF is quite good in it and has a fairly substantial, crucial role in what is very much an ensemble movie. It uses an updated Big Chill template and IMO strikes a nice balance between comedy and light drama.

Loved Olivier in Marathon Man, but thought both he and Gregory Peck and the movie itself (TBFB), were just extremely over the top, bordering on the weird/bizarre.🐭

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Well, I went directly to my library this afternoon and checked out "This Is Where I Leave You" before they got the chance to take it off the shelf for my reservation. I'll watch it in the next few days and let you know what I think.

I don't expect that much from Jane Fonda these days because some of her recent roles have been downright embarrassing regardless of her performance. But I saw "Georgia Rule" with my expectations suitably lowered, and I found it to be not bad at all.

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they always said volvos were the safest autos.

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