MovieChat Forums > The Brood (1979) Discussion > Some of the acting sucked, but some of t...

Some of the acting sucked, but some of the acting was SUPERB!

posted 18 years ago by clearbluepeace
34 replies | jump to latest

I bought The Brood on DVD from the cheapo bin at walmart and watched it last night. Wow. Kinda weird, not quite scary enough for me, but still a decent watch.

I couldn't help but be struck by just how bad the acting was by the Dr. and Nola. The father's acting was alright, I guess, but I REALLY ENJOYED the performance by Robert Silverberg, who played the man with the lymphatic cancer tumors on his neck. Man, talk about a guy who really knows how to play a semi-sane person! Remember him as the reclusive artist/scanner in Scanners? His performance in that was pretty hammy, yes, but in The Brood, he was masterful!

I also thought that the guy with the red hair and big bushy beard gave an excellent performance, too. Very convincing when he was utterly distraught, crying, etc. What do you think?

-Jeffrey

[–] artdelong 18 years ago

I just finished watching this film. I actually thought it was the father that was the acting weak link. I think the role could have been a lot more grounded in reality and he could have came from a position that he was separated from his wife while she was undergoing psychotherapy. He should have been the character that we identified with - the relatively normal guy that is estranged from his wife. I don't think the character adequately portrayed a rather hellish decent into the paranormal. He was pretty bland an unemotional, mostly just staring wild eyed as the murders of some people close to him occured around him.

An excellent example of how the father character should have been played can been seen in Ellen Burstyn's Chris MacNeil character in The Exorcist. . It was Burstyn's portrayal of a snapped parent that really made that film. A real actor could have sold the role in The Brood a lot better.

[–] Allenj110 18 years ago

I wouldn't have minded a little more of Robert Silverberg, he freakin' rocked. The father wasn't the greatest, does anyone else think he looks a hell of a lot like that dude on without a trace?

[–] un-7 18 years ago

His name is Robert Silverman. Silverberg is a sci-fi author.

[–] seronie 18 years ago

Did clearbluepeace just knock Ollie Read? I think he did!

>:0

"Frankenstein was creator,not the monster.A common misconception held by all truly stupid people"

[–] drzarnak 18 years ago

Oliver Reedcan be an acquired taste (I personally love him), but to knock Samantha Eggar's performance in the film is insane. She does a marvelous job in a very difficult part. As demented as she is, she is still sympathetic, but without losing her any of fearsomeness. In my opinion, one of the best horror performances.

[–] doane_2010 16 years ago

I LOVED Eggar's performance. She is one of the best actresses to this date. My god, I wish Hollywood would go on TALENT for actors, not beauty. Samantha has both.

[–] totokeke 10 years ago

She is awesome in The Brood. Totally fearless performance in my opinion.

[–] Bitter_Almonds 18 years ago

Dude, Oliver Reed totally pwned... all he had to do was *pose* and *stare*. Very few people can pull off such a strong, deep, and charismatic gaze. Plus, he had a very imposing physique and penetrating voice. To me, that's part of good acting.

Do The Mussolini! Headkick!

[–] Thurston_Thornton_III 17 years ago

To me, it appears you grew up with the hots for Oliver Reed.

:P

we take our horrible mutilations seriously in these parts

[–] Bitter_Almonds 17 years ago

Hahaha. Nah. BUT if I had the same *stare* - with the blue eyes and everything - I think I could scare people. Rasputin also had that enigmatic stare.

Do The Mussolini! Headkick!

[–] Thurston_Thornton_III 17 years ago

I'll never forget him in the werewolf flick. I was young, at it was late night TV - I'll always remember it, lol

we take our horrible mutilations seriously in these parts

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] michaelboyeandersen 17 years ago

oliver reed was good. I also think it was the father who was weak at some points.

[–] WalkUnafraid 17 years ago

maybe i'm slow, but what does "pwned" mean?

[–] ryanatgeekside 17 years ago

Good:

cancer guy
grandpa

In the middle:

dad
mom
dr.
dr.'s assistant
grandma

Bad:

daughter
the brood

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ryanatgeekside 17 years ago

Keep in mind that I did not say he sucked, and I Croenenberg is a huge hit or miss director.

ry

[–] prbronx5 17 years ago

This movie is awesome. I've watched it about 20 times over the past 10 years. I agree with the father (Art Hindle) being pretty bland as the husband. He was just as bland In the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (but his blandness worked once he was taken over in that movie). Samantha Eggar was excellent as Nola both in her hypnotize state and in her normal state. You never hated her, because you sympathized with her being a brutally abused child at the hands of her mother and also at being mentally abused by her uncaring husband. Oliver Reed was also great as the doctor. Nola's mom and Candy's teacher were great supporting players. The creature kid things were disturbing and vicious.

Too bad the DVD is a bare bones release.

[–] HellBellsLiveWired 11 years ago

"You never hated her, because you sympathized with her being a brutally abused child at the hands of her mother and also at being mentally abused by her uncaring husband. "

Huh? I didn't find her character sympathetic whatsoever. I didn't believe her stories of abuse since neither of her parents appeared to be abusive, they actually seemed like nice people. I think her stories of abuse were merely delusions. Also how was her husband mentally abusive? If anything SHE was the abusive one, especially when she phoned the baby sitter and called her a bitch. How is that sympathetic behavior? I despised her character.

Furthermore, her acting was over the top and melodramatic in the worst possible way. Her exaggerated emotions felt out of place in a film where most of the characters act incredibly bland, such as the father and daughter. Her performance could have worked if it wasn't so out of place with the rest of the performances.

A day without a buzz is a day that never was.

[–] wendywenchgirl 17 years ago

I like Cronenberg, and yeah this is not his best film but it's one of the better ones, I think. I did not think the acting sucked at all. Maybe it wasn't horrifyingly scary as you said, but it sure was creepy and disturbing and I remember that sh*t clear as day. When she lifts up her shirt, I nearly fainted.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] prbronx5 17 years ago

Again Samantha Eggar as Nola was excellent. You have to understand she was basically in a hypnotized state throughout most of the movie because that is how the Dr. believes she can be kept calm. When you see her crying and child like, she is under hypnosis.

The doctor doesn't realize that her child state is what is actually making her angry and violent as she is reliving her abuse at the hands of her mother, and she is hurt by her dad allowing the abuse to continue.

Her weak husband abandoning her and threatening to not let her see her daughter only adds to the problem.

[–] moffieboi 17 years ago

The docter was the best of the lot. He had me wondering during the whole movie whether he was a "bad" guy or one of the "good" guys regarding the incidents. All the acting seemed pretty decent to me.