Cycnos | Volume 29.2 - Le Méchant à l'écran. Les paradoxes de l'indispensable figure du mal | III Études de cas

Résumé :

Lee Marvin made a name for himself as the arch-villain in many films of the 50s. He was a flamboyant henchman in many westerns, a deadly « heavy » in gangster movies, a gritty soldier in war movies. He was able to outshine many leading actors of the time such as Randolph Scott, Glenn Ford, Marlon Brando or even John Wayne. In the 60s, he became a star in such films as Cat Ballou, The Dirty Dozen, Point Blank, Hell in the Pacific. As an actor, he could be icy and stony, cruel and volatile, always unpredictable. He was the epitome of the tough guy but he was able to give depth to his performances by reaching some inner truth that the spectator could sense and yet not fathom. Hence, there was an underlying tension in his acting that was both compelling and at times unbearable. Like such great actors as James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, Kirk Douglas or Richard Widmark, he was a maverick and belonged to no school of acting. He embodied America’s fascination with violence while, deep down, he carried the burden of his war experience in the South Pacific as a young Marine during World War II.

Mots-clés : western, arch-villain, Cat Ballou, compelling, the Dirty Dozen, gangster movie, Hell in the Pacific, inner truth, Lee Marvin, Point Blank, tough guy, unbearable, underlying, tension, unpredictable, war movie

Date de publication : 2018-07-23