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David Poland

By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com

Posted Sunday, December 25th, 2011 - 17 Comments »

DP/30: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, actor Max von Sydow

Merry Christmas from Ming The Merciless

17 Comments »

17 Responses to “DP/30: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, actor Max von Sydow”

  1. Joe Leydon says:
    December 25, 2011 at 10:20 am

    A troubling thought: Could Ming be the best-paying gig he’s ever had?

  2. Edward Wilson says:
    December 25, 2011 at 10:55 am

    You should’ve played chess with him…

  3. MarkVH says:
    December 25, 2011 at 11:03 am

    Did you really goof up the title, or are you just putting us on? No snark, just curious.

  4. sanj says:
    December 25, 2011 at 11:13 am

    first 10 mintues – most generic interview – DP didn’t ask any real questions – so he didn’t answer any real questions.

    - didn’t have any cool old man cool movie stories .

    - he gave a lot of short answers – most than other dp/30′s ..

    - overall – seemed like the movie studio forced old actor dude to do this interview – he could have been in France or something … should have cut it short by 10 minutes.

    the only movie i really remember him is strange brew which is like 25 + years old ..

    here’s the trailer

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctj4SGoAGCg

  5. Joe Leydon says:
    December 25, 2011 at 11:35 am

    He was pretty damn funny in Strange Brew, actually.

  6. David Poland says:
    December 25, 2011 at 11:40 am

    Goofed it up, Mark… can’t keep it straight… was editing the title on YouTube and posting here this morning… a little distracted.

  7. David Poland says:
    December 25, 2011 at 11:41 am

    And in spite of sanj’s take, I really enjoyed the conversation. The Bergman stories and his theater-first mindset were of real interest to me. And I just like watching the guy think. For me, it felt unusually intimate for someone I really don’t know at all.

  8. Joe Leydon says:
    December 25, 2011 at 11:56 am

    Max Von Sydow is a god, and gods have that effect on people. Seriously: Remember a few years ago when Edward James Olmos was so damn happy just standing next to him on stage at the Oscars that he impulsively kissed his hand? I can relate to that. The one and only time I met Bette Davis, I had to stop myself from falling on my knees and saying, “Oh, Lord, I am not worthy!”

  9. sanj says:
    December 25, 2011 at 1:30 pm

    DP – the movie history seems more important to you because you watched his movies … the lack of movie details were just missing…not a fun interview for me.

    the most detailed answers from the recent dp/30 was Theron – she gave answers to questions.

  10. Danella Isaacs says:
    December 26, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    Anyone who only knows MvS from STRANGE BREW has no business criticizing an interview of MvS. The man is one of the greatest actors on the planet. Even if you’re too lazy or disinterested to read subtitles, you can see this in THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (if you look quickly), THE EXORCIST (a 44 year old flawlessly playing an elderly man; Armie Hammer and Leonardo DiCaprio should have consulted him before almost ruining the last third of J. EDGAR), etc., etc., etc. Hell, even his Ming is a delight to behold. And then there’s PELLE THE CONQUEROR, THE IMMIGRANTS, THE VIRGIN SPRING, SHAME, THE PASSION OF ANNA, THE SEVENTH SEAL, HOUR OF THE WOLF. If he dies without an Oscar, honorary or otherwise, it will be yet another blot on the Academy’s record.

  11. leahnz says:
    December 26, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    danella, you forgot him as the tracker in ‘what dreams may come’ and dr novotny in ‘dreamscape’! (nah, just kidding). hard to believe von sydow’s never won an oscar considering his legend status, i had to look it up (wiki) and was actually shocked to find he only has ONE oscar nomination over his entire career, for lead actor in ‘pelle’. can that be right? (if that’s correct, is there precedent for the academy giving someone so snubbed nomination-wise an honorary oscar, which would seem a bit of a no-brainer…)

  12. Danella Isaacs says:
    December 26, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    Maybe not in acting, leahnz, but if you look at directors, I don’t think Godard or Satyajit Ray were ever nominated, and yet they got (much-deserved) honorary Oscars. I always think it really does credit to the Academy when they do, sometimes, give people like Antonioni, Wajda, Godard, and Ray those honorary Oscars. Von Sydow really should be next, not that I have any say in the matter.

  13. leahnz says:
    December 26, 2011 at 3:46 pm

    interesting. perhaps a petition is in order

    (i was kidding about it in the ‘Prometheus’ thread, deadly serious here. maybe someone who reads this blog actually has some influence in this regard, if so: get off yer ass. and a star on the walk of fame for river phoenix, whoever’s in the know on that stuff, it’s a travesty. make amends)

  14. yancyskancy says:
    December 26, 2011 at 4:09 pm

    Edward G. Robinson got an honorary Oscar (posthumously, if I recall correctly), surely in compensation for never getting even one nomination for acting. Stan Laurel, too, I believe. I’m sure there are others. Jerry Lewis got one, but I think it was the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award and therefore more for his charity work than his career before and behind the camera.

    I may have mentioned it before, but back when Rex Reed and Dixie Whatley were doing that awful Siskel and Ebert knock-off, Reed was outraged that “some foreign guy” got a Best Actor nod for a movie nobody ever heard of — PELLE THE CONQUEROR. My jaw hit the floor.

    As Daniella said, Von Sydow is one of the greatest screen actors ever. Anyone avoiding his classic work because it’s B&W or subtitled or “old” — well, it’s their loss. Sanj, you might want to think about watching 10 percent fewer interviews per week so you can squeeze in a look at one of Von Sydow’s better films. :)

  15. sanj says:
    December 26, 2011 at 4:44 pm

    i’ll check more interviews on this guy on youtube .

    i’m still surprised i remembered him in strange brew .

    still doesn’t change my mind about the interview – not the best from DP.

    DP did a dp/30 with old dude Frederick Wiseman – haven’t seen his documentaries but that interview was better.

    actors / directors who are 70 + years old always seem
    to get cranky … at least DP is the only one interviewing them.

  16. leahnz says:
    December 27, 2011 at 12:05 am

    rex reed shoulda got slapped upside the head for that

  17. randall g gerber says:
    July 11, 2012 at 7:06 pm

    a honorary oscar for a deserving and great actor like mr von sydow,who gives great performances in ingmar bergman and american movies for over fifty-five years.like doris day,max von sydow deserves this award too.

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