Sorry, a bit late my response..
I have to admit that I don't share your exprience with Newman. I haven't seen an awful lot of his movies, but those that I've seen, I liked him quite a lot (Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy..., Torn Curtain, Sting - although I think this is not a masterpiece, Hud, Hudsucker - minor role, etc.).
I don't think his acting in Hud is obvious. But do you have seen this movie? I just ask, because the only flaw I see here is the title. So many great characters and actors, it's just incredible and I'm not quite sure why pick one and name the whole piece after him. The music, screenplay, directing and the whole cast is top notch imho.
I can't say where Newman would stand if James Dean hadn't died so early, playing so many roles Dean would have (possibly) gotten. And I dont claim he re-invented acting or revolutioized it. But I don't care, he perfectly impersonates this cool, ambitious but lazy and lost guy for me in his younger years. Brando is a different story though and you know how high I think of him. The lost and rebellious young 'Brando' is completely different to the one of Newman (which is probably more ordinary somehow), but I think they're both justified. I don't know about any off-screen stuff of Newman though, but you make it sound like he's a good guy.
I have yet to watch more movies with J.Dean to re-think and render my equation more precisely, though.
Oh, and I've finished
Lawrence of Arabia. Have to give it some thought until judgement. Peter O' Toole looks like he's on drugs and sure is....eh...special. I would think you're not a big fan of him, Shrink.
I have not seen 'Hud', so I'll keep an eye out for it.
However, I am something of a fan of Paul Newman in his 'lighter' movies, 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' and, obviously, 'The Sting', (a lovely, clever, witty, stylish movie, and a terrific soundtrack).
Perhaps, I am biased, as I really liked Paul Newman the man; his politics, his attitudes on race, gender, disability, his generous charity work - whereby he gave both time and money to causes he supported, and so on. I realise that I am perfectly capable of overlooking his limitations as an actor as I liked the man so much....
Remarkably, James Dean only made three movies..."Rebel Without A Cause", "East Of Eden", and "Giant" before he lunched his Porsche and himself. (He did a bunch of TV, but only 3 movies). Dean, Brando, and Newman, among others (e.g. Montgomery Clift), were the new breed actors who came out of the Actors Studio (an acting style called "The Method", based on the writings of Stanislowski). They all represented a sea change in acting...instead of acting from the outside in, they acted from the inside out...and changed American film acting forever. For me, Dean and Brando were the pick of the litter in their impact on film acting.
I have seen ALL of Newman's movies. I'm not saying he was terrible, but I feel he was obvious, and as I mentioned in my post...never really submerged himself in the characters he played, and was at his best when he played light comedy, and could wink at the audience. He appeared to be having a good time in those roles (e.g. "The Sting", "Butch Cassidy...") and invited the audience to join him in the fun. But as far as disappearing into his more dramatic roles...not so much. If you want to see him overdo do it, see "Somebody Up There Likes Me", if you haven't seen it yet. For me, it's a prime example of his bad overacting.
About "Lawrence Of Arabia"...first, in general, I don't like "epic" films. I prefer smaller, less GRAND films. It was OK for what it was, but not a favorite of mine. (see also: Dr. Zhivago, and "Gone With The Wind...which I have tried to watch several times, and could never make it all the way through.)
I have, however, enjoyed O'Toole in other films, and I think he was quite good, accepting that he represented the British style of film acting. A bit large and grand (see: Laurence Olivier for the well done, but over the top style of British acting), but I have enjoyed many of his performances.
BTW: I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "special"...but if you mean gay,the real Lawrence was purported, by some, to have been bisexual...although there is not universal agreement on that. Also, although not mentioned explicitly in the movie (if I remember correctly - I saw the film long ago) Lawrence was raped during one of his times as a prisoner. O'Toole himself, I am quite sure, was straight. One of the heavy drinking, bar fighting, Brits...along with Richard Burton and others.
Here, I have to say that I'm not all that impressed by Peter O'Toole, the actor, and I never saw him as 'great' (whereas some of the other brawlers, heaving drinking barflies of that era, such as Richard Harris and Richard Burton, were excellent actors).
Re 'East of Eden', I've never liked the film, because I loved the book, and I think the film (movie) is an utter travesty of what was a superb and stunning work, easily Steinbeck's best work.
In the early 1990s, I tripped over a battered, copy in my father's bedroom. It was a cheap paperback, with yellow dusting on the edges of the pages, pages which themselves, easily separated from the spine, closely packed print which smudged easily and was difficult to read.
Looking at it, I realised that my father had bought it in the US in the 1950s, when the book came out, and had smuggled it home to Ireland in his suitcase, where, it had been, of course, banned, under our draconian censorship laws.
Unfortunately, the movie misses the epic scope and scale of the novel, and, by omitting the first two thirds of the novel (by focussing solely on Cal and Aron's story) also misses entirely the moral and philosophical core of the book, as expressed by the superlative philosophical discussions between Samuel Hamilton and Lee, the Chinese philosopher-cook (easily my favourite character in the entire book).
Well, since I really appreciate your opinion(s) I'll give it a shot and watch Cat on a Hot Tin Roof soon again. It's some time ago now since I've seen it last and wanted to do it anyways. I found it good the first time. But hey, what do I know!
lol!
Quite a while since I've seen it, too, alas.
