Paul Mazursky directed this slow paced drama (The New York Times review at the time agreed) about an elderly septuagenarian (Art Carney, who was only 56 years old) who decides to go on a cross-country road trip with his cat Tonto after they are both kicked out of their apartment. Not the most exciting film, but it does offer some interesting philosophical ideas when he picks up a hitchhiker (Thirtysomething's Melanie Mayron) and visits his daughter in Chicago and son in Los Angeles. In small roles are Ellen Burstyn, Larry Hagman, and Geraldine Fitzgerald. The Academy found Mr. Carney's performance to be worthy of the Best Actor Oscar; he won over Al Pacino ("The Godfather Part 2") and Jack Nicholson ("Chinatown"). Some observers feel this was a sentimental Oscar win, because of Mr. Carney's legendary comedic work on TV, most notably in The Honeymooners and The Jackie Gleason Show from the 1950s and 60s. This was a once-in-a-career opportunity for him to have such a lead, but he never matched the success in his subsequent films.9/20/2009
Harry and Tonto (1974)
Paul Mazursky directed this slow paced drama (The New York Times review at the time agreed) about an elderly septuagenarian (Art Carney, who was only 56 years old) who decides to go on a cross-country road trip with his cat Tonto after they are both kicked out of their apartment. Not the most exciting film, but it does offer some interesting philosophical ideas when he picks up a hitchhiker (Thirtysomething's Melanie Mayron) and visits his daughter in Chicago and son in Los Angeles. In small roles are Ellen Burstyn, Larry Hagman, and Geraldine Fitzgerald. The Academy found Mr. Carney's performance to be worthy of the Best Actor Oscar; he won over Al Pacino ("The Godfather Part 2") and Jack Nicholson ("Chinatown"). Some observers feel this was a sentimental Oscar win, because of Mr. Carney's legendary comedic work on TV, most notably in The Honeymooners and The Jackie Gleason Show from the 1950s and 60s. This was a once-in-a-career opportunity for him to have such a lead, but he never matched the success in his subsequent films.
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So do you think his performance was deserving. I have passed this in the store MANY times...although I want to see it, it just never happened.
ReplyDeleteI too have heard a lot of good things about this film, and of course Carney's Oscar win. I guess I should have suspected it's slow-moving, being a drama from the mid-'70s...still, I guess I'll check it out if given the chance.
ReplyDeleteI think it's worth at least one viewing. Now that I think of it, I really don't think his performance was deserving to win the Oscar, but I could see how he was the sentimental favorite, it was the most sentimental film nominated in the Best Actor category. I liked Jack Nicholson in "Chinatown" that year, but he was much better in "Cookoo's Nest", which he won the Oscar for, deservingly. Gene Hackman's performance in "The Conversation" was my favorite, but he was not nominated. That's one of my all time favorite movies.
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