Where Have I Seen That Face Before? Sterling Hayden: Actor, Author, Sailor

Jack Hayden, 1953 publicity shot.

This past month when I read Mario Puzo's The Godfather for the first time in 50 years it quite naturally stirred in me a desire to re-visit the blockbuster film that followed, especially since it's considered one of the greatest films of all time. Like all great films with memorable lines, this one itself has become a classic, "We'll make an offer he can't refuse."

Marlon Brando's performance as Don Vito Corleone is perfection. Brando so embodies the essence of the Don, and steals every scene just by his being there in character.

But there are also many other memorable scenes. Of those that come to mind the first is that little surprise that Director Jack Woltz finds in his bed the day after he refuses to accept Don Corleone's proposal.

Another, and the one that triggered this blog post, was the scene in which Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) goes to meet with a man named Sollozzo, head of another mob family, and Captain McCluskey, the crooked Irish cop who previously damaged the side of Michael's face with a knuckle sandwich.

For some reason this Captain McCluskey is familiar to me, but I can't immediately place him. A line from "Lily, Rosemarie and the Jack of Hearts" comes to mind. “I know I've seen that face somewhere,” Big Jim was thinking to himself. And I just couldn't let it go.

This is where the imdb.com is so useful. You can find and scroll through resumes of every actor, director and screenwriter, and even the minor players. McCluskey, though, is a major.

Bingo! Sterling Hayden was the gangster Johnny Clay in Stanley Kubrick's early career breakout film The Killing. Hayden played leading roles in a number of 50s films in the western and film noir categories. But his most memorable, I have to believe, was in another Kubrick cult classic: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964).

Have you zeroed in? Hayden was General Jack Ripper. The interplay between Ripper and Peter Sellers as Group Captain Lionel Mandrake is simply too much fun. (Sellers plays three distinct roles in this film and is equally golden. And what a performance by George C. Scott.) Here's a scene that typifies the whole. Note Kubrick's camerawork.

New Jersey-born in 1916, Sterling Hayden grew up in the Northeast. At age 16 or 17 he ran away from home and went to sea, working his way up to and eventually becoming the captain of a schooner, sailing around the world several times before landing in Hollywood in 1938.

In The Killing, Hayden plays a smart criminal who has just been released from five years in prison where he's spent all this time planning the perfect crime. It's a robbery at a racehorse track. Kubrick's innovative method of telling the story would be picked up decades later by Quentin Tarantino in his film Reservoir Dogs.

Sterling Hayden's three most memorable roles for me personally:
Captain McCluskey, The Godfather
General Jack Ripper, Dr. Strangelove
Johnny Clay, The Killing

If you've not seen these films, I give all three my strongest recommendation. 

Paths of Glory

I have placed this early Kubrick anti-war statement on my top ten list both for its originality, great acting, compelling story line, plot twists, and surprisingly beautiful and inspired ending. This one is a heart-breaker account of a moment in history that must have repeated itself endlessly in that horrific bloodfest called the trenches of World War I. To some extent Kubrick returned to the theme in various ways with Full Metal Jacket. Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax is perfect here, demonstrating the challenge of maintaining honor within a system that has turned values on its head. The story illumines a crisis point in the life and career of Colonel Dax, who has lived by the watchword of Duty with a capital D throughout his career while holding fast to his ideals as regards faithfulness to his men. The army's absurd effort to capture "the Anthill" results in a tear in the fabric of his idealism. The ugliness he sees is an eye opener for both Dax and the audience, who sees the political machinations behind the scenes with tragic clarity.

Colonel Dax, identifying with his men, is an inspiration in contrast to an empty culture of power and prestige cut loose from its ethical moorings.

The following is a review from imdb.com which gives a fairly good summation of the film.

"Let the men have a few minutes more", 15 October 2006
Author: nora_nettlerash from Ruritania

Although Kubrick's films are marked by their massive variation of genre and tone, one theme that crops up again and again is a strong anti-war sentiment, and this was never stated more strongly than in Paths of Glory. A relatively early Kubrick picture and, despite coming before what is considered his classic period, it is one of his best.

In contrast to his previous picture, The Killing, a definite Kubrick style is beginning to emerge now. One notable example is the scene in which General Mireau tours the trenches, walking towards the audience with the camera retreating away from him. This technique would be repeated years later in Kubrick's other war film, Full Metal Jacket. There is also something about the arrangement of objects in the frame, as well the tracking and dollying which hints towards his more familiar later style. His recurring chess motif appears as well, albeit subtly. At the court martial the floor is chequered, and the soldiers on trial are seated with guards standing behind them as if they are pawns about to be sacrificed.

The light and contrast in this picture is put to good effect. The palatial officers' headquarters is light and airy with few shadows. The trenches are gloomy and cramped. Kubrick was becoming a real master at contrasting locations and getting the look of a place just right.

The use of music in Paths of Glory is bold and brilliant. The pre-recorded score is almost entirely percussive – all rhythmic sounds with no melody. A weird kettle drum track is used to help build tension in the night patrol scene, while in the climactic scene the funeral march drumming instills a sense of dread, further heightened by having the shots edited in time to the beat. In the emotional final scene we get the complete opposite – a beautiful vocal melody. This has all the more impact after hearing nothing but militaristic drums for the rest of the film.

The casting is absolutely flawless. While there are no big names apart from leading man Kirk Douglas and the now elderly Adolphe Menjou, there isn't a single weak performance. The despair and resentment of the condemned soldiers feels so absolutely real. In contrast the smugness and fake sympathy of the upper class officers is brilliantly portrayed.

Throughout his career Kubrick never seemed to be particularly keen on blatantly emotional moments. Paths of Glory is the exception. The later scenes are incredibly poignant and moving, and the final moments in the soldier's bar are what makes it a masterpiece more than anything else – the icing on the cake.

No question this film foreshadows techniques which Kubrick would use again in future films. The kettle drums in the night patrol scene, especially the slowed pace, is re-created to eerie tension-building effect in the second duel scene in Barry Lyndon.

I am especially awed at how deftly Kubrick is able to paint so many characters with such vividness and depth in such a short amount of time. From the generals to the men in the trenches, we get clear snapshots of their motivations and basic drives. From acting to story line to cinematography... a great film.

With regard to the central action, the effort to take the Ant Hill (itself a hilariously symbolic objective), I am reminded of a story from General Schwartzkopf's autobiography when he writes about the surprise assault on Granada. According to Schwartzkopf, they achieved their objective swiftly and without loss of life, an incredible achievement in any case scenario involving guns and soldiers. But then, a phone call came from Washington, and he was given further instructions. The mini-war was being run from afar, without appreciation for the real situation. Two helicopters and more than two dozen men were lost, marring an otherwise remarkable accomplishment. When asked to lead Desert Storm years later, he agreed to do it only if he were in charge, and not people in Washington. The PR aims of higher ups are often out of touch with the realities on the front. Perhaps this is a problem in any situation where there are excessive layers of bureaucracy.

Trivia: The German woman singing in the final scene went on to become Kubrick's wife.

Paths of Glory

This afternoon I decided to revisit Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, co-written and directed by Stanely Kubrick. This cold war classic was remarkable for its originality and dark comedy. "After all, we don't want to start a nuclear war unless we have to now, do we?" (Peter Sellers as Officer Mandrake)

It's hard to pinpoint the film that put Kubrick on the map as a director, but certainly all of his works demonstrate the power of his vision and unique genius. His films are both distinctive and daring.

One of my current top ten films of all time is Kubrick's Paths of Glory. It may have been the first film I wrote a review for on the Internet Movie Database. The following review is posted there, and at the end of this blog entry you may link to my reviews of several other films.

Early Kubrick film displays his profound skills of storytelling in film in remarkable and poignant World War One film.

I have placed this early Kubrick anti-war statement on my top ten list both for its originality, great acting, compelling story line, plot twists, and surprisingly beautiful and inspired ending. This one is a heart-breaker account of a moment in history that repeated itself endlessly in that horrific bloodfest called the trenches of World War I. To some extent Kubrick returned to the theme in various ways with Full Metal Jacket, but Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax is perfect here, demonstrating the challenge of maintaining honor within a system that has turned values on its head. It is a crisis in the life and career of Colonel Dax, who has lived by the watchword of Duty with a capital D throughout his career, but has remained idealistic and faithful to his men. The army's absurd effort to capture "the Anthill" results in a tear in the fabric of his idealism. The ugliness he sees is an eye opener for both Dax and the audience, who sees the truth with tragic clarity.

Colonel Dax, identifying with his men, is an inspiration in contrast to an empty culture of power and prestige with no ethical base.

For additional film comments:

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