Home Entertainment : Memories of Burt Lancaster, Raul Julia

Burt Lancaster, who died last week, has a huge body of work on video--one of the largest of any movie star. Sixty-one of his 70 movies are on tape and many will be on prominent display in the next few weeks.

Raul Julia, who died Monday, is well represented on video too, with 31 of his movies on tape. Many feature him in supporting roles because he didn’t really become a movie star until his acclaimed performance in 1985’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”

When it comes to Lancaster, you’ll be faced with a big selection. You can’t go wrong with the following movies: All are dramas featuring outstanding performances:

“Sorry, Wrong Number” (Paramount, 1948). Barbara Stanwyck’s movie all the way. Her performance in this thriller, as a dominating, bedridden wife who thinks her wimpy husband (Lancaster) is plotting to kill her, earned her an Oscar nomination. Though never that good at playing weak characters, he’s very effective in this one.

“From Here to Eternity” (Columbia TriStar, 1953). In one of the most entertaining films of the 1950s, Lancaster plays tough Sgt. Milt Warden in a drama about soldiers on an Army base in Hawaii just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The story of a rebellious private (Montgomery Clift) is woven into the tale of the sergeant’s affair with an officer’s wife (Deborah Kerr). The lovers’ kiss on the beach in the crashing waves is one of the most famous romantic scenes in film history.

“The Rose Tattoo” (Paramount, 1955). A Southern widow (Anna Magnani) clings to her husband’s memories until she starts romancing a macho truck driver (Lancaster). Impact of this intense drama is largely due to Magnani’s Oscar-winning performance. Lancaster is fine, but largely a foil for her great portrayal.

“The Rainmaker” (Paramount, 1956). In a sort of tuneup for “Elmer Gantry,” Lancaster plays a con man who promises rain to a drought-ridden small town and gets involved with a spinster (Katharine Hepburn).

“Sweet Smell of Success” (1957, MGM/UA). Overlooked in many of the media remembrances of Lancaster, his performance in this compelling drama as J.J. Hunsecker, the evil gossip columnist, is arguably the best of his career. This character, who’s trying to discredit his sister’s boyfriend, was a complete turnaround for Lancaster, who normally played the good guy. “Separate Tables” (MGM/UA, 1958). Assorted unhappy people in a “Grand Hotel”-style drama set at a small British seaside resort. Lancaster is paired with Rita Hayworth as a divorced couple trying to reconcile. Great acting by an all-star cast, particularly David Niven (best actor Oscar) and Wendy Hiller (supporting actress Oscar).

“Elmer Gantry” (MGM/UA, 1960). Lancaster’s portrayal of an unscrupulous, small town evangelist won him an Oscar. Among his top three performances.

“Judgment at Nuremberg” (MGM/UA. 1961). An examination of the Holocaust and its consequences at the trial of German war criminals in 1948. Lancaster’s performance as a German accused of war crimes is fine but he pales next to Spencer Tracy and Maximillian Schell (best actor Oscar), among others. Strong drama, still effective.

“Birdman of Alcatraz” (MGM/UA, 1962). Lancaster plays Robert Stroud, a convicted murderer who becomes a world-renowned authority on birds. Appreciating the nuances of Lancaster’s subtle performance keeps you interested in this very slow, claustrophobic movie.

“Seven Days in May” (Paramount, 1964). An American general (Lancaster) angered by the pacifist President plots a military takeover, which another officer (Kirk Douglas) uncovers. Spine-tingling political thriller builds to terrific climax.

“The Train” (MGM, 1965). Gripping World War II thriller about a train inspector (Lancaster) helping the French Resistance stop a train filled with priceless art that a German officer (Paul Scofield) is shipping from Paris to Germany. Top-notch suspense drama.

“The Professionals” (Columbia TriStar, 1966). Any Western fan will tell you that this is one of the genre’s all-time greats. Lancaster is part of a band of mercenaries on a mission to retrieve a cattle baron’s wife from a gang of Mexican outlaws.

“Ulzana’s Raid” (MCA/Universal, 1972). This violent Western hardly ever gets a mention when Lancaster’s best movies are listed--but it deserves one. He plays a scout helping the calvary track Ulzana, the marauding Apache. Absorbing and well-written.

“Go Tell the Spartans” (Warner, 1978). Set in 1964 in Vietnam, Lancaster plays a major in a garrison under Viet Cong attack. Until “Platoon” in 1986, this was the best American movie about the Vietnam War.

“Atlantic City” (Paramount, 1981). One of 1981’s most acclaimed dramas, it’s the richly metaphorical tale of an aging hood (Lancaster) who falls for a waitress (Susan Sarandon) and also falls into a small fortune. Directed by Louis Malle, it has the slow, deliberate pace of a European art film. His best post mid-’60s performance.

The following are all good entertainment but notches below his best works: “The Flame and The Arrow” (1950), “Come Back, Little Sheba” (1952), “Jim Thorpe--All American” (1951), “Vera Cruz” (1953), “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” (1957), “Run Silent, Run Deep” (1958), “The Unforgiven” (1960), “Scorpio” (1973), “1900” (1976), “Local Hero” (1983) and “Tough Guys” (1986).

Best movies not on video: his first film, the terrific crime drama “The Killers” (1946); director Jules Dassin’s “Brute Force” (1947)--one of the better prison films ever made--and director Luchino Visconti’s Italian-French “The Leopard” (1963).

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RAUL JULIA: Most film fans know Julia’s three biggest hits--as the imprisoned political activist in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (Nelson Entertainment, 1985), and as ghoulish Gomez Addams in “The Addams Family” (Paramount, 1991) and “Addams Family Values” (Paramount, 1993).

But he also was noted for giving strong supporting performances, often outshining the stars in some so-so big-budget movies--such as “Tequila Sunrise” (Warner, 1988) with Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell; “Havana” (MCA/Universal, 1990), which stars Robert Redford; “The Rookie” (Warner, 1990), featuring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen, and “The Morning After” (Warner, 1986), with Jane Fonda and Jeff Bridges.

To savor his finest supporting work in a quality movie, see “Presumed Innocent” (Paramount, 1990). He plays an attorney for the assistant district attorney (Harrison Ford) accused of murder in a riveting courtroom drama.

Unheralded Julia movies worth a look:

“Romero” (Vidmark, 1989). Julia gives one of the best performances of his career in this little-known movie, a biography of the heroic archbishop of El Salvador who was assassinated in 1980.

“Tango Bar” (Warner, 1988). During its theatrical run, this movie was dubbed a political musical. In a celebration of the tango against a backdrop of Argentina’s tangled politics, Julia plays a married dancer who gets involved with his former partner after a 10-year separation. If you like the tango, you’ll like this movie. In Spanish, with subtitles.

“The Penitent” (LIVE, 1988). An interesting, oddball tale about a romantic triangle in a village where re-enacting Christ’s Crucifixion is an annual event. Armand Assante plays a rogue who seduces the wife of his pal (Julia).

Julia movies to skip: “Compromising Positions” (1985), “Moon Over Parador” (1988), “Onassis” (1988), “Mack the Knife” (1989), “The Plague” (1992) and “A Life of Sin” (1992).