I think perhaps you may have mistaken my opinion for CineMaven's, Moira, though I could be wrong. I'll let her speak for herself. However, I will say that Maven has always seemed shocked at my dislike, and has tried to convince me to delve into Douglas' work more thoughtfully so I might perhaps get over my aversion. I think dear CCFan. Alison, also didn't really GET Kirk Douglas.
I have delved a bit, thanks to Maven and the other folks here at the Oasis who like him, but haven't altogether changed my opinion. While I now really enjoy his performances in
Ace in the Hole, A Letter to Three Wives (remarkable), Detective Story, The Bad and the Beautiful, and
The Juggler, not to mention his first four ensemble cast, noir film roles in the forties, I can't quite get behind his work as a leading man and star. I find him insufferable, yes, and I think only when playing insufferable types do I really buy him as an actor. There is a lack of feeling, no wait, that isn't right....a lack of
depth and simple
expressiveness in Douglas that particularly bothers me. While
The Juggler seems to have a bit more in terms of character, I still prefer my actors to let the camera come to them, to remain partially hidden from sight, to let their introspection be absorbed by the audience, and Douglas just doesn't have this ability most of the time, to my way of thinking. He'd rather beat the audience senseless with his feelings. This is why I have such a hard time with films like
Lust for Life, which makes me laugh, or
Young Man With a Horn where the only things I enjoy are watching a surprisingly modern Lauren Bacall taunt Douglas, or Juano Hernandez do anything at all. Once it's up to Douglas alone to carry a movie, or the direction gets a little too overblown, I lose interest. If I were comparing
Spartacus to say,
The Gladiator, I would take Russell Crowe, because he's all silent, coiled resistance - inward, not outward. I guess I never stop feeling like Douglas is all outward, that he is ACTING, with capital letters.
Anyway, that isn't to say he isn't powerful at times or a good actor. Just that I lack the appreciation for his type of work.