James Mason

[charliechaplinfan]

I posted these two comments about two Mason films I'd recently watched, a courageous actor, not the usual actor, he obviously wanted to make some film his way. He reminds me a bit like George Clooney who makes the big films to fund the projects close to his own heart, can't knock a person for that.

I watched Charade this morning, not the Hepburn and Grant film but a little known 1953 film produced by James Mason and starring himself and his wife Pamela and directed by Pamela's ex husband. I confess, I nearly turned it off, the audio was pretty bad and the beginning was very strange, set in a sitting room, Mason sporting a beard chatting to his wife about what kind of films he could produce and her scoffing at him smoking cigars acting like a actor pretending to be a director. Then three seperate dramas, the first about a murderer and a woman's attraction to him, another based on a Dumas duel ad the last a story centred around the legend of Midas. I'm glad I stuck with it, it's a brave production, James and Pamela Mason weren't content to live the Hollywood high life they wanted to make a difference and explore their own themes. I can't make my mind up about Pamela as an actress, she's not out of her depth, she hasn't hte easy charm of her husband. An interesting film.


I had my eyes opened further by watching James Mason in Age of Consent, no stereotyping for him, he was brave with some of his later film roles. I think hew was right with this film, although I was slightly dissappointed by the Austrailian accent not that it was bad but it covered up that melifluous speaking voice of his. I'm assuming this film was a big hit with the man of the time, Helen Mirren is simply stunning, a model with a beautiful figure, James Mason was in trim shape too. It amused me that when the credits roled at the end it mentioned Helen Mirren's membership of the RSC, perhaps without it she felt she might not be taken seriously on screen again. I liked the film, not the best Powell film but like Mason he tried to vary his films and this is one to be proud of.

An interview with Helen Mirren followed the film, she spoke of how she now realises how lucky she was to be directed by Powell and acting with James Mason, she said both were very patient with her, she was new to films and how Mason was such a gentleman and how he fell in love with his second wife whilst making the film.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've been watching a variety of James Mason films over the last few weeks, variety is the right word because he really delved into a variety of roles during his career. In order

The Man in Grey - the devilish Lord Rohan who marries the beautiful Phyllis Calvert in order to produce a son and leaves her to live a lonely life taking their son to live in the country whilst Calvert lives in London until Margaret Lockwood shows up bewitches Rohan and sends the marriage in a different direction.

Fanny By Gaslight - the brutish Lord Manderstoke, there is nothing redeeming about his character, again starring with the lovely Phyllis Calvert with Stewart Granger as the nice guy. Mason has far more appeal than Granger even when playing the bad guy.

The Wicked Lady the first movie to be censored in America due to Margaret Lockwood's bosoms. A similar role for Lockwood to The Man in Grey only more wicked. Mason is the very dashing highwayman who loves the highwaywoman with disasterous consequences.

I think James Mason must have cut his teeth on these 'wicked' roles, he's not got matinee idol looks but he is dashing in these parts and has great screen presence. The films below are from his later career, I can see more clearly why he got the roles he got when he went to Hollywood and why perhaps he never was in the first rung of stardom. From what I've watched he chose wisely in his later career and got to play many different characters.

5 Fingers - a delicious try life spy story with Mason the valet to the ambassador who steals the secrets to line his own pockets.

The Man Between - as Ivo Kern a shady German living in Berlin. Finds some redemption with a young Claire Bloom who believes in him. Directed by Carol Reed.

Spring and Port Wine - set in Bolton, 5 miles from here in the sixties, Mason is the head of a family who counts every penny because of a childhood of shame but he's misunderstood and his family rebel against him. A lovely film with supporting actors Rodney Bewes, Susan Hampshire and Hannah Gordon.

[Rita Hayworth]

I'm a big fan of James Mason and being a student of World War II - his role as Field Marshal Erwin Rommell
shown here ...made it quite realistic and packed a powerful punch.



I admired his other works too, 20,000 Leagues, Charade, The Blue Max, Georgy Girl, Murder by Decree, and others like The Prisoner of Zenda .... among my favorites too. He also reprise his role as Rommel again in Desert Rats - two years after he did the Desert Fox as shown here. I find his voice reassuringly and true like John Wayne. He is so easy for me to follow along - and when a Mason film come on cable television ... I don't care what film it is - I'm in a treat ... I love his style of acting, his pleasant voice, and I respect the work that he done in his wonderful career.

Great Actor Indeed!

[charliechaplinfan]

I think we will be watching Desert Fox and Desert Rats and Cross of Iron. James Mason is an actor my husband likes too. You're right about his voice, it's very reassuring, one of the nicest voices in film. Here it's Richard Burton's voice that is held up to the best of British, Burton's voice is a good one but James Mason is far more to my liking.

I think my brain wasn't working properly before, it sometimes happens when I post, what I want to say dissappears and I struggle to put down into words what I intended to say. I like to watch films from different times in a career, I knew very little of James Mason, especially his British films yet he seems to have been a staple of British film, often appearing as wicked or a rogue, never as the good guy, these films are popular rather than artistic apart from The Seventh Veil which has plenty of layers. He didn't serve in the war, he was a life long pacifist but it doesn't seem to have affected his career. He went to Hollywood after Odd Man Out and the first two films he made Caught and The Reckless Moment are amongst my favorite. As the Dutchman he was Ava's perfect leading man.

His Norman Maine is unforgettable, he and Judy Garland gave probably the best performances of their lives and he got his first Oscar nomination. Then of his later films I've seen Lolita, Georgy Girl, Bigger than Life, Age of Consent and Spring and Port Wine.

Thankfully there are still many more films for me to discover.

[JackFavell]

Odd Man Out and The Reckless Moment for me, with A Star is Born coming in third.

[charliechaplinfan]

Have you seen Caught? He's a nice guy in it, an ethical doctor, it's an interesting film with Robert Ryan too.

[JackFavell]

No! I don't even know it. It must be good with those two in it!

[charliechaplinfan]

It gets better, it's directed by Max Ophuls.

[Rita Hayworth]

It gets better, it's directed by Max Ophuls.

Amen to that.

[JackFavell]

Oooh, something to add to my watch list. Thanks!

P.S. For those in the U.S. who want to see it, It's on Netflix for streaming!

[ChiO]

You must see CAUGHT. Seeing any Ophuls film, of course, is a must. I'd be interested in your view of Mason's character. Unlike CCF, I see him as 180 degrees from "nice".

[JackFavell]

I am definitely going to watch it - it's bookmarked on Netflix here on my computer. The question is, whether I will get to it before it's on TCM.

[charliechaplinfan]

You must see CAUGHT. Seeing any Ophuls film, of course, is a must. I'd be interested in your view of Mason's character. Unlike CCF, I see him as 180 degrees from "nice".

Am I looking at Larry Quinada through rose coloured glasses. He's not obviously nice at the beginning, very driven about his profession, a bit grouchy but underneath a nice guy. If you see him 180 degrees from nice how do you classify Robert Ryan?

It was a film that delivered far more than I expected, that's saying a lot for an Ophuls film.

[ChiO]

To me, neither is nice. One could make a case that Mason is the worse of the two. Ryan may be a psychopath, but at least that's relatively obvious. Mason is vicious and cruel, but tries to cover it up with the appearance of "nice". Ophuls once again makes a movie that has Romance written all over its surface, but just below is a very unromantic view of life.

[charliechaplinfan]

Ha, I was thinking this over last night, I'm going to have to watch it again but I guess I like my heroes a little dark, brooding and disturbed, which he is, I still think below the surface he's a good guy but you've got me thinking.