best film: The Wild Bunch. William Holden was in four masterpieces but none better than the 1969 Peckinpah fatalistic western. Holden leads the crew of rugged desperados (excellent work from Warren Oates, Ben Johnson and Ernest Borgnine as well) on the run from Robert Ryan. Few could do cranky and world-worn as well as Holden and here he’s just perfect as the conflicted, yet moral, outlaw who has seen it all. Network is the best film from Lumet and Lumet was rated as the 40th best director all time (with two other masterpieces) so that’s saying something. Wilder- the 35th best director of all-time, never made a film better than Sunset Boulevard so clearly Holden was in some superb films. The fourth and final masterpiece is Lean’s Bridge on the River Kwai. Holden is outstanding (and lead or co-lead) in all four.
best performance: Network. It was to be Holden’s swan song but Finch (and Dunaway) get the showier role/roles. Yet, to me, it’s Holden that walks away with the best performance of the film. Holden is pragmatism incarnate in so many roles—but this one is so authentic. He’s skeptical (and sympathetic to) Finch’s transformation, and cynically pessimistic of the new younger world around him. The scene where he gets to tell Dunaway off is something any actor must life for-transcendent stuff- a tour de force.
stylistic innovations/traits: Holden was at his best when he was playing a contemptuous bastard or antihero. His Oscar win (3 total noms) came for Wilder’s Stalag 17 and he’s dark—jaded. If you contrast Holden here (or in the four performances above it on my top 10 list) where he’s always in the know with his naive playboy in Sabrina, I think it’s clear where his talents and limitations lay. He could not play dumb as well as someone like Brad Pitt, Warren Beatty or John Cazale. If you look at this filmography it’s a little light for an actor who was around as long as Holden (nearly 40 years) and during that era. There’s only 15 films overall and after those top five performance there’s only Fedora and The Horse Soldiers that really get me excited to discuss his abilities but still- those top 5 are what they are and specifically he’s genius in four masterpieces. I think there’s less than 10 actors you can say that about. What’s interesting about Holden’s career is that he’s essentially from the golden era (debuted in 1939) but it’s really not until 1950 (with Wilder) that he finds his stride at age 42. It’s tough to be young and cynical. Also, his top two performances come during a stretch dominated by the younger age of Hollywood. Wild Bunch is 1969 and Network is 1976 which is an era dominated by De Niro, Pacino, Nicholson. Holden doesn’t crack the top 15 if it isn’t for these two important films.
directors worked with: Wilder (4) including three of his top six performances and the one missing, is Sabrina, and that film is excellent as well. Rudolph Maté (2) and then once a piece with David Lean, Ford, Peckinpah, Lumet and Cukor.
Top 10 Performances:
- Network
- The Wild Bunch
- The Bridge On the River Kwai
- Sunset Boulevard
- Stalag 17
- Fedora
- The Horse Soldiers
- The Dark Past
- Union Station
- Our Town
Archiveable films
| 1940- Our Town |
| 1948- The Dark Past |
| 1950- Born Yesterday |
| 1950- Sunset Boulevard |
| 1950- Union Station |
| 1953- Stalag 17 |
| 1954- Executive Suite |
| 1954- Sabrina |
| 1954- The Country Girl |
| 1957- The Bridge On the River Kwai |
| 1959- The Horse Solders |
| 1969- The Wild Bunch |
| 1974- The Towering Inferno |
| 1976- Network |
| 1978- Fedora |
You have Network as the best performance in the “best performance” category but The Wild Bunch as the best in the Top 10 ranking. What is going on there? Personally, I prefer Network as a performance but Wild Bunch, and the top two sections would imply you agree, but not the ranking list. Holden is an actor who can always give a solid piece of acting, but I think he has a little trouble creating personas that are bold and unique. Would you agree? Case in point, I think Gloria Swanson, Alec Guinness, and Peter Finch will always be remembered as having the more interesting and memorable characters in the Holden movies, even if his performance quality is not so far from them (you are probably right that he is slightly better than Finch, but I don’t think so for the others).
Good catch, i’m not sure, weren’t you the one who accused Holden of not being a great actor?
Well, it’s not his fault that the other character is better written, although i disagree, the only one that is more memorable is Swanson, the other two are the same..
My only counterpoint would be that Holden is a better actor than all of them with the exception of Guinness the others are not great actors is his only good acting of each one
@Graham- thanks for the fix- It was just an error- I fixed it- Network is on top. I must have been ranking his films for a minute there.
@Graham- thanks for the comment- well thought out. I’m not sure I agree William Holden has a little trouble creating personas that are bold and unique. I’m not sure how many times you’ve seen then but over the years as I go back to Sunset Boulevard, Network and River Kwai I find myself more and more impressed with Holden. Swanson/Guinness/Finch are the iconic performances in the films, on the highlight reels and two of the three won the oscar that year– but I think standing next to him Holden’s naturalism looks like the right choice– and maybe even superior to his co-stars
Hello, Aldo and Drake. I definitely agree with some things you are saying, but ponder this. If you were to make a list of best characters like I did on the page for The Godfather (with or without decade designations), which characters would you reach first: Norma Desmond, Colonel Nicholson, and Howard Beale, or Holden’s? I’d reach at least the first two of those three quite quickly, and Holden’s not for a while, Network and Wild Bunch probably being the first as the worn-out antihero is a unique character type I like. Aldo, it sounds like you disagree with that for two out of the three films and that’s a simple opinion I can’t provide a specific argument against. You are correct that writing plays a large part, but I’d consider it to be more about unique writing than good writing; Holden’s characters are very well-written. Keep in mind that my descriptions of “bold and unique” or “interesting” are all completely relative.
In one of my first comments on the site, I did say some things about Holden probably deserving a spot a bit lower on the best actors list. However, I have seen some more movies now and I don’t think so as strongly as I might have then. As Drake now knows, I am a young high school freshman (14), and thus my “over the years” is only “over the months,” so I have not watched any of Holden’s movies multiple times. I have seen his four MPs. Yes, Holden is probably a more talented performer than Swanson, Guinness, Finch, and certainly anyone in The Wild Bunch. He is very good at choosing movies in which to act.
@Graham— good stuff here. I don’t think we’re terribly far off and I can’t get too upset over someone who has clearly thought about this and makes points as solid as you do here. Great work. I think Swanson, Finch and Guinness are brilliant so if you prefer their work- totally fine. I guess I’ll just leave it here saying that there is “more” acting going on in Swanson, Finch, and Guinness’ performance — but I’m not sure “more” acting is better. Sometimes it is the quieter performance, often with more nuance– shades of gray– that is rewarded with the second and third viewing.
Thank you. I often agree with you, and I think I do agree that Holden is better than Finch, although more screen time admittedly plays a big role. I’m a fan of underacting when it is really phenomenal, and may even go farther than you in some situations: I love actors like Gosling, Eastwood, and Shimura, and I slightly prefer their performances over more animated co-stars in La La Land, TGTBATU, and Seven Samurai when you have indicated that the co-stars are slightly better. I’ll see what happens whenever I get to rewatching a Holden film. Perhaps I will end up agreeing in the others, but Swanson in Sunset Boulevard is one of my favorite performances and I don’t expect that to change.
Pretty awesome, most guys that age are watching superhero movies haha.
I’ve always thought that most cinephiles are +30, i think Azman is also the same age as me, i don’t remember.
Thank you! Yeah, I don’t think I have any friends who are as interested in cinema craft as me, although there may be some I don’t know about. It’s partly the virus’ fault. I think I became gradually interested, first discovering a passion for photography, and later realizing cinematography was even more intriguing. Then came quarantine, and I’ve now had time to see about 130 movies by myself since the lockdown, mostly on my computer, and a few more with my family. About a year ago, I was much like most kids. Most cinephiles are probably adults. I think it is an appreciation that can develop at any age, and may develop a little more quickly if one has The Cinema Archives to help them along 🙂
We have a lot in common, i’m a photographer too, or at least that’s what i’m trying to do haha.
Man, i didn’t watch movies that often until i got to know the site, now i watch a daily one, because there are a lot of movies to catch up on.
Before i was frustrated i found recommendations, i can’t remember the last time i saw a bad movie, Drake doesn’t recommend bad movies.
@aldo, I don’t know your age.
Most people my age (and even cinephiles of all ages) enjoy a lot of the same movies I do.
Tarantino, black Panther, raiders, Bourne, parasite are some of the movies ive seen in quarantine so far that I’ve (and Drake and most people) thought are brilliant.
Yeah haha, because it’s not like we start talking about our lives, we argue about movies, i am 18.
You seem to have seen few movies recently Azman, how often do you watch? I watch a movie every day, i remember you recently talked about watching the Bourne saga, haven’t you seen anything else?
So you are not that far away in age from me, Aldo. I have a sister who is 17. Yes, I still enjoy movies like those, Azman. Being a cinephile doesn’t mean I have to scoff at blockbusters and escapism like Coppola might. I can still like them while understanding that they are a different class of movie than arthouse cinema.
I agree wholeheartedly with the last thing you said, Aldo. Drake is a huge help!
Or like Scorsese would, you’re right, i try not to be pushy like other cinephiles and i try not to mess with what other people see, but if they speak badly about the movies i see, i have to defend them haha
@aldo. I watch maybe a movie a week. Maybe 4 a week. Maybe 1 every 2 weeks. It really depends based on how busy I am.
Yeah, i haven’t seen anything in two days, TSPDT is useful with the duration, i usually watch movies that don’t go over 100 min when i’m busy, i try to find a space to relax.
I must admit that if i don’t watch movies I get in a bad mood
Wdym? Do you mean you don’t watch movies in a bad mood.
Anyways, most people watch around 1-4 movies a week from what I’ve seen.
Would you agree?