Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, a legendary show business pair, are the subject of the six-part HBO Max documentary The Last Movie Stars, which just debuted. It’s an in-depth exploration of acting as well as an intriguing look at the challenges of maintaining a marriage over many years. The collected clips show off their best work while also illuminating their personal selves. Here are a few of the timeless films starring Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.
1. The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
Director- Nunnally Johnson
Eve White consults with Dr. Curtis Luther, a psychiatrist, since she experiences memory loss and blackouts. A whole new character named Eve Black appears during one of their sessions. The quiet and soft-spoken Eve White knows everything Eve White does and says, but she is unaware of Eve Black’s activities. Eve Black is an extrovert who enjoys the company of men and is a wild child who enjoys drinking and dancing. Eve experiences a protracted hospitalisation as a result of the abrupt personality changes, which have a negative impact on her marriage. Eventually, it seems as though the two identities can coexist. The doctor discovers the childhood trauma that is the cause of the patient’s personality disorder thanks to the appearance of a third personality, Jane.
2. The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
Director- Martin Ritt
After being expelled from another town for reportedly burning a barn as retaliation, Ben Quick travels to Frenchman’s Bend, Mississippi. Almost everything in Frenchman’s Bend is owned by Will Varner, who also hires Ben to work at his shop. Will is discouraged about his own son Jody, who runs the store, becoming pregnant with his wife Eula because he believes he lacks ambition. Clara, a teacher, is Will’s only child, and he believes she will never get married. In order to add some new blood to the family, he determines that Ben Quick may make a decent husband for Clara.
3. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Director- Stuart Rosenberg
Luke Jackson is a chilly, distant man who is unable to adapt to his environment’s social norms. Luke receives a two-year sentence in a Florida prison farm after being convicted for drunkenly decapitating parking metres. While there, he swiftly gains a reputation as a man with an unbreakable spirit and an unbreakable will. Luke’s boldness in the face of difficulty makes him both a hero and a monster at the rural prison, idolised by his fellow inmates while also being despised by his superiors.
4. Rachel, Rachel (1968)
Director- Paul Newman
The 35-year-old schoolteacher Rachel Cameron, who has been written off as a spinster, lives in rural Connecticut with her mother, who is now widowed, above a funeral home. With the support of her lesbian best friend Calla, Rachel spends her time daydreaming despite being repressed by the community and prone to melancholy. A religious encounter triggers Rachel’s gradual awakening, and when a childhood friend shows up in town for his father’s burial, she feels genuine, passionate desire.
5. Slap Shot (1977)
Director- George Roy Hill
The Charlestown Chiefs, a pitiful minor league ice hockey team from Pennsylvania, are facing extinction at the end of the current campaign and are now mired in a protracted losing streak. Reggie Dunlop, an experienced coach, however refuses to give up under those conditions and enlists the assistance of the club’s newest members, the fearless Hanson Brothers, who specialise in foul play. Ned Braden, the team’s ace player, insists on playing fairly and refuses to goon it up when the resurrected Chiefs resume their winning ways right now.
6. The Verdict (1982)
Director- Sidney Lumet
Lawyer Frank Galvin is a down-on-his-luck character who spends his time drinking and following ambulances. In a medical malpractice case that he personally delivered to Galvin on a silver platter, former associate Mickey Morrissey reminds him of his responsibilities. All parties eager to settle out of court. As he stumbles through the preliminary proceedings, he suddenly realises that perhaps the case should go to trial after all. In order to punish the guilty, to secure a fair settlement for his clients, and to regain his professional credibility.
7. They Might Be Giants (1971)
Director- Anthony Harvey
Wealthy retiree Justin Playfair imagines himself to be the renowned detective Sherlock Holmes after the loss of his wife, dressing as the figure. Justin’s brother Blevins places him under the care of Dr. Mildred Watson, a psychiatrist, out of financial considerations rather than medical ones. She starts to support Dr. Watson’s beliefs as he gets fond of Justin, and eventually joins him in his investigations as an assistant.
8. Hud (1963)
Director- Martin Ritt
A trustworthy, diligent, and law-abiding Texas rancher, Homer Bannon. The converse is true of his son, Hud, who prefers chasing married women around rather than working on the ranch. Hud is immoral, dishonest, and tends to prefer doing so. Conflict between the two is ongoing. The Bannon family’s live-in housekeeper Alma and Hud’s nephew Lonnie are caught in the middle. Young Lonnie, who is innocent and impressionable, both idolises Hud and hates some of the things that he does. Alma wants to avoid getting into arguments, is always upbeat, and is content to overlook Hud’s hostility. Nobody is afraid to bring up what happened to Hud’s brother, Lonnie, because it looms over the family. When a potential epidemic affects their herd of cattle, the conflict between Hud and his father reaches a boiling point.
