A recent Premiere magazine article, April 2005 issue, contains a compilation of the 50 greatest movie stars of all time. Lists like these are always subject for debate. So let’s debate. The list exclusive of silent era stars included: Grant, Monroe, Cruise, Wayne, Bergman, Roberts, Newman, Garbo, Stewart, Kelly, Cagney, Bogart, The Hepburns, Nicholson, Brando, Redford, Tracy, Poitier, Gable, Garland, Astaire, Day, Peck, Flynn, Davis, Beatty, Hanks, Dean, The Fondas, Mcqueen, Temple, Ford, Hayworth, Connery, Pacino, De Niro, Washington, Taylor, Sellers, Cooper, Eastwood, Lemon, Smith, Depp, Streep, Kidman Crowe and Pitt.

Overall this is a well thought out list. Some notables such as Kirk Douglas and Charlton Heston didn’t make the list. So let it be written so let it be done. However I submit that Burt Lancaster is one of the fifty greatest actors of all time.

Mark Clark in his book Smirk Sneer and Scream defines a great performance as “one in which the actor is so convincing and realistic that his or her character seems to take on a life of its own possessing a fully realized personality separate from that of its creator.” In my opinion Lancaster gives us these caliber performances. Mark’s book deals with great performances in horror movies and it’s easy to see why an actor like Karloff can give a great performance which is underappreciated because he is type cast to genre. Lancaster by refusing to be type cast gives us a wonderful array of performances. To wit, while I love action \adventure movies, my Lancaster favorites: Come Back Little Sheba, From Here to Eternity, The Rose Tattoo, Sweet Smell of Success, Elmer Gantry, Birdman of Alcatraz and Atlantic City.
Well I don’t suppose I can add someone to the list without bumping someone off. The weak points on the list for me include Grace Kelly, Will Smith and Julia Roberts.The Killers is cited as Lancaster’s breakout performance.

He does give us a glimpse of the depth of his acting ability in the scene where the Swede is on the brink of committing suicide. If you’ve never seen the film, and like Lancaster you should. The story is told in flashbacks and non- chronologically which makes it a bit challenging. I enjoyed watching it a second time immediately after the first.

The movie paper for this film is nothing special though the one sheet rarely shows up at auction. The close up of Lancaster embracing a costar is revisited in posters for a number of different films. Having said that the Italian two foglio along with the stylistic French Grande are two of the best. As will become apparent in future articles I have a fondness for foreign posters particularly Italian posters.

Getting back to the Killers for a moment, the 60’s remake with Marvin, Cassavetes, Dickinson and Reagan is quite a different film. Lacking the subtleties and atmosphere of the Siodmak 40’s version, Siegel’s portrayal of violence is much starker as befits a 60’s film. Reagan’s bad guy performance is worth the rental price. The Criterion combo DVD is great. I recently caught a glimpse of the lobby card set for the 60’s version which I thought was poor. Marvin is featured in the border art and on one card. One of the most dramatic scenes in the movie is when Marvin appearing relatively calm attacks a blind office worker. I jumped out of my seat. What a great lobby card scene that would have been.