Actor Debate - Steve McQueen Vs. Paul Newman - Part One
Big Screen Giants, but There Can Be Only One
Although Newman is still alive and kicking, his glory days seemed to end when the 1980's hit and although he has starred in many films none of them have come close to his performances in the prime of his career.
So this brings us to our first in a series debates pitting actors versus actors, McQueen versus Newman, with a focus on what we consider the prime of their careers, 1958 (the year Newman broke out in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) to 1974 (when the two shared the screen in The Towering Inferno).
Co-writer Pat Harrington will be taking the side of Newman, while I (Guy Stuller) will be defending McQueen on the matter.
In the timeframe we are debating, who made the better films and how much influence did each actor have in making those films great?
PH - I would argue that Newman made better films in the aforementioned timeframe based on the titles that still stand head and shoulders above most films made in the era. Cat On a Hot Tin Roof was only the beginning of a brilliant 16-year span that included such classic films as "The Long, Hot Summer," "The Hustler," "Hud," "Hombre," "Cool Hand Luke," "The Sting" and "The Towering Inferno."
What has drawn people to Newman over the years is his ability to bring out a very human side to his roles, be they the hard-luck "Fast" Eddie Felson in the "The Hustler" or the destructively proud Brick in "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof." He's displayed the charm to make you root for a convict and the arrogance to make you despise the older brother. In a time when actors and actresses were portrayed as larger than life characters, Paul Newman came into your local theater as a guy you may have known for years, and thus helped redefine acting as we know it.
GS - I have to address what many McQueen haters argue, that the most successful movies that McQueen starred in were driven by ensemble casts and there is no doubt that The Magnificent Seven (TM7) and The Great Escape each rank high on the list. To those who think that, I say, "you're right," but within those casts McQueen shines brightest on both occasions.
As hard as Yul Brunner attemptted to rule the TM7, he failed; McQueen developed a much deeper character pretty much from the start of the film. There was a bit of mystery in McQueen's character, something to be let up to the imagination, frankly both James Colburn and Eli Wallach even put on a better show than Brunner. McQueen was the driving force of the cast though, his scenes make you forget about how dull Brunner and how worthless Robert Vaughn were in the film.
Tack on "The Cincinnati Kid," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Bullitt," "The Getaway" and "Papillion," in which McQueen dominated the screen in a starring role, I think we have ourselves a winner.
And the winner is: McQueen of course, ding.
Stay tuned as the debate continues.
Published by Guy Stuller
2001 Graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentMcQueen is an entirely selfish limited presence,and that's very effective in holding your attention, and he uses it to his advantage along with less dialogue, but Paul Newman has far more dimensional humanity coming through. As for less dialogue and a brooding selfishness, Newman pulled it off nicely in Hombre,as just one example,and each line he uttered was delivered on the mark. McQueen needs a baseball and mitt, or a motorcycle, or cartridges to shake, to interact with. But again his limitation, without the props and minimal dialogue, holds your attention. McQueen wins for selfish risk takers interacting with machines,and kiss scene closeups,but Paul Newman mauls McQueen for more dimensionally vulnerable characters interacting substantially with human beings. And therefore Newman is the winner. I'd also say Newman has a lot more class than McQueen.
I consider Steve McQueen better at certain things,and Paul to be tops in other areas.Its hard to say whos tops.I me an,they were two different styles of acting.I think Steve McQueen has a stronger aura about him than does Paul.Paul is the handsome cutie pie,not the one who's troubled.While Steve is the rugged bad boy ladies want to tame or save,but know they cant.THATS the draw there,along with everything else,..the talents in many ranges.Both race,both act,but thats where the similarities end.
just something Hypnotising about this Man soon as hes in any scene you just cannot take your eyes of him ,which blue eyed one well for Me it will always be McQueen whether hes pouring a drink,getting in or out of a car, walking,running, shooting,riding a horse,driving, whatever he does its just done so good and Natural he almost doesnt have to speak ,just watch the Towering Inferno when he arrives in the film getting out out of his firechiefs car instantly you know the Mans here and all is going to be sorted ,its said that some people actually cheered when he appeared in this scene in the movie ,just shows how well liked he was ,Newman? yes a wonderful actor but could never match McQueen for his Charisma ,think about McQueen as the Architec and Newman as the fire Chief would it have worked ? I dont think so.
Marshall Terrill's book is a rag. It's a big blowjob. Plain awful.
The fact that Marshall Terrill -- who authored (by far) the defintive bio of McQueen -- took time to offer some comments to your article is quite impressive! I happened to be writing a review of "Steve McQueen: Portrait of a Rebel" and your article popped up during my research. Good job -- and yeah -- I like Newman but Steve McQueen would have kicked his ass.
!
While I understand why this debate might arise because of the star power of both these actors, it is inconceivable to me that the acting talent could lean in any other direction than Newman. If McQueen was as talented, he didn't get the opportunity to prove it because his best roles were far less interesting than those of Newman's top performances. And we're talking without consideration of Newman's performances in the 80's. He was as good as any human has ever been in the acting profession while playing the roles of Frank Galvin in The Verdict and Eddie Felson in the Color of Money. Negating those pictures from the debate is like arguing that Larry Bird was a better basketball player than Michael Jordan if you take away the 90's. As I said, McQueen may have indeed had Newman's talent, but it's not on display in a can for the world to remember for however long films are watched. With the exception of The Silver Chalice, Newman brought so much character and complexity to e
Have to say I have never understood McQueen's appeal. He's always so sulky, though if you get a chance, watch a little known movie of his called Soldier in the Rain. That's as far away from your typical McQueen performance as he ever got. As for Newman, except for Butch and Sundance and Sitting Bull's History Lesson, I've never been particularly overwhelmed either.
This argument should be very easy to resolve. Watch "The Towering Inferno" and it's pretty evident that McQueen walks all over Newman in the movie. You can always see Newman's acting, but you never see McQueen's. The reason why is that McQueen inhabited every role he took on and dominated every scene. He certainly understood the camera much better than his counterpart. Newman is good, but McQueen perhaps the greatest film actor that ever graced the silver screen, which is why if you ask any actor in Hollywood today who they would rather be, the answer is usually Steve McQueen.
Marshall Terrill, author of "Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel."