Paul Newman made his debut behind the camera with this story starring his wife, Joanne Woodward, today one of the great living legends of Hollywood
When Paul Newman agreed to direct the film, for many years he was one of the most notable actors in Hollywood, one of the greats to emerge in Hollywood in the 1960s, a rock solid, blue-eyed performer that any young girl could do. dazzle. of the time. But for his debut with “Raquel, Raquel” – only as a director, in the film he did not play any character – he chose for the lead another very solid actress, from the method, to whom he was married all his life, Joanne Woodward, today one of the great living legends of Hollywood.
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was not interested in acting at all in his younger days. At the age of 19 he entered the navy, and on his return from military life he studied economics, and yes, then he began his first steps in amateur theater (it was there that he met his first wife). When his father died, he inherited the family business, but had to sell it because he couldn’t take care of it; the theater was already bustling with activity. He graduated from Yale Drama School in 1951 and a year later at the legendary Actor’s Studio, as one of the most recognized actors of the “method”. Entering the Actor’s Studio, his goal was to become a director, but his spectacular physique led him to the stage and soon made his stage debut in New York. It would be at this school where he met Joanne Woodward who would become his great love.
He made his debut as an actor in Hollywood (‘The Silver Goblet’) in the 1950s, also working on Broadway, but his dedication as an actor came in the 1960s, thanks mainly to director Mertin Ritt (‘The Long Hot Summer,’ A day I’ll be back’, ‘Hud, the wildest of a thousand’, ‘Four confessions’, ‘One man’…) and in 1967 he is ready to direct.
It will be Warner Bros. who offers him to direct the adaptation of a Margaret Laurence novel, ‘A Jest of God’, the adaptation of which was written by Stewart Stern. The surprising thing is that it was a very different story from the films he had starred in until then. An intimate and costumbrista drama that took a powerful x-ray of the female condition in deep America. And Newman is up to the challenge. He offers the lead role to his wife Joanne Woodward, and he decides not to act, reserving all his energy for directing. He also names his friends James Olson, Kate Harrington, Estelle Parsons or Donald Moffat for his main.
The film told a deeply feminine portrait: On the cusp of turning 35, lonely Raquel Cameron (Joanne Woodward) feels like she’s reached exactly half of her life. Fourteen years have passed since her father’s death forced her to interrupt her university studies and return to her sleepy town, located on the second floor of the funeral home that was once the family business. Caught between her mother’s demands and her frustrating job as a school teacher, Raquel has let the years pass until she becomes a spinster. Young Nick (James Olson) is dragged into a date with Raquel, whom he knew as a child. For Nick, the short episode brings some relief in his life, albeit a temporary one. For Raquel, however, the fleeting romance means a total renewal in her life. Seeing her in love, Nick makes her believe he is married and ends their relationship. Desperate and alone, Raquel begins to suspect she is pregnant. Overcoming social fears and the personal damage it can cause her, Raquel decides to have her child alone, without claiming Nick’s paternity.
The film was shot for two months in 1967 in Redding (Conneticut) on a small budget of $700,000. Newman has it all under control, to the satisfaction of the Warner executives, and everything is running smoothly. Newman shows a skilful command of cinematographic language and manages to convey the necessary sincerity and emotion with simplicity and efficiency. It premiered in August 1968 and received excellent reviews, both for Newman as a director and for Joanne Woodward as the lead spinster, resulting in the winning awards: it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, Best Leading Actress (Joanne Woodward), Best Supporting Actress (Estelle Parsons) and Best Adapted Screenplay. Newman and Woodward win two Golden Globes, the first as a director and she as an actress. The film arrives in Spain via Seminci in April 1969 and premieres on August 25, 1969 with huge success.
Source: La Verdad
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