Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward had already been married for a decade before Newman decided to make his directorial debut with Woodward as his star in 1968’s Rachel, Rachel. The film was a small character piece that likely garnered box office and awards attention because of the caliber of those two people heading it up. It was nominated for Best Picture in 1968, but seems to be largely lost in time these days. How well does it hold up today? Is it worth looking at? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue looking at and celebrating 50th anniversaries of films from 1968 with our series on the Best Picture nominees of that year by talking about Newman’s film Rachel, Rachel.
We talk about why we think the film largely is forgotten these days, what works with it and what doesn’t. We look at Woodward’s performance, clearly a performance that stands out as the principal reason to look at the film. We chat about the other performances in the film, notably Estelle Parsons as Rachel’s friend, and what they bring to the table. We look at what Newman does as a director and talk about how well it works when paired with the cinematography and editing. And we debate what awards and nominations we would’ve bestowed on it if it was up to us.
It’s an interesting film to look at for context of the time, but doesn’t stand out as something worth looking at for anything more than that. Still, it allows for a great conversation, so tune in to this week’s show! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.
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