Thursday, February 18, 2010

Go For the Heart

'It's easy to fool the mind but it's hard to fool the heart.'
--Al Pacino

11 Comments:

At 5:51 PM, Anonymous Mike Q said...

Oh, I don't know about that, Al. I think maybe you should stick to your script.

 
At 7:05 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

I gather you're not a big Pacino fan.

 
At 11:12 AM, Blogger Jim Murdoch said...

I don't buy it either. It sounds profound but maybe I just have a stupid, trusting heart.

 
At 11:35 AM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

The people have spoken (or at least two of them have): Al is full of it.

 
At 6:03 PM, Anonymous Mike Q said...

Oh, I respected Pacino's acting, at least early in his career. I just don't look to him for the answers to life's deep questions.

 
At 6:10 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

Fair enough.

 
At 2:21 PM, Blogger FreshGreenKim said...

Al fan weighing in: c'mon, already, critics! (and John, on a visceral level you picked a great photo, be still my time machine heart!)...

Al's quote speaks to the creation of art. Art is screen, theater, scripte, painting, writing. Take it in a broader context and see if it doesn't speak to you. Don't kill the messenger!

to paraphrase:
The heart always knows, even when the mind doesn't.


Thanks J, for sharing from a favorite. Ever see the old movie Author, Author?

 
At 2:22 PM, Blogger FreshGreenKim said...

script** ack.

 
At 2:33 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

Nice to see a fellow Pacino fan speak up. And glad that photo also spoke to you, Kim.

While Mike's certainly not alone in thinking his early stuff was much better than his most recent work, you'd have to say that that's not so much his fault as the fact that great parts just tend to be more in abundance for hot-looking young actors than older ones. While that's certainly more a factor for women than men, it does also affect male actors.

Having said that, I find him almost hypnotic to watch, even in some recent parts. While they may not have made me forget the Godfather or Dog Day Afternoon, he still tends to dominate any movie he's in. And I hope everyone has seen Heat, where for the first time he appears with his contemporary Deniro (they also both appeared in the Godfather, but never together, since Deniro was playing Pacino's father in flashbacks only). Maybe this hostility to Al is some form of writerly condescension to actors, but I think his work speaks on the screen in ways that every writer could only hope to do in their medium.

Finally, I don't think I've ever even heard of Author, Author, Kim, let alone not having seen it. But I'll make a point of looking for it now. Thanks for the tip.

 
At 4:40 PM, Blogger FreshGreenKim said...

Ya had to go and say DeNiro... and stop my heart again. I may be well placed, in Youngstown with my affinity for these Italian men, eh?

But truly, to me, artistic expression? for a writer to criticize an actor? Is like a painter criticizing a sculptor. We are taking the gifts we are given and crafting something else. We hope what we craft is breathtaking. In my opinion, the work of both Pacino and DeNiro are both...


I also list The Godfather as a favorite BOOK of mine, so I must mention Puzo who gave them the canvas.

Check Author, Author an obscure work of Pacino's but with... Diane Keaton... It's worth a gander.

 
At 8:10 PM, Blogger John Ettorre said...

Pacino and Deniro go together like oil and vinegar. One name always summons the other for me. And you're right--YTown is sure full of lots of dago men.

 

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