James L. Neibaur - The Essential Jack Nicholson

The Essential Jack Nicholson

The Essential Jack Nicholson

James L. Neibaur

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Neibaur, James L., 1958 author.

Title: The essential Jack Nicholson / James L. Neibaur.

Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Includes filmography.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016016385 (print) | LCCN 2016024154 (ebook) | ISBN 9781442269880 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442269897 (electronic)

Subjects: LCSH: Nicholson, JackCriticism and interpretation.

Classification: LCC PN2287.N5 N46 2016 (print) | LCC PN2287.N5 (ebook) | DDC 791.4302/8092dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016016385

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To my friend Gary Schneeberger.

Thanks for handing me a million laughs.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Katie Carter, who lives every book with me, film by film, chapter by chapter, and offers valuable insight.

Special thanks to Terri Lynch, who for a decade has pored over my prose and suggested rewrites that made it that much better.

These women are indispensable.

Thanks to Ted Okuda, whose three decades of help on every one of my projects from my very first book has been, and remains, invaluable.

And thanks to Max Neibaur, James Zeruk, Paul Gierucki, Gary Schneeberger, Peter Jackel, John Heckinlively, Steve Johnson, Scott McGee, Turner Classic Movies, the Racine Public Library interlibrary loan, and the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research.

Final thanks must go to Mr. Jack Nicholson himself, whose work inspired this project and who is the greatest actor of his generation.

Introduction

This is not a complete, comprehensive overview of Jack Nicholsons film career for scholars. This publishers Essential series is for mainstream movie fans who have a general interest in a performers work. Thus, we are looking at most of Nicholsons movies, not all of them. While each film will be examined in some depth, we will be focusing on those movies that help define Jack Nicholsons workbe they aesthetically good or bad.

Jack Nicholson started in low-budget Roger Corman films, where he learned as an actor, writer, and director. He was soon up-and-coming talent, rapidly rising to the status of a bona fide movie star and, ultimately, a motion picture icon. His career includes some of the finest films and most celebrated performances in all of movie history. Examining his film career is to explore the evolution of a gifted performer who challenged a lot of conventions and caused us to broaden our definition of a leading man.

Nicholson is rather unique in that he had the starring role in his film debut, Roger Cormans The Cry Baby Killer (1958). He spent the early part of his career getting big roles in smaller pictures and small roles in bigger ones, balancing these with appearances in various television programs and doing some stage work. It was Peter Fondas youth culture drama Easy Rider (1969) that was Nicholsons initial breakthrough. Following up with Five Easy Pieces (1970) furthered his impact. His Best Actor Oscar nomination for The Last Detail (1974) is what elevated Nicholson to full-fledged movie star. The multi-Oscar-winning One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest (1975) caused him to achieve superstar status. Gradually his superstardom approached the level of cinema icon, and it is there where he remains, even after decelerating and then concluding his motion picture career. Through it all, he enjoyed success as a screenwriter, an actor, and even an animator.

In our study of the essential films of Jack Nicholson, we will not limit our focus to his starring films, his biggest hits, or even on his most critically acclaimed work. While there isnt much to say about many of the smaller supporting roles he played early in his career ( Ensign Pulver [1964], The St. Valentines Day Massacre [1967]), there is some significance to a few from this period ( The Little Shop of Horrors [1960], The Raven [1963]). Once he was established in Easy Rider , his output remained erratic. Nicholson did some films that were not particularly impactful on the advancement of his career ( On a Clear Day You Can See Forever [1970], King of Marvin Gardens [1972]), along with others that did ( Carnal Knowledge [1971]). Once he established stardom and was rising to icon status, nearly all of his films, good and bad, are worthy of some discussion. However, this does not include cameos in films like Broadcast News (1987), Mars Attacks! (1996), or Evening Star (1996), but does include strong supporting performances in Reds (1981) and A Few Good Men (1992). The criteria as to what would be considered an essential Jack Nicholson film and deserving of a full-chapter assessment in our study are mostly based on the films importance to his career. However, because he established himself as an icon during his career, we do get to the point where virtually all of his films are significant in their presentation of that iconic screen persona.

At the time of this writing, Jack Nicholson had not made a film since 2010. Word got out that he retired at seventy-six due to being unable to remember lines as clearly as he once had. However, Nicholson claimed he did not retire; he simply lost interest:

Im not going to work until the day I die, thats not why I started this. I mean, Im not driven. I was drivenbut Im not, I dont have to be out there any more.... I had the most chilling thought that maybe people in their twenties and thirties dont actually want to be moved anymore. They may want just to see more bombs, more explosions, because that is what they have grown up with. And Ill never do that type of movie.

Robert Downey Jr. attempted to lure Nicholson out of retirement for his film The Judge (2014), but Nicholson refused and the role went to Robert Duvall. Downey also wanted Nicholson for Sherlock Holmes 3 (2016), but Nicholson stuck to his promise of not wanting to do that type of movie.

Jack Nicholsons cinematic legacy is quite brilliant, and his quirky characterizations exhibited a consistent versatility as well as a discernible focus that raised the value of even his less interesting projects. As we examine the essential films of this iconic actors career, we will explore his growth as an actor, his choices and challenges, and his ability to reinvent himself while redefining the concept of the American movie star. He was an actor who could exhibit both edginess and complacence, volatility and tenderness, outrageousness and stoicismall as ingredients within the same characterization. His twelve Oscar nominations make him the most nominated male actor in the Academys history. This book examines his cinematic accomplishments.

Ratings Key

The essential movies selected for this book are rated accordingly, as follows: