Jubal : Rod Steiger posturing.

Rod Steiger posturing.

What a bizarre performance by Steiger. His speech patterns and cadence stick out like a sore thumb, but if the producers were trying to find a lecherous bully they succeeded.

Re: Rod Steiger posturing.

[Pinky style] I totally.....GET WHAT............youaresay.........in' cuz I MEAN, Pinky is just.......a stock bad-guy.

Re: Rod Steiger posturing.

Same reaction. Mucho Acting School a la Brando. It was big thing in 50s to lunge at the screen to stand out. No way I'm gonna look like a minor player if I go big. Course in this case the heaviness right out of the gate does weigh on the story flow. Remember me, not the lead was certainly counter to The System but it sort of works here. Keeps your attention which keeps you staying with an otherwise so so film/story.
For some reason Jubal gets a fair amount of coverage in film history. That's main reason I gave it a shot. I can sort of see what critics watched as to the filming itself. Like in very beginning with the pause as Ford lifts up his tired face in a strong close up.
Dialog tries too. Guess that was enough to lift this out of the average.
There's a sort of cowboy noir going on in the darkness & overdone performances by some
real screen heavies. Bronson was cool, and fun to see Elam in there.

Re: Rod Steiger posturing.

Just my opinion, Steiger was badly miscast in this film. He doesn't sound much different in this than he did in "In the Heat of the Night." Not at all convincing as a western cowboy. You watch and wonder when the stagehands are going to bring out the Sparta sets. Fairly early in the film, he uses a couple of the same exact phrases he later used as Chief Gillespie. Hello, this is a western. The beautiful location scenery in Jackson Hole compensates for other failings in this film.

Re: Rod Steiger posturing.

Steiger has always been an overboard performer, except when a good director can reign him in.

The reference to Brando is a bit unfair to Brando in that Brando was much better at the "method" style of acting than Steiger.

I agree that he was miscast even though his persona of the obnoxious self-centered bully was okay in the role. It's a real stretch to think of the wife being involved with him regardless of her slutty nature.

Re: Rod Steiger posturing.

Your comment about the slutty wife and Pinky made me chuckle. Haha.. This lady was bored and hated her husband and life. It was Pinky or nothing. But when a better man came along aka Jubal, she dropped Pinky like a hot potato. As we see in the movie the whole thing doesn't go over to well.

Re: Rod Steiger posturing.

I never care for watching Steiger. He is particularly irritating and jarring in this movie. I would have preferred a sly villain in this film rather than him.

Re: Rod Steiger posturing.

If you want to see Steiger in an atypical role, that might be "The Pawnbroker." Without all the usual bellicosity.
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