Top five performances
1. Atlantic City
2. The Swimmer
3. Elmer Gantry
4. From Here to Eternity
5. The Leopard
I'm so on the fence about Atlantic City. It's such a great film, but his character is wordy and wound up for what looks like a tired old man. But that's not his fault either. That's the role that was given to him.
I don't think about BL a lot, but he might be my fave of all the old guard A-list actors. His voice and delivery was so Direct and Urgent, it's a marvel to experience. Henry Fonda could do patient and thoughtful very well, but Burt begged you to listen to him. They are very different.
That's an apt description of Lancaster, one of my favourite actors. Another day I might have flipped my top two -- while I love Atlantic City, there are a number of his films which I would consider superior. But I think his performance is extraordinary, one of the finest portrayals of old age I have ever seen.
Fonda, another favourite, was indeed an actor of immense gravitas and authority. However later in life, like so many classic actors, he seemed to falter and the subtlety slipped away. Contrast Fonda's broad as a barn overplaying in On Golden Pond with Lancaster's delicacy in Atlantic City. Lancaster was on his A-game to the end (Local Hero and Field of Dreams each showcased lovely work).