MovieChat Forums > Inherit the Wind (1960) Discussion > Gene Kelly was the best actor in this mo...

Gene Kelly was the best actor in this movie...

posted 15 years ago by BobStage
11 replies | jump to latest

Gene Kelly made Hornbeck not only a very funny and witty person, but also a very cynical and snide critic. I know that we're supposed to be against Hornbeck, but I couldn't help but agree with his pessimism when looking at it from his view. Not to mention that Gene Kelly was such a good actor.

Hornbeck's comeuppance clearly hurt him more than anyone else' comeuppance. The scene where Drummond contemptuously tells Hornbeck that he's all alone and will go to his grave alone, the look on Hornbeck's face is truly emotional. Then the quick, desperate grasp at a joke to hide his real emotions. All well done, and it made me feel sympathetic for this lonely, inwardly tortured man pointing fingers at anyone but himself. It's fitting that he gets the last line in the movie.

Gene Kelly should have gotten the Oscar for this role.

[–] marga73 15 years ago

i liked kelly's character because it was fresh air between a such oppresive plot and characters

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Excuse my English, I was born in a galaxy far, far away

[–] zorbear 15 years ago

That's because Gene was playing the real-life person of H. L. Mencken, one of the funniest grouches that ever lived. If you've never read anything he wrote, you're in for a treat. Warning: Mencken needs to be taken in small doses, as his unrelenting pessimism can become depressing after awhile.

(Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't...)

[–] skiop 15 years ago

The scene where Drummond contemptuously tells Hornbeck that he's all alone and will go to his grave alone

I can relate. I remember when my grandfather died and we went to his wake, I told my nephew that I'm sure nobody would come to mine (in fact, I suspect that I will have rotted away before anyone finds me body) and he said he would. I don't know about that.

[–] EyesRed 15 years ago

I think Spencer Tracy was the best actor in this film.

[–] gerald-flynn 15 years ago

I would have voted for an Oscar trifecta -- Tracy and March for this and Burt Lancaster for "Elmer Gantry". Amazing performances all around.
Kelly, in a supporting role, deserves more recognition. I think his playing against type is part of what makes his performance so striking. Part comic relief, part Greek chorus, Hornbeck is an observer who brings his own prejudices and bigotry to the story. At the end, he still doesn't get it; only Drummond sees the bigger picture. Taking the Bible and Darwin together and understanding that both contribute to our understanding of the human condition, provides the perfect ending to this magnificent film.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] efs2 15 years ago

He killed it with an iron fist.

Yikes!

That may be the most unexpected, Nazi-imagery metaphor I've ever seen in an otherwise normal post.

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[–] maawan 14 years ago

I may represent the minority here but I think Gene Kelly was boring, annoying and got on my nerves. I don't know which was worse, Gene Kelly himself or the character he played.

[–] BobStage 14 years ago

How was he boring? He had the witty jokes, a charming outward personality, and stinging comments that represented the cynical people who never follow ideas or dreams but instead mock those who do. That's why he earns Drummond's contempt, and the anguish that Hornbeck briefly reveals as he struggles to compose himself against Drummond's cutting remarks at the end felt real and I couldn't help but feel sadder by seeing it.

I would love to play the character of Hornbeck myself if a theatrical adaptation were made again near me. It would be an honour to play that role.

[–] hellodollyllama 14 years ago

I think his role was badly-written. Actually Mencken's own writing was much better.

[–] Edward_de_Vere 14 years ago

Gene Kelly made Hornbeck not only a very funny and witty person, but also a very cynical and snide critic. I know that we're supposed to be against Hornbeck, but I couldn't help but agree with his pessimism when looking at it from his view. Not to mention that Gene Kelly was such a good actor.

Yes, Kelly was surprisingly good in what was one of his few non-comedic and non-"song and dance man" roles.

However, I disagree with your claim that we're supposed to dislike the character. In many scenes he comes across as the principal voice of reason.