Hey folks,
I just finished watching Torn Curtain again for the first time in maybe fifteen years. It was on one of the cable movie channels, so I don't know if that makes any difference in the appearance of colors.
In any case, Newman's hair appeared to show some graying, and Andrews looked like her hair was colored to have gray highlights. I looked at the picture noted in johne23-1's previous post, and her hair looks brown in that picture.
The film is listed as released in 1966, and since Newman was born in 1925 and Andrews was born in 1935, they should have been about 41 and 31 years of age respectively. As I recall those years, Newman was starting to turn gray at that time. Since Andrews was ten years younger than Newman, perhaps they wanted her to show some gray also?
For one, I liked Newman, Andrews, and the film. It was fun to watch it again.
Best wishes,
Dave Wile
reply
share
ecarle
13 years ago
An interesting point, for Hitchcock was pretty clear that he wanted the overall color scheme of "Torn Curtain" to be...
...gray.
At least after the characters head into East Germany behind the Iron Curtain("iron" being a rather gray color itself.)
Using natural lighting and gauze lenses, Hitchcock and his cinematographer John Warren gave "Torn Curtain" a distinctly different look for a Hitchcock picture...and it IS gray. The film(as per Hitchcock's intention) is almost "black and white in color." And gray walls, cars, clothes, sets dominate the picture.
But certain colors burst through, notably the multi-colored scarf that Lila Kedrova wears and, as I recall, one of Julie Andrews dresses.
Still...a gray color structure. A graying male lead. A young female lead whose dull brown hair could SUGGEST gray.
Hitchcock just well may have decided to weave Newman and Andrews into the "gray look" of "Torn Curtain."
reply
share
hisgrandmogulhighness
13 years ago
First, let me state this: I can't stand Julie Andrews . . . now I will proceed---she does look nice in this film, in fact, she never looked better before or since . . . no, she isn't a blonde, though many of Hitch's leading ladies also weren't blonde . . .
Also, Julie Andrews is a dead weight in this movie . . . no dramatic element about her . . . helps to ruin the film . . . could Lila's scarf represent the "Rainbow Coalition"?
reply
share
ecarle
13 years ago
could Lila's scarf represent the "Rainbow Coalition"?
Ha. Maybe!
Julie Andrews benefitted from two blockbusters she WAS in ("Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music") and one blockbuster she WASN'T in ("My Fair Lady," benefitting from public sympathy when Audrey Hepburn got her Broadway role.)
That was a powerhouse package of movies and Hitchcock was powerless to stop Lew Wasserman from "suggesting/demanding" her for "Torn Curtain."
It remains ironic: here was the British Hitchcock working for the first time in years with a British female star and...no chemistry.
But Julie sure got the glamour treatment in "Torn Curtain," plus an early bed scene with Paul Newman that "sexualized her"(though alas, big stars Paul Newman and Julie Andrews couldn't come close to the steam generated by Janet Leigh and John Gavin in "Psycho"'s bed scene.)
Musicals made Julie. Musicals broke Julie..."Star"(1968) and "Darling Lili"(1970) and to a lesser extent, "Throuoghly Modern Millie"(1967) killed her career.
In 1966, both Paul Newman and Julie Andrews were movie stars. By 1971, he was still a movie star...she had a TV series.
For my part, I thought Julie Andrews was perfect in "Mary Poppins"...so prim and yet so "tough love" sexy as the kids spit-spot nanny, and her range of acting and voice was perfect for "The Sound of Music."
But that's about it. "The Americanization of Emily" is a great movie with a great Paddy Chayefsky script, but Andrews isn't necessary to it.
What if Hitchcock had gone for another British Julie for Torn Curtain:
Christie.
reply
share
hisgrandmogulhighness
13 years ago
There may be many hidden secrets in Torn Curtain . . . one thing not so secret---Julie was awful, and you're right ecarle, this film may have killed her career . . . even Newman's took a dip . . . and Lila disappeared also, she did nothing really significant . . . they should've avoided this film . . .
of course it must be said that Julie did spend her youth on Broadway, appearing in the highly successful My Fair Lady, and opened in Dec. '60 with Richard Burton in Camelot, she came late to the screen . . . though, again I'll state . . . i could never stand her . . . her declining career was a joy!
reply
share
13 years ago
[deleted]
hisgrandmogulhighness
13 years ago
Yes, Julie Christie . . . or, Newman played well with Elke Sommer, anybody but Julie Andrews---maybe for musicals, but for straight line dramas, never . . .
Hitchcock's career also took a serious slump---everybody connected to this film seemed to suffer . . . Hitch should've done The Prize . . . it even had Leo G. Carroll. . ..
reply
share
mit800
13 years ago
It was lazy filmaking on Hitch`s part. He didn`t like Newmans method acting and had Andrews forced on him so he lost interest in the entire production.
He could have done some fine tuning on the script to adapt it to his stars but he wasnt having any of it.
It was Hitchcocks fault that his film didn`t work. Andrews and Newman are both fine actors and could have probably done something with it had Hitch put some of his own effort into it.
Dorothy stop that, Mr. Ha Ha`s lookin at you!!
reply
share
sasha99
12 years ago
Those looked like blond highlights to me... the best you could get in 1966 (the kind done with a cap), nothing like the sophisticated highlights done with foil and multiple colors that you can get today in any salon. A woman couldn't even get a decent haircut in 1966; the techniques hadn't been invented yet. Blow drying with a handheld dryer hadn't been invented yet. Back then you sat under a dryer with your hair in curlers. Even big fancy movie stars. Thank you, Vidal Sassoon, for your inventiveness!
I think this was an attempt to turn Julie into a blond.
reply
share
grablelisa
8 years ago
I agree, it looks like a 60s streak highlight job to me. And that hairstyle was very stylish. I thought her hair was the reason they stuck out everywhere they went.
reply
share