Regular readers of this column will know that I shy away from saying anything in entertainment is the best above all else. The popular trend of ranking the arts is almost absurd to me, as creative works and those who make them are, when you reach a certain level of greatness, qualitative not quantitative.
I do use “favorite” to somewhat get around talking about the music, films and TV I admire and value the most, but still qualify it most of the time. But if forced at gunpoint to name my favorite actor above all others, I’d have to say Peter O’Toole. I would even argue that he was the finest actor of our modern times. A recent documentary, “Peter O’Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba,” streaming on the Britbox platform, underscores why O’Toole is my favorite and makes a compelling case for his thespian greatness, quite possibly as the greatest of all.
O’Toole came into my consciousness when I saw his first major starring role in “Lawrence of Arabia” in its local premiere, one of the many across the nation, in December 1962, just before my ninth birthday. That night also celebrated the opening of a new luxury movie theater in my hometown of Binghamton, NY. Between that and the movie itself with its overture, intermission partway through its 3.5 hour run and the lavish souvenir program was the first genuine special event of my young life, and it’s embedded deeply in my memory.
O’Toole’s portrayal of T.E. Lawrence in his first major film role was electric and magnetic in a way far beyond anything I’d ever seen onscreen. His performance so enraptured my young soul that for the next Halloween, my mother made for me a fantastic recreation of the white robes and headdress O’Toole wore in the movie.
My initial O’Toole and “Lawrence” experience introduced me to cinema as great art and not just entertainment. His performance showed me what thespian greatness looked and felt like, in just one fell swoop being a veritable master class in acting at its finest and most compelling and impactful. In the early 1980s, he again vaulted another film, “The Stunt Man,” into my cinematic pantheon with his portrayal of a twisted, power-mad film director (in a brilliantly written and directed movie with a fascinating backstory).
Much the same applies to seeing him around the same time in “My Favorite Year” as a drunken, desiccated swashbuckling Hollywood actor past his prime who is booked onto an early TV variety show, where one of its writers has to shepherd him through the process. It’s O’Toole at his antic, farcical finest in a role that I believe into which he injected some of the real Peter O’Toole.
The doc seems to confirm that for me, even though neither of the two latter movies – both about the filmed entertainment game, also a favorite genre of mine – ares mentioned in it. No matter. It touches on both other fine films and stage performances that were pivotal in his career, some movies I’ve seen, others I must someday seek out and watch.
The real meat and potatoes of “Along the Sky Road to Aqaba” is the testimony of other notable and highly-talented thespians like Anthony Hopkins, Derek Jacobi, Kenneth Branagh and Brian Cox. They rate O’Toole above and beyond most all as an actor. And even though he was one to push back against the system and on occasion the dictates and tactics of directors, the actors who worked with him all attest to his consistent generosity and support given to his fellow dramatic players. He also would always show up on set or stage with the script fully etched into his memory. O’Toole’s devotion to and reverence for his craft I learned about in the doc was a moon shot that launched my esteem for this actor even further beyond the high regard I have held for him since my youth.
It was also delightful and informative to see and hear his wife and the mother of his children, Siân Phillips, a woman of such class, grace and intelligence as well as a deep reservoir of feminine insight, empathy and integrity that reminds me of my own beloved, recently-deceased Mom. Icing that cake is the revelatory comments of their daughter, actress Kate O’Toole. She’s one of my favorite Facebook friends; I was quite tickled when she sent me a friend request, given my admiration and affection for her father (Kate and I share a number of real-life friends here in Austin, Texas, where she visits frequently). Her social network posts brim with the sharp wit her father was known for, and she has also inherited his acting mastery.
Not long after I write this, I plan to again see O’Toole on the big-screen as T.E. Lawrence in the beautifully-restored “Lawrence” movie in a summer film series at a classic local theater. Though by now I know the lengthy film like the back of my hand, the doc will further enhance my latest viewing. And learning more about Peter O’Toole makes me cherish our commonalities: Scots-Irish heritage, a strong rebellious streak, a devotion to excellence in our craft, and a fondness for, at times, recreational inebriation.
In a way, my life has been an ongoing Peter O’Toole film festival (wish I’d seen him onstage). The aesthetic and emotional rewards of it are near incalculable.
Book: “Lawrence of Arabia” by L. Robert Morris and Lawrence Raskin: I believe this was a pick of mine some year ago, but worthy of mentioning twice, especially following the above column. It tells the story of the film’s genesis, casting, production and premiere. Plus how it got butchered as its distribution company hacked it down in length to attract viewers, and was restored to it’s original glory as the finest – much as a shy away from such declarative ratings – epic film ever made. The book is loaded with much wonderful art and includes a forward by Martin Scorsese.
Rob Patterson is a music and entertainment writer in Austin, Texas. Email robpatterson054@gmail.com
From The Progressive Populist, November 1, 2023
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