RIP Donald Sutherland

[President Johnson]

RIP to a legend.

https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1803837976788492471

[MarkD]

I've always thought one of Donald's most memorably quirky performances was in Max Duggan Returns, in which his character was a cop who talked with a lisp. Plus, in that film, Keifer made his film debut in a minor role.

[Samof94]

He worked with Kristy Swanson

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

The first time I've ever heard of him. Rest in peace.

[Beet]

He is a familiar face that has appeared in many movies, but the most recent one most people have likely seen is President Snow in the Hunger Games franchise. Also, I didn't realize he was Kiefer Sutherland's father. Duh. RIP.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Wonderful actor with an absolutely glorious voice. I should also note that I have seen a remarkable number of women online who have made what can only be described as grief thirst posts on hearing the news. RIP.

[Mr. Smith]

And so goes Mr. Snow.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Not the Donald I was hoping for.

But in all seriousness, this one hurts. Sutherland was basically my ideal dad when he was in 'Ordinary People.' I loved him in everything I saw him in, honestly.

[MABA 2020]

RIP a great actor

[politicallefty]

I remember him from his less-well-known roles. RIP.

[Middle-aged Europe]

RIP, he was so good at playing magnificent bastards.

Here's his 17-minute scene from JFK:

[Frodo]

RIP, he was so good at playing magnificent bastards.

Here's his 17-minute scene from JFK:

It is blocked here, but I can provide a four minute clip:

[President Johnson]

I also remember him for a lesser known role in Path to War, which featured the political situation around the Vietnam War. He played Clark Clifford in that movie. Recently deceased Michael Gambon portrayed Lyndon Johnson in the main role.

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

He worked with Kristy Swanson

She was the original Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

I'm pretty sure why Donald Sutherland is the reason why the film JFK is the way it was, and, in turn, I'm pretty sure this is why Oliver Stone gave this part to Donald Sutherland.

In the early 1970s, Donald Sutherland tried to get a film made about the JFK assassination conspiracy on the basis of Mark Lane's book 'Rush to Judgement'  (a comment on the Warren Commission.) I don't know if Sutherland was going to be in the film, but he wanted to produce it. However, all the Hollywood money people thought the idea for the film was tacky, even with all the other (fictional?) conspiracy films being made at the time.

So, Sutherland gave up and moved on to acting in another film, but not before he had contacted some people who did get a very cheap and bad movie made called 'Executive Action.' Mark Lane wanted his name removed from the film.

The film, as brief as it was (I think around 85 minutes), was even briefer than it seemed in terms of the narrative, since it was padded with scenes of paramilitary types training in the desert and with stock footage of speeches delivered by President Kennedy and others.

They cut the film back with one of the conspirators saying something like "getting the three letter government agencies to do what you want without asking questions isn't a problem. If you can't get one of them to do it, it's easy to find another that will."

They then showed one example of the conspirators getting one three letter agency to agree to do something.

The only really good part of the film is that the folksy actor Will Geer got to play an oil company executive who was in charge of the conspiracy. Geer had previously been blacklisted and no doubt loved playing a far right wing Bond type villain. As the guy in charge, he is reluctant to have Kennedy killed, but then sees on television one of the stock footage clips of a speech of Martin Luther King Jr and then says something like "What a speech! We can't have this, Kennedy must die."

My point in all this though, is that in Hollywood there is the general phrase of 'show me, don't tell me.' Meaning, films are visual, so don't use exposition. And, JFK is nearly all exposition. 3 hours and 25 minutes of nearly endless exposition.

So, I'm pretty positive that Executive Action is the reason for this. Had Oliver Stone tried to make a film that showed how he thought the Kennedy assassination was done, he knew he'd face charges from critics that he was remaking the horrible film Executive Action.

However, for his initial attempt to make a film showing how the Kennedy assassination was done, I'm pretty sure that Oliver Stone honored Donald Sutherland with this part.

[Landslide Lyndon]

If not the best actor never nominated for an Oscar then certainly a member of a very distinguished club along with John Goodman and Alan Rickman.

[vitoNova]

That one white guy who--for whatever reason--had a shaving profile in The Dirty Dozen.

RIP

[Meclazine for Israel]

Friend of the family, Norman Harris expresses his condolences.

Norm Harris

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