I am dating myself here. Kirk Douglas, a Hollywood figure I admired, passed away at the age of 103. Here is an obituary in the Guardian. I miss his old-fashioned masculinity. I adored his longevity and gracefulness in gentle aging. At age 91, he wrote this beautiful essay of reflection: Old Age Can Be the Best Time of Your Life. Anyway, the heartless metronome of Time beats on, and as a sign of aging, the number of heroes I had is dwindling fast.
Here are my favorite Kirk Douglas movies. Thanks, Kirk, for the great memories.
Paths of Glory — His best film. Stanley Kubrick’s directorial take is brutal and concise, but the message is universal and eternal. (Look around all us. We are, around the world, more than ever before, ruled by men of deep cowardice). In a relentlessly downbeat environment in the movie, Kirk Douglas’s character defends three innocent soldiers condemned to death, dignifying honor, charity, and sense of duty while fighting odds against odds. The song at the end of the movie (Faithful Hussar) is simultaneously sobering and electrifying. It may be among the best cinematic moments of the last century.
Spartacus — I am a lifelong Kubrick-phile. It is said that he disowned Spartacus later in his life because he felt he did not have absolute control. Yet, it is amazing to see what he could achieve even without creative control. Kirk Douglas, as Spartacus, is a remarkable personification of the burning desire for freedom. Not all dreams come true, though. After all, it’s a Kubrick Film.
The Bad and the Beautiful — Kirk does an amazing turn, as a deeply unscrupulous producer.
Lonely Are the Brave — A gentle story of a man who loves solitude, and who is quite out of place in a changing world. He is tired, puzzled, and on the run. A cerebral and touching western that is about preserving the concept of self, as the world trundles on.
Last Train from Gun Hill — The bravest act is to follow the law, to go against your best friend, and to walk all alone, guarded only by your deep sense of duty and justice. An under-rated, white-knuckled, slow-burning, classic western with a single-man against the world theme, in the spirit of High Noon and 3:10 to Yuma.
Ace in the Hole. — I often show the above picture when I discuss the Newsvendor Model in my core class. An excellent Billy Wilder commentary on the prurient nature of newspaper business, all too reminiscent of the current-day media. Kirk Douglas, as Chuck Tatum, is a down-on-luck reporter who takes a series of actions that spin out of control. The movie is full of great quotes: “It’s a good story today. Tomorrow, they’ll wrap a fish in it.” and “Bad news sells best. Cause good news is no news”.