Saturday 31 May 2014

The Durable Clint Eastwood


The Durable Clint Eastwood
            
              He was 'The Man with No Name' in The Good,The Bad and The Ugly. But he had a monicker: Blondie. Though Clint Eastwood was still a virtual unknown, the movie was a blockbuster, with SROs in almost all movie theaters where it was shown in Metro Manila. That was in 1968 and I was then a 2nd year college student at the DLSU.  He was a tall cowboy who talked less and when he talked, I missed several words he was saying. Amidst the sounds of the flute, ocarina, human voices, gunfire and a coyote howling, there was suspense throughout the story with Blondie occasionally trading shots with rugged men with dubious motives. He would later have a confrontation with Angel Face and Tuco. All were in search of gold. Musical scoring was superb. With two other films-- For a Fistful of Dollars and A Few Dollars More -- the trilogy turned out to be a commercial success. Eastwood attained stardom. I was cutting classes just to watch his movies.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly was shown in movie theaters in Metro Manila in 1968. (demonsresume)

He is The Man with No Name.  But Tuco calls him "Blondie". (g'gle)
Lee Van Cleef is Angel Eyes. (potpourri)

Eli Wallach is Tuco Ramirez.  He steals the thunder from the veteran actors. (theguardian)

The final face-off at the cemetery where Confederate gold is hidden. (freerepublic)
           He was a tough cop named Harry Callahan in a series of films about a member of the San Francisco Police Force who had the propensity to apply controversial and arbitrary measures in fighting lawless elements. Armed with guts and a Magnum 44, Callahan engaged a psychotic killer on the loose in Dirty Harry, foiled hold-uppers in a downtown restaurant and uttered that famous line "Go ahead, make my day" in Sudden Impact and single-handedly wrote finis to hitherto unsolved crimes traceable to a gang of merciless motorcycle cops in Magnum Force. This was in the 70s and 80s and Eastwood was now a superstar. I was already working by this time.

Clint Eastwood is Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry. (moviefone)

Scorpio is the mad killer in the movie Dirty Harry. (g'gle)

"Go ahead, make my day", Callahan tells bad guy in Sudden Impact (1983). The gun is a Smith & Wesson Model 29. (togif.com)

            In the 90s, Eastwood played National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid in the movie adaptation of the best-selling novel Bridges of Madison County.  Kincaid had a 4 day romantic liaison with middle-aged Iowa housewife Francesca Johnson played by Meryl Streep.  With Eastwood as director, the film received critical acclaim and earned $182,016,617at the box-office.  Through the years, he has established his reputation as a durable star, with no signs yet of fading away. In 2003, he directed Mystic River starring Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon. He was named Best Director for 2003 by the National Society of Film Critics. In 2006, he directed Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. Million-Dollar Baby won for Clint an award for best director in 2007. I was nearing retirement.

The critically acclaimed Bridges of  Madison County was shown in movie theaters in Metro Manila in 1995. (g'gle)

The Roseman Bridge in Winterset, Iowa (movielocations)

National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid's assignment is to take photos of the Bridges of Madison County. (g'gle)

Kincaid and Francesca have a 4-day romantic affair.(g'gle)

Directed by Clint Eastwood (g'gle)

Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby

             Clint Eastwood turns 83 on May 31st.  He is still active and physically strong. Separated from Dina Ruiz Eastwood in 2013, Clint is presently linked to Erica Tomlinson Fisher who is about 40 years younger. Clint had a 14-yr-relationship with actress Sondra Locke who was his co- star in Sudden Impact.  Through the years, Clint has contributed enormously to the movie industry. Upon scrutiny, Clint's movies, all in all, have grossed a total of $1.68 billion. Now a senior, all I do almost everyday is watch old Eastwood films.

Konted

Carmel by the sea in California where Eastwood served as mayor. (modern wayfarer)

Hole four of the 18-hole course at Clint Eastwood's Tehama Golf Club in Carmel, California. Membership is limited to 300 only.  (architectural digest)

Tehama's Clubhouse (arch digest)

Suite at Tehama (arch digest)

Clint is a good golfer.  He was once a golf caddy. (arch digest)

Clint with wife Dina Ruiz in happier times.  They have separated. (sf gate)

Clint's Family -- Daughters Francesca and Morgan with wife Dina Ruiz. Clint and Dina have separated. (g'gle)

Actress Sondra Locke (Sudden Impact) had a 13-yr relationship with Clint Eastwood.


Clint's Mission Ranch Inn in Carmel, Californa. (mail online)


Australian Erica Tomlison Fisher  is allegedly Clint's new girlfriend. (daily entertainment)

Clint, 83, is still active as a film director. (dailymail)

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