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From epic heroes of the ancient world to sweat-stained losers in makeshift boxing rings and pool halls, Robert Rossen was drawn to characters who had tasted victory but were doomed for defeat. Rossen wrote, directed and produced his own films; in the end, he lived a life very much like the stories he told onscreen. Rossen grew up on the Lower East Side of New York. He made a living as a professional boxer before hitting Broadway as a playwright. By the '30s, Rossen relocated to Hollywood where he penned forceful film noirs such as The Roaring Twenties (1939) with Cagney and Bogart, The Sea Wolf (1941) with Edward G. Robinson and Ida Lupino and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck and Kirk Douglas. For his directorial debut, Rossen dipped into his personal experience as a fighter to bring an authentic edge to Body and Soul (1947), based on the tragic true story of Barney Ross. In Alexander the Great (1956), Rossen told the story of the legendary leader with Technicolor tones on grand sets. Richard Burton plays the boy general: brilliant, resourceful and immensely egotistical. Alexander rises to victory, but when he seeks to extend his empire further, falls sick and dies in strange lands far from home. Rossen's script brought a smart, sophisticated, even existential edge to the wide screen epic. In Rossen's hands, Alexander the Great became more than a Hollywood blockbuster; the film made a serious inquiry into what drives a man to crave unreachable goals. Rossen's script for They Came to Cordura (1959) explored the thin line dividing heroism and cowardice. Gary Cooper, in his penultimate film, plays a dishonored soldier commissioned to transport five decorated war heroes through the sweltering Mexican desert. Joining them on the journey is a woman (Rita Hayworth) who is accused of treason. Here upon a desolate landscape, the men and woman are forced to consider the actions that define them. After directing Body and Soul, Rossen was on the verge of proving himself in Hollywood as a top filmmaking talent. Then in 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee subpoenaed him. Rossen had been an active member of the Communist Party in New York and Los Angeles and HUAC had uncovered his affiliations. Threatened with blacklisting, Rossen offered other names to clear his own. Perhaps Rossen's characters, who always seemed to be on the verge of greatness, reflected their creator's own dilemma. 'Fast' Eddie Felson, from The Hustler (1961), might be Rossen's most fully realized character. Fast Eddie is an upstart billiards player who's good enough to challenge the champion: Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). Surrounded by the seedy high-stakes world of gambling—which might be a thinly veiled suggestion of Hollywood—Eddie learns the ropes but, in the end, becomes a victim of his own arrogance. Rossen created hard-boiled realms of film noir and colorful character studies. Like 'Fast' Eddie, Rossen played Hollywood. He scored two Academy Award nominations for direction, but ultimately his past caught up with him. Like a character from one of the tales he told onscreen, Rossen stepped down from center stage and faded into the grim twilight. LIST of FILMS 4 Tuesday 8:00 PM The Hustler (1961) A pool shark falls into the clutches of a crooked gambler. Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, George C. Scott. D: Robert Rossen. BW 135 m. 10:30 PM Alexander the Great (1956) Biography of the ancient warrior who conquered the known world. Richard Burton, Fredric March, Danielle Darrieux. D: Robert Rossen. BW 135 m. LBX 1:00 AM They Came to Cordura (1959) Six American military heroes in Mexico fight treacherous conditions to get back to their base. Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Van Heflin. D: Robert Rossen. C 123 m. |
