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Jack Nicolson
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Thursday, October 21, 2021
Real Life Horrors: Apt Pupil
Sometimes... the real horror occurs behind the scenes...
Back in 2019, I wrote about the tragic death of actor Brad Renfro and the behind the scenes stories of the making of Apt Pupil. (Jagged Edge) Apt Pupil began as a novella by Stephen King. It was originally published in the 1982 novella collection Different Seasons, subtitled Summer of Corruption.
Renfro and Joshua Jackson
I won't repeat the details of the scandal, you can check out the original post if you want to know more. Because of Brad's age, and the behind the scenes stories about the filming of the shower scene, I've been reluctant to glorify the story and actors by posting caps of the scene.
Given it's Stephen King day, I thought it appropriate to take a look at some of the real life horrors that surrounded some of his films. There are many stories about the filming of King's films, but the behind the scenes stories from Apt Pupil are definitely the most lurid.
Many FH viewers know that I love looking into the edits and changes in male nudity with each version of a film. When I was checking out clips from the film, I noticed some changes in the shower scene. Now usually these changes bother me, but with this film, I think they were justified.
You can see from these caps the differences in how the shower scene was cropped for the original release and the Blu-ray release. Thanks to SOMS for the clip of the original release.
David Strathairn: ACTORS & SKIN
'An accident is sometimes an unhappy woman's best friend.'
And an 'accident' indeed ended up being the fate of Strathairn' character Joe St. George. In 1995's Dolores Claiborne, actor David Strathairn played Joe, the abusive husband of the hard working, and hard living Dolores. (Kathy Bates) After years of dealing with Joe's abuse, Dolores stags an elaborate 'accident' while the town celebrates a eclipse.
Although there is nothing really sexy about Joe, there is certainly something pretty hot about actor David Strathairn. The actor began his career hitch-hiking across America, looking and taking theatre roles whenever he could find them. Supporting roles on television and in films soon followed.
I think it was Dolores Claiborne that first introduced me to the actor's work, but I went on to especially enjoy his work in: L.A Confidential, Simon Birch and The Uninvited. I thought he looked especially hot in A Map of the World. Strathairn continues to work steadily and weaves between film and television. Two of his most recent roles on television included roles on Billions and The Black List.
Limbo (1999)
'A woman's life falls apart after she's blamed for an accident on her property.'
Check out Strathairn's only frontal, in Return of the Secaucus Seven in the post below:
A Dangerous Woman (1993)
David Strathairn in Return of the Secaucus
'Seven former college friends, along with a few new friends, gather for a weekend reunion at a summer house in New Hampshire to reminisce about the good old days, when they got arrested on the way to a protest in Washington, DC.'
1979's Return of the Secaucus marked actor David Strathairn's feature film debut. This may also be the reason the young actor was so opened to the nude scene. It may have helped Strathairn to go skinning dipping that the film's director was John Sayles. Strathairn met and became friends with Sayles when they both attended Williams College.
The cap above and below are not Strathairn, but given all four of the actors take turns diving into the water naked, I wanted to share a few other caps.
Given how the skinning dipping scene is filmed, it's sometimes difficult to figure out who's ho when they're diving into the water. I believe, after carefully reviewing of course, the caps below are of Strathairn.
Jack Nicholson: Actors & SKIN
One of the most iconic characters created by author Stephen King on screen was undoubtedly Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Jack Torrance in the 1980 adaptation of The Shining. I've read that King had some issues with the final film but it certainly became one of the most well known and successful adaptations of his books. I love the beginning of the film, and the mood director Stanley Kubrick sets. My interest however, tends to wane once the Torrance family is alone at The Stanley Hotel. I'm not really sure I've ever seen the film all the way through, but have watched the first third several times.
'A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.'
As much as I love Jack Nicholson, I was surprised how many of these films I've only seen bits and pieces of. My favorite Nicholson film is The Witches Of Eastwick and I think that's because that's the first time I ever saw him on screen. I was only kid when I saw the film, but it made an impression. Again however, with a second viewing, the film is at it's best in the beginning, and in the end. It tends a drag a bit in the middle, and some scenes seem really dragged out.
Carnal Knowledge (1971)
'Chronicling the lifelong sexual development of two men who meet and become friends in college.'
Although Jack Nicholson was hot when he was young, he never really really embodied the looks of the typical leading men of the 70's and 80's. With his competition being Warren Beatty, Robert Redford and Paul Newman, Nicholson chose his roles wisely. It's a testament to his talent that he played so many legendary lovers and had so many leading ladies lusting after him on screen. It didn't hurt that former co-star and partner Angelica Houston talked publicly about the impressive size of his penis...
Chinatown (1974)
A private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
'The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.
Two professional assassins fall in love.
A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.
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