“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” This is a famous line from “Cool Hand Luke,” a signature role of Paul Newman, where he plays a convict in a Florida prison camp in the 1950’s who refuses to submit to the system. A big focus in the drama is to see how far Newman’s Luke Jackson can go in his little rebellion. Director Stuart Rosenberg (“Murder, Inc.” 1960) and screenwriters Donn Pearce and and Frank R. Pierson put together quite a gem of a motion picture, with riveting drama and explosive performances. It was adapted from the 1965 novel “Cool Hand Luke” by Donn Pearce.
The supporting cast behind Newman includes many familiar faces, including George Kennedy, J. D. Cannon, Robert Drivas, Lou Antonio, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet, Richard Davalos, Dennis Hopper, Wayne Rogers, Harry Dean Stanton, Ralph Waite, Anthony Zerbe, Jo Harmon, Morgan Woodward, Lew Askew, Robert Donner, Clifton James, and John McLiam.
“Cool Hand Luke” did quite well at the box office for Jalem Productions and Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. It solidified Paul Newman’s standing as a superstar. The film won one Oscar, Best Supporting Actor for George Kennedy. There were three other nominations: Best Actor (Paul Newman), Best Screenplay, and Best Original Musial Score (Lalo Schifrin).
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
cinema
My Review
“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” This is a famous line from “Cool Hand Luke,” a signature role of Paul Newman, where he plays a convict in a Florida prison camp in the 1950’s who refuses to submit to the system. A big focus in the drama is to see how far Newman’s Luke Jackson can go in his little rebellion. Director Stuart Rosenberg (“Murder, Inc.” 1960) and screenwriters Donn Pearce and and Frank R. Pierson put together quite a gem of a motion picture, with riveting drama and explosive performances. It was adapted from the 1965 novel “Cool Hand Luke” by Donn Pearce.
The supporting cast behind Newman includes many familiar faces, including George Kennedy, J. D. Cannon, Robert Drivas, Lou Antonio, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet, Richard Davalos, Dennis Hopper, Wayne Rogers, Harry Dean Stanton, Ralph Waite, Anthony Zerbe, Jo Harmon, Morgan Woodward, Lew Askew, Robert Donner, Clifton James, and John McLiam.
“Cool Hand Luke” did quite well at the box office for Jalem Productions and Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. It solidified Paul Newman’s standing as a superstar. The film won one Oscar, Best Supporting Actor for George Kennedy. There were three other nominations: Best Actor (Paul Newman), Best Screenplay, and Best Original Musial Score (Lalo Schifrin).