MovieChat Forums > Sabrina (1954) Discussion > Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck

posted 9 years ago by stareyes24
12 replies | jump to latest

I love Bogart, but why wasn't Gregor Peck cast as Linus? I think it would have been a great follow-up to "Romance Holiday". Plus Peck was so handsome and imo, would have been impeccable as Linus. Or William Holden could have Linus and they could have got Montgomery Clift to play the younger brother.

[–] dannieboy20906 9 years ago

I'm in with Gregory Peck for the Linus role, but Montgomery Clift was having issues that added many years to his apparent age. I would want to check his bio and see how far down he had slid by the time they filmed this.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

[–] digitaldiva 9 years ago

Hi dannieboy,

Clift was still young when they filmed Sabrina. He'd made from Here To Eternity the year before, but had taken some time off from movies. I think Peck or even Holden would have been a better Linus but the movie worked in spite of Bogart looking so much older than his leading lady.

[–] dannieboy20906 9 years ago

I think you're right. Certainly, this was only a year after "From Here to Eternity." However, there is a big gap from there until "Raintree County," during the filming of which he had his traffic collision with an unyielding tree. During that time he was suffering emotional problems. It's a good question to speculate about as to whether he was up to making any movies.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

[–] stormhappy106 9 years ago

traffic accident(he was high and drunk)crashing into a mountain wasn't until years later, 1957--Clift, although gay, would have been ok, as he did well opposite Liz Taylor in A Place In The Sun(1951)

[–] dannieboy20906 9 years ago

According to IMDb:

In 1956, during filming of Raintree County (1957), he ran his Chevrolet into a tree after leaving a party at Elizabeth Taylor's; it was she who saved him from choking by pulling out two teeth lodged in his throat. His smashed face was rebuilt, he reconciled with his estranged father, but he continued bedeviled by dependency on drugs and his unrelenting guilt over his homosexuality.

I remember hearing Ms. Taylor confirm this in an interview. However, I am suspicious of my memory on this because it seems too convenient. I suspect it may be an invention of my imagination, or that I heard another person say it in an interview. In any case, we aren't far different in the time of the accident; "Raintree County" was released in 1957, and neither tree nor mountain are likely to yield for a mere automobile.

Wikipedia confirms the timing of the traffic accident.

Since Mr. Clift was drunk and high on prescription(?) drugs, I think he was having issues before "Raintree County" started filming. He had been in a movie released each year from 1948 through 1953, except for 1952. Then there was a four year gap between "From Here to Eternity" and "Raintree County." The traffic accident occurred in May 1956, showing how long the filming and post production took and part of that was to allow Mr. Clift to heal following surgery. After "Raintree County" he was back in the groove at least one release per year every year until after "Freud" in 1962. Then there was another four year gap until his last film, "The Defector" was released in 1966. That is a strong indication that something happened in his personal life between 1953 and 1956 that took him out of working status.

The timing of the filming of the movies he was in explains some of the gaps in the film release dates. However, I am sure that it was much more difficult to live with being gay prior to recent decades. He is supposed to have turned down at least two script offers in the large gap between "From Here to Eternity" and "Raintree County." We can only speculate on why he turned the scripts down, but it does not stretch my imagination to think he was struggling with his sexuality and perhaps other personal issues.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

[–] leader-7 9 years ago

??? "...although gay..." WTF does that mean?

Are you aware that in an acting role, the orientation of the performer is of zero importance.

It's like saying, "although Christian, he played the part of a Jew..."

Simply insane reasoning.

###

[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 9 years ago

I love Bogart, and have no issue with him as Linus. That being said, I can see Peck playing Linus, but not Holden. Holden was perfect as David, but Linus is too serious for Holden, Holden's voice doesn't have the gravitas. Holden was made to play the roguish, slightly immature playboy working some angle (see: Sunset Blvd, Bridge On The a River Kwai and Stalag 17), but I can't see him as the "responsible one", especially with that high pitched voice ( at that age). Not to mention he's just too good looking.

[–] PussyCrusher_Principal 9 years ago

Too BOYISHLY good looking I should have said.

[–] leader-7 9 years ago

Do you mean "Roman holiday"?

[–] stareyes24 9 years ago

You're right,"Roman Holiday". I guess I thought William Holden would have been good as Linus is bc when I saw him in "Born Yesterday" he was great as being serious, intellectual and hot all at the same time.

[–] lindalucc 9 years ago

I love your idea of Montgomery Clift playing the younger brother

[–] maharani78 9 years ago

I think Cary Grant was supposed to be in it at some point, he would have been great but I love the idea of William Holden playing Linus, he and Audrey had a thing in real life so their chemistry was good plus I've always liked him since Sunset Boulevard.
I dislike Humphrey Bogart although he played quite a good part, but it detracted from the film a bit for me.