MovieChat Forums > The Winds of War (1983) Discussion > John Houseman

John Houseman

posted 16 years ago by tfilm78
1 reply | jump to latest

I've come to appreciate the different actors in each film, but Houseman is the one actor I find to be FAR inferior to his replacement. Houseman seems to just sit around most of the time, trying to read his lines forcefully but not really putting much energy into it. Gielgud, on the other hand, through himself into the role, both physically and emotionally. I've read the books as well, and can't help visualizing Gielgud in the role when I read The Winds of War. Anyone else agree? For that matter, is there anyone who really liked or even preferred Houseman to Gielgud?

[–] cobram-1 16 years ago

Houseman was horrendous in this. He basically phoned it in. Can't blame him though, after a few seconds of watching Ali MacGraw's ridiculous attempt at acting, I think Houseman just threw in the towel or tried acting as badly as possible to make her look a little better.

What a difference when compared to his role in "The Paper Chase."

Check some of the other posts on here, the casting would have been better served by a lottery system.