Look what Al Pacino can do!

Al Pacino is most widely known as the actor who played Michael Corlione in Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather movie trilogy.

I would like to introduce here a British play that Al Pacino acted in from 1990. There is a widely held opinion among movie critics that Al Pacino is one of the best movie actors of all time. When we appreciate the diversity of roles he has played through his long career it is not hard to comprehend how that might be so.

"The Local Stigmatic" by Heathcote Williams:

www.imdb.com...

Two symbiotic sociopaths play obscurely deviant mind games with each other while engaging in perversely brutal acts of violence against victims apparently chosen at random.

velvet_peach.tripod.com/fpaclocalstigmatic.html ( sorry, only works as a manual link)

The two main characters are room mates: Graham and Ray. Cockney men, articulate and intelligent in spite of being considered "lower class". They play games with each other all the time speaking in cryptic language and glances, inside jokes and power plays.



The play was written by Heathcote Williams:

en.wikipedia.org...

Heathcote Williams (born 15 November 1941) is an English poet, actor and dramatist. He has written a number of best-selling[citation needed] book-length polemical poems including Autogeddon, Falling for a Dolphin and Whale Nation, which in 1988 became, according to Philip Hoare "the most powerful argument for the newly instigated worldwide ban on whaling.".[1] Williams invented his idiosyncratic 'documentary/investigative poetry' style which he continues to put to good purpose bringing a diverse range of environmental and political matters to public attention. In June 2015, he published a book-length investigative poem about the 'Muslim Gandhi', Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, 'Badshah Khan' [2]"

"The theme of Williams' early one-act play The Local Stigmatic is fame and its adverse consequences, performed by Al Pacino at an Off-Off-Broadway venue, with financial assistance from Jon Voight (Angelina Jolie's Dad).[16] In later years the film version became known as 'Pacino's secret project,' his debut as a director. It was finally released as part of the Pacino: An Actor's Vision box-set in 2007.[17]"

Ok, hope I have given you some resources for deeper appreciation of the playwright and Al Pacino's obvious fondness for this as a project. Al Pacino in this play is phenomenal. It was staged on Broadway with Al performing. Then made into this short movie play. There are many roles Al has done that are not so commercial. "Cruising" is a very good 70s movie. Worth checking out all his roles.

Hope you enjoy it anyone who likes Al Pacino's acting and some very good British drama away from the commercial zone.

a reply to: Revolution9

Oo, nice find. Watching it now, thanks for sharing. 👍

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: Revolution9

Oo, nice find. Watching it now, thanks for sharing. 👍

You're welcome. Hope you like it. It is a bit of drama appreciator's play. Definite hints of the late fifties "Look Back In Anger" John Osborne, almost Dylan Thomas, too. Leaves you feeling pretty strung out just like the characters. Might need to watch it two or three times, one of those kind of performances.

a reply to: Revolution9
I like Al Pacino. He plays a good psycho or devil.

a reply to: Revolution9

ps; Sorry Mods about not getting that bit right. Was a bit too enthusiastic, lol. Just eager to share some good art that a few might like and not have heard of.

I have to say, Pacino's English accent could have done with a little more practice. He seems to swing somewhere between Fagin from Oliver, Michael Caine and Scarface.

sounds like a woofter . with that accent would have been beaten in east london in 1960s.