Ben Gazzara made difficult men worth watching without asking us to like them. We rate his pared-down intensity, especially with John Cassavetes, though his presence alone is no guarantee of a film worth an evening.
Fi1m perspective
The family visit in Buffalo '66 (1998) puts us among people who are difficult company and asks us to stay. It is a fitting setting for Ben Gazzara, playing Jimmy Brown: an actor whose gritty, naturalistic manner made intense, often amoral men worth attending to. We winced at that visit, because the humour never quite removes the discomfort of being with these people. Gazzara's appeal depends on that willingness to watch someone without first being reassured that we ought to like him.
The early film breakthrough was Anatomy of a Murder (1959), with Gazzara as Lieutenant Frederick 'Manny' Manion, followed by television stardom in Run for Your Life (1965–68). The important turn for us is the work with John Cassavetes, beginning with Harry in Husbands (1970). As Cosmo Vitelli in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), his pared-down performance shows how little he needed to do to hold our attention. Opening Night (1977), in which he played Manny Victor, completed their three-film collaboration.
He looked for creative freedom in less conventional productions, and for idiosyncratic supporting parts when working in the mainstream. His later career included extensive work in Italy and character roles such as Lenny Jordan in Happiness (1998), one of the independent films that brought renewed attention to him. The quality of the films was uneven, so the attraction of a difficult character is no guarantee that the surrounding work deserves an evening. We would follow him selectively.
Buffalo '66 earns an evening, with reservations that matter. Christina Ricci and the family visit make Vincent Gallo's abrasive comedy worth seeing, while the romance asks for more indulgence than we can comfortably give it. It is a sensible introduction to Gazzara's later character work, though we would not pretend he alone explains why it works. For a fuller encounter with his acting, start with The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
Biography
Ben Gazzara was an American actor and director of film, stage and television. Born Biagio Anthony Gazzara in New York City on 28 August 1930, he trained at the Actors Studio and made his professional breakthrough on Broadway in the original production of Tennessee Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56).
He appeared in numerous films, including Anatomy of a Murder (1959), several collaborations with John Cassavetes such as Husbands (1970) and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), Road House (1989), The Big Lebowski (1998), Buffalo '66 (1998) as Jimmy Brown, Happiness (1998) as Lenny Jordan, Dogville (2003) and Paris, je t'aime (2006). On television he starred in the series Run for Your Life (1965–68) and won a Primetime Emmy Award for the film Hysterical Blindness (2002). Gazzara died in New York City on 3 February 2012.
