FILMS… Remembering an Actor of Eminent Domain, Donald Sutherland

#1990s #AllPosts

 

Remembering the Canadian actor who had his professional acting start in Scottish theatre…

 

Donald Sutherland gives a versatile performance in a Poland political based thriller with a link to Finland.

 

“Eminent Domain” (1990): Trailer (Spanish),  mfz aris

 

Late last week it was with much sadness I learnt of the passing of one of Canada’s best actors, Donald Sutherland. After studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, this prestigious actor worked in a repertory theatre in Perth, Scotland. His Scottish drama career in the early 1960s Scotland was just before more British roles in on-screen performances. His career in the first half of his filmography will be explored in this post…

Sutherland worked in on-screen productions from the early 1960s to last year in 200 performances including one still to be released project. Most surprisingly, despite his versatile career and always splendid performances, he was never a winner or nominated for an Academy Award. However, this changed 5 years ago, as this actor was given an Honorary Award by the Academy. This was an honour in relation to the length and breadth of Sutherland’s film career.

With 60 years of film and TV credits, it seems everyone will not only have heard of Donald Sutherland but also know and have seen at least one entry from his illustrious filmography. Additionally, there are so many unappreciated roles that should have had award recognition in Sutherland’s career in those past films he starred in.

His early British career included the Amicus horror portmanteau, Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965) and as a co-star to Tallulah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers in Die, Die My Darling! (1965). His breakout role in American movies was as one of the cast in The Dirty Dozen (1967). Wikipedia adds a quote from acting legend, Roger Moore, in which Moore says that Sutherland won a role in this film after producers saw his appearance in The Saint, S5 Ep 14 Escape Route. This episode was directed by Moore.

Sutherland’s then career became increasingly versatile. His film roles include comedy performances such as Hawkeye Pierce in MASH (1970), political biopics see JFK (1991), roles in classic book adaptations –  such as in the A Farewell to Arms (1966) mini-series – and in mysteries, Don’t Look Now (1973). Other honourable film mentions going to the detective drama, Klute (1971), the family drama Ordinary People (1980) and a Hollywood based tale in The Day of the Locust (1973) where he played a character called Homer Simpson.

My first memory of this actor was years later, as the chirpy Irishman in the fictional World War II movie, The Eagle Has Landed (1976) and as a co-star to Michael Caine. More recently, I have seen – and heard – him with Caine in The Billion Dollar Brain (1967), the third of those Harry Palmer feature films. In this film is primarily set in Finland, he has a small role as a scientist and also famously voiced this titular computer.

As I remember this actor, I will be reviewing him in Eminent Domain (1990). Sutherland has a leading role in this Polish biopic and political drama. This movie was filmed and set in Poland with an international cast. This international cast includes our Canadian leading man with the Polish Witold Debicki, the American Anne Archer, the French Françoise Michaud and the British acting talents of Anthony Bate, Bernard Hepton,  Jodhi May and Paul Freeman.

The film plot is loosely based on true events, as we meet Sutherland as a high-ranking Polish politburo member, Jozef Burski. In the opening scene, his character is filmed for a newsreel at a ship launch. Josef’s wife, Mira (Anne Archer) and teenage daughter, Ewa (Jodhi May) are also in attendance.

Jozef then talks with the filmmaker and promises to check out his status as this man has applied for residency in Poland. Jozef has all the privileges that come with a number 6 ranking in the Polish politburo. Jozef has his own office and personal secretary. He phones to check this filmmaker’s residency application and it’s clear that this is as undecided as the one for one of his colleague’s wives. 

Mira also works and the couple live in a spacious apartment in a security-managed building, where it seems all her husband’s work colleagues live nearby. Their daughter, Ewa appears to have learning difficulties. After the ship launch, she returns to a school that supports her needs in Geneva, and these fees are paid for by the politburo, as are all of Jozef’s and Mira’s living expenses.

The Burskis attend a birthday celebration for the Head of the Polish politburo, Slowak (Bernard Hepton). All of Jozef’s work colleagues are there, and it’s clear how much in love Jozef and Mira are as they dance and talk together. They slip away after a men-only game of poker. Life is good…

The next day, Jozef is denied entry to work, and his secretary is not there and unable to verify his existence. It’s then to Jozef’s horror that he discovers that his security clearance has been revoked. Additionally, all his life and privileges are taken away from him in one giant swoop with no explanations given. He then phones – from a safe phone – Mira to tell her about this happening and he explains his situation to a trusted friend, Ben (Paul Freeman).

After Jozef’s car is followed, Ben meets him in a car wash to swap clothes and cars. The disguised Ben takes over his friend’s place at the wheel as a decoy to those unknown men who are following Jozef. Once in Jozef’s home, Ben discovers through equipment that Jozef’s home is bugged. In time, it is seen that  Jozef isn’t trusted by his colleagues, and soon this distrust is felt by Mira. This is after she finds a photo of his one-time mistress taken after their breakup, and who he had promised not to see…

Ewa is brought home to Poland from Geneva by an unknown man named Uncle Felicks (Witold Debicki). This dismissal from school was after Jozef had given his consent by signature, and this man was not her uncle and permission was not given by her parents. It seems the school had believed this was true and with Jozef’s consent as he “signed” the forms. But this family reunion doesn’t last long, as Jozef tries to find out the reasons behind his new situation and the identity of this uncle, with just a picture drawn by his daughter to help him…

This taut, tense and gripping thriller has Jozef question his prior behaviours at home and work, and he feels he can only trust his family. He believes that he has Ben and his wife Natalie (Françoise Michaud) on his side and this is suggested by their behaviours. Sutherland shines in all that his role demands of him in this Cold War thriller where his character and his personal and working relationships are destroyed by an unknown entity or entities.

There is something for everyone as this film, which also tells the love story of Jozef and his wife, Mira. The strength of this marriage ebbs, wanes and flows through their shared scenes and these acting talents share a lovely, credible on-screen romantic chemistry. They also convince in challenging scenes in moments where the once trusting and loved-up Mira believes she sees her husband and his motives in a different light.

There are shades of John Le Carre –  and romance novels – as their relationship is put through events when she questions her husband’s work and personal ethics. Mira admits herself to a mental health hospital to make sense of her present life after tragedy strikes her beloved daughter and as she feels that can’t trust her husband. The events of this tragedy are all the more sad as this is after Mira tells Jozef that Ewa is the only thing that they created between them as a married couple.

In a review of this film in the LA Times, Michael Wilmington in his article, Chronicle of Chaos in Polish-Set ‘Eminent Domain’ adds,

Sutherland is “Domain’s” ace in the hole… He’s adept at violent emotions, severely repressed. His big rheumy eyes set in a gaunt, gaping face are like windows on a flayed, anguished or torrentially comic soul. Sutherland makes Burski’s predicament tactile and painful. We can feel the tightly masked bewilderment of this practiced bureaucratic infighter, attacked by invisible enemies, his defenses ravaged and his every maneuver checkmated.

Returning to more Donald Sutherland movies reviewed earlier… these include his sci-fi crossed with horror movie role in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), in war comedy adventures in Kelly’s Heroes (1970) and in Brat Pack films in Catholic Boys / Heaven Help Us (1985). Sutherland also took a psychic role in Sherlock Holmes’ Murder By Decree (1979), a fictional take on the events surrounding Jack the Ripper and his character based on a real life psychic from this time.

These films are just the tip of the iceberg for his career, which began with his first on-screen credit in The World Ten Times Over (1963). In this film, this 6ft 4 actor is credited as “Tall Man in Nightclub”. In his role in Eminent Domain – in this one performance – he took on many film roles he had taken before, albeit in very different performances… as a loving husband and adoring father in this (Cold) War dated movie, a political drama, a biopic and one where Finland plays a part.

This was in his unsung performance as another tall man in a movie, and where his presence, performance and gravitas propelled him to greater things in the remaining half of his career. Yet, you could argue, that although Sutherland’s 200 credited strong career took many different branches his professional acting roots were well and truly entrenched in Scottish soil.