Malcolm McDowell is a brilliant young star who must evoke envy from many of his
contemporaries both inside and outside the acting profession. All his screen
portrayals so far have been highly successful, and it is little wonder that
offers for his services and scripts from hopeful writers reach him daily. But
Malcolm's success has not been easily come by, and many of those who envy him
his position in the film world today might hesitate a long time before
attempting some of the hazards he has had to face, or mastering some of the
techniques which have confronted him in his films.
His first big impact was his rebel schoolboy in if.... directed by Lindsay Anderson. There was a good deal of rough and tumble for him in this film,
culminating in a sadistic caning, which he receives from the house captain in
the school gymnasium. Naturally the victim's trousers were insulated against the
worst excesses of the Weapon, but you can only insulate to a certain point if
the padding that is not to reveal itself to the camera. The truth of the matter
was that despite the precautions, the cane's 'message' still managed to get
through to Malcolm's posterior and even if the script didn't call for him to
grin, he still had to bear it!
Yet what befell him in if.... was nothing to what he was called upon to
endure in Figures in a Landscape, which was directed by Joseph Losey and had
Malcolm co-starring with Robert Shaw. They had the roles of two escaping
prisoners, hands tied behind their backs, hunted by police dogs, troops and
helicopters across extremely rough country. McDowell and Shaw had to run fast
for miles over long stretches of boulder-strewn hillsides, they had to jump
streams, plough through undergrowth and stumble through sand, all the time
evading action from the ever-present helicopters which were trying to force them
into the open.
During the location shooting both actors had to sustain numerous falls and
when either of them stumbled there was little he could do except take full
impact of the unsympathetic ground as it obligingly came up to meet him. 'I've
never had so many bruises in so short time,' said Malcolm later. 'Every day's
filming was sheer exhaustion.' Whatever it was the prisoners had done to get
themselves put away was freely forgiven them by the audiences, who heaved a sigh
of relief when the men managed to free themselves from their bonds.
Malcolm's next role was that of Bruce, the young tearaway in The Raging Moon
(Long Ago Tomorrow - Alex) who becomes a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair. Bryan
Forbes was the director this time and his wife, Nanette Newman, co-starred with
McDowell. Now propelling oneself in a wheelchair is no easy feat and dexterity
in this respect comes only after long experience. 'I took a sort of crash course
in the art of manipulating the chair,' says Malcolm. 'And it was not until I had
been passed as proficient by genuine wheelchair patients-that I was prepared to
go before the cameras. I was very grateful indeed for all the help I received
from those afflicted though very happy people.' Those of you who saw The
Raging Moon will remember how convincing Malcolm was in this exacting role. 'The
part of Bruce appealed to the rebel in me,' Malcolm says, 'much the same as did
the part of Mick in if...'
Yes, Malcolm seems destined to be the eternal rebel, and to suffer for his
rebelliousness - as has again proved true in his most recent film A Clockwork
Orange. He has to undergo an ordeal which makes the majority of people say that
he's welcome to the money as far as they are concerned if that's what he has to
do for it! When he agrees to be brainwashed to turn, him off sex and violence
forever, which consists of seeing films of extreme violence and unbridled sexual
license, it is an essential condition of this technique that he must see it all
without turning his head or even blinking an eyelid. To make sure these
conditions are fulfilled, his head is firmly clamped in position and his eyelids
are held open by ingenious clips, the careful fixing of which nauseated me a
good deal more than the ensuing violence. It is a gruesome business throughout
and it has to be endured by the actor as trick photography is of little help
here.
Thus it will be seen that Malcolm McDowell's path to stardom has hardly been
rose petal-strewn all the way, but he's not grumbling. In selecting his future
roles he will be governed only by two considerations: the suitability of the
part and the standing and competence of the director. When you've been directed
by men like Lindsay Anderson, Joseph Losey and Stanley Kubrick, you're not
likely to trust your reputation to some Johnny-come-lately from television!
Which brings us to Malcolm's next film O Lucky Man!, which is based on McDowell's
own life (as a coffee salesman and in a factory among other jobs) which he felt
were dramatic enough to make into a film. Writer David Sherwin agreed and
scripted O Lucky Man! which is being made by the very same team that made
if.... :
Memorial Enterprises, producer Michael Medwin, director Lindsay Anderson in
addition to writer Sherwin and, of course, star Malcolm McDowell.
© Film Review May 1972
Archived 2001-08 by Alex D. Thrawn for www.MalcolmMcDowell.net