University of Virginia Library

Nursing Home

But, above all, there is the scene
where the son visits a nursing home
in which he is considering placing
his father. Mr. Cates shows him
walking down corridors, seeing
helpless old folks waiting to die —
an array of grotesques which would
make Nathaniel West foam at the
mouth. The tinkling music becomes
strangely distorted, a look of
shocked repulsion appears on the
son's face, quick cuts of his father
are interspersed, and, Christ, the
reality of the situation, the
universality of it, the horror of it, is

all there, and the impact is
shattering.

Mr. Hackman plays the son, the
role which Hal Holbrook created on
the stage, and he proves
conclusively that he is one of the
most talented and underrated
actors in films today. His emotional
range is extraordinary as he covers
the spectrum — love, hate, anger,
tolerance, guilt, compassion,
understanding, grief, confusion — in
a way Mr. Holbrook never could
(this is not to demean Holbrook,
just to say he isn't a particularly
"warm" or "emotional" actor).

Mr. Douglas is his equal in every
respect, playing the senile old man
to perfection. He portrays his
character as both a well-liked
codger and a self-centered bastard,
shifting between the two with
amazing skill and case.