The hackneyed expression, “They don’t make ’em like they used to,” has lost its true meaning thanks to its repeated use. In reality, the expression was made for titans like the late great Gene Hackman, who recently died at 95 years old, along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The two-time Academy Award-winning actor was a one-of-one, the consummate professional with a palpable appreciation of cinema as an art form without an ounce of pretentiousness. Emerging in an era where prestigious actors needed to indulge in transformative method acting to immerse themselves in a role, Hackman differentiated each of his performances through subtle gestures and unshowy choices while always carrying over his stirring gravitas from film to film. Best known for playing gruff, menacing figures with morally gray complexities, Hackman’s comedic turn in The Birdcage, a hilarious performance with dramatic intensity, highlights his unmatched versatility.
Gene Hackman Was a Versatile Star Throughout His Prolific Career
With nearly 100 credits to his name on the big screen, Gene Hackman’s work ethic spoke to his willingness to try anything, regardless of its genre, scope, or the degree of his role. While he made plenty of whiffs throughout his career, which ended with his retirement in 2004, when he landed a compelling part in an exceptionally crafted film like The French Connection, The Conversation, Unforgiven, or The Royal Tenenbaums, he hit it out of the park. These four films cemented his legendary status, but even when he wasn’t trying to transcend the artistic medium under the direction of Francis Ford Coppola or Clint Eastwood, Hackman left an unmistakable mark of brilliance on the most forgettable dramas and thrillers.
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The Birdcage, a farcical comedy by another late great artist, Mike Nichols, is not the best movie Hackman has been a part of, nor will it be considered one of his canonically masterful performances, but his turn as Senator Keeley crystalizes the actor’s special touch on the screen. Having said that, The Birdcage, also starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest, and written by Nichols’ old comedy partner, Elaine May, features some of the sharpest comedic timing and heartfelt exploration of identity and family of the 1990s. The film follows a soon-to-be newlywed who convinces his parents, a gay couple and owners of a cabaret nightclub, Armand (Williams) and Albert (Lane), to pose as straight (with Albert dressed in drag) to appease the sensibilities of his in-laws, Louise (Wiest) and Hackman’s Kevin Keeley, a staunchly conservative senator and co-founder of a Christian group called the Coalition of Moral Order.
Gene Hackman is a Seamless Comedic Delight in ‘The Birdcage’
Perhaps more so than any of his acclaimed roles, Keeley best reflects Hackman’s distinct screen persona, symbolic of a rugged and steely man who is every husband’s worst nightmare of a father-in-law. With such shrewd writers and directors on board, The Birdcage, luckily, avoids the tropes of the “evil” in-law for something more sincere and probing. Because of Hackman’s inherent gravitas, he miraculously gives this broad evocation of a pearl-clutching traditionalist unexpected humanity. Having Armand and Albert’s identities tested against the subconscious demands emanating from a bigoted and highly influential figure in Keeley raises crucial social themes and creates bitingly funny exchanges and set pieces.
When most dramatic actors make a hard pivot to comedy, they are prone to play every note of their performance bombastically, and their attempt to show a softer and lighter side often signals desperation. Hackman, who previously dabbled in comedy as Blindman in Young Frankenstein, could be seamlessly dropped into any role, from Lex Luthor in Superman to a persistent basketball coach in Hoosiers. No dramatic actor playing against type has ever been as effortlessly amusing as Hackman, whose bigotry is only matched by his naivety, which prevents him from identifying the ruse put on by Armand and Albert. His highfalutin presentation of himself and his causes, combined with his antiquated views on marriage and women’s rights, makes him the perfect rube for a farcical comedy. In the faith of his buffoonery, Hackman plays Keeley as if he doesn’t know that he’s in a comedy, the ideal recipe for cinematic humor.
Gene Hackman began his storied acting career in an improvisational troupe, making him more than suitable for an electric comedic turn in The Birdcage. The most complimentary thing you can say about Hackman’s extraordinary gifts as an actor is that it’s difficult to pin down exactly what made him so special, as he was a star who created countless iconic roles through subtle, oftentimes invisible, emotional expressions. Hackman’s versatility was unassailable, but what’s even more astounding is his range in a given role. In The Birdcage, his deadpan humor is conveyed with searing intensity, and in the same breath, he uses his imposing presence to lean into the film’s farce. Most impressively of all, Hackman made it look easy.
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