Best and Worst Swan Songs in Film

[Wicked Lady]

Leading on from another thread, (and hoping this has not been done in recent times) I was wondering if people have nominations for best and worst Swan Songs for actors in film.



Peter Finch in Nework and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight are obviously among the better.



Joan Crawford in Trog has to be one of the more...er....unfortunate finales (LOVE that movie!).





Any others?

[Timmy_Lea]

name='Wicked Lady']Leading on from another thread, (and hoping this has not been done in recent times) I was wondering if people have nominations for best and worst Swan Songs for actors in film.



Peter Finch in Nework and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight are obviously among the better.



Joan Crawford in Trog has to be one of the more...er....unfortunate finales (LOVE that movie!).





Any others?

Heath Ledger's Swan Song is in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus not The Dark Knight.

[Wicked Lady]

name='Timmy_Lea']Heath Ledger's Swan Song is in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus not The Dark Knight.

I don't know if I'd agree with that, as IODP was a bit cobbled together using other actors as opposed to The Dark Knight which was a complete performance. But then many consider Bela Lugosi's 'performance' in Plan 9 From Outer Space to be his last on film, even though it was some random film Ed Wood used (as was his want), you may have a point.

[batman]

After many stinkers over the years Marlon Brando finished on a high with The Score.

[Timmy_Lea]

name='Wicked Lady']I don't know if I'd agree with that, as IODP was a bit cobbled together using other actors as opposed to The Dark Knight which was a complete performance. But then many consider Bela Lugosi's 'performance' in Plan 9 From Outer Space to be his last on film, even though it was some random film Ed Wood used (as was his want), you may have a point.

Mmm, technically it is Heath's final performance.

Oliver Reed springs to mind in Gladiator, a great performance. They used a bit of hi-tech trickery to complete it too I think, like with Brandon Lee in The Crow.

[dremble wedge]

Oliver Reed in Gladiator, Richard Burton in 1984 and Laurence Olivier in War Requiem were all impressive.



Nothing against Biggles, but I would have liked to see Peter Cushing go out on something better...

[Timmy_Lea]

Sir Laurence Olivier in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow?

[batman]

name='Timmy_Lea']Sir Laurence Olivier in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow?

That's just re-used archive footage so doesn't count.

[batman]

Max finished with Picture Mommy Dead which isn't too bad .... at least it wasn't Pirates of Tortuga!

[Timmy_Lea]

name='batman']That's just re-used archive footage so doesn't count.

I know, was just putting it out there. God knows how they got permission to use footage for that awful movie.

[Timmy_Lea]

Never been a big fan of John Wayne but he was rather good in The Shootist

[batman]

name='Timmy_Lea']I know, was just putting it out there. God knows how they got permission to use footage for that awful movie.

They paid lots of money for it.

[Wicked Lady]

I don't know if I'd consider The Misfits a good or bad swan song for MM and Clark Gable....it's such a difficult film to like IMHO.

[batman]

name='Wicked Lady']I don't know if I'd consider The Misfits a good or bad swan song for MM and Clark Gable....it's such a difficult film to like IMHO.

I'd say good ... it's one of my favourite films, but I'd agree it is a difficult film to warm to. It was one of the last films Monty Clift made as well, but he staggered on for another few years after that one. His last film The Defector is OK but poor ol' Monty looks really ill and this make for more uncomfortable viewing.

[CaptainWaggett]

It's not the most distinguished film in his cv but Ronald Colman is splendid in The Story of Mankind.



Lilian Gish went out on a high with The Whales of August



James Mason is very good in Dr Fischer of Geneva

[batman]

One of my favourite directors, Val Guest, ended his career in 1982 with the Cannon and Ball 'comedy' The Boys in Blue. The film was a remake of his own screenplay for Ask a Policeman, which was made with Will Hay in 1938. It must have seemed like a good idea at the time but IMHO the 1982 film is awful.

[CaptainWaggett]

name='batman']One of my favourite directors, Val Guest, ended his career in 1982 with the Cannon and Ball 'comedy' The Boys in Blue. The film was a remake of his own screenplay for Ask a Policeman, which was made with Will Hay in 1938. It must have seemed like a good idea at the time but IMHO the 1982 film is awful.

The Boys in Blue is also Sydney Gilliat's last credit which is bad luck indeed since his only contribution was to write Ask a Policemen.

[James Fox]

If you don't count the tv movies they did, Henry Fonda and Jason Robbards had very impressive feature film swan songs with "On Golden Pond" and "Magnolia."

[James Fox]

Couple more pretty good ones I thought of:



John Cazale in "The Deer Hunter"

James Dean in "Giant"



(Not my favorite films, but I enjoyed both of these performances)

[Timmy_Lea]

Sean Connery retired after The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I quite liked the movie though most people hate it.



Edward G. Robinson in Soylent Green, very poignant final scene in that movie.