Limelight There is nothing like a Ford By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Here he comes again! This model Ford is as dependable, as he is indestructible. He may not be a glossy Ford, or a showy Ford, but he is unscathed, confident and as handsome as ever. He is rugged in a sort of sensitive way or sensitive in a sort of a rugged way. Like few others in Hollywood he is adored by the males, females; even the mindless young look up to him, for he is the best model Ford around. We thrilled at his spirited pluck as Han Solo in Star Wars; we admired the loyal CIA patriot, Jack Ryan, in the Tom Clancy franchise and were galvanised by the fearless adventurer, treasure hunter Indiana Jones. And that is not all! His credits are endless and unforgettable. Consider Witness (1985)as he swayed rhythmically, confessing : Don't know much about history. Don't know much biology. -- pure filmmaking in a masterful way. Consider the unjustly condemned Fugitive (1993), fleeing and outwitting his pursuers at every turn. How about the corporate executive Jack Trainer, suave, smooth and sympathetic in Working Girl! (1988)The list is endless. No other actor has made as much money for the industry as he has - $6 billion through the years and still going strong. No other actor can claim super-stardom in blockbusters, in each of the last four decades, except this Ford, the Harrison Ford. While his qualities are many, one comes shining through, his intelligence. Evident in the choice of his films, his directors and the way he has always conducted himself, he strives for an ideal of excellence, physical and spiritual, both on and off the screen. Seldom miscast, Ford more than any other, knows his strengths as well as his limitations. That is the reason he is so totally believable. Ford returns in a new and eerie tale based on a true story that took place some 40 years ago on the open seas when the Cold War was at its peak and the two Super Powers were locked up in a race of might and supremacy. In K19 The Widowmaker he plays Alexi Vostrikow, commander of the Russian nuclear submarine K19, which on her maiden voyage develops a malfunction in its reactor at the bottom of the North Seas. Over the next few days with no means of communicating with other Russian ships, Vostrikow and his second in command, Captain Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson) must put aside their personal differences, in order to handle the crisis and save the world. This hair- raising tale, which nearly caused a meltdown in July 1961, is saved by the ingenious efforts of the crew, seven of whom died immediately and 14 within days, from radiation poisoning. There was great mystery and secrecy surrounding this event, but sooner or later it would attract a curious storyteller, a courageous filmmaker. The irony is that this particular filmmaker is the sensitive, talented, artist, female director, Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break (1991), Strange Days (1995), who directs an all-male cast in K19. Bigelow was anxious to illuminate this obscure chapter in history of the so-called enemy. "This was such a great opportunity to put a human face to some incredibly brave individuals without whom our lives would have been totally changed." Bigelow exhibits courage and integrity in assuming such a task, which also reflects the new friendship that now exists between yesterday's archenemies. Harrison Ford is still imposing and convincing as a screen personality. Although he turned 60 July 13th, he remains the industry's blockbuster hero and the perennial favourite of theatre owners. His clout in Hollywood is undeniable and his allure amongst filmgoers does not diminish with the years. Recently honoured at the 2002 Golden Globe Awards, Harrison received the Cecil B De Mille Award for life achievement. Always ready with a self- deprecating remark about his age, his looks and that famous scar on his chin, Harrison responded to the thunderous standing ovation of his peers by begging them to: "Sit down please, I am too old to wait." Once again Ford is the great modern everyman, cool, brooding yet doggedly determined. As an actor he lays low, plays down, gets on with the business of trying to present the drama without bluster or bravado, without meaningless acting flourishes. The result -- total credibility. "I don't play heroes. I play guys who behave well in difficult circumstances." Never dizzying or dazzling, Ford gives a perfectly believable, satisfying performance every time. Like a completely sensible and soundly nutritious meal, he leaves you fully satiated and perfectly content, but never overfed. Born in the heart of the American Midwest, Chicago, Illinois, Harrison grew up as a typical, average, middle class, ordinary American boy. Lazy, unmotivated, he dropped out of college three days before graduation after failing to complete a paper on playwright Edward Albee. "College was a nightmare," he recalls. But the nightmare produced one positive outcome -- drama courses. Though acting terrified him, he became addicted, yet he was hardly expecting stardom. With a wife and two boys to provide for, acting was not paying the bills. Ford turned his back on acting and became a full-time carpenter. He learned the required carpentry skills out of books and became a skilled carpenter to many show business elite. When carpentry provided enough money for the family needs, Harrison could now accept the occasional acting job, just for the fun of it. One of his carpentry clients was casting director Fred Roos, who got Ford a part in George Lucas' film American Graffiti, which became the surprise hit of the 1973 season. Director Lucas was now ready to film his next project and was testing young men for the role of Han Solo. Ford was working in the home of actress Sally Kellerman when he received a call to read for the part. "He left the house so fast," says Kellerman, "he left all his tools and overalls behind." He never went back for them and Kellerman still has them on display in her home to this day. To Harrison's disbelief, Lucas gave him the part. After the release of Star Wars in 1977, his future as an actor was sealed. When Steven Spielberg cast him as the adventurous Indiana Jones he became a mega-star and has maintained that status ever since. Bored with the vulgar rhapsodies of tinsel town, he remains a solitary man, uncomfortable in the limelight, yet gracefully tolerating it. Through most of his years of stardom, he has lived in a simple 2-room farmhouse in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as far away from the razzle dazzle of tinsel town as any Hollywoodian could possibly get. If age has been secretly creeping up on him, he has not resisted it like others have. His hair, which only had a sprinkling of grey, is now turning silver, but he still stands tall, steady and steadfast as ever, holding his own among the "Cruises" and "Clooneys". Time, that not too subtle thief, may have run away with its greatest prize, that blushing glow of youth, but it has left behind a solid superhero of incomparable stature. As scrupulous and sincere as a Spencer Tracy, as suave a swashbuckler as an Errol Flynn, as sleek and seductive as a William Holden, he brings to the screen that great aura of the idols of yesteryear. Yet he is as hip and as slick as today's youth crop. He is fit, virile and in great demand. There is even talk of an Indiana Jones IV on the way. The tributes and the laurels keep pouring in and he accepts them quietly with his easy manner and disarming style. If this is aging, then bring it on, for there is no better Ford than this 60- year-old model, that Harrison Ford.
