Foxcatcher was playing in only 24 theaters last weekend, but today it expands nationwide, which means you can finally check out one of the darkest films of the year and dig into Steve Carell‘s unsettling performance as the eccentric John du Pont, heir to the du Pont Chemical fortune that led to murder.
In my review of the film I wrote the following about Carell’s performance:
In du Pont, Carell has created one of the most singularly creepy and terrifying characters you’ll see on the big screen. Clearly a man that has never wanted for anything, yet never felt the love he craves from his mother, du Pont shuffles around his sprawling estate, speaking in hushed tones, and you never feel at ease when he’s on screen. His gaze alone, as if looking through confused and tired eyes, is enough to send a chill down your spine.
Now meet the real thing in this following, vintage 1988 feature on du Pont shot by and recently uploaded to YouTube by Dave Speace who writes the following in the video’s description:
This is the infamous John E du Pont! I shot this video in 1988 for an awards banquet. Du Pont donated money to Crozier-Chester Hospital for their new trauma center. The hospital held a banquet in his honor where this video was shown! So if you are going to see the movie… Foxcatcher, you can learn a little about who he was…witness his strange and awkward demeanor…and no doubt compare this to how he is portrayed in the movie! Portions of this video were used by Inside Edition for the story they did in 1996…
I watched a little of the video and having seen the film I can’t help but wonder if I find him creepier as a result or if anyone watching this gets a slight chill.
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via The Playlist
