Jerusalem Cinematheque Pays Tribute to Actor, Director and Sex Symbol Paul Newman

Paul Newman’s piercing blue eyes helped make him a Hollywood sex symbol, but the Jerusalem Cinematheque’s new retrospective emphasizes the range behind the image. Paul Newman: A Tribute runs from September 10 through October 3 and covers his work as an actor and director.

Newman became known for playing outlaws, rebels, heroes and men whose best days had passed. Even in dramatic roles, he brought playfulness and sex appeal to his characters, while his comic performances showed another side of his talent. He was especially convincing as an outsider, often delivering dry observations about the world around him. Younger audiences also know him as the voice of Doc Hudson in Pixar’s Cars.

The program includes films Newman directed, several of them starring his wife, Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward. It begins with Robert Wise’s 1956 film Somebody Up There Likes Me, the boxing biopic that gave Newman his first major movie breakthrough. Other selections include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke and The Long, Hot Summer.

For Israeli audiences, Otto Preminger’s 1960 epic Exodus carries particular resonance. Newman played Ari Ben Canaan, a Haganah commander who helps bring Jewish refugees to pre-state Israel. Based on Leon Uris’s best-selling novel, the film played a major role in shaping international perceptions of the new Jewish state. Newman’s father was Jewish, and Newman identified with his Jewish heritage.

The retrospective also highlights Newman’s partnership with Woodward. The Long, Hot Summer, which also stars Orson Welles, was the first film Newman and Woodward made together. They married in 1958 and became one of Hollywood’s most enduring acting couples.

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