I watched A LATE QUARTET last night, for the first time. Its a beautiful ensemble. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is brilliant, as he always is. Hes fully committed to his scene partners, and is so credible as a violinist, youll be very impressed. I cried, as I suspect you will too. Im not going to moralize about his death, because I feel that drug addiction is a deadly and powerful force which strips its victims of their power. Its not a sin, its not a crime. Its an epidemic. He continually sought treatment, and was, by all accounts, a loving father and consummate professional. Ive been inspired by his work, and I believe its best to leave it at that. He was celebrated, honored during his life, and I had no idea he was suffering from addiction all the while. It is a testament to his strength that he managed to achieve such things while surviving his addiction. I believe in celebrating art and artists while they live. It is vitally important to our industry to be advocates for great artistic achievements. Not only because we want to sell tickets, but because of a higher purpose altogether. If we are to lose a great artist before their time, one we love and cherish, then we want to be sure that during their lives, we tell them that we love them. I use this network to promote my own work, and the work of others, and thats about it. To lose the greatest actor of our generation is no small thing. During his life, he gave us all of himself. He was more vulnerable and funny and powerful, and technically brilliant, that we may never see another like him. We are blessed to have witnessed the life of The Master. He was a Master, indeed.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 18:47:35 +0000