David Niven deserves recognition

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We haven't talked much about him here. A great actor and a true gentleman. One of Hollywood's best-dressed too. What do you think of Niven?

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Capable and classy, but not really a great actor. He worked a lot, yet he didn't appear in all that many *great* films... though he is the star of one of all-time faves, "A Matter of Life and Death" aka "Stairway To Heaven".

And he played a key role in "Wuthering Heights". I do think he was a great movie actor, but that's just an opinion.

Trivia: Niven's final film was "Candleshoe", a Disney pic with a teenage Jodie Foster.

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And besides that one, he's in another of my personal favorites directed by William Wyler, "Dodsworth". He was always dependable - I can't point to a really bad performance - but I consider him a second-string leading man, not a first-rank star. Just a personal thing...

I will say this for him: his ad lib when the streaker went past him at that Oscar ceremony (1972 or so?) was brilliant!

David Niven.....

wrote an awesome autobiography- you should read it- it will keep you in stitches!
Example:
While stationed on Gibraltar, Niven decided his army issue steel helmet was too hot to wear while on parade inspection, so he purchased a papier mache substitute at a theatrical supply store and wore it proudly to inspections on sunny old Gibraltar- until the day it rained while he was standing at attention and his "steel" helmet dissolved into mush around his ears!lol

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of his. Between acting, writing and his life in general I think he's one of the great under-rated Britons of the twentieth century.

Doctor Strange said:

... his ad lib when the streaker went past him at that Oscar ceremony (1972 or so?) was brilliant!

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And witty and classy to boot. "The words of a gentleman."

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AND ... during World War II, Niven left Hollywood and served in the British army, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the British Commandos and landing at Normandy. He played in two films during the War, both of strong propaganda value: "The First of the Few" (1942) and "The Way Ahead" (1944).

During his war service, Niven's batman was none other than Pte. Peter Ustinov.

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Under Appreciated

Niven is one of the greats at being cool, urbane, witty, well turned out. Very tough to pull off, and he made it look easy.

"... Just as I thought: another test that could have cost us our lives, saved only by the fact that I am ENORMOUSLY well-bred."

....Murder By Death

There's no one like him today, although Pierce Brosnan did a fair imitation in "Remington Steele".

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I've always liked David Niven. I just watched him in The Guns of Navarone and really enjoyed his performance.

He was the best James Bond.

Doctor Strange said:

Capable and classy, but not really a great actor. He worked a lot, yet he didn't appear in all that many *great* films... though he is the star of one of all-time faves, "A Matter of Life and Death" aka "Stairway To Heaven".

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That's one of those films that is on my "Why isn't that on DVD?" list. I saw it for the first time when they re-released it many years ago and fell in love. That was the movie that started me hunting down Michael Powell films.

Another David Niven performance that I really enjoy is his roll with Maggie Smith in "Murder by Death" as the Nick & Nora Charles takeoff Dick & Dora Charleston. An elegant man who could also do comedy amazingly well.

I have always found "Murder By Death" to be *far* too broad to really enjoy - more clever in concept than in execution. A great cast, but so overdone... But I'm the first to admit that I'm a very tough critic.

As to "A Matter of Life and Death/Stairway to Heaven", it has long been one of my favorite films. TCM showed the best print I've ever seen during their Powell-Pressburger festival a few months ago (which I taped, of course), and I have a feeling that this particular print was prepared as part of an eventual DVD release. (I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed the synergy between what TCM shows and the timing of DVD releases!)

If you're already a Powell-Pressburger fan, you probably know this site, but just in case you don't, it's an utterly fantastic resource:

http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/46_AMOLAD/

scotrace said:

Niven is one of the greats at being cool, urbane, witty, well turned out. Very tough to pull off, and he made it look easy.

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David Niven always kept his cool, very witty indeed. Just some of my favorite David Niven films, The Pink Panther, Guns of Navarone, Casino Royale and a real gem hard to find, The Best of Enemies, about British and Italian troops in Africa, who are forced to be friends after losing weapons, as a kid I caught this film a few times on TV, for a war film, it was really hilarious (any one else remember this?)Typical British and Italian attitudes. David Niven was really one of a kind, a real treat, very cool. God bless him :eusa_clap

Some one else on amazon.com had a better review of The Best of Enemies" far better than I could as I'm not a writer, read on.

If you enjoy a straightforward, clever comedy, with a lot of laughter and without the usual long moody, depressing, or murderous stretches of celluloid, then you will certainly enjoy this film. David Niven stars along with a very fine Italian comedian Alberto Sordi are absolutely great! They are both officers in their respective armies, serving in North Africa during WWII. Neither one of them has quite gotten a 'handle on things' in a military way and the men serving under them are not too confident. The story opens with Niven in a light reconnaisance plane being piloted by an RAF type complete with flowing silk scarf (another nut-case). They spot Italian troops below them and go down for a look... The Italian officer in charge rushes out of his tent and delivers what some might refer to as the 'fascist salute,' but which most would recognize as a rather insulting gesture involving the use of both arms. The RAF lunatic dives his plane down behind a hill in order to go around for another look. There is the sound of a diving aircraft, followed by a long silence, followed by the high pitched sound of a straining engine as the plane climbs straight up behind the hill and comes around again. The same scene is gotten through several more times until, finally,the diving sound is followed by a much longer period of silence, followed by the unmistakeable sound of a plane crashing into the ground. The scene shifts to Niven, the RAF type, and the plane, all sitting on the ground in great disarray with the lunatic pilot saying: "I say, I could have sworn we were going to come out of that last dive." At this point the Italian officer rushes up screaming "Aha... You are my prisoners!" It gets even better... As we used to say, "Don't miss it."

Oh but it is!

Kent Allard said:

That's one of those films that is on my "Why isn't that on DVD?" list. I saw it for the first time when they re-released it many years ago and fell in love. That was the movie that started me hunting down Michael Powell films.

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I was looking at it on wednesday in HMV in the bargain bin about £4.99

Would have bought it but got a 4 DVD set of Bogey for £14.00 instead.

Not for Region 1 (US and Canada), it's not.

But it surely will be, one of these days...

My favorite: "Bachelor Mother" (1939)!!

I've always enjoyed the anecdote that he and Errol Flynn shared a house during their early days in Hollywood which they dubbed "Cirrhosis-by-the-Sea."

Niven served with the Highland Light Infantry, having joined the regiment in Malta about 1930. Below is a picture taken from a biography of Major General R. E.Urquhart (well known for his command of the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem). The picture was taken by Urquhart, Niven is in the center.



Urquhart thought well of his fellow officer at the time, but years later Niven evidently made some "unfair" comments about certain officers with whom he had served in his biography, The Moon's a Balloon. The General could never forgive him for such disloyalty to his old regiment.

Cheers!

David Niven always reminded me of Roger Moore (or vice versa)...dapper, refined and perfect for a certain type of role. Both of these actors could also relay an acid wit and appear downright nasty. However, Niven does have an Oscar as Best Actor, so he's achieved that much. But I guess David Niven has been overshadowed by the likes of William Powell and Cary Grant. You want to talk about "forgotten", try bringing up Leslie Howard!