Bill Murray (The Razor’s Edge)
The Razor’s Edge was a flop, but may not have been given fair shake in the context at the times. Adapted from W. Somerset Maugham’s 1944 novel, the screenplay was written by Bill Murray and director John Byrum, a project in part intended to move Murray outside of the narrow box of comedy and character acting.
Critics and audiences couldn’t take him seriously as a straight man, and though Murray now has proven himself capable in these roles since 1981, he hadn’t quite figured out where to make that divide here.
It’s difficult to lay the blame of bad casting just on his performance when the screenplay was written partly by him, with himself as lead in mind. His performance is lacking, but the effort is genuine and earnest.
Bill Murray (The Razor’s Edge)
Paul Jones (Privilege)
In the obscure movie Privilege, Paul Jones of Manfred Mann (among other things, Jones is a prolific musician) plays the role of Steven Shorter, a disillusioned pop singer who is guided through his career by his evil manager and a number of other evil corporate organisations. The film is about as subtle as a sledgehammer; Steven’s show begins with him being held kidnapped and handcuffed, followed by a beating from uniformed officials.
Privilege once had a lot of potential — 1960s sci-fi with political undertones and the stunning Jean Shrimpton — but Paul Jones himself put a stop to it very early on. Despite what any screenplay may be trying to teach him, he ends up portraying Shorter as sniveling and insecure despite his attempts to convey arrogance, detachment, and vanity.
Paul Jones (Privilege)
