Anna's Tribute to Burt Lancaster

Growing up in the slum of East Harlem in one of only a few Irish families in a predominantly Italian neighborhood, young Burt Lancaster was a sensitive boy who was both a rascally street kid while also being extremely bookish, spending entire days in the library. Known around the neighborhood for his beautiful singing voice, he and his father could often be found singing on the steps outside their house on Saturday nights.

Acting found him early, and he made his stage debut in a neighborhood community center, which got him a lot of attention. When the founders of a new theater company came to his house to offer him a place in their school, he climbed out the window and hid on the fire escape, trying to escape his fate, worried that people would laugh at him for being a “sissy”.

Until his calling caught up with him, he was many things—based on his athletic prowess, he got a scholarship at New York University, until he eventually dropped out and ran away to the circus with his best friend, with whom he formed an acrobatic act. In between seasons, he worked at a fair in Coney Island, as a singing waiter, even posed nude for gay magazines when money got tight.

When he arrived in Hollywood after serving in the army during WW2, he was already in his 30s, and he quickly made it his bitch—he made it pretty clear it wasn’t gonna be the other way around. Highly intelligent and intensely independent, he struggled with authority, which sometimes labeled him “difficult”. On the other hand, he was often praised for his professionalism, and he had an extremely generous and loyal side.

A true lover of film, he co-founded Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, one of the first independent production companies, which brought fourth such beloved films as Marty and Sweet Smell of Success. All his life, he fought for the underdog and stood up for minorities—a value his mother instilled in him when she wasn’t beating the living daylights out of him. It is probably that complexity that made him such a fascinating actor and that enabled such a lasting career—from Noir to adventure, from war to romance, from costume drama to Western, he was believable in every role.

Me, I respond to his intensity, his passion, his great sensuality, the vulnerable eyes behind a stoic mask—and that he always gave it his all and kept challenging himself until his health didn't allow it anymore. Last but not least I admire his physical beauty, his panther-like movements, the extraordinary grace of his strong body. Burt Lancaster was one of my first crushes when I got into Classic film, and I doubt that it will ever fade. So it was about time to pay tribute to this actor who brought me so many hours of joy. Working with material from over 50 movies from the 1940s to the 1980s, it took me a whole year to complete it, but here it is now.