An Enemy of the People (1978)
There’s a distinction between a film star and a character actor. The former is a figurehead more linked to pop culture and the latter is known strictly for their acting skills. What happens when the two personas meet up? That’s the case with Steve McQueen and his portrayal of a legendary character in European drama; Thomas Stockmann. The play is Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” and it made an odd, yet interesting transition from Playhouse 90 type content to the big screen.
Thomas Stockmann (McQueen) is a well respected physician in a town run by his brother Peter (Charles Durning). He does a chemical test on the hot springs, which is the town’s tourist attraction and finds a severe amount of pollution. Thomas brings his results to his brother’s attention, who puts money and prestige before the welfare of humanity. Thomas’ friend Hovstad (Michael Cristofer) is a reporter with the local paper and he sees Peter’s opposition to closing the springs as the opportunity for a change in government. When word gets to Peter about Thomas’ decision to print the findings, he successfully talks the paper out of printing them because it would lead to closure of the springs and a tax increase for the townspeople. Thomas doesn’t budge and gradually, everyone in town turn their backs on him and brand him “an enemy of the people” for advocating the crippling of their economy.
This film was Steve McQueen’s passion project to show people his ability to broaden his versatility as an actor. Appropriately, he recruited director George Schaefer, known for directing television adaptations of classic dramas and you can definitely see his fingerprint on the film’s appearance. There’s minimal camera movements and the characters’ interactions make up the center of the action, as if you’re watching a live performance. It’s also an appreciation of how the actors play off one another and make the drama as raw as possible.
Steve McQueen is pretty much unrecognizable as Thomas Stockmann and that works very well to his believability in the role. You don’t see McQueen the film star who fought off blobs, tried to escape from a POW camp or driving recklessly in San Francisco. Instead, as I mentioned earlier, the character actor persona takes over, and it’s a revelation. Thomas is a character of moral convictions, willing to advocate for what’s right instead of what’s popular. McQueen doesn’t merely read the lines, and pretend to play Stockmann as some contemporary film stars might do with classic characters (think Keanu Reeves as Hamlet), he becomes the character as if he rehearsed it his entire career.
The rest of the supporting cast also give impressive performances that honor Ibsen’s vision. Charles Durning is superb as the antagonistic brother and the scenes between him and McQueen are a masterclass in acting. Bibi Andersson as Catherine, is the quintessential suffering wife character, mixed with a few cliche traits, but nonetheless strong in portrayal. As Hovstad, Michael Cristofer, at only 33 years old, gives a more mature performance than half the actors his age do today. It’s straight and to the point, and provides a Judas-like counterpart to Thomas’ Jesus figure. Finally, there’s Richard Dysart, whom I recently reviewed with “The Hospital”, again playing a character mired in questionable practices, and as usual, not disappointing in his acting.
“An Enemy of the People” was a box office and critics bomb upon its release, with many singling out McQueen’s performance as a reason. It shows that people were blinded by the old persona of McQueen the leading man and even with a revamp of his image, it didn’t pay off. I believe that if critics took this film more seriously and really went into McQueen’s versatility, I think they would have been wowed, like I was.
