Vintage Voice: Elliott Gould, Cover Boy

It wasn't too long ago that the most anybody could say about the Village Voice film section was that it was stable. It's relevancy, mission and taste were in question, but at least it had the in-house personnel to reaffirm its cornerstone status in New York cinema culture.

So how are things looking five months later? Well, it depends on how you feel about a meditative, honey-toned illustration of Elliott Gould circa 1971 on the cover (right). And Jim Hoberman doing the essay honors and a podcast in time for Film Forum's upcoming revival of the Altman/Gould gumshoe revisionism of The Long Goodbye:

Having successively personified the sexual revolution, the spirit of anti-militarism, and groovy campus rebellion, the former Elliott Goldstein and pride of P.S. 247 was the hottest young star in Hollywood, as well as the first to sport the luxuriant Zapata mustache popularized by the righteous outlaws of SDS. Gould was also the most exotic. No less than (Barbra) Streisand, whom he met when both were in the cast of the 1962 musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale (he starred in the show, she stole it), Gould was part of the ethno-vanguard -- Hollywood's Jew Wave.

Holy. Shit. Next week in the Voice: Andrew Sarris on Max Ophüls. Oh, wait.

Posted at April 18, 2007 5:29 PM