Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 23, 1994 TAG: 9407300002
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB THOMAS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
In HBO's "Doomsday Gun," Frank Langella puts a modern spin on the old genre - portraying an obsessed genius who was real.
Gerald Bull was a Canadian-born scientist with a mania for weapons, the bigger the better. The movie depicts how Bull worked for the U.S. Army to develop a long-range weapon, winning U.S. citizenship for his efforts. When his project was canceled, he began inventing and producing weapons for other nations.
When Bull was caught breaking the U.N. embargo in 1980 by selling arms to South Africa, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in prison. Bankrupt and disgraced, he moved his operations to Brussels and began developing the world's greatest gun. He found an eager buyer in Saddam Hussein.
"Doomsday Gun" alleges that the American and British governments did nothing to interfere with the sale to Iraq, which both countries favored in its war with Iran. The supergun project came to an end when Bull was murdered in his Brussels apartment in 1990. The case remains unsolved.
Frank Langella portrays Gerald Bull in the movie with its debut tonight at 8, followed by five repeats on the cable channel.
The actor's research for the role was magnified by the counsel of Chris Cowley, Bull's close associate and technical adviser on the film.
"What fascinates me is that no one is the persona they present to the public," commented Langella. "Certainly Gerry presented a particular kind of persona, which was verified by Chris Cowley, that he was affable, sweet, loving and very dear to everyone who worked with him.
"But obviously he was very driven and in great need of being remembered and being immortal. He spoke of nothing else, never socialized unless it was about work, never engaged in small talk. All he wanted to do was talk about guns and weaponry and how to do it.
"That's often what great minds do. They don't have room for the smaller things in life."
Nor did he have any concern about the mass destruction that his weapons could produce, said Langella, citing a line that did not make it into the final version of the film.
When questioned about his responsibility, Bull was to reply: "I'm no more responsible than the man who drives the truck with the [gun] parts on it, nor the man who signs the contracts for weaponry, nor for the branch of government that agrees to them."
Langella offered no defense or condemnation of Bull: "As an actor, I must play the man as I see him. It is a very difficult position to take, particularly in light of what's happening today.
"What about the German soldier who kissed his children goodbye in the morning and goes off to lay tracks to kill Jews in Auschwitz and then goes home at night to build a little fence for his dog? It's an extraordinary issue about what responsibility is."
Much has been happening in Frank Langella's career since his much-praised performance as the crooked White House chief of staff in "Dave." In fact, he was cast in "Doomsday Gun" when the producers saw "Dave" on a jet flight from New York to L.A. They went to see him in Vancouver, B.C., where he was making another movie.
Born in Bayonne, N.J., on New Year's Day 1940, Langella studied acting at Syracuse University and trained in repertory and summer stock. His tall frame and strikingly handsome features made him ideal for dramatics, and his real career began at 22 when Elia Kazan invited him to join the training program at Lincoln Center.
Soon he was playing classics for major theater companies. Mel Brooks provided his film debut in the 1970 classic "The Twelve Chairs," and he has remained active in films, theater and television since then.
Well, not always active.
"I've been acting for 30 years, and it's cyclical," he said. "In my opinion, you just stay at the table, and you never think that your hot years are `it.' Or that your cold years mean that it's over.
"Like everybody else's life, you just run around the treadmill. There are good days and bad days, good years and bad years. You can't be in the business for 30 years and have it be a picnic.
"I've had some very bad times. I just choose to be quiet about them and not live them out in public. You take a deep breath, and you pull through it."
by CNB