Quote • MICHAEL CAINE • Not Such a Class Act
‘I am being tough on him, but only because the world has been far too kind. [Michael] Caine can do good work, in a limited range: he is very interesting in The Quiet American, though he fails finally to be the nasty intellectual that Graham Greene requires. Why? I think Caine is held back by his class origins and by his longing to be liked. I forgive him his knighthood (though I have to note his steadfast lack of interest in any political view of life). And I remember the great days of a supporting actor who was invariably brilliant and often heartbreaking, and who never got a knighthood or a gong – Claude Raines.’
David Thomson in the New Statesman, 21 November 2005, reviewing Christopher Bray’s Michael Caine: A Class Act.
Originally published on R&V 13-08-07
12 comments on “Quote • MICHAEL CAINE • Not Such a Class Act”
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Rogues & Vagabonds 
such an interesting perspective –
It’s a perspective I agree with!
I like him.
You’re not alone!
I know your feelings about Caine’s abilities, Sarah. I think he is better than some, but not as good as most. Perhaps because we come from the same London streets, I have long admired his ability to rise above his origins.
And he never takes himself too seriously either.
Best wishes, Pete. x
You’re forgetting that there were many years when he took himself all too seriously and I found that grotesque. Guess we’ll simply have to continue to agree to differ when it comes to Caine!
Mr Micklewhite is our stumbling block, Sarah! I did have an ‘off’ period, when he once supported Thatcher…x
Do we know who he’s voting for now?
I would guess he hasn’t changed allegiances, Sarah. But I can’t be sure! x
He’s too rich to have changed his mind. Another mark against him!
I like Michael Caine, but Claude Raines is where it’s at. Invariably brilliant, indeed.
Most certainly. I can’t believe I misspelt his surname!