John Lithgow Faces the ‘Impossible Task’ of Selecting Only a Few Items from the Criterion Closet

“Hi, I’m John Lithgow. I’ve been given this impossible task to pick out Blu-rays of films that have meant something to me in my life. All of them great.”

Could this possibly be a more inviting intro to a Criterion Closet video? We think not.

While the “Conclave” star’s Cardinal Tremblay may be a snake in some vestments, beloved performer John Lithgow is nothing but a charmer who’s love of cinema is as deeply rooted as his long career. Tracing back to its beginnings, Lithgow shared that one of his early selections, the Richard Harris-led drama “This Sporting Life” directed by Lindsay Anderson and written by David Storey, had a direct connection with one of his first breakout roles.

“There is a play that David Storey wrote which is basically derived from ‘This Sporting Life.’ I played a role in it when its American premiere took place on Broadway — ‘The Changing Room’ — when I was 27 years old,” said Lithgow. “It was my Broadway debut. And two weeks after it debuted, I won a Tony Award for it. So, needless to say, that goes in my bag.”

Lithgow went on to grab a film he’s actually featured in, Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out” starring John Travolta and Nancy Allen. The actor also worked with De Palma on “Obsession” and “Raising Cain” and described the filmmaker as “the master of the macabre.”

“It’s all about a sound man who finds a little scrap of sound that he’s recorded that unwinds this very elaborate sort of Secret Service undercover crime. And I am the criminal in this case,” Lithgow said of “Blow Out.” “I have been three of Brian’s villains. They’re all kind of innocuous, slightly faceless men who are supposed to be the last person you’d suspect of doing horrific Brian De Palma things.”

After Lithgow chose The Complete Jacques Tati set and offered his impression of the filmmaker and actor’s famous tall, clumsy oddball Monsieur Hulot, he explained how the character highly influenced his role on the sitcom “3rd Rock from the Sun.” Though he said he loved all of Tati’s work, there is one that stands above the rest to Lithgow.

“The great classic to me is ‘Mon Oncle.’ He just takes his time setting up a comedy sequence,” he said. “It can take five minutes to build to this astounding payoff. And it’s a lesson in comedy.”

Watch Lithgow’s full Criterion Closet visit below.