Mr. T and "The Sting"
Since I heard that Robert Redford had passed away, I watched "The Sting" on Amazon Prime for the first time in years. If someone asked me what my favorite movie of all time is, I would say "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," and if they asked me which movie surprised me the most, I would answer "The Sting." The duo of Paul Newman and Robert Redford is truly exquisite; for me, it is the kind of relationship between men that I admire.
It was 38 years ago, in 1987. I was a second-year high school student. The prefectural high school I attended had a somewhat laid-back, or perhaps free, atmosphere where the vibe was "do whatever you want," and the teachers were all like older cousins who were just a few years older than us. There were even teachers who would appear as vocalists in student bands at the school festival. I loved that about it.
My homeroom teacher in my second year was Mr. T, the English teacher. He looked like Shinji Tanimura, and his expressiveness and his "facial acting" were just as rich as Tanimura's, lol.
I can't remember what that period was called back then, but there was a time, I believe once a week for an hour, that was like a class period, different from regular academic subjects or subjects like PE or art. I think it was led by the homeroom teacher. We often watched movies during that time, saying, "Let's watch a movie in the audiovisual room." It was such a carefree era, but I wonder if that was Mr. T's doing.
I remember watching Tatsuya Nakadai's "Atami Murder Case" and Yusaku Matsuda's "Sorekara"... no, maybe my memories are getting mixed up.
One time, it was decided that we would watch "The Sting" during this period. This was probably my suggestion; I had first seen it a year or two prior on a late-night (I think year-end) TV movie broadcast, and I was so surprised by the plot twist that I wanted my classmates to see it too, so I proposed it, and it was easily approved.
Even back then, it was a movie from over 15 years ago, and in an era when "Top Gun" and "Back to the Future" were being released, I don't think any of my classmates knew about such an old film. But I feel like it was Mr. T who was surprisingly supportive of it (which made me happy). And so, I, the one who suggested it, ended up going to a local video shop to rent the VHS tape.
And then, that period arrived.
It was fine that I had suggested it, but would everyone watch such an old and "classy" movie? Despite my worries, when I looked around, I saw that everyone was quite "drawn in." Maybe it was around the poker scene on the train. Alright, alright, this is good!
That period, being a high school class, would end in 50 minutes. It was decided that "we'll watch the rest after school."
So, after the fifth or sixth period, whether it was modern Japanese or something else, ended and we were cleaning the classroom, Mr. T shouted from the hallway window, "Hey, let's watch the rest quickly!" He was holding that very videotape in his hand.
Even after we resumed watching, I was worried about whether everyone was still interested, so I kept looking around, checking on my classmates' reactions while watching the film.
And then the final scene. The scene where Robert Redford is shot by Paul Newman, and Paul Newman is shot by the FBI agent. Almost everyone was watching the screen with bated breath. Yes!
Yes, and then the plot twist.
When I happened to look over... it was none other than Mr. T who was watching that plot twist and the final scene with the most enjoyment and the best expression on his face, more than any of my classmates, lol.
Today, 38 years later, as I watched that same final scene, I remembered Mr. T's truly joyful profile. We have long since passed the age our teacher was back then. He must be around 80 now; I hope he is doing well.
And, rest in peace, Robert Redford.