I was searching for some of the screen tests by Andy Warhol and one that is well-known that I hadn't seen before was the one with Dennis Hopper. Lately, what can be found related to such tests is that sometimes that are posted one after another unlike just one test per person, and in the one with Hopper's thumbnail the beginning
started with a young actor of whom I never seen before but was curious about. A quick search here and the unfamiliar name of Richard Rheem got my attention and the
poster indicated it was his screen test that I saw. Bravo!
The little known Rheem was a supernova on Warhol's films, having appeared in just three and all on the same year (1966), which includes this test. A brief story on him is that the two got acquainted after meeting at a party thrown by the young actor's uncle in New York, they got along and Andy invited him to appear in his movies, after being dazzled by the boy's good looks and charm. They exchanged letters for a time and dated each other for a period, but it didn't work all that much. After their split
they still kept in contact but never worked together again and the young actor disappeared from view.
Now, as for his screen test. It's the usual routine presented in the others Warhol did back in the 1960's, a long conitnuous shot capturing the emotions and expressions
of a young star (Lou Reed, Nico, Bob Dylan, Hopper, Edie Sedgwick and others all appeared in similar tests). Rheem's appeal consists in showing his beautiful soft face,
that blends a mixture of male and female, it can be delicate but also slightly carrying some rough masculinity. He isn't challenged or provoked as some of the stars are so
he just presents a serious expression, some blinking here and there, all the time. He doesn't change much in those four minutes but it's a face destined to be admired. Gotta
admit, Mr. Warhol was a lucky man to have the chance to meet such a graceful man.
But I've always wondered why Warhol's major male star never got one of those screen tests (if there is one, it's a mystery that never got released or available as of now).
And that was the amazing Joe Dallesandro - but I guess his major test had to be "Flesh" which presents the man in his entirety, one of the most amazing men to ever grace the
screen. But we have this screen test with Richard Rheem, and considering the ones made with male actors this was quite good (only Hopper got the greater one where you can
really sense a wide range of feelings over the course of the shot). 7/10.