|
|
|
Comment |
Sorted by
Date Written |
Jan, (Reply to this comment)
by johngo
I really enjoyed your list of Guiness's great achievements. It is a very useful reminder to those of us who have seen his films, but I feel that there was something missing from the review: an assessment of what made Guinness so great, needed to persuade people who don't already know his work, that old, British, black-and-white films can sometimes be worth watching.
Perhaps your view differs from mine, but I believe that the only actor who could approach Guiness's range was Peter Sellars, but Sellars lacked the discipline that is a part of Guinness's genius. Guinness is the master of caricature: The Professor in The Ladykillers is a brilliant parody of Alistair Sim; Guiness's Fagin is much admired, despite pandering to the physical stereotype of the hook-nosed jew; but his greatest strength, and this may be more obvious to the English audience than to others, is his portrayal of the nuances of social class. His performances are subtly graded from the aristocrats in Kind Hearts and Coronets to the middle-class ingenue chemist in The White Suit, to the lower-middle class clerk in The Lavender Hill Mob, but even within a single social class he can create individuals. Compare each of the vignettes in Kind Hearts and Coronets, perfectly realised, subtly shaded, and individual, with the uniform plank-like performance of Dennis Price in this, and every other film he appeared in.
I believe that Guiness's subtlest, most virtuoso performance is as the commissar in Dr Zhivago especially in his interaction with Rita Tushingham. I have looked at these interactions time after time---VCRs are wonderful machines!---and marvelled at the way Guiness's expression can change without his face moving, the light in the eyes is all that seems to change, yet there are the character's emotions displayed with the clarity of a dissection.
Perhaps the other contribution to his greatness is his self-effacing physiognomy. It is relatively easy to remember Guiness's facial expressions: it is difficult to remember his face, a great boon for a character actor, who cannot by type-cast.
Best wishes,
John
|
Jul 14 '04
12:27 am PDT
|
|
of Stout heart (Reply to this comment)
by voxpoptart
It's possible that the only eight non-Jedi roles i recall seeing Guiness in were Kind Hearts and Coronets, but they made a splendid case for him; goodness knows, the role of Fagin seems perfect for him. That movie's on the Queue already, but Ladykillers and Lavender Hill Mob are hereby sentenced to join them there. Thanks for the list!
cheers,
- Brian
|
Jul 09 '04
1:59 pm PDT
|
|
Fine (Reply to this comment)
by George_Chabot,  in Movies
tribute to Alec Guinness, Jan. I also liked him in Fall of the Roman Empire in which he played Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Watch on DVD or widescreen VHS as TV guts the film, please!
|
Jul 06 '04
4:02 pm PDT
|
|
Re: Although (Reply to this comment)
by jankp
Well, I don't see how it's misusing it when they're all great movies, but I'm tickled that you would've chosen the same ones. Thanks!
Jan
|
Jul 05 '04
8:09 pm PDT
|
|
Re: Say it, sisteR! Yay! (Reply to this comment)
by jankp
Yep, I did it just for you, silly! Don't wanna be thought annoying after all, hehe.
Jan
|
Jul 05 '04
8:07 pm PDT
|
|
Re: And .. (Reply to this comment)
by jankp
Interesting you brought that up 'cause I watched half of it on DVD and didn't care to finish it. It wasn't bad, but just didn't grab me. :-)
Jan
|
Jul 05 '04
8:05 pm PDT
|
|
Re: Interesting list (Reply to this comment)
by jankp
Thanks, I like the movie, too, and hope people will check it out also. :-)
Jan
|
Jul 05 '04
8:02 pm PDT
|
|
Although (Reply to this comment)
by Stephen_Murray, in Movies
I think this is a misuse of the category (thus, "off-topic"), I think it is the first list of any sort that anyone has made that exactly matches what I would have listed.
|
Jul 05 '04
9:57 am PDT
|
|
Say it, sisteR! Yay! (Reply to this comment)
by captaind
"I’ve already covered this delicious escapade in a previous list. The remake with Tom Hanks couldn’t possibly touch the British sense of humor!"
I'm sooooooooooooooooo glad someone else shares my view on that! (Dammit... you did that just so I'd take you off my list of "Most Annoying Epinions Members", didn't you?!?!??!
CaptainFoiledAgain
|
Jul 05 '04
9:51 am PDT
|
|
And .. (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
the rail-thin Sir Alec was cast as George Smiley for the BBC movies based on the Le Carre novels (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy ; Smiley's People). Guinness chose to play the short, myopic, and pudgy Smiley without a fat suit- just learning to walk, sit, move, etc. as a fat person. And Dang! - you see a fat person. That's acting!
|
Jul 05 '04
7:56 am PDT
|
|
Interesting list (Reply to this comment)
by skbreese, in Movies
I'm glad you included Dr. Zhivago, a great epic love story that a lot of people overlook because it was released the same year as The Sound Of Music. Best wishes. Sheila
|
Jul 05 '04
6:39 am PDT
|
|
|
|
