Posts Tagged ‘actors’
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance {1962}.
The great Lee Marvin finds a perfect vehicle for his talents in the 1962 film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The actor portrays the aforementioned eponymous villain with vigor, humor, and ruthless menace. An iconic performance. John Wayne, in perhaps his finest, most moving performance, and James Stewart also are brilliant in this epic, gritty, taut western by John Ford.
By the way…perhaps noteworthy is the fact that Mr. Stewart is referred to as both “dude” and “pilgrim” in rapid succession during one of these videos.
Shadow of a Doubt {1943}.
Actor Joseph Cotten, in Alfred Hitchcock‘s Shadow of a Doubt {1943}, brings ambivalence to new heights in this scene from the famed director’s favorite of his films.
Cotten, as serial murderer Charles “Uncle Charlie” Oakley, seems somewhat less than thrilled with the prospect of being interviewed/photographed. Perhaps the fact that he has sought refuge at his older sisterβs βnormalβ home— safe, secure, and far, far away from his litany of serial murders— yet is nonetheless in all likelihood on the precipice of being located/captured…perhaps this is playing no small role in re: his sudden enthusiasm-plummet. Nonetheless, he states for the record his Carpe Diem philosophy.
On occasion, Charlie lets slip his mask of the charming, urbane Uncle, and the less palatable, psychopathic elements of his personality take the helm. In this mesmerizing, chilling performance , specifically in this scene, Cotten metamorphoses from disarmingly lighthearted/congenial/convivial, to quite menacing/disquieting, in an almost imperceptibly seamless manner, right at the dinner table. His views on women who live in βThe Cityβ are not terribly flattering, as such.
Cotten is remarkable; a truly iconic performance. The film as a whole is a piercing early cinematic glimpse into the mind of a psychopathic murderer, and how denial and disbelief by those closest to him are not only typical…they are perhaps, together with his apparent normality, his greatest defense.
P. Bettany: Godlike Genius Thereof.
Paul Bettany displays his towering talent in his portrayal here of serial killer Ted Kaczynski. Such examples of the following phenomenon are not without precedent, but they are rare fowl indeed. Bettany manages to be more Unabomber-esque than the Unabomber himself. Sure, it’s not possible; but this seems to pose little hindrance. Like G. Oldman as Stansfield, Olivier as Christian Szell, and Brando as Lee Clayton, Bettany simply has that much power to spare. Icy, disdainful menace, cloaked in “polite” conversation…this constitutes the primary weapon. But there are many others, some even invoking something like…sympathy. Indelible.
The Burmese Ferret-Badger, of Burma 