Posts Tagged ‘Film’
The Barton Fink.
This masterpiece by the Brothers Coen, from 1991, depicts the travails of a somewhat pompous, yet embattled, desperate writer, who encounters a number of interesting individuals during his stay in Los Angeles.
For more, please visit our post on Bideodromage.
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.
Hannibal: Featuring Anthony Hopkins {2001}
One step ahead, as per usual, is Hannibal Lecter {Anthony Hopkins} in this scene, as he anticipates, then captures {on film} Chief Inspector Pazzi, catching him utterly unawares. By this time, Pazzi is becoming more and more uneasy, understandably so given the formidableness, and pure psychopathy, of his would-be “prize”.
Usually, one might feel cause for concern when the gloves are **off**. When Hannibal Lecter is about, however, a sense of dread makes itself apparent when the gloves are **on**.
Hannibal requires perhaps 0.03 seconds to transition from the Chief Inspector’s {phony} phone-call explanation, to the business at hand. An unfailingly courteous, though morbid, question and answer session then ensues. One last “Okey dokey” is thrown in, with characteristic sang-froid, by the serial killer for bonus points.
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 sister’s “normal” 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 “The City” 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 