King
I like!
No thanks!
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8 commentsReplies
bluefish said, (39 days ago)
does it really matter that the actor adds to the character? or are you saying that it's lee marvin alone, and not the writing at all? great list, btw...
mmm, juicy fruit.
little p said, (39 days ago)
Steve McQueen!
are you familiar with eddie izzard's bit on him? it's great
@ bluefish : Firstly, hello old friend, good to see you.
It's not the actor adding to the character which is troubling me when compiling my list (Virgil Hilts wouldn't be half as endearing were it not for the investment of charm that Steve McQueen brought to the role) it's trying to separate great characters from great performances. Characters whose names you remember instantly and have a life outside the actors who portray them. I didn't want to get sidetracked into a favourite performances/favourite actors thing.
It's hard for me to separate the character of Walker from Lee Marvin because so much of the strength comes from the performance. Plus it's kinda hard to consider such a cold force for vengeance/justice such as Walker as a character really, he's portrayed as a dead man, emotionally at least. It's a great part but I think the contrast between Point Blank and Mel Gibson's adequate Payback, which is lifted by the supporting cast (An understated Devane, a delightful turn from Coburn and the brooding Kristofferson) more than it stands out for the lead character, shows how much Marvin (and most Boorman probably too) brought to the table.
I should have included a little Shakespeare in my list really. Hamlet is rightfully revered, Titus Andronicus is crammed full of brilliant characters and Lady Macbeth I think is right up there too.
I should also watch One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest again. It's been far to long.
@ little p : I may have heard it, but it's not ringing any bells.
James Mason as the voice of God, Sean Connery speedboat Noah, le sange est dans l'abre and "cake or death?" at what spring to mind when I think of Izzard.
bluefish said, (39 days ago)
good to see you, sir!
i worked on a doc about 'the great escape' and virgil hilts... about the real person it's supposedly based on. in reality there was only one american at the camp at the time they started the tunnels, a david jones, and though he did help dig, by the time the tunnels were completed he had been transferred to the new american barracks. so no americans in the escape. and only 2-3 made it, northern europeans who could speak and pass for germans. of the other 73 or so, all were recaptured and about 50 gunned down to teach a lesson. sad.
@ bluefish : Yeah, it owes at least as much to Billy Wilder's Stalag 17 as it does to reality. As a work of fiction it's inspired though. From a sentimental stand-point it's probably my favourite film.
I may well have seen the documentary, I've seen at least one. One part that was apparently based on real events was the moonshine making, which as I recall landed one guard they got drunk in some trouble. I suspect you know more about it than I do though. You get to work on some marvelous projects.
I've really enjoyed what I've seen of Dexter by the way. Did you work on the second season too?
Peculiar tag arrangement there.
Anyway, this favourite character business is a slippery slope isn't it? They just keep springing to mind, then I have ruminate. Snake Plissken for instance is a great character, but is tarnished by Escape from LA. Lee Marvin's Walker is great, but is it a matter of Marvin's magnificent presence rather than qualities inherent in the character? I think it probably is.
Anyway, what will follow will be a list of others who sprang to mind.
Alan Partridge, Capt. Orr, Howard Beale, Martin Blank, Lionel Hutz, Quincy, Chief Martin Brody, Quint, ol' Jack Burton, Father Ted Crilly, Kramer, Rudy Van Disarzio, Kikuchiyo, Oddball, Will Graham, Death (a la William Sadler), John McClane, Randle P. McMurphy, the Chief (Chief Bromden)....I'm gonna stop or I'll be here for aaaaaaaages.