Oh, to be a sick Marianne Dashwood, carried home in the arms of Colonel Brandon.
Since Alan Rickman’s unexpected death in 2016, movie fans have been missing a part of themselves — more specifically, a part of that side of our brains that just loves to root for the bad guys. Throughout his career, Rickman marked many childhoods and adulthoods playing villains and anti-heroes such as Die Hard’s Hans Gruber, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' Sheriff of Nottingham, Sweeney Todd’s Judge Turpin, and, of course, Harry Potter’s Professor Snape. His imposing posture, grave countenance, and thunderous, yet silky voice were able to put the fear of God in the hearts of Japanese businessmen and magical English children with the same amount of ease. Indeed, there are very few actors able to sell an evil or at least morally gray character quite like him.
But Rickman was not just good at being bad. Though he is mostly remembered by his antagonists Rickman was an accomplished actor in many areas and had some experience as a director of both pictures and plays. Film buffs may recall with fondness his dramatic performances in Neil Jordans Michael Collins and Tom Tykwers Perfume The Story of a Murderer and he had no trouble showing just how funny he could be in comedies such as Dogma and Galaxy Quest.
As a voice actor, he contributed his talents to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy in which he played Marvin the Paranoid Android and to both of Tim Burtons ventures into the Alice in Wonderland universe as Absolem the smoking caterpillar. However Rickmans second area of expertise was not comedy nor historical dramas but romance. While there are those that miss him for his villainous roles there are equally as many that will never be able to replace him in their hearts as a romantic lead. After all who else would be as great as him as Sense and Sensibility’s Colonel Brandon or Truly Madly Deeplys cello-playing ghost Jamie?
At first it might seem strange that someone capable of becoming as despicable and mundanely terrifying as Judge Turpin could also excel as a love interest. But when we examine Rickman’s performances up close it all makes a lot more sense and not just because changing drastically from role to role is simply good acting 101. The secret behind Alan Rickmans allure as a romantic hero is precisely the same thing that made him such a compelling villain his intensity. Nature blessed Alan Rickman with a deep voice an imposing posture and an expressive gaze and he did everything in his power to make the most out of these gifts. His languid baritone could be just as threatening as it could be seductive and his restrained movements and expressions could be a cover for either pent-up rage or longing and desire.
0 Comments