Sir Alec Guinness appreciation thread - an often unsung great. Playing now? Tunes of Glory

[ehtheist]

Anyone else absolutely love this guy? Just watching one of my very favourite movies, Tunes of Glory, where he plays a Homeric Alpha, a man's man who can shed a manly tear when appropriate. The guy is a legit A+ actor who has put more nuance into his performances than most actors can dream of, and has a dramatic presence to trump Sir Ian McKellan. There's a bit of Depp in him too, and you won't even recognize that it's him from movie to movie. This is part of why I think he's not remembered so well these days - he played many incredible roles, but most people don't even know it was the same person because he was so damned good at them that he became the role.

He's probably best known as the original Obi Wan, which was actually one of his weakest performances, or Prince Feisal in Lawrence of Arabia, but the guy has been around. He guest starred in an episode of Cheers where his performance stole the show, his performance in The Bridge on the River Kwai was amazing... This is one of the greats, and he is often forgotten. It's a shame.

Do yourself a favour... If you're bored tonight, get your hands on Tunes of Glory - download it if you have to, then buy it to support great film. You'll feel like you just finished watching The Dark Knight where an actor just nailed a role so well that it'll leave you with goosebumps.

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

He took points in lieu of a salary for Star Wars .... so theres that

 

[ehtheist]

He took points in lieu of a salary for Star Wars .... so theres that

Didn't even realize this. Neat factoid.

Homework boys and boys - watch some of his movies and report back. You'll thank me for it. Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and Tunes of Glory. Take your pick and be enthralled!

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

Didn't even realize this. Neat factoid.

Homework boys and boys - watch some of his movies and report back. You'll thank me for it. Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and Tunes of Glory. Take your pick and be enthralled!

Bridge is fantastic , its on the list of movies I'll watch with my son when hes old enough, you didn't mention Doctor Zhivago btw, another good one

 

[ehtheist]

Bridge is fantastic , its on the list of movies I'll watch with my son when hes old enough, you didn't mention Doctor Zhivago btw, another good one

Good call. Been a while. They all sort of get eclipsed by Tunes for me, but Doctor Zhivago needs a rewatch.