This week I wanted to do something a bit different for my film posting. The IMC has a new DVD display featuring actors’ and actresses’ break-out roles, and while I watched a couple movies from our new display, I thought it would be more fun to feature one of the actors, and then talk about some of their other movies that weren’t necessarily on my list, but that I thought were worth watching. Thus, this week I decided to feature Alan Rickman in his breakout role in Die Hard [IMC DVD 363.2 D559 2007]. I also watched two other movies he was in: Galaxy Quest [IMC DVD 001.942 G147 2009] and Sense and Sensibility [IMC DVD 823 S478 1999].
Believe it or not, I had never gotten around to watching Die Hard, but it was just as enjoyable as everyone told me it would be. This movie features Alan Rickman in his first movie as the villain Hans Gruber whose plan to steal money from a Japanese company is foiled by Bruce Willis’s character. Rickman does a wonderful job in his first role, and it is easy to see why, throughout his acting career, he was cast many times as a villain.
These next two movies were not on my list, but both were recommended to me, and they featured Alan Rickman in different types of roles besides the villain. The first movie, Galaxy Quest, is a science fiction comedy where the leads of a sci-fi TV show (think Star Trek) get mistaken for real starship crew members and are taken aboard an alien spacecraft. Rickman plays one of the crew members who is constantly undercut by the captain (Tim Allen). This movie boasts a great cast, including Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, and Sam Rockwell. On top of all that, it is just a fun movie—none of the actors take themselves too seriously and it was great to watch Alan Rickman play a comedic role. I would definitely recommend it.
Our second additional Rickman movie is the adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. First of all, this movie has a wonderful screenplay which kept the spirit of the novel completely intact. This movie also features a great cast, including Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and many others. Rickman plays Colonel Brandon, who falls in love with Winslet’s character, who unfortunately is in love with someone else. While I wish Rickman could have had more screen time, he did quite well with this role. If you have a chance, check out this movie—the acting is superb!
It was wonderful to get a chance to see some of the movies from the first half of Alan Rickman’s career. Now that our new DVD display is out, come find your favorite actor or actress and watch their breakout role! Keep following along on your own film travelogue at https://letterboxd.com/peterstanley/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die/by/release/ .
0 Comments.