I paid tribute to the late (so hate saying that) Alan Rickman over at Rogerebert.com, including my memory of seeing him onstage in the unforgettable Broadway production of Noel Coward’s Private Lives, opposite Lindsay Duncan. I still have the poster, although the frame was recently broken. I cherish the poster, and cherish the memory.
R.I.P. great actor.
Thanks for this, Sheila.
Man, these are coming too fast for me to process.
I know. :(
You’re welcome – it was a pleasure to pay tribute to him, as sad as it is.
A stunningly beautiful tribute, Sheila. Thank you. This one is a heartbreaker. XXX
Stevie –
thank you so much! What a beautiful actor – seeing him live just drove the point home even more.
Thank you for reading. xoxo
One of his roles that come to mind the most for me is his former Shakespearean turned reluctant cult sci-fi hero in Galaxy Quest. It’s such a hilarious, layered performance, that turns strangely moving by the end. This really sucks.
Love him in that!
He was unique and special. He will be missed.
Agreed.
Beautiful piece, Sheila. I like that you draw attention to that line of his as Colonel Brandon.
Oh God, that line – and his posture – like he’s pressing back into the wall – just kills me. I may re-watch again tonight, part of the tribute.
He’s so TENDER.
thank you, Anne!
I’ll never not burst into tears when I hear or read “Always” from the Harry Potter series.
I don’t know what it is: perhaps the strength and intensity of teenage feelings, feelings that are often passed off as “just your age”, and yet can affect you forever, even damage you, as it did Snape. R.I.P. Alan Rickman. Love you.
Bainer – I love your thoughts here – they perfectly encapsulate how these actors can get underneath our skin, mean so much to us, help us, whatever.
Thank you.
Was bereft this morning. Felt like I’d lost a friend. So odd. Never met him, but did see him in Private Lives. And it really was the voice, wasn’t it? My sister and I often talk about how actors today don’t have voices anymore, but it’s really not true. Keanu Reeves (not the greatest actor but) has a really good voice; Keifer Sutherland (and his father) have voices; others do, too. Then again, some don’t and it’s sad. But this man’s voice, my god, I can hear it at whim. Thanks for this.
Melissa – so happy to hear you saw Private Lives too. Wasn’t it just … I mean, words fail.
I saw the recent revival with Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross (yum) and it was a lot of fun and they were great together – but I remember – I think it was in Brantley’s review – him saying, “Coming so soon after the definitive Alan Rickman/Lindsay Duncan production …” Even though it had been 10 years before – it left such a mark. You couldn’t help but compare.
The whole “voice” thing is a lost art. Nobody has theatre training anymore.
Rickman was a master, and it never became a “tic” – like, “here is my different voice – see how flexible I am with my voice …”
He just understood language and the possibilities in words.
I wonder if he ever played Iago? Would be a perfect fit.
It’s a devastating loss. And now I am very much looking forward to A Little Chaos – his second film as a writer/director – where he plays King Louis XIV. I don’t think it’s opened yet.
The whole thing sucks.
and I agree with you about Keanu Reeves’ distinctive voice. I remember reading an interview with him a million years ago, before he became famous, saying that his dream role was Mercutio. He would read it out loud to himself.
There’s some awareness there, somewhere … that a voice is an “instrument” – as much as your face. I like how he uses it.
I keep forgetting, and then I go on the internet and remember and cry a little.
This one sucks for sure.
I still have that poster too. A beautiful afternoon. xo
You make a cameo, of course – I treasure the poster, and I treasure the memory. xoxo
Nice tribute. Another big fan of Galaxy Quest here. Here is something –
http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/223985/
Ha. That’s great.
I was absolutely stunned to read that Alan Rickman had passed this morning. I honestly don’t know if my tear glands can take much more, with the passing of my cat, David Bowie and now Rickman.
You talk about the voice-and it is incredible. George Sanders, Sterling Hayden, Alan Rickman, Robert Mitchum-the voice grabs you in ways I certainly can’t explain. I am a huge Austen fan, and I think he was the perfect Brandon, because I could see why Marianne might have dismissed him at first-an older, not showy man-but his strength, kindness, and let’s face it-passion simmering under the surface-what a performance. I love the scene your describe Sheila, but I also love the one where he carries Marianne in from the storm, and once she is taken from his arms, he drops to his knees.
Dear Alan, you will be sorely missed.
Maureen – George Sanders!! Yes!
I watched Sense and Sensibility again yesterday (after writing the tribute). It was later in the day, and I decided to just pull it out and re-live it. It’s been a while.
So much good stuff – and that scene of him carrying her in from the rain, and putting her down on the floor – before Hugh Laurie (his performance is great too) scoops her up and takes her off – is so so emotional. That final moment, where he’s standing there, alone, breath heaving.
He loves this woman so much and she barely notices him – but like I said: no self-pity. He just wants to be “of service” and “helpful” in this crisis – whatever he can do, he will do.
I had forgotten about the scene where he comes to speak privately with Elinor, to tell her what he knows about Willoughby. It’s just one big long monologue – could be maybe a bit … boring? … but he makes it urgent. He’s pacing far across the room from her – restless – unlike his normally upright polite position. He’s all a-wreck, and he must impart this information – which is extremely embarrassing for him (his old love affair) and he can’t get it out of his mind that he’s meddling, or gossiping, or whatever. It’s SO well done.
And he repeats himself at one point. He’s starting up to tell the story, and he says, “No doubt …” and then stops himself, gets serious, and says it another way: “No doubt you have heard of my past dealings with a certain woman.” It’s a small thing – but it helps SHAPE the scene.
One other thing about Brandon: As quiet and as polite as the man is, you believe that he was a successful Colonel, a man capable of great and courageous action. His boots. The way he walks – striding across the room to talk to the doctor – the way he leaps up onto his horse. He’s not “retiring” or “quiet” in his movements – when he needs to be big and bold, he is big and bold.
It’s a classic performance.
With that passion, as you say, simmering beneath.
Such a loss.
//One other thing about Brandon: As quiet and as polite as the man is, you believe that he was a successful Colonel, a man capable of great and courageous action.//
EXACTLY! I love that kind of quiet, low key strength-not flashy or showy, but the kind of man you would follow into battle, knowing your life was in capable hands. I love this kind of understated hero, the one that always has attracted me the most. Alan really played him to perfection, as you said-you saw the physicality of him-the leap onto the horse, the striding about, the carrying of Marianne from God knows where to the house.
I know this movie gets some grief, Emma Thompson being too old (I disagree, that is why they call it acting) but I love it.
Maureen –
Yes, his physicality was palpable in S&S – even more so than Willoughby, because Willoughby was all fire and air – Brandon was all earth. A fascinating dichotomy. But Brandon wasn’t stodgy or slow-moving – Rickman knew that this was a military man, and not of the bureaucratic behind-the-desk variety. He commanded people.
God, it’s so good – I just watched it again and I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it – 2o? And it always works.
Sheila, I actually bought it on amazon yesterday, because I lent my DVD to my daughter and couldn’t find it. As soon as he came on the screen, the tears started. One scene that really struck me, one of the last ones with Marianne, where he is reading poetry-and that voice-so gorgeous. You know how she dissed Edward because he didn’t read aloud with FEELING-and then to hear Brandon with that velvet voice, something like “what is lost, is found”, and then he says “I am away…” and both Marianne and I realized we are in love ;) When she says-you WILL come back soon, he says yes-and you see how much she trusts what he says. My experience with love is it shouldn’t be hard, it is actually easy when you find the right person (22 years of marriage), and that is the feeling I always get with them.
Hi Sheila
What a beautiful tribute to write on Alan Rickman.
“A classic fool”, that’s the sentence for me. From Love Actually.
And sincerely I loved him in Snow Cake too. Taking out the garbage from the autistic woman’s house who helps him to open up.
I think seeing Rickman in Private Lives would have been a delightful surprise, all the more unforgettable since he isn not my first choice for sophistication. But for sardonic and warm tone at the same time, the best.
And the Colonel Brandon I will always treasure will be the one who silently hears Marianne sing, then later sends her a pianoforte.
I read he had the same woman for 50 years, no kids. So on top of being an incredible actor, he was that incredible partner too.
What a good thing is for humanity to have actors, isn’t it?
Cla:
// I will always treasure will be the one who silently hears Marianne sing //
I know! So deeply thoughtful. And he listens, he pays attention, he takes notice.
I love the stories of his partnership too, long-lasting, no-fuss, deep love.
There was a travelling exhibition of film costumes that made its way to Huntsville, AL several years ago in the 90s and the center for me was Col. Brandon’s uniform and Marianne’s wedding dress from Sense and Sensibility. Alan Rickman was a big man! I am about Kate Winslet’s height and he would have towered over me! there was so much presence in that empty uniform. I listened to him read Thomas Hardy’s Return of the Native 2 years ago and it was mesmerizing. On my long communte I would at times forget where I was, just leaning into the speaker and letting that gorgeous voice weave tendrils in my mind, waking back to reality close to my journey’s end and no realization of how I had gotten there. I read yesterday that he and his partner Rima Horton married in New York last year, privately, and celebrated by walking over the Brooklyn Bridge to have lunch. He must have loved New York to have shared that special day there! I am welling over now, here at work, Ziggy Stardust and Col. Brandon in the same week, same age, same disorder. Its almost too much.
Got my dates wrong regarding the marriage, it was in 2012. Sorry! things published so soon tend to have errors. Should have fact checked. Still 2012 was not that long ago.
Gina –
// I listened to him read Thomas Hardy’s Return of the Native 2 years ago and it was mesmerizing. //
Oh my gosh, I need to check that out. Thank you, I had no idea it existed!
I love that red uniform he wears in the wedding scene – envious you got to see it! I’m not surprised to hear he was tall – he gives that impression – with all his grace, he’s a man used to taking up space, striding across rooms, etc.
Very very sad week.
Dear god, I never even considered the fact that this man would die one day. What a loss.
I know. :( So bummed out.