The film critic Chris Ryan talks about a "heat check" performance: work done by an actor who gets only four or five minutes of screen time, but who steals the show. One example is Philip Seymour Hoffman, in "The Talented Mr. Ripley."
It seems to me Maggie Smith does "heat check" work in "Richard III." This is something I recall in vivid detail, from high school. Smith is the Duchess of York, mother of Richard. She is upset because Richard has just murdered one of her other children. To some extent, she is responsible for this turn of events; after all, she is the parent. If she felt nothing for Richard, she might simply walk away. But--since she has some "family feeling" for her kid--she gives him the gift of her time. He won't listen, because he is a silver-tongued monster. And yet she asserts herself:
Hear me a little, for I will never speak to you again.
To war, take with you my most grievous curse.
On Richmond's party my prayers shall fight.
Bloody you are; bloody will be your end.
Shame serves your life, and will your death attend.
Smith takes no pleasure in these lines; they seem to injure her, as they injure her son. It almost requires a physical effort to get the curse "birthed," born. Smith's pain is audible; she doesn't seem to give herself quite enough air to say the words.
The other treat in this snippet is McKellen's face; it's clear that no one has been honest with Richard III, before this moment. Great acting, great directing.
Wow. Some nasty, nasty curse! How 'splendid' though. Go Maggie, and William, of course, though I cannot stop to think of him as gimmicky*. May they both send us blessings from above, especially on November 4th! (*I'm much more of a Dante person :-) !)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that Ian McKellen seems wounded. I could see another actor trying to hide the wounded-ness after the curse. Also interesting to think of prayers "fighting" in a war. And shame as a servant.
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