RIP Alan Rickman

[MisterGlass]

Such a talented actor.  There aren't many people who can ace roles in Sense and Sensibility, Die Hard, and Galaxy Quest.

 

Rest in peace.

[Spartan Girl]

We're doing an Alan Rickman thread? Sweet!

I loved him in HP. He was so perfect as Snape that he could have come straight out of the books.

And even though he was notable for playing villains, I really loved his comedic roles in Dogma and Galaxy Quest. Haven't seen Sense and Sensibility yet, but I'm going to rent it this weekend to see Colonel Brandon for myself.

[Athena]

Some smaller movies I liked him in were: Truly, Madly, Deeply and Snow Cake. Both of which he acted less more sweetly and quietly rather than his villainous style Hollywood is use to. I have been wondering the last couple of years why he hasn't been as active since he always seemed to be constantly working on stage or film. I will miss him and his voice.

[Danny Franks]

I've never watched Harry Potter, but if I had, it would have been because of Alan Rickman.

 

The first movie I saw him in was Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and he was amazing. Evil and loathsome yet hysterically funny, with perfect delivery of every line. Even as a 10 year old, I recognised he was really, really good at what he did.

 

Then, everything I've seen him in since, he's been the best thing in it. That's some achievement, when you consider he's done comedies with legitimate comedians as easily as he's played heavy dramatic or romantic roles. He could do absolutely anything, and have you believe it. The guy who threatened to cut Locksley's heart out with a spoon and shot Mr. Takagi in the head is going to be the romantic lead of a Jane Austen adaptation? Okay, I buy it.

 

I remember when The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy was being made, and Alan Rickman was the only choice to voice Marvin. Who else could have done that character justice? Have vested him with that much weight and pathos, as the gloomy robot? 

[Princess Sparkle]

We're doing an Alan Rickman thread? Sweet!

I loved him in HP. He was so perfect as Snape that he could have come straight out of the books.

And even though he was notable for playing villains, I really loved his comedic roles in Dogma and Galaxy Quest. Haven't seen Sense and Sensibility yet, but I'm going to rent it this weekend to see Colonel Brandon for myself.

Galaxy Quest is, hands down, my favorite role of his.  I watched it last night and may have burst into tears when he very sincerely says "By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged."

 

And like you, I also loved him in Dogma.  There is some story that Kevin Smith told a while back where he said that this was the only movie where Jason Mewes (Jay) memorized all his lines before the first day, because he didn't want to make Alan Rickman mad.  He also said the only two questions Alan Rickman had after reading the script were "Will we stay faithful to the script?" and "Are the wings real or CGI?"  And as someone who went to college in Wisconsin, his line of "Oh Bartleby?  Was Wisconsin really THAT bad?" has always been a favorite of mine.

 

Not that I'm surprised, but it's so nice to see that out of all the memories his costars have shared of him, it sounds like he was a truly lovely and kind man.  In particular, I thought Daniel Radcliffe's tribute was so touching.    

 

I'll also share two pieces from the New Yorker that I liked about him: their cartoon tribute, and a piece about why we remember his portrayal of Hans Gruber so fondly.

[VCRTracking]

I love this anecdote Rickman told last year on how he changed the script for Robin Hood Prince of Thieves with the help of two friends:

 

Alan Rickman has admitted to going behind the backs of scriptwriters and rewriting lines with the help of his friends for his Bafta winning performance in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

The British actor made the admission as he spoke on stage at the Bafta headquarters at an event celebrating his career.

Rickman, who played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, undertook the role of the malevolent Sheriff in the 1991 blockbuster Robin Hood.

Speaking on stage, he told the audience that one conversation in the "terrible" script with two women was actually the work of his friends Ruby Wax and Peter Barnes.

Rickman said he met Barnes in a branch of Pizza Express, according to The Times. “I said, ‘Will you have a look at this script because it’s terrible, and I need some good lines.’ So he did, and, you know, with kind of pizza and bacon and egg going all over the script.”

Barnes then edited a scene where his character would have been running down a corridor, telling him:“You should have a wench in a doorway, and then you should say, ‘You. My room, 10.30,’ and then turn to the other wench and say, ‘You, 10.45’.”

He said Wax later added: "And bring a friend.” The lines were then secretly added in by the director, Kevin Reynolds.

“Nobody knew this was happening except him," Rickman continued. "And I knew it had worked because as I cleared the camera I saw about 80 members of the crew just go [mimed trying not to laugh].”

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/alan-rickman-admits-editing-terrible-script-with-friends-in-pizza-hut-behind-backs-of-writers-on-10185726.html

[raezen]

When the news came out my sister texted me "Prof Snape died!" And I replied "Nope. The Sheriff of Nottingham died."

[BooBear]

Galaxy Quest is, hands down, my favorite role of his.  I watched it last night and may have burst into tears when he very sincerely says "By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged.".

Yes I think that is my favorite. Something about his good cheer and empathy for the aliens all the while Tim Allen is getting the limelight. But I also adored Hans Gruber. I loved Die Hard so much I even made sure to stay at the hotel next to the building that stood in for Nakatomi Plaza. I think even with Gruber the essential humanity(?) compassion was there... even while he acted like he hated everything. The only role I didn't love him in was Sense and Sensibility just because I thought he did come off too old. But he definitely made that role much better for him being in it.

[VCRTracking]

I LOVE the scene in Galaxy Quest where they're going down to the planet in a shuttle and Guy(Sam Rockwell) is freaking out because he's the "extra crew member who always dies" and he thinks he's going to be killed! He's crying and holding Sigourney Weaver's hand yelling "Mommy! MOMMY!" while Rickman as Alexander Dane is just full of disdain reacting to this and dryly asks "Are we there yet?"

[Spartan Girl]

So I finally watched Sense and Sensibility, and now I can see for myself why Alan Rickman's Colonel Brandon was one of his best performances. This was a character that could have fallen into the Nice Guy trope, but didn't. He knew from the beginning Marianne wasn't interested in him because of his age, and he accepted it pretty much immediately. When he found out she was seeing Willoughby he was hurt but remained cordial and pleasant: he even extended the picnic invitation to Willoughby and didn't use it as a ploy to get close to Marianne.

Most importantly, when he found out Willloughby was a cad -- and the very guy who impregnated his ward -- he didn't expose him for the sole reason that Marianne was engaged to him (or so he thought) and bringing the scandal to light would have just humiliated her. And he wanted her to be happy. So he kept his mouth shut.

Throughout the whole movie he cared for Marianne without expecting a damn thing in return. THAT is a bonafide gentleman, and Alan Rickman played it beautifully.

[Sandman]

There's a moment in the movie version of Sense and Sensibility that always struck me as owing its tender ambiguity to Rickman's portrayal of the Colonel. Though there's no real support for it in the text of the novel, I've been tempted to suspect that the Colonel offers Edward the living at Delaford parsonage in order that he may marry the person he really loves (Elinor), rather than the simpering schemer he foolishly became engaged to. Something about Rickman's reading of the line about "the impolitic cruelty of attempting to divide two young people long attached to one another" always make me think the Colonel has sussed out where Edward's affections truly lie.

 

There are so many moments in the movie that Rickman plays so beautifully.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Sandman

[GreekGeek]

I LOVE the scene in Galaxy Quest where they're going down to the planet in a shuttle and Guy(Sam Rockwell) is freaking out because he's the "extra crew member who always dies" and he thinks he's going to be killed! He's crying and holding Sigourney Weaver's hand yelling "Mommy! MOMMY!" while Rickman as Alexander Dane is just full of disdain reacting to this and dryly asks "Are we there yet?"

I finally watched this movie yesterday for the first time. My favorite moments are when he's trying to eat the plate of spiders that the aliens have fixed for him, and saying, "Like Mother used to make." The other was a sad moment when one of the aliens was dying, and he said,"By Grabthar's hammer, by the Suns of Warvan, you shall be avenged" with genuine sorrow.

Edited January 18, 2016 by GreekGeek

[VCRTracking]

Found this great old Entertainment Weekly article about Alan Rickman from August 1991, about the time he was getting raves for stealing scenes in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. If I didn't already like him the last two paragraphs would seal the deal:

 

Onstage, Rickman is known for his serious dramatic work, but movie audiences now know him best for pop entertainments like Die Hard and Robin Hood. He refuses to indulge in condescending comparisons between the two worlds: ”I love the act of filming,” he says. ”I’m like a child with a new toy. I’d like to take what I can from Hollywood, and whatever it is one wants to do in England, and put them together.”

Then he adds, somewhat surprisingly, ”I do feel more myself in America. I can regress there, and they have roller-coaster parks. My idea of a real treat is Magic Mountain without standing in line.”

 

[proserpina65]

Found this great old Entertainment Weekly article about Alan Rickman from August 1991, about the time he was getting raves for stealing scenes in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. If I didn't already like him the last two paragraphs would seal the deal:

I still have that article filed away in a filing cabinet somewhere.  Yes, I AM a devotee of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

[VCRTracking]

I love the story Kate Winslet tells:

[Sandman]

I loved Juliet Stevenson's reminiscence about him, which comes up in the related videos linked to VCRTracking's post above, too.

[DollEyes]

 Another one of Rickman's best roles was as the villainous Judge Turpin in the big-screen version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, starring Johnny Depp in the title role and directed by Tim Burton back when they made great movies together. One of the best scenes was Rickman & Depp's duet on "Pretty Women," which proved that as great as Rickman's speaking voice was, his singing voice was even better:

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJUr7jMpKTs

[Demented Daisy]

Today would have been his 70th birthday.  Still sad about his passing.

[DollEyes]

Alan Rickman has a voice-over role in Through the Looking Glass,  out May 27th, which is the  sequel to the live-action version of Alice In Wonderland.

[Demented Daisy]

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2016/04/denver-comic-con-honors-alan-rickman-with-snape-ricot-beer/

Edited April 28, 2016 by Demented Daisy
Still trying to get used to this....