I've always been impressed by the performances of British screen actors... Jack Hawkins, John Mills, Roger Livesley, Sean Connery, even Rita Tushingham... have ALL, at one time or another shown the uncanny ability to not ACT a part, but actually BECOME the characters they portrayed.
The all time grand prize for this sort of transformation goes to Alec Guiness, both in BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, but even more so in TUNES OF GLORY.
The final officer's briefing that Guiness, as Colonel "Jock" Sinclair, gives concerning the funeral arrangements for Colonel Barrow, is ELECTRIFYING! In five minutes of screen time we see a man completely change from a self confident military officer to an emotionally disturbed wreck of a human being. It's FRIGHTENING, and the ne plus ultra of the actor's craft.
The film itself is EXCELLENT, but Guiness's performance is the capstone.
The all time grand prize for this sort of transformation goes to Alec Guiness, both in BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, but even more so in TUNES OF GLORY.
The final officer's briefing that Guiness, as Colonel "Jock" Sinclair, gives concerning the funeral arrangements for Colonel Barrow, is ELECTRIFYING! In five minutes of screen time we see a man completely change from a self confident military officer to an emotionally disturbed wreck of a human being. It's FRIGHTENING, and the ne plus ultra of the actor's craft.
The film itself is EXCELLENT, but Guiness's performance is the capstone.