The Best British Actors are Hogwarts Professors

ABC Family has been showing a Harry Potter marathon on tv. This brings several things to mind, the first of which is that every. single. stinkin'. commercial. on ABC Family's Harry Potter Marathon is CHRISTMAS related. So irritating. Come on people -- not only is it not December yet, it's not even Thanksgiving. Have a little respect. And, seriously, how can you not get burned out on Christmas when you celebrate it for 6 solid weeks?


Secondly, and maybe more important for the post I'm about to write, is that while watching all these movies it is washing over me that pretty much every major British actor is a Hogwarts professor. I would bet that the Hogwarts professors collectively represent the most impressive assemblage of talent ever. Add in other miscellaneous grown-ups in the Harry Potter movies, and I'm sure of it.


Now, this is not a piece of insight that has gone unnoticed by others. So what can I add to the blogosphere on this point? You guessed it. I just really can't help myself when it comes to ranking things, so here I go with The very best Hogwarts professors as portrayed by the very best British actors.


1. Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. Not only is he amazingly funny and sexy and entertaining in this role, but he just really "gets" the character of Snape. Rickman has embodied the evilness and pain so thoroughly I can hardly remember the way I imagined this character in my mind before Rickman took it over. He is and will always be Snape.



2. Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn. Mesmerizing. I can't seem to tear my eyes from Slughorn anytime he is onscreen -- which is, unfortunately far too seldom. His performance is touching and funny, charming and vulnerable; its not even that he makes Slughorn likeable, but just so damned compelling. He makes me love Slughorn in a way I never thought I would.


3. Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagal. She has it all. Great accent. Distance. Harshness masking a deep level of care. Brusk and brilliant, McGonagal has to be one of the best Harry Potter characters ever. And Smith is, as always, just flawless in her acting.

4. David Thewlis as Professor Lupin. As with Rickman/Snape, Thewlis inhabits this role in a very special way. He makes Lupin extremely appealing and sympathetic with a tremendous warm charm. I long for more of him in the movies -- but the character is unfortunately underutilized.



5.  Richard Harris as Dumbledore I. By far the better of the two Dumbledores, Harris has the lightness and wisdom down in this fleeting flitting sort of role. I don't think the physical requirements of Dumbledore are really possible for a human actor -- old and frail but light and sprightly, long and skinny, quick and sharp. Harris comes as close as you can get.

6. Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney. This is one of those rare cases when an actor makes the role better on screen than it ever was in the book. Emma Thompson is perfection as a sparkly, huge-eyed, nervous mystic. She is brilliant.





7. Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid. Coltrane's best contribution to Hagrid is his voice. I hear him every time I think of Hagrid or read Rowling's words. Coltrane has the innocent monster thing in droves. Hagrid is one of the best things about Harry Potter and seeing him brought to life so well is priceless.





8. Brendan Gleeson as Mad Eye Moody. Mad Eye is a very strange sort of fellow. Not exactly cool, not exactly likeable, definitely scary and hard to understand. Gleeson manages to bring all of that to the forefront and deal well with the duality of not even really being Mad Eye, but an impostor. His performance is funny and powerful. Excellent.

9. Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge. It is hard to even write the word "Umbridge" without a shudder. So much evil and cruelty packed into one tiny little sugarcoated body. Staunton is perfectly hateable.


 
10. Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart. Branagh's take on Lockhart was not what I was expecting; I had something totally different in mind when I read the book. His idea was better. Much better. Such smarmyness. Such glibness. So smooth and ridiculous. Exceptionally well done!

11. Michael Gambon as Dumbledore II. I am a big fan of Michael Gambon. Just not a big fan of him as Dumbledore. That said, his performances in these movies are wonderful. They just don't convey "Dumbledore" to me. Still, they do convey a very impressive wizard who I have actually come to like a great deal anyway (if that makes sense).


12. Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick. The movie-makers did a strange thing to Warwick Davis & Flitwick -- they made him old; then they made him young. They even made him a choir director. Davis is exceptional because in all of these different iterations he is good! and enjoyable to watch.


13. Gemma Jones as Madam Pomfrey. Great actress! Pretty minimal role. Poppy never really gets to shine in the movies, though Gemma is so lovely and engaging, when she is around she always sparkles.




14. Zoe Wanamaker as Madam Hooch. Even these really small parts like Hooch and Sprout get great performances in the movies. Wanamaker is exactly how I pictured Madam Hooch. She embodies butch gym teacher -- I guess that exists even in the wizarding world.

15. Miriam Margolyes as Professor Sprout. And finally Professor Sprout. Not a whole lot for Margolyes to do; but glad she is here to round out the team.

The Best British Period Drama of All Time

Because I am an idiot and was spending all my time thinking about what I was going to vote for, I missed my actual opportunity to vote in Anglophenia's poll of the Best British TV Drama of All Time.

It's just as well really, because I somehow failed to notice that the poll was for best TV Drama. My brain somehow read that as best "Period Drama". Wishful thinking I suppose. So, my ultimate choice, which I gave a lot of pointless thought to, was a period drama that is not a TV show but a movie!

However, since I stood ready to justify it to Anglophenia, I will justify it now to you. My thoroughly biased and unscientific decision about the best British period drama of all time: Gosford Park.

This will come as a surprise to anyone who knows how much I love Jane Austen. Why, when there are so many incredible Austen adaptations, would I not choose one of them? I think Gosford Park wins in large part for the reason that it is NOT an adaptation. Whereas Jane Austen adaptations (or any other literary adaptation) stands or falls in part on the merits of the book. Austen adaptations are brilliant because Austen was brilliant -- her work then molded and compressed and made to fit the modern audience and modern format that is either TV or film -- while Gosford Park is brilliant and whole entirely on its own strengths.

What I mean to say is that, written and produced as a period drama specifically for film, Gosford Park feels complete as the expression of an artistic vision brought perfectly to life as it was imagined.

When I think of something that is visually superb, evocative of a particular time period, impeccably acted, witty, fresh and beautifully directed and filmed, I cannot think of anything that, on the whole, outshines Gosford Park. Its social commentary, emotional pull and great character-driven plot provide layers of viewing interest. The juxtaposition of class structure on top of a clever murder mystery was a stroke of brilliance.

And the cast has to be one of the best assembled ensembles I've ever seen.  Anything with Maggie Smith AND Helen Mirren in it gets big time points. Claudie Blakely (also of He Knew He Was Right, Lark Rise to Candleford and the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film) is fast becoming one of my all time favorite British actresses. Her performances are always heartfelt, deep, earnest and likeable. And don't even get me started on Michael Gambon, Jeremy Northam and Clive Owen.

So there it is: the answer to the question that nobody asked!


"The Best British Period Drama of All Time." LostinBritishTV

The Five Best Things About Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.

A short time ago I posted my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. After watching it a second time, I found a few more things to love, so I decided to update my list and make it an "even" Five Things I Loved About Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The first three I already mentioned in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows is Excellent, but the Ending is A Little Disappointing

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1. Neville Longbottom became a god. Seriously, this kid gets some great moments and it means so much having seen where he came from in this series. So proud of Neville!

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 2. Alan Rickman demonstrates extraordinary acting talent. His gift is stunning. The voice, the timing, the emotion. I will never be able to think of Snape without seeing Rickman's performance in my head. His acting was magical. 

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3. Professor McGonagall makes one excellent badass. Nuff said.

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4. Michael Gambon redeemed himself completely as Dumbledore. So the thing is, Dumbledore, as written in the books, is a quirky, brilliant, light, sparkly, childlike, secretive, sweet and deep character. In the first two Harry Potter movies, I thought  Richard Harris was great at expressing these qualities. Michael Gambon is a fantastic actor, but when he took over the role in the third movie after the death of Harris, I don't think he really understood Dumbledore. I didn't like where he took him. In some scenes he was downright intense and angry -- something Dumbledore just isn't. Here, Gambon, in the sequence at Kings' Cross and in the pensieve, finally brings the kind of Dumbledore I've been longing for from him. 

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 5. Ciaran Hinds as Aberforth Dubledore. He so effectively suggested the sibling relationship between Aberforth and Albus, I was half convinced through most of the movie that Michael Gambon was playing both roles. Nice work.

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6. Jim Broadbent. OK, I know he only gets about 30 seconds of screen time in this  movie, but whenever he is in the field of view I am mesmerized. He makes Professor Slughorn one of my all time favorite Potter characters.

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7. Just deserving a brief mention (yes, I see that I am up to 7 now; I am not very good at holding myself to my rules), is Helena Bonham Carter's Hermione on Polyjuice Potion as Belatrix. She was hilarious.

Unfortunately the ending of this movie is still a let down. From the beginning of the movie, up to about the point where Neville confronts Voldemort, this is a wonderful film, but then it just starts to feel disappointing. Too much attention is placed on powerful special effects and spectacle and the underlying human, er wizard, story gets lost.

I'm unhappy that Snape is never publicly vindicated. And that no one is around to witness Voldemort's downfall. Even the duel between Molly Weasley and Belatrix LeStrange felt flat and unexciting. Further, we wanted to see some house elves fighting!

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Emma Cubed. Four Emma Adaptations -- all Acting Performances Graded

I have had so much fun with Emma lately, I wasn't quite ready to give her up. Having now formed opinions on the performances of most of the actors and actresses in most of the key roles in all four adaptations, I've decided to go ahead and rank 'em!

For my review and comparison of the overall quality of the adaptations see  "So Many Emmas, So Little Time."


Emma Woodhouse
A four way tie. All the actresses are good in this role and I enjoy various things about each, but none truly satisfies what I want to see in the title role of Emma. Each has some flaw in her performance that is too distracting to overlook. 

Gwyneth Paltrow (1996 Movie) is too languid and aristocratic for my taste and I find her voice to be a distraction. Kate Beckinsale (1996 TV) is excellent in many ways, but snooty and not very likeable. I don't find Doran Godwin (1972) as problematic as many others do, but she is too theatrical and overblown. And, although Romola Garai (2009) is very appealing in general, I find her eye rolling, scowling and insecurity too modern a take on this character that makes her seem not so much young, as juvenile. They all rate a B+

 Too aristocratic                         Too snooty/unlikable        Too many odd facial tics        Too modern&juvenile

 Mr. Knightley

 
1. Jonny Lee Miller (2009). He is simply excellent. I can hardly picture anyone else in the role after seeing him. He completely inhabits Mr. Knightley and brings every characteristic I want to see: strength, care, gentlemanliness, importance, friendly openness, but just a touch of stress that comes from great responsibility. Everything. A+

2. Jeremy Northam (1996 Movie). Clearly a beautiful man, maybe a touch too much for this part. He brings a very relaxed quality to Knightley and is kind and accessible. Very gentlemanlike, no doubt. But, there is no romantic tension in this version because it is inconceivable that someone wouldn't notice and fancy him.  A



3. John Carson (1972). Carson's performance is wonderful in this role, though he gets overlooked. He has a wonderfully caring, slightly paternalistic, very grown-up charm that I appreciate. However, he really is too old (relative to his leading lady) to pull off this role.     A-



4. Mark Strong (1996 TV). He brings a more passionate and intense style of Knightley than the others. I like him, but am troubled that he doesn't seem to like Emma for most of the picture. By the end, he becomes more appealing. B+


 
Mr. Woodhouse

1. Michael Gambon (2009). His performance is unbelievably touching and heartrending. He brings the sweet silly earnest adorability of Mr. Woodhouse, adding so much to the story. I would watch it again and again just to see him. Perfect acting. A+


2. Bernard Hepton (1996 TV). I enjoyed his performance in this role too. He is very enjoyable and gets the role entirely. He is allowed to be funny and poignant and some of his moments with Miss Bates are the best in the film.   A

 
3. Donald Eccles (1972). I definitely like his dottering-old-man-ness. He is funny, but almost more pathetic than loveable. You can see his frailness, but very little charm. His performance is good, but not a very likeable one. Its easy to see why his Emma (Doran Godwin) gets fed up with him sometimes. B+


4. Denys Hawthorne (1996 Movie). This characterization is entirely forgettable. It is a shame, because Mr. Woodhouse can be the backbone of the Emma story - her relationship to her father is one of the things that makes her likable in spite of her faults. This Mr. Woodhouse is given almost nothing to work with.   C.


Miss Bates
This is a tough one! Wow, we have some wonderful performances. The tiniest slightest edge goes to . . .

1. Sophie Thompson (1996 Movie). She is incredible in this role. So touching, that simply thinking about her performance can bring me to tears. Her performance is quintessential Miss Bates and it would take a lot to dislodge it from my brain. Amazing acting.  A+


2. Tamsin Greig (2009). She is also outstanding. If anyone could come close to dislodging Sophie Thompson, it is Tamsin Greig. She is touching and heart rending as well. I care about her and like her. Wonderful acting. A+

[It is interesting that the two actresses above are in their early/mid 30s in this role and the two actresses below are in their 60s. Its a funny split. I like them all, but think the younger age suits the character better.]


3. Prunella Scales (1996 TV) turns in a wonderful performance as Miss Bates. She is funny and touching. This is a tough field, because all the actresses do a fantastic job in the role. She lacks that extra something powerful that Tamsin and Sophie bring. But she is a wonderful Miss Bates too.   A

4. Constance Chapman (1972) seems old enough to be Mrs. Bates, rather than Miss, and feels unsuited for this role -- though I'm not sure Jane Austen ever says anything about the age of Miss Bates, so I guess she could be 60ish. In any case, I think she gives a fine and touching performance as well.   A-


Harriet Smith
 
1. Louise Dylan (2009). She is excellent; great look and performance. She brings out the prettiness, sweetness, pliability and slight stubbornness, but allows us to like Harriet and not really worry about her or think about her all that much. You can see why Emma would go out of her way to pay attention to this Harriet, but you can also see that Harriet would better be left alone to live a simple life. Great job. A

2. Debbie Bowen (1972). This Harriet is a fine one, though not superb. She is a bit interesting, a bit annoying. At times she seems quite pretty and appealing. She shows  huge amount of deference to Emma, which is a good thing and makes for a nice little sidekick.  B+


3. Samantha Morton (1996 TV). Also a nice performance, though a bit irritating. I like how she looks, though she gets too cloying and pushy. She is sweet enough, but I honestly don't know why Emma gives a crap what this Harriet is doing.   B



4. Toni Collette (1996 Movie). This is my least favorite Harriet. I don't know why exactly, she just irritates me. I don't like it when she is on screen. She seems big and horsey, which may seem like a mean thing to say, and I am not usually mean, but I don't think she is suited to this role. I just want to slap her. I think Harriet should be simple, sweet, likeable, but not worthy of too much consideration. I truly can't fathom why Gwyneth Paltrow is hanging out with her.     B-


Frank Churchill
1. Rupert Evans (2009). Perfect Frank. He really sells the role. He is  charming and superficial but there is also a depth to him that is interesting enough to want to get to know him better. It is hard to play the role because Frank, himself, has to be a good actor; the actor who plays him has to be doubly good and manage to suggest that Frank is in fact acting, without giving anything away. Rupert does just that. A+

2. Raymond Coulhard (1996 TV) has a different take on Frank, but a very nice one. He is very sparky and seductive - a real dandy on the surface. But he is also played with depth and interest that I like. He and Emma (Kate Beckinsale) have great chemistry; unfortunately, far better than hers with Mr. Knightley in this one.   A

 
3. Ewan McGregor (1996 Movie). Its crazy to say this, because Ewan McGregor is a hotty and a good actor, but he is a boring Frank Churchill. He just doesn't bring anything special to the role and is fairly forgettable. I'm not sure that's his fault or the screenwriters, but its a disappointment. There is little chemistry between Emma (Gwyneth) and Frank and that makes their relationship boring.  B


4. Robert East (1972). I like the way he plays Frank: warm and sophisticated. His manners are wonderful, but he has exaggerated expressions that are somewhat irritating. This Frank is very capable but not quite desirable enough. Still he and Doran have a nice easy chemistry that I like.  B


Jane Fairfax

1. Olivia Williams (1996 TV). She is perfect as Jane Fairfax! She has a calm understated elegance. She is all about perfect propriety and gentleness. But there is a deeper intelligence about this character that makes you know there is more than meets the eye. Olivia really brings it to the role.   A+ 

[I think its interesting that the rest of these Janes are played with a bit of an accent. Is this an intentional choice to make Jane seem more cosmopolitan? Also, my 2nd and 3rd choice Janes have a very similar look with their heart shaped little faces and huge round eyes.]

2. Laura Piper (2009).  She is good. One of my favorite scenes in any Emma is where she is talking to Emma about being wearied in spirit; Laura's performance is touching and always plays through my mind when I think of Jane.  A-
 
3. Ania Marson (1972). I think she is a bit too short tempered and harsh. She certainly gets across the worry and angst of the character, but not so much of the delicacy and sweetness.  B

4. Polly Walker (1996 Movie). Other than the fact she is gorgeous, she brings little to the role. She just sits there trying not to look too insanely sexy- which is hard to do, so I should give her credit for it. I can't remember anything about her performance, other than her physical presence.  B-


Mr. Elton

 
1. Blake Ritson (2009) does it all! He makes Elton funny, but still sexy. Understandable with a nice depth to his character, but someone you don't really like. Although he is comic relief, he isn't superficial. This is a fabulous performance. Absolutely fabulous.   A+


 
2. Timothy Peters (1972). He brings a good understanding of what drives Elton -- playing him in a serious way, rather than for laughs. He's not totally repulsive, just misguided and self-interested. I think he adds a lot to the production.  He's almost likeable if he weren't so smarmy.  A- 



 
3. Alan Cumming (1996 Movie) plays Elton to great comic effect. Unfortunately, you don't get a deeper feel for him as a character. He is great and enjoyable, and in that way adds a lot to the production, but I feel like he is given short-shrift in this production.   A-



4. Dominic Rowan (1996 TV). He plays the character as if he has a mouthful of marbles. Yes, smarmy is good for Elton, but not so much that we can't figure out why anyone would see him as a good catch.  Still, he makes a really good partner to Mrs. Elton and he comes alive in those scenes.  Overall, B+


Mrs. Elton

Mrs. Elton is another character, like Miss Bates, that must be so fun for actresses to play; there is a lot to work with and all of these actresses turn in performances that are funny and fun.


1. Lucy Robinson (1996 TV) is perfect. She personifies this role. She makes it funny and you feel just the tiniest bit sorry for her. She reaches deep and grabs that bit of humanity -- and then pulls it out and throws sarcasm on top. It is a treat to hate her.  A+

2. Fiona Walker (1972) has to be one of the best parts of the 1972 adaptation. She has such a great expression of distaste and such wonderful bossiness toward Jane.  Really livens things up when she's around.  A

3. Juliet Stevenson (1996 Movie). Another wonderful take on Mrs. Elton.  She is unfortunately married to the most ridiculous of all the Elton's making it harder to fully develop her own humor and character. And she's also got the worst Jane to work with, so I think she suffers a bit.  A-

4. Christina Cole (2009). She gets to play so many of these unpleasant foils! (She's also gotten to be Caroline Bingley and Blanche Ingram.) She is wonderful here as well, using basic acid as her weapon of choice.  A-



 
That's enough! If pressed (right) I could probably continue this discussion with thoughts on John Knightly, Mrs and Mr Weston and Robert Martin, but I think it's time to close. So... here are the tallys:

The 2009 adaptation has most of my first place ratings - with 5. The 1996 TV adaptation has two first place rankings, the 1996 Movie has one and 1972 has none. But, lets not leave it there. With a bit more analysis, we can find out exactly how these 4 adaptations rank in terms of overall casting depth! (At least as far as these 9 main starring and supporting roles are concerned). 

So, I've given these actors grades' the standard point values on a gpa scale and tallied it all up.

Points  For the grade:
4.3       A+
4.0       A
3.7       A-
3.3       B+
3.0       B
2.7       B-
2.0       C

• The 2009 Adaptation (staring Romola Garai) wins the All Around Best-Casted Production Award with a CPA* of 4.067. Well done!
• In second place, with a CPA of 3.767 is the 1996 Television adaptation starring Kate Beckinsale. 
• Third place goes to our sleeper adaptation, the 1972 BBC television production starring Doran Godwin. Wow. Its CPA is a strong 3.267.
• Even the last place, 1996 feature film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, gets a respectable 3.20 CPA, which is equivalent to about a B+. Not bad at all.

*Casting Points Average ! ha

Well, Emma, it has been a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Good night for now; see all you adaptations again in a year or so.


"Emma Cubed. Four Emma Adaptations -- all Acting Performances Graded" LostinBritishTV