Posts tagged richard morant
and all manner of utterly unrelated nonsensical ephemera
A match made in heaven.
I completely agree. <3
(A match made on trial for murder.)
And not forgetting Richard Morant as Bunter—the reason I watched the series in the first place. :(
(via idlesuperstar)
On 9 November 2011, the world sadly lost Richard Morant; I’ve posted about him a few times before, and how his performance as Lawrence “Titus” Oates in The Last Place on Earth made it difficult for me to separate the actor from the man he portrayed. I held both of them in very high esteem, in any case.
I just listened to a little snippet from the audio book of Geraldine McCaughrean’s The White Darkness—which my fellow polar geek threeoranges was kind enough to recommend to me—because Mr. Morant reprised the role of Oates in that as well; I’m not sure if I’m ready to listen to the whole thing—though I’ve already read the book—because when I recently watched The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), just seeing Mr. Morant in the relatively minor role of Robespierre brought tears to my eyes.
Yes, I’m being a silly emotional fangirl over people I will never meet…but I don’t think it’s necessarily important to interact with the individuals who inspire us, as much as it is to take that positive influence & use it to be a force for good in others’ lives. After all, if you keep that positive karma flowing, what could be a better tribute to their memory? (I also guarantee you will not find a more ridiculously highfalutin rationalization for fangirling anytime soon.)
John Charles Dollman, A Very Gallant Gentleman, 1913.
Exactly one hundred years ago today, the noblest of men walked into a blizzard, sacrificing himself in hopes that his companions would have a better chance of survival without him. Last November, the actor who played this very gallant gentleman unexpectedly passed away, and I’ve been putting off writing this post ever since…as if I could somehow forestall the truth simply by not writing the words.
Today I grieve for them both.
lilianavonk replied to your post: NEVER STOP WITH THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL POSTS. I think I’ve had a crush on Chauvelin ever since I was 10.I’m lovin’ this too, esp. since it’s the oeuvre of which I’m fondest (80’s British costume dramas)—I’ve just added this to my Netflix queue too! Mainly cos of your liveblogging, but also cos I saw Richard Morant is in it (evidently as Robespierre).I love 80s costumes dramas…almost as much as I love 90s costume dramas.
Completely *flailing* at this, apropos of my previous Tumblr post re: my enduring affection for Mr. Morant. CINEMAOCD IS DA BOMB!! :D
Gorgeous silk bedcushions from the Richard Morant Gallery, Notting Hill, London.
Lately I’ve been rewatching Poldark—one of my favorite shows when I was growing up (which has stood the test of time remarkably well, unlike some other British tv programs from the 1970’s)—and apart from adoring Mr. Morant in his role as Dr. Dwight Enys therein, his unforgettable portrayal of Lawrence “Titus” Oates in The Last Place on Earth (Granada, 1985) means that I’ve always wondered if I would burst into tears and want to fling my arms around him if I ever met him; I’m not sure there are many—if any—other actors who would elicit that reaction from me.
His performance so closely conforms to my internal image of who Oates actually was as a person that I can overlook the production’s reliance on Roland Huntford’s despicably biased “biography” of Captain R.F. Scott and hence contains numerous errors in historical accuracy—including having rewritten Oates’ immortal final words of, “I am just going outside and may be some time” as the infinitely less poetic, “Call of nature, Birdie.”
Mr. Morant and some of the other actors—Stephen Moore and Sylvester McCoy in particular—truly elevate the flawed script and convey such a solid sense of who these incredibly brave explorers actually were that I probably will forever associate him with that most heroically self-sacrificing of men. As a consequence, the next time I’m in London I would love to pop along to his gallery and see if there’s anything there I can afford (unlikely as that is). I’ve met enough famous people to be fairly blasé about the experience, but he’s one of the few I would be genuinely excited to meet, even if chances are good that I would embarrass myself. I’m sure he would react with the kind of grace that typifies his work as an actor.
