|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Jul 18, 2023 3:07:42 GMT
I was quite surprised to see that we didn't have a dedicated thread for his acting talents! For me, what prompted this thread was randomly scrolling through Instagram this morning and seeing a photo from 2007 of him and his daughter, Matilda (with Michelle Williams). I know this probably sounds weird (as I know/knew none of these people personally), but I suddenly just felt inconsolable... I think it was because I was wondering if she has any memories of him at all... she was only 2 when he died. Anyway... I'm sorry for my tangent. Of course he will live forever through his performances in Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight (he's almost like Vivien Leigh in this way, right?), but please do share your thoughts... What would you say are his key films outside of those two? Trivia: His directorial debut was going to be a film adaptation of 'The Queen's Gambit' - he was a huge chess aficianado! Also: Bon Iver wrote this song in tribute to him - Perth was his hometown.
|
|
|
Post by mikediastavrone96 on Jul 18, 2023 3:19:02 GMT
Will likely return to this thread to say more about Ledger's incredible burgeoning talent, but after his 2 obvious all-time performances the first thing I think about is him performing one of my favorite grand romantic gestures in film history:
|
|
|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Jul 18, 2023 17:39:15 GMT
I guess I'll take a stab at his 10 most essential movies...
10 Things I Hate About You The Patriot A Knight's Tale Monster's Ball Ned Kelly Brokeback Mountain Candy I'm Not There The Dark Knight The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
What do you think?
I haven't seen Two Hands, The Four Feathers, or Lords of Dogtown - I guess I'll try to see those soon. I have seen The Brothers Grimm... I wish I hadn't.
Edit: After seeing Two Hands, there's no way I wouldn't include it on a list of this type. See it by any means necessary!
|
|
|
Post by stephen on Jul 18, 2023 19:15:55 GMT
I guess I'll take a stab at his 10 most essential movies... 10 Things I Hate About You The Patriot A Knight's Tale Monster's Ball Ned Kelly Brokeback Mountain Candy I'm Not There The Dark Knight The Imaginarium of Doctor ParnassusWhat do you think? I haven't seen Two Hands, The Four Feathers, or Lords of Dogtown - I guess I'll try to see those soon. I have seen The Brothers Grimm... I wish I hadn't. Yeah, I'd say those are probably his most essential films, though I'd probably slot Lords of Dogtown in there somewhere. Mayyyyyyybe over I'm Not There. if you're watching it for Ledger specifically, because I think that's easily his weakest performance (despite it being probably the best film on this list, give or take the Nolan). As for Ledger himself, yeah, massively promising talent who could very well have challenged DiCaprio as the last true movie star we have. Ledger had the looks, the talent, and he was willing to take a lot more risks with his career and image. Plus he was looking to branch out into directing. I actually envision something of a '90s Mel Gibson run for him if he'd survived. Plus he was courting big auteurs like Malick and the Coens at the time he died. I think his partnership with Nolan would've continued, as it's likely he'd be in Inception instead of either Gordon-Levitt or even DiCaprio himself (that Joker performance really would've galvanized the fuck out of his career like a rocket), and I wonder if some of the other big dogs like Scorsese would've gone for him as well.
|
|
|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Jul 18, 2023 20:01:28 GMT
stephen - Totally get where you're coming from with I'm Not There - I'm not sure I would have included it myself had I not watched the documentary I Am Heath Ledger. But, his friends and family say that the film (and his work with Charlotte Gainsbourg) was very much "art imitating life" - mirroring his own drug abuse and the subsequent end of his partnership with Michelle Williams. For people who are interested at all in his personal life (and when stars die tragically young, that often becomes much of the talking point) - I'd say it's essential. Also, even though it's a supporting (yet pivotal) role - his performance in Monster's Ball is what convinced Ang Lee he could carry Brokeback Mountain.
|
|
|
Post by stephen on Jul 18, 2023 20:10:58 GMT
stephen - Totally get where you're coming from with I'm Not There - I'm not sure I would have included it myself had I not watched the documentary I Am Heath Ledger. But, his friends and family say that the film (and his work with Charlotte Gainsbourg) was very much "art imitating life" - mirroring his own drug abuse and the subsequent end of his partnership with Michelle Williams. For people who are interested at all in his personal life (and when stars die tragically young, that often becomes much of the talking point) - I'd say it's essential. Also, even though it's a supporting (yet pivotal) role - his performance in Monster's Ball is what convinced Ang Lee he could carry Brokeback Mountain. I don't disagree on that front -- I'm Not There. is a near-masterpiece of a movie (oddly enough, it's the Ledger performance that keeps it from that vaunted peak for me; Bale's not exactly great but he serves his storyline well enough that he doesn't actively detract, and the rest of the Dylans are sterling) that deserves to be seen and it's one of Ledger's pure auteuristic endeavours. That storyline is still worth watching because Charlotte Gainsbourg is fantastic in it (behind Blanchett and Marcus Carl Franklin, my third favourite performance of the film). Yeah, Monster's Ball is very much a forerunner of what would eventually follow, and I think it works so well on the heels of what I consider a true movie star performance in The Patriot, which I think is such an underappreciated gem of a performance. I was also thinking that there could've also been a world where Ledger winds up taking roles that Tom Hardy eventually would; I can imagine him as Mad Max, for instance, and either Glass or Fitzgerald in The Revenant.
|
|
|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Jul 19, 2023 20:18:00 GMT
|
|
|
Post by mikediastavrone96 on Jul 19, 2023 20:37:44 GMT
mikediastavrone96 - Speaking of his singing skills... Did you know that he was close to being cast in Moulin Rouge!? Ultimately he was deemed too young to star opposite Kidman, but the age difference seems plausible in this context - a younger, virginal Christian falling head over heels in love with Satine makes sense, right? I had no idea about that! He also makes a great deal of sense for Christian's very youthful openheartedness. But given the dynamite chemistry between McGregor and Kidman, I suppose it worked out for the best.
|
|
|
Post by finniussnrub on Jul 19, 2023 21:15:59 GMT
FYI, Two Hands is well worth checking out. It isn't reinviting the crime genre, however it is a fun and sometimes emotional entry into the genre with a strong central performance from Ledger.
|
|
|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Jul 21, 2023 2:43:45 GMT
FYI, Two Hands is well worth checking out. It isn't reinviting the crime genre, however it is a fun and sometimes emotional entry into the genre with a strong central performance from Ledger. I really enjoyed the film! While perhaps not as important for his career as some of the ones I listed, I would recommend this to anyone above almost all of them. Slickly edited, brilliant soundtrack, and I loved the chemistry between Ledger and Rose Byrne. They randomly did a photoshoot in Las Vegas in 1999 to promote the film?
|
|
|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Jul 31, 2023 22:57:47 GMT
Would you guys agree that his two masterworks (Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight) stand with the very best work of his contemporaries (DiCaprio, Joaquin Phoenix, Bale, Damon, etc.)? I certainly do, but wanted to pose the question to the forum.
In comparing him to them - he had so much masculine energy, such an easy charisma, and such a strong, clear voice (especially compared to DiCaprio and Phoenix - a great dexterity with accents, etc.) - I just can't help but think these qualities made him a more natural "fit" as an actor.
|
|
|
Post by stephen on Jul 31, 2023 23:02:40 GMT
Would you guys agree that his two masterworks ( Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight) stand with the very best work of his contemporaries (DiCaprio, Joaquin Phoenix, Bale, Damon, etc.)? I certainly do, but wanted to pose the question to the forum. In comparing him to them - he had so much masculine energy, such an easy charisma, and such a strong, clear voice (especially compared to DiCaprio and Phoenix - a great dexterity with accents, etc.) - I just can't help but think these qualities made him a more natural "fit" as an actor. I would argue they outstrip anything Bale and Damon have ever done. Out of the Furnace is the closest Bale came to hitting those heights for me (and he comes very close; Scott Cooper really does bring the best out in Bale), but Damon's never been anywhere near that level for me. DiCaprio's Wolf of Wall Street performance would be the only time he's done anything to rival Ledger's twofer. Phoenix, however, has several performances to his name that equal if not surpass what Ledger did. The Master is the best performance any actor from that generation ever put out, bar none. (Then it would probably be Ledger's Joker, but then I'd have maybe a half-dozen other Phoenix performances between that and Ledger's Ennis.) Gyllenhaal, I would argue, was equally good in Brokeback and his Nightcrawler performance is probably my #3 of that aforementioned ranking, so he does deserve a shout. Gosling, Hardy and Ben Foster as well.
|
|
|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Aug 15, 2023 19:42:53 GMT
I wanted to share this excerpt from Owen Gleiberman's review of the documentary I Am Heath Ledger - I think it's brilliant and truly crystallizes what made him so special as an artist: "...then, in Brokeback Mountain (2005), [he] revealed himself to be an acting genius (and yes, I mean that). With a voice of muffled desire and a mouth (in his own words) “like a clenched fist,” he conjured, and made poetic, the sexual consciousness of a different time.
It was tragic, and transporting, and from that point on he was flying, culminating in the moment when he went full Brando in The Dark Knight (2008). His Joker, a greasy-haired head case sucking on his scars and his demons, was the first — and still the only — flat-out ’70s Method psychodrama-without-a-net performance in a contemporary blockbuster, and if Ledger hadn’t died before the movie was released, it would have made him the king of Hollywood (and did for a while anyway, almost as if he was still with us)."I know it's not orthodox to call someone who died so tragically young the best of his generation, but... he always will be to my mind.
|
|
|
Post by pupdurcs on Aug 15, 2023 22:03:02 GMT
I wanted to share this excerpt from Owen Gleiberman's review of the documentary I Am Heath Ledger - I think it's brilliant and truly crystallizes what made him so special as an artist: "...then, in Brokeback Mountain (2005), [he] revealed himself to be an acting genius (and yes, I mean that). With a voice of muffled desire and a mouth (in his own words) “like a clenched fist,” he conjured, and made poetic, the sexual consciousness of a different time.
It was tragic, and transporting, and from that point on he was flying, culminating in the moment when he went full Brando in The Dark Knight (2008). His Joker, a greasy-haired head case sucking on his scars and his demons, was the first — and still the only — flat-out ’70s Method psychodrama-without-a-net performance in a contemporary blockbuster, and if Ledger hadn’t died before the movie was released, it would have made him the king of Hollywood (and did for a while anyway, almost as if he was still with us)."I know it's not orthodox to call someone who died so tragically young the best of his generation, but... he always will be to my mind. His potential was clear for all to see, like it was with James Dean and River Phoenix and Chadwick Boseman, but I couldn't call him the best of his generation without seeing more work in his career. One or two brilliant performances, no matter how good, will cut it. Val Kilmer is an immensely taldnted actor, who has given one or two performances that can stand with anyone in film history ( The Doors and Tombstone). He's also given some very good performances. But I'd never call Kilmer the best actor of his generation, because he just didn't do enough. He had the talent and potential, but he never delivered enough. He had the same talent/potential as guys like Ledger, except we got to see him live a long life and career and not be able to reach that "best of his generation" potential. One or two great (even all-time level) performances isn't enough for that distinction, imho.
|
|
|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Aug 16, 2023 16:17:05 GMT
pupdurcs - I totally get where you're coming from, and of course something like "greatest of his/her generation" is totally subjective, but for me, given all that Ledger accomplished (both in art and in life) - it's really hard for me to say that he didn't reach his full potential, even at such a young age. That's just my opinion, though, and of course we all wish we could have seen what was to come after (his directorial debut, the offers that would have come after the Joker, etc.). I wanted to add that for someone so young and with no formal training - I think he really was something of a genius. Turning down Spider-Man (and the huge pay day that would have come with it) to do something like Monster's Ball, for instance, did exactly what he wanted it to do for his career - this performance is what convinced Ang Lee, Larry McMurtry, and Diana Ossana that he could carry Brokeback Mountain - I just think that kind of wisdom/foresight is so incredibly rare in a 21 year old. Hopefully I'm being succinct in conveying why I personally think he was so special.
|
|
|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Dec 6, 2023 14:48:48 GMT
|
|
|
Post by TylerDeneuve on Jan 22, 2024 16:17:41 GMT
Remembering you today, sweet Heath. I can't wait to visit your country this year in your honor. mhynson27
|
|