Thursday, May 7, 2015

RIP Nigel Terry

Most people would probably expect me to write something on the passing of Grace Lee Whitney, being the huge Star Trek fan that I am. I have seen many fine posts about her already, so I will leave that topic to others.

I would like to say a few words about Nigel Terry, however, who is in two of my favorite movies of all time, "Excalibur", along with Nicol Williamson, and "A Lion in Winter".

In "A Lion in Winter", Terry played Prince John. Yes, the same one that was set against Robin Hood, but also the same man who signed the Magna Carta. In this movie, though, JOhn is the youngest of King Henry II's three surviving sons, and is a self-serving coward. Terry does a great job showing the gears turning in John's mind.

His more famous role, though, is as King Arthur in Excalibur. This is the best portrayal, bar none, of the most famous king in the world, and that falls squarely in the shoulders of Terry. He has to play the character at various stages of life. We first see him when he' 18, and Sir Kay's squire. Next, he's in his late twenties, when he fights Lancelot. This continues all the way up to his old age, which I'm going to say is late 60's/early 70's, when he is mortally wounded at the end of the film. The fact that he pulls it off, and that you believe him at each stage, is incredible.

He has had many other parts over the years, including guest starring in Doctor Who, but these are the two that I will always remember him for.

No comments:

Post a Comment