You may have heard the truly devasting news about Alan Rickman's untimely death from cancer at the age of 69. Like many others, I was shocked by this. He has appeared in so many films and played some of the most iconic characters in filmmaking history. In this blogpost, I shall be listing my favourite films that featured Alan Rickman at his best.
President Ronald Reagan - The Butler (2013)
Alan Rickman's performance in The Butler may be small but it's memorable. The film is about Cecil Gaines (Forest Whittaker), who works as a butler at the White House, and tells the story of all the different presidents he meets, including President Ronald Reagan played by Rickman. His American accent is incredibly accurate and is one of the friendliest presidents Cecil encounters. This is probably one of Rickman's most underrated performances. If you haven't seen this film, I'd definitely recommend it.
Marvin (voice) - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (2005)
Most people will probably remember Alan Rickman for his iconic voice which was instantly recognisable in his films. In this sci-fi comedy, Rickman lends his voice to a depressed robot, Marvin. The film stars Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent who is suddenly transported aboard a spaceship seconds before Earth is destroyed. This isn't just a great sci-fi, it's a great comedy. This is mainly thanks to Rickman voicing Marvin and his one liners which he says in a very deadpan and sarcastic way. I honestly don't think the film would've been as funny without Rickman lending his voice to Marvin.
Harry - Love Actually (2003)
Not only was Alan Rickman great at pulling dramatic performances, he was also brilliant at comedy. A good example is his performance as Harry in romantic comedy, Love Actually. He is married to Emma Thompson's character, Karen but is having an affair with his colleague, Mia. Throughout the film, we dislike Harry for his affair as Karen is a really likable character and is always trying to see the positive side of things. However, things take an unfortunate turn when Karen finds out about the affair and Harry learns from his mistake. One of my favourite scenes in this film is when Harry and Karen go out Christmas shopping together and he sneaks off to secretly buy a necklace for Mia. He is then approached by a shop assistant, Rufus, played by one of comedy's most iconic actors, Rowan Atkinson, who asks if he would like it 'gift-wrapped'. Harry thinks nothing of it and says yes. However, he soon begins to regret it as Rufus begins to elaborately gift wrap it, despite Harry's frustration. Harry's reaction is what makes this scene so hilarious as all he wanted was to buy a necklace.
Hans Gruber - Die Hard (1988)
Before watching this film when I was 16, I had no idea Alan Rickman played the main villain, Hans Gruber. I was also shocked to discover this was his first feature film. The reason why this is one of the most popular action films is because of the villain. Alan Rickman's performance as the German terroist is terrifyingly evil as we never know what he plans to do next. It is up to the protagonist, John McClane (Bruce Willis), to try and stop him from achieving his plans. However, the two don't meet until halfway through the film when John runs into him. Unfortunately, John doesn't recognise the villain, at first, as the two have been communicating through radio and Gruber uses this to his advantage by faking an American accent and pretending to be one of the hostages. We, as an audience, know that Gruber isn't who he says he is and desperately want McClane to realise who it is. We are shocked when McClane hands his gun to Gruber but, fortunately, his cover is blown when he tries to shoot McClane but the gun is unloaded. Before McClane can take action, he is pursued by Gruber's henchmen and must find a new way of stopping Gruber. This is one of Rickman's most iconic performances as he pulls off the role of the evil villain really well.
Severus Snape - the Harry Potter franchise (2001 - 2011) *contains spoilers from the Harry Potter films*
Alan Rickman has played many different characters, both evil and good, both dramtic and comedic. However, I think it's his role as Severus Snape that will be remembered the most. Snape is a professor at the famous wizarding school, Hogwarts and is characterised as a person of great complexity whose coldy sarcastic and controlled exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. Throughout the whole series, we never truly know whose side Snape is really on: the good or the evil? He spends most of the films being cruel to Harry. We see him as unfair and a bully but it isn't until the fifth film, Order of the Phoenix, when we first start to feel sympathy for him. Through a flashback, we see a young Severus Snape as a student at Hogwarts and being bullied by Harry's father, James. We soon learn that this is why Snape is harsh to Harry. We then learn that Snape isn't as evil as he appears to be but after the events in the sixth film, Half-Blood Prince, when we are yet again confused to which side he is on. We believe his side is with the dark lord, Voldemort and throughout the seventh film, Deathly Hallows Part 1, being against him. However, when he is killed by Voldemort in Deathly Hallows Part 2, we have mixed emotions. Some people may feel happiness at the fact one of the dark lord's servants has died but those feelings soon turn to sadness as we watch his memories. We learn that from a young age, Snape was in love with Harry's mother, Lily. The two were friends before they started Hogwarts but drifted apart when they were put into two different Houses, Snape was put into Slytherin and Lily into Gryffindor which is where she met James. Since then, the two lost their friendship. This is when we feel sympathy for Snape. When Harry's parents were killed by Voldemort, he was the one who found their dead bodies and, in a truly heartbreaking scene, we see him crying and hugging Lily's lifeless body. It's in this sad montage we learn who Snape really is and we finally see that, all along, he was a good person deep down. It is thanks to Rickman's performance as the iconic character that we feel all different emotions towards him. I couldn't imagine anyone else being a better Snape.
So those were the films I shall remember him by.
This is a truly sad day and Alan Rickman will be missed by thousands of people, at all different ages.
Thank you, Alan Rickman, for bringing life to iconic characters and making so many films enjoyable to watch.
Rest In Peace ❤
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