His best performances on film?
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rmm413-1 — 20 years ago(March 31, 2006 02:31 AM)
My very favorite of his movies is Long Day's Journey into Night (though I do question how convincing he is as an Irishman). I also thought he did a remarkable and extremely convincing job in The Heiress. The Citadel is another one that I like him in that no one has mentioned, and of course he was great in the Four Feathers too. I especially like the scene where he's reading brail, quoting Caliban from the Tempest, a role that he did at the Old Vic I believe.
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rmm413-1 — 19 years ago(April 25, 2006 12:37 PM)
Interestingly enough, John Miller in his bio of Richardson notes that Olivier didn't really like the performance of his friend in Richard III. He thought that Richardson's Buckingham should have been more detestable.
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rrb — 18 years ago(January 18, 2008 05:59 PM)
For comedy, check out his performance in "The Divorce of Lady X," a '30s gem with Binnie Barnes and the stunningly beautiful Olivier and Merle Oberon. I haven't seen it in decades but I remember him as hilarious.
And that other poster is right: the greatest actors (Olivier, Gielgud, Maggie Smith, Edith Evans) are invariably great comics. -
rmm413-1 — 16 years ago(November 26, 2009 06:27 AM)
I've just seen The Fallen Idol and I thought he was wonderful in that. Watching him in a somewhat romantic part and cheerfully playing with a little boy was different from the parts I've typically seen him in. I'd have to add it to my list of his best performances on film. I think that right now I'd rank his best performances as:
- Long Day's Journey into Night
- The Heiress
- The Fallen Idol
- The Four Feathers
- The Citadel
And if I were to pick my favorite of his comedies, as some other posters have done, I think that I would choose The Wrong Box.
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indrasnet — 12 years ago(December 26, 2013 10:58 PM)
I love Ralph Richardson in every one of his movies. If I had to choose favorites, they would have to be "The Heiress" and "The Holly and the Ivy."
In fact, it's become a tradition for me and my husband to view "The Holly and the Ivy" several times each Christmas season. A very strong cast, including Margaret Leighton, Celia Johnson, and Denholm Elliot. The reconciliation s5b4cene between Richardson and Leighton (as father and daughter)at the end of the movie is one of the most riveting and convincing I've ever seen.
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