Anton Walbrook


Everybody here seems to have forgotten to mention just how grand Anton Walbrook is!
You can't have watched this movie and failed to notice that!

reply

I agree. Anton Walbrook is added to my list of favorite preformances. That stare he has is deadly.

I don't know what futuristic utopia you live in, but in the world I live in, a b*tch need a gun.
"Death Proof"

reply

The way he says "Charming" when he finds out about the romance between Vicky and Julian is so effective. It sends chills down my spine! A wonderful performance.

reply

Walbrook's performance is magnetically mezmerizing! His performance steals the show for me!

reply

He should have been Oscar nominated for this performance. Strange that this film and Treasure of the Sierra Madre were both nominated for best picture, but both he and Bogart failed to earn nominations. Dan Dailey in When My Baby Smiles at Me? Unbelievable!

reply

I originally watched "TRS" because I liked "Black Narcissus". I didn't really expect a performance like his to come from this. All I knew about this film was that it had rave reviews, had a great directing team, Powell & Pressburger; had a great cinematographer, Jack Cardiff, and Moira Shearer who could as act as well as her dance. Watching Walbrook unexpectedly come onto the screen was very much a 'Woah... WHAT was THAT - WHO WAS THAT?!'. Since then, he has been one of my favourite actors since. Yes, very sad that he wasn't even nominated for his performance in this. Fortunately, Danny Peary in his book "Alternate Oscars" gives Walbrook's "Red Shoes" performance his 'alternate' award which is very good.

reply

I'm going to have to look for that book, it sounds really good. I bet everyone would love to write their own "Alternate Oscars"! I get more disillusioned with the Oscars every year. And of course, it's always easier to see who was the more deserving in hindsight, years after the awards were given.

reply

Yes, for sure, I would love to write my own awards alternative myself! One where "Singin' In the Rain" 'wins' at least 1 award! If you do consider buying a "Alternate Oscars" book, make sure it's a cheap one - I've seen some really expensive ones but there are also cheap ones on abebooks.com for just under US$3(excl. p+p).

Hey, for Walbrook appreciatists, there is a website dedicated to him:
http://www.antonwalbrook.co.uk/

reply

Yes! "Singin' in the Rain" was robbed. "The Greatest Show on Earth" as best picture??? What nonsense!

Thanks, I'll check it out.

reply

Yes! "Singin' in the Rain" was robbed. "The Greatest Show on Earth" as best picture??? What nonsense!
Remember - the vote for "Best Picture" is open to all Academy members, including cinematographers, grips, gaffers, make-up artistes, electricians, etc.

Which film do you suppose had more of those people working on it? And which one do you suppose was the type of film that people who regard films more as a source of paychecks than they do as art were likely to want to see more of made?

reply

The hypnotic Walbrook gives a spellbinding performance. This doesn't happen enough on film.
Unfortunately, Walbrook refused offers to work in Hollywwod.
He preferred to live in England and worked mostly on the stage.

reply

I don't know how well Walbrook would do in Hollywood.I'm just not sure they would utilize his talent to maximum potential. He was a cultured elegant man & he was an enormously talented actor & his Boris Lermontov portrayal is certainly Oscar worthy. His most compelling line in the movie directed at his disapproval of Lady Neston's decription of ballet. She says ballet is the "poetry of motion perhaps" to which Lermontov says "Perhaps but to me it is a great deal more...to me it is a religion. And one doesn't care to see their religion practiced in an atmosphere such as this"

reply

Lady Neston also calls him an "attractive brute" - with the emphasis on "brute"

Steve

reply

That's true---you really can't think of this film without recalling Walbrook's performance---he pretty much owns the movie,period! When I saw THE RED SHOES, I was like, "Who's this guy,why haven't I ever heard of him, and why didn't Hollywood snap him up right after TRS blew up?" Apparently he didn't want to go to Hollywood at that point in his career,since he was well established in Britain by that time. Which is too bad, because he'd be far less obscure if he had---plus I get the impression that a lot of his work isn't available on DVD,anyway. However, it's good to see that at least his performance in TRS has been preserved, as well as his lead in the original version of GASLIGHT, which just came out on Blu-Ray. Interesting thing about his performances---the few I've seen,anyway---there always seemed to be this undercurrent of menace (plus those genuinely creepy eyes with the chilling stare--just occurred to me that he would have been a pretty good Dracula) beneath them,as well as a cold toughness--that's also probably because in the only 2 other films I've seen him in, he only played bad guys, but it's there even in his TRS performance---he clearly wasn't the good guy in that one,either.

BTW, here's a 1937 drama called THE RAT,starring Walbrook as a crafty, smooth-talking French thug named Jean who makes a living as a jewel thief. It's called THE RAT, and it's actually a sound remake of a popular British silent film. He gets to give people that classic evil stare, kick some a** a couple of times,and even becomes the hero for about the last 15 min.--yeah, it's kinda fun---check it out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irqNVWIJag0


reply

I never forget how brilliant he is in this movie! IMHO, if the nominations had come after the movie had been seen by more people in the US, then Anton would have been nominated and would have easily beaten Laurence Olivier!

"A bit of musicality, PLEASE!" Strictly Ballroom

reply

[deleted]

I'm watching it right now.

The scene where he says, "Put on the Red Shoes, Vicky. And dance for us again," is so great. He is being seductive but the look in his eyes is almost sinister.


reply

It's the first movie I've ever seen him in, very intense, great performance!

"I promise you before I die, I'll surely come to your doorstep"

reply

Just finished watching The Red Shoes, and I thought it was excellent. Moira Shearer was wonderful, as was the rest of the cast. It's like taking a trip back in time.

reply

[deleted]

He was also magnificent in a short appearance in Powell & Pressburger's 49th Parallel giving a great refutation to the Nazi's speech

He's only the second male lead in The Life & Death Of Colonel Blimp but he gets some great speeches and he's really the cleverest one in the whole film.

Steve

reply

Agree with the OP. Everybody is kinda overshadowed by Moira Shearer beauty and dancing skills plus the wonderful cinematography by Jack Cardiff and the story itself; But we shouldn't forget Anton Walbrook's performance which also was remarkable.

reply

[deleted]

[deleted]

[deleted]

Walbrook should have had a similar career to Claude Raines. Fine, charismatic actor, could play the good guy or the intelligent heavy. "Red Shoes" was his finest performance; it is really the foundation upon which the other actors base their performances.

I don't think he was a bad guy here. He wanted Vicky to reach for the artistic best within her; the other guy wanted her to subordinate her art to him.

reply

Plays the enigmatic, tyrannical and devilishy sexy impresario to perfection. Utterly captivating from the moment he appears on screen and easily gives one of my favourite performances of all time.

This must be where pies go when they die.

reply

Glad you brought this up. As good as everyone else was in the film, I don't think it would work without this outstanding performance by Walbrook. He is fascinating to watch. I am always amused by the way he is eating his breakfast while Julian is begging him to return the letter. I love it when he dips a sugar cube into his tea and then eats it. Little indulgences like that tell a lot about the character.

reply

I am always amused by the way he is eating his breakfast while Julian is begging him to return the letter. I love it when he dips a sugar cube into his tea and then eats it. Little indulgences like that tell a lot about the character.

Apparently it's a Russian thing. You don't eat the sugar cube, you suck the tea through it

Mind you, I don't know if he'd have any teeth left after doing that for long

Steve

reply

Thanks for the correction. chewing the cube just would not fit the character. It is hard to think of him munching on anything.

reply