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The Incredible Iam Holm portrayal of Fluellen

posted 14 years ago by film_ophile
10 replies | jump to latest

Act IV, scene VII. I recently rewatched this perfect masterpiece and I was particularly blown away by Ian Holms' quixotic elfin Fluellen. The accent and demeanor he uses when jibing with Henry -are such a sparkling delight(subtitles really help you understand through that unusual Welsh accent!)This is a perfect example of how one brilliant actor can completely change one's experience of a character, and make a 'minor' encounter one of the film's greatest moments.

Ad hoc, Ad loc, Quid pro queeee,
So little time and so much to see

[–] ShelbyTMItchell 13 years ago

Ian is such an underrated but awesome actor. Was an Oscar nod for Chariots of Fire. And remember Alien as the murderous android? He really can bring a character to life.

[–] film_ophile 13 years ago

can't handle horror films so never saw Alien, but in my 41 yrs of film watching, i have NEVER forgotten his Sam Massubini(sp) from Chariots.and now i feel the same way about fluellen. i have to get myself to see his Lear, which i believe is on dvd....

The way to have what we want
Is to share what we have.

[–] Pequod88 13 years ago

Yes, he is spot-on in Henry V. I highly recommend The Sweet Hereafter and Joe Gould's Secret. Two of my favorite performances by the very talented Ian Holm.

[–] film_ophile 13 years ago

yes, agreed.

The way to have what we want
Is to share what we have.

[–] delriosong 13 years ago

I wish they had not cut the part where Fluellen beats Pistol and forces him to eat the leek.

Holm was also great as Polonius in Hamlet (1990).

I've lived upon the edge of chance for 20 years or more...
Del Rio's Song

[–] film_ophile 13 years ago

i'll have to watch that again; thanks for the reminder.
I have never forgotten his Masabini(sp.) in Chariots of Fire.
Such a sweet performance; brings tears to my eyes every time.

The way to have what we want
Is to share what we have.

[–] rclay-1 12 years ago

Mr Holm has always been a class act.

I vividly remember him delivering this line as the android killer Ash in the film Alien, in which he is describing the creature the rest of the crew are up against:

"I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality."

He was almost as scary as the Alien itself.

[–] dailynonn 9 years ago

"I won't lie to you about your chances, but you have my sympathies."

Chilling!!!!

[–] VaticanAssassinWarlock 10 years ago

Huge fan of Ian Holm in pretty much everything, but in this I found his Welsh accent pretty terrible and unfortunately that distracted me throughout the film.

[–] Hanslick 8 years ago

I think the problem might be the dialogue Shakespeare writes for Fluellen, with its "look-yous" and other stereotypical "stage Welshman" verbal tics.

There's nothing much wrong with Holm's Welsh accent as such; in fact, it's very good. I'm Welsh, and rather fussy about such things, but I loved Holm in this... accent and all, look you. ;)