Why do foreign Burton fans, nearly half of them, including Burton's mentor and Burton's biographer, think "The World" is his best movie? In my opinion, "Berlin Spy" and "Spiritual Night" are his best movies. The former has a stronger story and the latter is Burton's acting peak.
As for "Domination of the World", Beckett's role is not as strong and tragic as Limas or Professor Henry. He is obviously a tragic role, but Beckett's tragedy is not so sympathetic.
It may be that I prefer the neurotic tragic characters created by Burton, especially Professor Henry and Hamlet. The crazy mental state of these two characters is surprisingly consistent with himself, and more of his real character, so he has reached the pinnacle of his performance art. In my opinion, it can even be said to be the pinnacle.
I think Burton is really playing himself when he plays a tragic role, and when he plays a comic role, he is playing the "interesting person" for others to see.
Whether it is acting in tragedy or comedy, his heart is depressed, which is from his diary during the filming of "The Taming of the Shrew", saying "the shadow of death enveloped me like a fog", "I am very worried that there is no way I can do after I die. Take care of my wife and children." It can be seen.
When he was playing "The World", although he and O'Toole had a good time drinking and drinking, it just seemed to be very happy. The director of the play was acutely aware that he was actually using alcohol to drown his sorrows, "He was running away from what he didn't want to face, he was trying to cover up those facts with alcohol and wipe his past from his brain. remove."
After all, his memory is so good that he can never forget it. There are too many memories in his mind, and those bad memories will make him constantly feel guilty and introspective, which will only make him fall into repeated pain and sadness, unable to extricate himself.
His brother Graham said of his intensified drinking behavior during this time, "When he was sober, he could easily involve others in the whirlpool of happiness if he wanted to, but when he was drunk, he was so depressed and violent. Temperament alternates, and it's hard to accept the fickleness."
But this escape was in vain, even if he was drunk, he still remembered his lines, remembered the works of Shakespeare and Dylan Thomas, remembered all the sad things he went through, and he recited them by heart.
As early as the end of 1962, his behavior became abnormal many times, and it became more and more difficult to control. He repeatedly told reporters that he was going mad, and repeated Keats' epitaph, "My name is written in water." Later, he told Tennessee Williams that he had attempted suicide.
Until shortly before his death in 1984, in a phone call to a friend, he still said this sentence as an epitaph that he hoped others would engrave on his tombstone. In the end, except for his name and the year of his birth and death, his tombstone was empty, and there was no epitaph of a word, like a pantomime.
He talked for a lifetime, but in the end he quietly walked away.
As critics said of his performance in "The World", "restrained, calm, but full of chilling power." Pictured is a still from Richard Burton in "The World"
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