I've always wondered why a man would be "the greatest male symbol in the world", "he looks so strong, like he has four testicles", "women always surrender unconditionally to Richard Burton, even I don’t dare to say an angry word” at the same time, there will also be “this person contains a desire to be tortured and abused”, “he looks very fragile, and is surprisingly sensitive”, which is too contradictory. .
When I was watching the film "Fugui Floating Clouds" just now, I suddenly understood something. He obviously has a shame and fragile heart like acrophobia, but he has the courage to overcome his fear and turn around and jump on the railing on the edge of the cliff to walk back and forth. Even if there are turbulent seas and turbulent waves under your feet, you can still have the willpower to speak without changing your face, impassioned, and dancing.
Just like his seemingly strong body is actually plagued by diseases; his seemingly funny and cheerful personality is actually withdrawn and gloomy; his seemingly self-absorbed is actually self-hatred; he seems to be happily being Taylor's lover and an actress killer, but it is difficult to suppress his sexuality. Same as the gay part.
It is precisely because there are so many contradictions and conflicts that he can challenge and successfully create a rich and diverse role. You can play kings, princes, great men, saints, wise men, martyrs, cowards, scumbags, perverts, reckless men, executioners, petty people, and useless people.
When preparing for the filming of "Spiritual Spring Night", because the role of Professor George was a useless, several big-name actors were rejected. They were all afraid of affecting their own image, and finally Burton had no choice but to play by himself. As a result, he performed one of the highest performances of his career.
No wonder John Gielgud said, "Burton looks rough and flushed...but he's very talented and charming. Once he starts acting, everyone will automatically surrender to him."
Burton himself said, "Every time I get on stage, I'm fighting the world."
This struggle is not only on the screen and on the stage, but also continues in reality. He put down the hand that covered the pit on his right face, took the initiative to publish his homosexual experience, and published the hemophilia, epilepsy and depression that made him feel ashamed and cowardly.
It's a pity that although he could rely on willpower to constantly overcome his fears, he eventually lost to alcohol. Or rather than losing to alcohol, it is better to say that he never defeated the depression that haunted him to the end, which made him lose to alcohol in the process of trying to overcome depression.
However, without such a thing as depression, would he still be him? He tore himself apart again and again and performed it for others to see, which made him his unique greatness.
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