Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Totally stole this thread idea from another board, but whatever. Name some of your absolute favorite moments of acting with facial expressions or hand gestures or anything like that (sans speech, of course). I was thinking about this after watching A History of Violence and seeing Maria Bello's brilliant bit of wordless acting at the end. That last scene alone should have gotten her an oscar nod, but oh well.
So what do you Mofos think are the best moments of wordless acting in film? I'll think up a couple more after some of you guys chime in. |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
The most recent example I can think of are the subtle facial expressions that Daniel Day-Lewis used in There Will Be Blood. Two of my personal favourites are...
WARNING: "There Will Be Blood" spoilers below
1) When he gradually finds out that Henry is not his real brother, his face undergoes what I'd call a metamorphosis. Right next to the campfire, just before he shoots Henry, he gets this absolutely evil look in his eyes that was just sublime.
2) One of the dirty looks he gives Eli Sunday in the salvation scene. Total and utter rage just bubbling beneath the surface. |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Originally Posted by Swedish Chef (Post 434592)
Totally stole this thread idea from another board, but whatever. Name some of your absolute favorite moments of acting with facial expressions or hand gestures or anything like that (sans speech, of course). I was thinking about this after watching A History of Violence and seeing Maria Bello's brilliant bit of wordless acting at the end. That last scene alone should have gotten her an oscar nod, but oh well.
So what do you Mofos think are the best moments of wordless acting in film? I'll think up a couple more after some of you guys chime in. |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
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Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
In Edward Scissorhands, when Vincent price dies, his face seems to just melt. The effect is heartbreaking. He was a great, underappreciated actor.
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Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
One of my favorite wordless pieces of acting actually comes from a not-so-great movie, Proof of Life. At the end, Russell Crowe's character, Terry Thorne, is watching the woman he loves drive away with her husband, and for close to 40 seconds, you just see his face. You can almost hear the thoughts in his head, and it's as though he's silently going through the five stages of grief just in that one scene. Rather amazing, and kind of wasted in an action flick.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...3/Cammie01.jpg |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Originally Posted by mark f (Post 434633)
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Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Keir Dullea as he's about to power down HAL in "2001: A Space Oddysey" popped in my head right away...
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Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Don’t know if this qualifies as acting (I think it does) but not a word is said in the 18-minute ballet featuring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron at the end of An American in Paris (1951). It’s reported that number cost more than $500,000 to film, a staggering sum at the time. Ending a film with a long, expensive dance number was a pretty gutsy move, both then and now.
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Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Anytime Dustin Hoffman is on screen, but isn't speaking in Midnight Cowboy.
His best performance, IMO. |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Al Pacino sitting in the diner waiting to kill Solozzo and the police captain
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../godfather.jpg |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Kate Hudson learning her rock star boy-toy sold her to Humble Pie for $50 and a case of Heineken in Almost Famous. Fantastic piece of acting and she never says a word.
http://media.collegepublisher.com/me...s/zrg52t5s.jpg |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Hugh Jackman's emotional breakdown in The Fountain when he tattoos his finger. Perfect.
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Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Guy Pearce in Memento, as he's being chased in the trailer park. Amazing scene, and you're about as confused as he is.
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Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
^love it John
how bout William Hurt's breakdown in Into the Wild when he walks out and crys in the middle of the street, a very powerful scene. |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
I think the opening twenty minutes of There Will Be Blood is brilliant because it tells you so much without ever saying a word. Although, that says more about the script then acting....
The kissing scene from Amelie |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
The start of the Princess Bride...where with a few looks the two leading characters fall in love...I actually fall in love with both at that point!
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Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly has a LOT of amazing scenes without any dialogue. There Will Be Blood, was my other choice. Daniel Day-Lewis actually made feel his character was real and I became afraid of him.
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Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Two of my favourite, and incredibly powerful scenes that involve no dialogue. Just awesome, awesome acting.
Birth Nicole Kidmans character Anna, visits the opera for the evening with her fiance, trying to forget about the boy who turned up at her house earlier in the day, insiting he was her dead husband, reincarnated. Slowly as she watches the Opera, she becomes overwhelmed with the idea that her dead husband, her first love has come back to her... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpJj9c2OV-0&feature=related The Bridges Over Madison County After her husband leaves town on a work trip with their children, Meryl Streeps Francesca meets Robert, a photographer in town to photograph the countys bridges. After hitting it off, he refreshes Francesca bored life and they begin a passionate affair. But too quickly the week is over and her husband returns with Francesca's old life and she realises that what she has with Robert cannot continue. After giving him a rosary necklace, they agree to never see eachother again. Then just before he leaves town for good, they come across eachother in the street... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnJT1txd-hI EDIT: Didnt realise the clip was in Italian, but its the only one of the scene on the web and theres hardly any dialogue so you still can see whats going on. |
Re: Best Moments of Dialogue-Free Acting
Death of A Salesman wheer John Malkovich is sobbing so much you can like see the spit.
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