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(Carl Adolf von Sydow 1929– ). Swedish actor.
Allow me to suggest, then, an
alternative interpretation of von Sydow—as a performer who always longed
to be silly, who wanted to squander his energies on frivolity, but found
himself forced into serious films and roles because of his gaunt, grim
appearance. But later, when Ingmar Bergman finally lost interest in him, and
when Hollywood increasingly focused on the production of juvenile romps, the
liberated von Sydow wholeheartedly threw himself into whatever absurdity was
tossed his way and loved every minute of it, only occasionally returning, as a
matter of face-saving duty, to the somber art-house films that had originally
made his reputation.
The evidence for this scenario, I believe, is visible on the screen. In all
the films he made for Bergman, the only time he ever appears to be
enjoying himself is during his brief appearance as the gas station
attendant in Wild Strawberries (1957)—a simple, cheerful
man who is the antithesis of his sullen, tormented knight in The
Seventh Seal. Although Hollywood initially offered him, respectfully,
dignified roles like Jesus Christ in The Greatest Story Ever Told,
to which von Sydow responded with respectful dullness, he first came
alive as an actor in considerably less dignified milieus like The
Exorcist and the spy film Three Days of the Condor (1975).
Then came the role he was born to play, the Emperor Ming in Flash
Gordon, where von Sydow conducts himself amidst all the nonsense
with visible seriousness and conviction while occasionally conveying,
with a twinkle in his eye, that he fully realizes just how nonsensical—and sublimely entertaining—it all is. Subsequent films persuasively
reveal that the worse the film is, the more delightful von Sydow is
to observe. Thus, while there are no complaints to offer about his
performances in Never Say Never Again, Dune, Needful
Things, or What Dreams May Come, von Sydow is especially
exquisite in pure drivel, sharing the stage with incompetents or idiots
like the hapless Sam Jones (Flash Gordon), an inexperienced
Arnold SCHWARZENEGGER (Conan, the Barbarian),
or comedians Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis (Strange Brew). Best
of all, watch the abysmal Judge Dredd only to appreciate how
happy the man is to be supporting the comically miscast Sylvester
Stallone in a clumsy retelling of a comic book adventure. Whether
his cinematic world is day-glow futurism or lyrical fantasy, von Sydow
always revels in the experience, and appreciates the company.
Although there are many pleasures to
be derived from watching films, one of them is simply to enjoy watching people
do things that they enjoy doing, whether it is Fred Astaire dancing, Bette
Davis emoting, Jackie Chan doing stunts, or Max von Sydow maintaining a
straight face while participating in some of Hollywood's most farcically inept
productions. Perhaps, in interviews with film magazines, he claims that he is only
doing it for the money, and that is perhaps what any actor in such films would
feel obliged to claim. However, watching all of his most disreputable films,
and absorbing the evidence of a camera that does not lie, we can observe a
true, and even touching, story of unusual but genuine artistic fulfillment.
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