Tend to think of Richard Attenborough as a kindly old man?
But they werent the first angry young man on the screen.
Maybe that crown could be claimed by an unlikely actor Richard Attenborough.
Attenborough is best known now as a director and producer, for films such asGandhi,ChaplinandShadowlands.
They could be downright nasty.
Ad content continues below
1.
Brighton Rock (1947)
I cant talk about Richard Attenboroughs acting skills without mentioningBrighton Rock.
Hes just brilliant in it.
Pinkie is a gang leader in Brighton, and he likes the feeling of power.
I have to point out that the absolute star at the heart ofLondon Belongs to Meis Alastair Sim.
I would be amazed if Alec Guinness hadnt based his character there on Sims performance.
Its the overbite, the hat, and the wisps of lank hair.
Its the flipside of Pinkie, as just as believable.
And, yes, it was Richard Attenborough who said it.
And he doesnt come across as anything other than a normal lad inThe Guinea Pig.
Its strange to think that it was considered to be controversial upon its release.
Myra holds seances in their house and is obsessed with death.
I think a lot of that has to do with Attenboroughs performance.
10 Rillington Place (1971)
Heres Attenborough being as nasty as it gets.
So youre expecting a nasty film, but10 Rillington Placeis a far cry from sensationalism.
Theres very little shouting or screaming.
Attenborough plays Christie as so very softly spoken and fastidious.
He uses that open face here as a blank sheet of paper.
Its a terrible story, made worse for being an accurate representation of what happened.
But its the early, morally more interesting, roles that continue to fascinate me.
FromBrighton Rockto10 Rillington Place, nobody represented the realistic face of British evil quite as convincingly as he did.
