so expressive

[dovescorpio]

On a different 'expressiveness' note.
in the interests of balance i decided that much as i did not want to look at Rufus playing a baddie, i should not put it off any more, so last night the knights tale went on.
heath ledger was always a bit of a golden boy in these parts and Rufus made himself temporarily unpopular with quite a few ladies here as a result of this film, in which his character tries to bring down Heath's.
the expressive thing of most interest for me, was when he is giving the evils before their duel/joust. They are some of the best evils I've seen. even through narrow slits of armour the look of his eyes 'i am going to kill you' is scary. His eyes seem a different green than i have seen on him anywhere else - a very dark green - and when you look into them its almost like there are pools of smoking black heat lurking in them.
They reminded me of something and in the morning I realised what. A hot pool i like to visit near here, where the water is very deep, very hot and surrounded by alive, black volcanic rock. quiet, unobtrusive, and dangerous.
to me the pool is the same colour as Rufus's eyes in this scene. the volcanic thing means a lot to me so seeing a connection, i then got quite philosophical.
about how our destructive feelings are as much part of everything as our nice feelings. that Rufus's look and character are more fairly described as explosive than either bad or evil. about how it is false and wrong to think that anyone should or could be nice all the time, we all have a right to our explosive and dangerous feelings. and various jolly thoughts like that.
most of the film i thought pretty awful, but it was so worth it for the way Rufus looks murderously at Heath

[kissmekate]

I like your volcano comparison, and like you, I loved that smoldering rage in his eyes that's even plain to see when you don't see anything of him except those eyes. (I imagine Rufus himself, being a Scorpio, can be pretty explosive when he's really angry.)

What I found amazing here: throughout the film, his posture and facial expression (especially the almost permanently slightly narrowed eyes) are every inch the arrogant Count of Anjou. And then watch the "Making Of". He's still in Adhemar's black garb as he chats about some details of the shooting, but you don't need to hear him say a word to clearly see this is not Adhemar talking but Rufus himself. Looking gorgeous but in a much more accessible way. What a difference a genuine smile makes.

[jamolivej]

I have only just discovered this thread and reading all of your posts it brings everything into perspective for me . When I discovered Rufus in Zen I was blown away by his superb acting and said to a friend "He acts with his face, his expressions".Not the most brilliant description but I knew what I meant. I bought the DVD of Zen, and watched it over and over along with other DVD's, something I have never done before. All of his roles seem to have these"moments"that you have all spoken about when you don't just watch - you feel the scene , and this is what I feel I share with you all in our admiration of Rufus. I have not noted any specific moments here as I will be here all night , and I know it sounds a bit profound but I hope you all know what I mean.

[anglophile]

We know EXACTLY what you mean. It's why we're here.

[kissmekate]

I watched The Woodlanders yesterday as the Movie of the Week choice, and once again, Giles broke my heart ... in fact, he made me cry more than ever this time.

The whole beautiful scene with him and Grace in the abbey - the way he tells her about his hopes and desires but also about his fears in simple, heartfelt words, his eyes expressing everything he hasn't said aloud. It makes me wish all the happiness in the world to this lovely, kind-hearted man and his girl (and knowing the ending makes this scene appear in a totally different, bittersweet light).

Or the moment earlier in the film when Grace tells him they can't marry - first his pure, authentic joy in seeing her again, the girl he has always loved and hopes she will be his entirely soon, and then his disbelief and disappointment showing so clearly in the smallest tilting of the head or subtle change of expression in his beautiful eyes.

Basically, every single moment in this film is a breathtaking example of the man's superb ability to inhabit his characters. His Giles is a tender, caring, lovely man, in a very believable and touching way, not the kind of sappy saint some other actors might have turned him into.