Top 25 Movie Heroes and Villains

Discussion of non-Disney entertainment.
Post Reply
User avatar
Dr Frankenollie
In The Vaults
Posts: 2704
Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 4:19 am

Top 25 Movie Heroes and Villains

Post by Dr Frankenollie »

Who do you think are the greatest movie heroes and villains?

My Top 25 lists use a broader sense of what defines and hero and what defines a villain. On my villains list, I have included memorable and well-acted or well-animated characters who may have some good in them; Salieri from Amadeus, for example, is insane and has many evil thoughts and commits a few arguably evil deeds, but he tries to be good; if a villain has human qualities and they’re not entirely evil, they will be rated higher as character depth is more important than a character being pure evil.

That’s not to say that purely evil characters won’t be included, however; if they have an emotional impact on audiences that is fairly famous, then they will be rated highly.

Here's my Top 25 Movie Villains:

1. Norman Bates (Norman Bates)-Psycho
2. Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell)-A Clockwork Orange
3. Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair)-The Exorcist
4. Hitler (Bruno Ganz)-Downfall
5. Antonio Salieri (F Murray Abraham)-Amadeus
6. Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro)-Taxi Driver
7. Seymour Parrish (Robin Williams)-One Hour Photo
8. Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson)-Sunset Boulevard
9. Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates)-Misery
10. 'Baby' Jane Hudson (Bette Davis)-Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
11. Gollum (Andy Serkis)-Lord of the Rings
12. Chernabog (Vladimir Tytla)-Fantasia
13. Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee)-The Wicker Man
14. The Queen (Lucille LaVerne)-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
15. The Joker (Heath Ledger)-The Dark Knight
16. Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher)-One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
17. Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz)-Inglourious Basterds
18. The Shark (Steven Spielberg)-Jaws
19. The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock)-The Birds
20. Jack Lint (Michael Palin)-Brazil
21. Saruman (Christopher Lee)-Lord of the Rings
22. Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd)-Who Framed Roger Rabbit
23. Cruella DeVil (Betty Lou Gerson)-One Hundred and One Dalmatians
24. Mr Blonde (Michael Madsen)-Reservoir Dogs
25. Sergeant Hartman (R Lee Ermey)-Full Metal Jacket

And here's my Top 25 Movie Heroes:

1. Juror 8 (Henry Fonda)-12 Angry Men
2. Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood)-Lord of the Rings
3. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford)-Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin)-Lord of the Rings
5. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart)-Casablanca
6. Timothy Mouse (Edward Brophy)-Dumbo
7. Gandalf (Ian McKellen)-Lord of the Rings
8. Randle P McMurphy (Jack Nicholson)-One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
9. Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews)-Mary Poppins
10. The Dude (Jeff Bridges)-The Big Lebowski
11. Taylor (Charlton Heston)-Planet of the Apes
12. Robin Hood (Errol Flynn)-The Adventures of Robin Hood
13. Marty McFly (Michael J Fox)-Back to the Future
14. Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner)-Up
15. Han Solo (Harrison Ford)-Star Wars
16. The Jewish Barber (Charlie Chaplin)-The Great Dictator
17. Aladdin (Scott Weinger)-Aladdin
18. L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart)-Rear Window
19. Wall-E (Ben Burtt)-Wall-E
20. Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant)-North by Northwest
21. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)-Lord of the Rings
22. Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire)-Spider-Man 2
23. Amelie Poulain (Audrey Tatou)-Amelie
24. Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce)-Brazil
25. Sulley (John Goodman)-Monsters, Inc.

Who's in your lists?
PixarFan2006
Signature Collection
Posts: 6166
Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:44 am
Location: Michigan

Post by PixarFan2006 »

The characters in this list are in no order. I am just adding them as I go along.


Villians

1.Darth Vader (David Prowse (costume) James Earl Jones (voice))- Star Wars Trilogy (1977-1983)
2.Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins)- Psycho (1960)
3.Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) - Misery (1990)
4.Gollum/Smeagol (Andy Serkis) Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
5.Terminator T-1000 (Robert Patrick) Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
6.Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
7.Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) Pulp Fiction (1994)
8.Biff Tannen (Thomas F Wilson) Back to the Future (1985)
9.Toht (Ronald Lacey) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
10.Jaws (mechanical shark) Jaws (1975)
11.Joker (Heath Ledger) The Dark Knight (2008)
12.HAL 9000 (Douglas Rain) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
13.Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) A Clockwork Orange (1971)
14.Cruella DeVil (Betty Lou Gerson) One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
15.
User avatar
Dr Frankenollie
In The Vaults
Posts: 2704
Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 4:19 am

Post by Dr Frankenollie »

Bump.
User avatar
ajmrowland
Signature Collection
Posts: 8177
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 pm
Location: Appleton, WI

Post by ajmrowland »

Top Heroes(in no specific order)

1.Frodo
2.Harry Potter
3.Wall-E
4.Bruce Wayne
5.

TBC

Villains:

1.Voldemort
2.Darth Vader
3.Joker
4.Cruella
Image
User avatar
Disney's Divinity
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16245
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:26 am
Gender: Male

Post by Disney's Divinity »

This is a favorite list, since I wouldn’t be qualified to even attempt a “best” list--haven't seen nearly enough films. :lol:

Scarlet O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) from Gone With the Wind ~ I absolutely love this film and this character. In some sense, she's a villain, but I consider her a hero, too. Since she's the protagonist then, I put her here.
Jane Marple (Margaret Rutherford) from the Murder series
Celie Harris Johnson (Whoopi Goldberg) from The Color Purple
Gandalf (Ian McKellan) from The Lord of the Rings
Ariel (Jodi Benson) from The Little Mermaid
Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) from The Lord of the Rings
Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) from Mary Poppins
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from Pirates of the Caribbean
Erin Brockovitch (Julia Roberts) from Erin Brockovitch ~ I’m not a huge Roberts fan, but I loved this film and the character.
Edna Spalding (Sally Field) from Places in the Heart
Billy Joe McAllister (Robby Benson) from Ode to Billy Joe ~ Maybe Benson’s good looks are blinding me, but the character was extremely likable to me.
Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) from Edward Scissorhands
Arnie Grape (Leonardo DiCaprio) from What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
Adele August (Susan Sarandon) from Anywhere but Here
Josephine 'Jo' March (June Allyson) from Little Women
Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) from Nanny McPhee

Monstro from Pinocchio ~ True, he’s not a “villain” persay, but a lot of those official AFI lists have ambiguous entities or animals, too, and Monstro is brilliant.
Cruella de Vil (Betty Lou Gerson) from 101 Dalmatians
Ursula the Sea Witch (Pat Carroll) from The Little Mermaid
Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay) from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) from Misery
The Joker (Heath Ledger) from The Dark Knight
Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) from The Silence of the Lambs
The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) from The Wizard of the Oz
Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole) from Ratatouille
Jadis, the White Witch (Tilda Swinton) from The Chronicles of Narnia: LWW
Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) from The Devil Wears Prada ~ Mostly a cliche movie, but Streep makes it something memorable.
Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Mrs. Iselin (Angela Lansbury) from The Manchurian Candidate ~ The film itself is dull except for Lansbury's scenes, imo.
Gollum (Andy Serkis) from The Lord of the Rings
Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler) from The Honeymoon Killers
Image
Listening to most often lately:
Taylor Swift ~ ~ "The Fate of Ophelia"
Taylor Swift ~ "Eldest Daughter"
Taylor Swift ~ "CANCELLED!"
User avatar
Sky Syndrome
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1187
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:07 am
Location: Maine

Post by Sky Syndrome »

I think I'll make a collage for each of my lists. Things are more fun with pictures. :D I won't leave out the characters' labels.
Image
User avatar
Dr Frankenollie
In The Vaults
Posts: 2704
Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 4:19 am

Post by Dr Frankenollie »

Bump.
Avaitor
Collector's Edition
Posts: 2209
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:35 pm

Post by Avaitor »

Villains

1- Norman/Norma Bates (Psycho)
2- Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
3- Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
4- Magneot (X-Men trilogy)

That's good enough.
User avatar
xWKDNiiNJAx
Member
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2011 3:57 pm
Location: Liverpool
Contact:

Post by xWKDNiiNJAx »

These are in no order just my top 25:
Villains:
1. Darth Maul | Ray Park, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
2.Darth Vader | David Prowse & James Earl Jones, Star Wars
3.Ghostface | Skeet Ulrich & Matthew Lillard, Scream
4.Green Goblin | Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man
5.Headless Horseman | Christopher Walken, Sleepy Hollow
6.Jabba the Hutt | Return of the Jedi
7.Jason Voorhees | Friday the 13th Series
8.Joker | Jack Nicholson, Batman
9.The Shark | Jaws
10.Michael Myers | Halloween Series
11.Predator | Kevin Peter Hall, Predator
12.Serleena | Lara Flynn Boyle, Men in Black II
13.Terminator | Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator series
14.T-1000 | Robert Patrick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
15.TX | Kristanna Loken, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
16.David Lo Pan | James Hong, Big Trouble In Little China
17.Hannibal Lecter | Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs / Hannibal / Red Dragon
18.Lex Luthor | Gene Hackman, Superman series
19.Leatherface | Gunnar Hansen / Andrew Bryniarski, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
20.Aliens | Alien series
21.Jason Voorhees | Friday the 13th Series
22.Freddy Krueger | Robert Englund, A Nightmare on Elm Street series
23.Grand Moff Tarkin | Peter Cushing, Star Wars
24.Mr. Blonde | Michael Madsen, Reservoir Dogs
25.The Fisherman | Muse Watson, I Know What You Did Last Summer

Heroes:
1.James Bond (Sean Connery) - Dr. No (1962)
2.Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) - Raiders Of The Lost Ark(1981)
3.George Bailey (James Stewart) - It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
4.Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) - Rocky (1976)
5.Han Solo (Harrison Ford) - Star Wars (1977)
6.Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) - Spartacus (1960)
7.Superman/Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) - Superman (1978)
8.Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn (John Wayne) - True Grit (1969)
9.Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi (Alec Guinness & Ewan Mcgreggor ) - Star Wars series (1977- 2005)
10.Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) - Ben-Hur (1959)
11.Zorro (Antonio Banderas) - The Mask of Zorro (1998)
12.T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) - Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
13.Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) - Forrest Gump (1994)
14.Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) - Star Wars (1977)
15.Lt. John W. Dunbar (Kevin Costner) - Dances With Wolves (1990)
16.General Maximus Decimus Meridus (Russell Crowe) - Gladiator (2000)
17.Spider-Man (Toby Maguire) - Spider-Man 2 (2004)
18.Batman (George Clooney) - Batman and Robin (1997)
19.Neo (Keanu Reeves) - The Matrix (1999)
20.John J. Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) - Rambo: First Blood Part(1985)
21.Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) - Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2003)
22. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) - The Terminator (1984)
23.Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) - The Bourne Identity (2002)
24. Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) - Predator (1987)
25. Stephen 'Bull' McCaffrey (Kurt Russell) - Backdraft (1991)
User avatar
Dr Frankenollie
In The Vaults
Posts: 2704
Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 4:19 am

Post by Dr Frankenollie »

My new and improved Top 25 Villains list:

1. Norman Bates (Psycho)
2. Antonio Salieri (Amadeus)
3. Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver)
4. Colonel Hans Landa (Inglourious Basterds)
5. Annie Wilkes (Misery)
6. Charlie Meadows (Barton Fink)
7. Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
8. Hal 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)
9. The Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
10. Juror 3 (12 Angry Men)

11. Harry Lime (The Third Man)
12. Frank Booth (Blue Velvet)
13. Alex (A Clockwork Orange)
14. The Joker (The Dark Knight)
15. Jerry Lundegaard (Fargo)
16. Anton Chigurh (No Country For Old Men)
17. Jack Lint (Brazil)
18. Gollum (Lord of the Rings)
19. Noah Cross (Chinatown)
20. Seymour Parrish (One Hour Photo)

21. Jack Torrance (The Shining)
22. Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)
23. Jane Hudson (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?)
24. Stanley Kowalski (A Streetcar Named Desire)
25. Robert Rusk (Frenzy)
User avatar
Jay
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1509
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 8:03 pm
Location: US

Post by Jay »

Villains(in no particular order)

1. Norman Bates- Anthony Perkins "Psycho"
2. Amon Goeth- Ralph Fiennes "Schindler's List"
3. Roat- Alan Arkin "Wait Until Dark"
4. Roy Batty- Rutger Hauer "Blade Runner"
5. Colonel Kurtz- Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now"
6. Hans Landa- Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Bastards"
7. John Doe- Kevin Spacey "Seven"
8. Hans Gruber- Alan Rickman "Die Hard"
9. HAL 9000, 2001: A Space Odyssey
10. Frank Booth- Dennis Hooper "Blue Velvet"
11.Frank- Henry Fonda "Once Upon a Time in the West
12. Leatherface- Gunnar Hansen "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
13. Buffalo Bill- Ted Levine "Silence of the Lambs"
14. Vidal- Sergi López "Pan's Labyrinth"
15. Col. William Tavington- Jason Issacs "The Patriot"
16. Jafar- Jonathan Freeman "Aladdin"
17. Vincent Price- He has so many fun villain roles!

For the ladies:

1. The Wicked Witch of the West- Margaret Hamilton "The Wizard of Oz"
2. Baby Jane Hudson- Bette Davis
3. Regina Giddens- Bette Davis "Little Foxes"
4. The Queen- Lucille LaVerne "Snow White"
5. Joan Crawford- Faye Dunaway "Mommie Dearest"
6. Nurse Ratched- Louise Fletcher
7. Annie Wilkes- Kathy Bates
8. Phyllis Dietrichson- Barbara Stanwyck "Double Indemnity"
9. Veda- Ann Blyth "Mildred Pierce
10. Jadis, the White Witch- Tilda Swinton
11. Eve- Ann Baxter "All About Eve"
12. Cruella DeVil
13. Lady Tremaine/Ursula/Maleficent
14.Esther- Isabelle Fuhrman "Orphan"
15. Mrs. Iselin
16.Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil- Glenn Close "Dangerous Liaisons"
17. Mrs. Danvers- Judith Anderson "Rebecca"
18. Peyton Flanders- Rebecca De Mornay "Hand That Rocks the Cradle"
User avatar
Dr Frankenollie
In The Vaults
Posts: 2704
Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 4:19 am

Post by Dr Frankenollie »

Jay wrote:17. Vincent Price- He has so many fun villain roles!
Which one do you like in particular? I love Ratigan.

Do you have a heroes list? Personally, I'm finding that rather difficult. I can do a top ten:

1. Marge Gunderson (Fargo)
2. Juror 8 (12 Angry Men)
3. Amelie Poulain (Amelie)
4. Randle P McMurphy (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
5. Terry Malloy (On the Waterfront)
6. Aladdin (Aladdin)
7. Carl Fredricksen (Up)
8. Jake Gittes (Chinatown)
9. Tom Joad (The Grapes of Wrath)
10. Sam Lowry (Brazil)
User avatar
ProfessorRatigan
Special Edition
Posts: 668
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:10 pm
Location: Arkansas

Re: Top 25 Movie Heroes and Villains

Post by ProfessorRatigan »

I can't limit myself to just 25. In fact, I ended up with something like 80 villains when I tried jotting down ones I love! I couldn't rank them, either, so I just went by year of their film debut. (Earliest to latest, naturally.)

VILLAINS:
Count Orlok (Max Schrek) Nosferatu
The Phantom (Lon Chaney) The Phantom of the Opera
Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) Metropolis
Robot-Maria (Brigitte Helm) Metropolis
Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre) M
Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) Dracula
Frankenstein's Monster (Boris Karloff) Frankenstein
Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks) The Most Dangerous Game
Kong (...) King Kong
Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) The Invisible Man
Dr. Gogol (Peter Lorre) Mad Love
The Evil Queen (Voice of Lucille La Verne) Snow White
The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) The Wizard of Oz
Chernabog (...) Fantasia
Jaffar (Conrad Veidt) The Thief of Bagdad
Mr. Scratch (Walter Huston) The Devil and Daniel Webster
Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook) The Red Shoes
Harry Lime (Orson Welles) The Third Man
Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) All About Eve
Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) Sunset Boulevard
Lady Tremaine (Voice of Eleanor Audley) Cinderella
The Gill-Man (...) The Creature from the Black Lagoon
Godzilla (...) Godzilla
Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) The Night of the Hunter
J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) Sweet Smell of Success
Lonesome Rhodes (Andy Griffith) A Face in the Crowd
Maleficent (Voice of Eleanor Audley) Sleeping Beauty
Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) Psycho
Cruella De Vil (Voice of Betty Lou Gerson) 101 Dalmatians
Mrs. Iselin (Angela Lansbury) The Manchurian Candidate
Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) Cape Fear
Mothra (...) Mothra
Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) Goldfinger
Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Shere Khan (Voice of George Sanders) The Jungle Book
Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Donald Pleasance) You Only Live Twice
HAL-9000 (Voice of Douglas Rain) 2001: A Space Odyssey
The Child Catcher (Robert Helpmann) Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang
Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) The Exorcist
Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Darth Vader (Voice of James Earl Jones) Star Wars
Michael Myers (Nick Castle) Halloween
The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) Phantasm
Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) The Shining
Jason Voorhees (Various) from The Friday the 13th Series
Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) Amadeus
Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) A Nightmare on Elm Street
Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) Blue Velvet
Audrey II (Voice of Levi Stubbs) Little Shop of Horrors
Professor Ratigan (Voice of Vincent Price) The Great Mouse Detective
Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) RoboCop
Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) Fatal Attraction
The Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) Dangerous Liaisons
Raymond Lemorne (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) The Vanishing
Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Chucky (Voice of Brad Douriff) Child's Play
Ursula (Voice of Pat Carroll) The Little Mermaid
The Joker (Jack Nicholson) Batman
Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) GoodFellas
Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) The Silence of the Lambs
Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb (Ted Levine) The Silence of the Lambs
Gaston (Voice of Richard White) Beauty and the Beast
The Penguin (Danny DeVito) Batman Returns
Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) Batman Returns
Jafar (Voice of Jonathan Freeman) Aladdin
Amon Goth (Ralph Fiennes) Schindler's List
Scar (Voice of Jeremy Irons) The Lion King
Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons) Die Hard with a Vengeance
Judge Claude Frollo (Voice of Tony Jay) The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hades (Voice of James Woods) Hercules
Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) American Psycho
Samara Morgan (Daveigh Chase) The Ring
Gollum (Andy Serkis) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Dr. Otto Octavius "Doctor Octopus" (Alfred Molina) Spider-Man 2
The Pale Man (Doug Jones) Pan's Labyrinth
Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) There Will Be Blood
The Joker (Heath Ledger) The Dark Knight
Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) Inglourious Basterds

As you can see, I couldn't really stop once I started. Villains are so much more compelling. And some of my choices could honestly be argued. Boris Lermontov from The Red Shoes is a character I adore. He's not evil or malicious, but he is selfish and his stubborn, prideful nature lead to tragedy. He's tragic. As I said, I can't really 'rank' them. Except for maybe my top 4, which is pretty consistent:

1. Judge Claude Frollo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
2. The Wicked Witch of the West, The Wizard of Oz
3. Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs
4. Reverend Harry Powell, The Night of the Hunter

These are my all-time favorites. Frollo, naturally, represents to me the epitome of the evil that human beings are capable of. He has nary a redeeming quality and his zealousness is frightening when we consider that megalomaniacs and extremists like him actually exist in real life. Tony Jay imbues him with so much nastiness, menace, and, strangely, sexual energy, that he becomes one of the all-time greatest villains that has ever graced the silver screen, and my personal favorite.

The Wicked Witch is just iconic. Fun, nasty, hammy, theatrical, terrifying. She's the stuff of childhood nightmares made flesh and played exquisitely by Margaret Hamilton.

The Silence of the Lambs is actually my favorite film of all time, so, naturally, Hannibal Lecter makes his way into the top three. It's popular now, for some reason, to bash Anthony Hopkins for his "over the top" delivery as the cannibalistic psychiatrist (god knows why), but, to me, Hopkins has always been THE Hannibal Lecter. (I've been in love with the Thomas Harris novels since I was 13.) I believe this guy ate people. And I believe he convinced himself his crimes were justified. I also always thought he was classy and elegant. Something which was greatly LACKING in Brian Cox's portrayal of 'Lecktor' in Manhunter. That's why I'll ALWAYS prefer Anthony Hopkins' take.

And, finally, Robert Mitchum's intense false prophet rounds out my top 4. Again, The Night of the Hunter is one of my all-time favorite films. And Robert Mitchum is a BIG part of the reason why. (Lillian Gish is, too, but we'll get to her in a minute!) He is just flat-out menacing in the role of Harry Powell...that is, until he comes face-to-face with the can of whoop-ass that is Rachel Cooper. And then we see him (and all the evil he has come to represent) as thoroughly and utterly pathetic and worthy of scorn. It's not easy to do SUCH a 180 like that, but the Night of the Hunter, and Mitchum, makes it work.

HEROES:
Joan of Arc (Marie Falconetti) The Passion of Joan of Arc
Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) The Wizard of Oz
Timothy Mouse (Edward Brophy) Dumbo
Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish) The Night of the Hunter
Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) 12 Angry Men
Kuwabatake Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune) Yojimbo
Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) To Kill a Mockingbird
James Bond (Sean Connery) Dr. No through You Only Live Twice
The Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Gen. George Patton (George C. Scott) Patton
Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) The French Connection
Dame Marjorie "Maude" Chardin (Ruth Gordon) Harold and Maude
Han Solo (Harrison Ford) Star Wars
Superman (Christopher Reeve) Superman
Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) Alien & Aliens
John Merrick (John Hurt) The Elephant Man
Basil of Baker Street (Barrie Ingham) The Great Mouse Detective
RoboCop (Peter Weller) RoboCop
John McClaine (Bruce Willis) Die Hard & Die Hard with a Vengeance
Batman (Michael Keaton) Batman & Batman Returns
Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) The Silence of the Lambs
The Beast (Robby Benson) Beauty and the Beast
Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) Schindler's List
Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) The Nightmare Before Christmas
Edward D. Wood, Jr. (Johnny Depp) Ed Wood
Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Marge Gunderson (Francis McDormand) Fargo
Karl Childers (Billy Bob Thornton) Sling Blade
Megara (Susan Egan) Hercules
Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) The Big Lebowski
Hedwig Robinson (John Cameron Mitchell) Hedwig and the Angry Inch
The Bride (Uma Thurman) Kill Bill Vol. I & II

It was a lot harder coming up with a list of 'heroes.' Honestly, in most of the films I like, the 'hero' is usually so DULL compared to the villain. It's also a lot harder deciding what makes a person 'heroic.' For instance, one of my choices, Hedwig from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, might not be heroic to others, but I find her inspiring. If I had to pick my all-time favorite hero it would, without a doubt, be Joan of Arc from The Passion of Joan of Arc. I said earlier that Silence of the Lambs is my personal favorite film of all time. But if I were to be objective, I would have to say that The Passion of Joan of Arc is the GREATEST film ever made. It's more than a film. It's a visceral experience. And Falconetti's performance--no, scratch that, that doesn't do it justice--her EMBODIMENT of Joan is astounding to behold. It's a miracle. You truly do not feel as if you're watching an actor deliver a performance. You feel like a witness to history. The first time I saw the film, the second it was over, I couldn't move. For over ten minutes, I sat in silence and felt shaken. I couldn't think about anything for the next few days without images from the film popping into my head. Her Joan is heartbreaking, courageous, naive, vulnerable, and inspiring.

My number two choice would have to be Lillian Gish's Rachel Cooper from The Night of the Hunter. Again, it takes something special to make Robert Mitchum look like a pussy. And Gish does just that by the end of that film. When she sits on the porch all night rocking back and forth in her chair with a shotgun on her knee, singing hymns with Mitchum's preacher, she comes to represent the true 'Christian' drowning out the false, murdering Powell's (incorrect) lyrics and kicks evil's ass. The way she swoops in and protects the two children in the film is inspiring. She's the fairy godmother saving the kids from the big bad wolf. And she's just this unassuming little old lady! I love her.

Timothy Mouse would be my number 3 choice. I believe I've talked about him on the forum before. He's just so damned giving. Selfless, caring. Really the best friend anyone would want. He's always sticking up for Dumbo, taking on a whole pack of elephants and standing up to them, despite only being a 'mouse.' I was always impressed by his spunk and by his idealistic nature. He dreams big, he helps make those dreams a reality, and all just to help a little elephant with big ears that he happened to feel sorry for. A great character.

It's hard for me to pick a number 4. So, I won't and I'll just stop here.

Please excuse any typos. I wrote this in a rush.
Post Reply