I recently watched Flash Gordon for the first time since the 1980s, and Max Von Sydow's performance was a definite highlight.
Casting a `proper' actor as the villain in a silly movie is always a great idea. (See, for example, Basil Rathbone in The Court Jester.)
Stellar performance as the weary knight in "The Seventh Seal", a film more than 60 years old. Well worth seeing today and to some - with the elements of a plague in the background - of particular contemporary relevance.
Max played a critical role in what I think is an under-rated science fiction movie called āUntil the End of the World.ā He comes into the story pretty late, and is crucial to a tricky transition from a āroadā movie to something far more dramatic.
That seemed to be a popular role for him later in lifeāa sort of super character actor who could come in and punch up the gravitas of any scene with just a few lines. I think that says a lot about his abilities as an actor.
To Americans with Scandinavian/Swedish ancestors (there sure are a lot of you), I really recommend watching these two movies starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullman:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emigrants_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Land
They are based on a series of novels (1949 and onwards) by Vilhelm Moberg chronicling the fate of a family who decides to migrate from famine/poverty-stricken Sweden to the US in the mid 1800s. A full 25% of the Swedish population ended up migrating to the US.
These two movies made Max iconic and so beloved to pretty much everyone in Sweden. They are also fantastic movies; I find myself rewatching them once every 5 years or so.
Antonius Block: I met Death today. We are playing chess
Out of all the roles he played I remember him best as the knight from The Seventh Seal. Somehow his looks, demeanor and way of talking perfectly fit that of a stereotypical medieval knight.
RIP Max Von Sydow, a great artist.
He's forever in the canon as the protagonist in The Seventh Seal, of course.
Every film buff will have something in particular that stands out in their memory about Max Von Sydow. For me, that would be the as the mad scientist, Dr Farber, in "Until the End of the World"-- a sprawling train-wreck of a film that I will always remember fondly, I don't care what the pro-critics think!
My favourite roll of his was in Strange Brew. Such a powerful actor in such a silly roll.
He was perfect as Leland Gaunt in Needful Things. And his little turn as Joubert in Three Days of the Condor makes the life of a professional assassin seem almost reasonable.
He has but a scene in Conan the Barbarian, but what a scene! "What daring! What outrageousness! What insolence! What arrogance! ... I salute you."
What an amazing actor, he had so many fine performances during his career. I loved him in Dune, and also this cameo as King Osric in Conan the Barbarian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVTOag1lQHc
He was also in the Bob abd Doug MacKenzie movie 'Srrange Brew'.
Max is/was one of my favorites. Rest well, Max. His Shutter Island performance was one that sticks with me, though you could rattle off any of them.
The Magician, Wild Strawberries, Through a glass darkly, The Virgin Spring and the Seventh Seal. These films are 50 years old! Being in these films alone would be enough to qualify as a cinema legend and he still had nearly 50 years to go! Extraordinary!!!
Watch "Three Days of the Condor" if only for the scenes with DEC PDP hardware. That's the way we used to do it kids.
Max was also great in this movie - I would not want that guy coming after me. RIP after an exceptional career in films.
I was almost offended when Facebook popped me an article named "The Game Of Thrones and Judge Dredd star died", and none of the hundreds of comments ever mentioned anything but the three-eyed raven. Sad.
His exorcism scene in The Exorcist is one of the most powerful and terrifying scenes of all time:
I quite liked him in The Black Hole, which is a weird Scifi flick Disney put out in the 80's. Quite dark for a Disney flick.
His film I've watched was an old Danish one, Pelle Erobreren (Pelle the Conqueror) from director Bille August.
First movie I saw him in was an Australian film called āFatherā. Great film, and he won an acting award for his performance in it, too.
Good god, I just finished watching Shutter Island and then read this. May he rest in peace.
I remember him more from things like 3 days of condor or Lynch's Dune. But 7th seal is a true classic in any and all possible ways. An unmistakable actor.
Respect for his work and achievements.
My favorite performance of Max Von Sydow was Frederick, in Hannah and Her Sisters. His critique of television and contemporary values becomes truer every year.
Guess you can only turn the chessboard on Death so many times.
I think he was great in The Emigrants and The New Land.
Favorite role: Hannah and her sisters. he had a great role - some humor, some sadness (when his heart is broken). This guy could totally act.
He also did Esbern's voice in Skyrim. RIP
I'm sad. He was one of my favorite actors:
Flash Gordon
The Emigrants
The Flight of the Eagle
Heidi
Hawaii
I always thought he was one of the greatest actors ever to grace the screen. Truly a shock to see the headline.
Ming is dead.
No one has mentioned him in The Exorcist yet, so I do
They finally finished that game ... RIP
His best work was Judge Dredd
Pity they didn't mention Dune. Not the best film, nor a big role for him, but for young me it was still a wonderful experience to watch this. He replaced the imagined book version of Kynes forever in my head. Peace.