Richard Harris was quite frankly a legend in his time and remains so to this day after his passing. Among the many actors that have come and gone in the business he was one of those that simply exuded authority, class, stature, and a personality unlike so many others that could change into whatever he needed it to at any given moment. While he completed many a movie in his youth, those that he starred in as an older man seemed to get great attention as he seemed to just get better with age. There are even a couple of roles that might not have been as great as they were had he not been given the chance to fill them, as they were iconic for the movies they belonged to and as a result were a great memory for the fans and for those that simply liked Harris as an actor. It goes without saying that he’s missed as he was one of the best at what he did.
Here are the five best movies of his career.
5. Unforgiven
Revenge stories are some of the best ever made despite the message that such a thing is usually self-defeating and doesn’t get a person anywhere. Of course if you don’t leave anything but a trail of bodies in your wake and a stern warning of what will happen to any that come after you there’s a chance that you might make it out alive. Harris however managed to play a rather unfortunate bounty hunter that was after a bounty he couldn’t collect on, and without understanding the opposition his character was run out of town after being beaten senseless. It’s not the best look for a character, but it was a good setup for the movie.
4. The Count of Monte Cristo
Edmond needed a teacher while in prison and Faria was there and had the knowledge and the martial skill to teach him many a new thing before making his escape. This movie didn’t get a great deal of attention and Harris’ part wasn’t that extensive but it was important since as a teacher and fellow inmate to Edmond he was crucial, otherwise the character of Edmond might have gone stark raving mad without an ounce of hope in sight. Plus, the opportunity to grow rich beyond his wildest dreams was another boon that Faria gave him on the pretense that he would do something good with it.
3. A Man Called Horse
This movie in this day and age would probably be looked at as appropriation or a ‘white savior’ movie by some and possibly in a more positive light by others since Morgan was abducted by a tribe and treated like an animal to start with, but eventually earned his way into their respect and esteem. That might be seen as all well and good by some but it’s fair to say that there would be a debate that might rage over whether this was one of the best movies ever since let’s face it, race and skin color in this era are considered two of the things that divide us the most even though they’re just a part of who we are, as is shown in this movie.
2. Gladiator
It’s interesting to see how a ruler can evolve throughout their time when it comes to power since as young men those that ruled long ago tended to be brash, impulsive, and on occasion wise enough to take council but far too often ready to take action and sort it all out later. Marcus Aurelius comes off as a man, in this movie, that is tired of the fighting, the wars, and the constant bloodshed, and the corruption that has occurred within his own empire as a result. Sadly though he doesn’t get a chance to see it corrected as the status quo, in the form of his own son, keeps such a thing from coming to pass.
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
To many Potter fans there was no other Dumbledore that could take Harris’ place since he seemed to exemplify the character and in a big way was the most powerful wizard in the Potterverse. Had he lived a few more years though it would have been interesting to see if he would have been just as convincing in a spell duel with Voldemort as Michael Gambon was and if the effects would have helped him out more or less during the battle. One has to remember that Hogwarts didn’t really teach the students any martial skills, so there wasn’t any need for flipping or even intricate hand gestures that might be difficult. He had to point a wand and move his hands a bit, and somehow it seems as though Harris could have made this look dignified as well as powerful.
As I said before, he is missed.
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