Dont get me wrong this was a pretty good steven King film, I just thought that
Max Von Sydrow's perforance as Leland Gaunt wasn't sinster/evil enough. I have a
list of actors that could play Gaunt alittle better
1. Anthony Hopkins
2. John Malkovich
3. Gary Oldman
4. David Carridine
5. Sean Connery
6. Jack Nicholson
Anyone agree with this?
Now that I think about it Kevin Spacey and F. Murry Abraham would also be great as Gaunt. I do like Max Von Sydrow. He was great in the Exorcist and made a good
campy villian in Flash Gordon but I felt he was alittle miscast here. It was hard for me to belive he was the devil
While reading the novel I always invisioned Gene Hackman as Gaunt, so I suppose Hackman is my pick.
shareYes Hackman can play a good sinster villian (Superman series, Unforgiven)
He could pull off a decent Gaunt
Its funny, I just read the novel and didnt even know that there was a movie until now, and reading the novel I pictured JT Walsh as Buster and Von Sydow as Gaunt. And of course Keifer Sutherland as Ace :)
I agree, Kevin Spacey would have been a great Gaunt, a lot different form what I pictured but he would have been awesome. Id also go with Ian McKellen.
Did you have a good world when you died? Good enough to base a movie on?
I'm half way through the novel just now, and I've always pictured Ian McKellen as Gaunt!
share¨YESSSSSS!!!!
IAN McKELLEN!!!! Yes, I've picture it too.. And what about Liam Nesson??? What do you think??
I've didn't see the movie, but I've just finished the book... Oh man... I didn't know that this movie exists!!!!! :D
trust me, it ain't that great, the film.
The book, however, is awesome.
LOLOL, Hilarious!!! I pictured Brad Dourif as Ace.
shareI think THat was the Point...
shareI am reading the novel now and have been picturing Christopher Plummer as Gaunt.
I have Diane Lane as Polly and have JT Walsh as Buster!
I'm half-watching "Needful Things" now and I thought that was Christopher Plummer in the part.
Even knowing it is Max Von Sydow, I can half look at him and think it is Plummer.
Well, I'm almost 6 years late to the party, but despite having seen the movie 15 years ago and knowing it was Max Von Sydow as Gaunt, I still pictured Christopher Plummer as Gaunt while reading (ok, listening to) the novel. It got to the point where I almost couldn't believe Gaunt was actually played by Max and not Plummer... so I had to watch it again. He was awesome, and I think Plummer would've done an equally-admirable job with the role.
shareHow about Christopher Lee?
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Christopher Lee is a great choice. Frank Langella is another actor I can see as
Gaunt. Does anyone agree that Sydrow just didnt seem evil/sinister enough?
I mean he kinda comes across as the sweet grandfather type. Yes Gaunt is suppose
to fool people to think hes their friend who has something special to sell them
but as the film progresses I just didnt see the evil side of him (not enough
anyway)
I think he does evil better then Lee. Lee does creepy better though.
I think Sydow was really a good choice
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My money would be on JJ Walker.
share
Frank Langella would be a great choice! He's already had practice playing cool villians (The Ninth Gate, Skeletor :) , etc.
Donald Sutherland would be another good choice "devilishly handsome"
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Ian McKellen might make a good Gaunt. I imagine Leland as one of those skinny old men. And the book describes his face as nice and comphorting, like this guys. To tell the truth, I haven't seen him in too many things, but I did like him as Magneito. He seems like he could make a good evil guy... But only if he could pull off warm, sinister, evil, insane and giving, all at once. He'd also have to use a rapsy voice... I guess the voice of the Grandpa', from the Nickelodeon show, Hey Arnold, is the best way I can describe how I imagine his voice being done.
"What are you people, a buncha' communist?"
-The Red Guy
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I think Christopher Lee is too creepy. The thing is with Gaunt, he's also very charming. Up until he touches someone, people warm to him quickly, the gaggle of ladies that come to the shop after Polly - the group that Cyndi Rose Martin belongs to - they appeared to have small crushes on him, nothing serious, but I think Christopher Lee would have been too intimidating.
I can't deny that John Malkovitch would be a good choice, but I think Max Von Syndow struck the balance between charming and creepy very well.
~Sarah~
“When you’re convinced of your own absolute superiority, you don’t need help from mere mortals like me. You can *beep* things up all by yourself.” ~ Martyn Taylor, The Hole
You nailed it.
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I thought Max Von Sydow nailed it. I had a problem with the turkey lady, she was too over the top for me.
shareThor777: "I had a problem with the turkey lady, she was too over the top for me."
--------------------------------------------
Character performances in King movies are always over the top for me.
that was Valri Bromfield, by the way. I used to confuse her with Joyce Van Patten (I think Patten may be about twenty years older than Bromfield).
Bromfield all but played the same sort of backwoods woman, but out west, on a short-lived funny show called "Best of the West" with Joel Higgens, Meeno Peluce, Carlene Watkins, Tracy Walter and Leonard Frye.
I pictured Vincent Price as Gaunt when I read the book initially. I imagine he would've been too ill to take the part even if it had been offered to him.
shareAre you all serious? I dunno, but since I was a kid I always remembered Sydow's role in this movie than any other. In the book, Gaunt's character was a bit more... colorful, and Sydow didn't quite fit in the book. I think the movie is better than book, personally. The end of the book sucked compared to the movie's end. But anyway, as far as the movie is concerned, Sydow nailed the character. I think it's his voice.
shareThis may strecthing it a bit but how about Sid Haig. Anyway he can fit the role as Gaunt? I think if he can hide his southern accent (unless the script changes
his supposed place of origin in the South rather than Ohio) he might be a good
contender for the role
I don't think the accent would have really mattered with Haig. After all, they cast Von Sydow and he didn't exactly sound American to begin with. lol
Where are we a-going? Planet Ten
When are we a-going? ...real soon...
Max Von Sydow is great because he's not overtly sinister. The whole point is that he just seems like an old man and nobody could possibly believe that he is manipulating the town. His normalcy is what makes him work.
shareIMO von Sydow's physical appearance is perfect for Gaunt as King describes him; performance wise it's a bit more subjective.
I read the book before seeing the movie, but knowing that Max was playing Gaunt, so I always pictured Gaunt as von Sydow. :)
I just thought of this. The perfect Gaunt is Crispin Glover! Just use make-up
to make him look older and there you have him. Maybe for a remake they can use
Glover
I also did not like Ed Harris as Pangborne.
I always pictured Tom Selleck in that role.
I thought von Sydow as Gaunt was the best bit about the film. It's okay overall, but I thought he stood out by miles, even above Ed Harris.
shareAnyone like the Crispin Glover idea? Yes he will need make-up to look older
but he is perfect. I still like Jack Nicholson, Sean Connery, and Kevin Spacy
but I have serious doubts they would do it. David Carridine and Sid Haig wouldn't be taken seriously by the filmmakers even though I feel they can do
this role very well. So for any remake I say Glover is the way to go
Dead now, but Marlon Brando
shareI can't really disagree with any of the other suggestions out there. So many fine actors and they each would have brought something unique to the role, but I totally agree with this post:
Max Von Sydow is great because he's not overtly sinister. The whole point is that he just seems like an old man and nobody could possibly believe that he is manipulating the town. His normalcy is what makes him work.
For the record, I also though Ed Harris was top notch. And, of course, J.T. Walsh was awesome.
I was thinking Lance Henriksen... for some reason, that's who I thought of as Leland Gaunt while I read the book.
shareSydow owned this role. You guys are all out of your minds. He was by far the best thing in this film, and there is no guarantee that simply because you imagine some actor doing better that he actually would have performed it the way you imagined...
I thought he was plenty sinister. And I thought the veneer of kindness and paternal qualities was an asset in his performance. Do you really think if Satan wanted your soul he would come up to you as a slimeball Christopher Lee? Of course not. He would come in a form that would cause most people to drop their guard, and with that in mind, Sydow was the perfect choice!
david carradine would be awesome
what do you think of hugo weaving?
shareDont get me wrong this was a pretty good steven King film, I just thought that
Max Von Sydrow's perforance as Leland Gaunt wasn't sinster/evil enough. I have a
list of actors that could play Gaunt alittle better
1. Anthony Hopkins
2. John Malkovich
3. Gary Oldman
4. David Carridine
5. Sean Connery
6. Jack Nicholson
Anyone agree with this?
Hell no. Sorry but Max Von Syndow nailed it completely!
No other famous actor could have done what he did in this film. Max is a hell of a great actor anyways in his own right, why try to shame his performance in his movie by saying somebody else who's A-list needs to play the role of Gaunt.
ST4
"He is one, we are three, it is the strength of three that will defeat him...together. General Zod"
''Sydow owned this role. You guys are all out of your minds. He was by far the best thing in this film, and there is no guarantee that simply because you imagine some actor doing better that he actually would have performed it the way you imagined...''
Agreed, and people should be luckily they got Max von Sydow in the film as he is a wonderful actor that was a major player in the films of Ingmar Bergman. He has top credentials.
''Do you really think if Satan wanted your soul he would come up to you as a slimeball Christopher Lee? Of course not. He would come in a form that would cause most people to drop their guard, and with that in mind, Sydow was the perfect choice!''
I do agree but I do think that Christopher Lee can do charming, even though he is too associated with being Dracula, Lord Summerisle (though he usually seems like a charming washed-out hippy to me, until the end of the film), Saruman etc. But he made a good hero in 'The Devil Rides Out' so I do not think it'll be too much of a stretch for him to play a charming old man.
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i totally agree with you, KingAngantyr. But had MVS not been available, they could have gone with:
Raul Julia
Rutger Hauer
Terence Stamp
Robert Culp
Ian McKellen
And if it was remade today, i would say Julian Sands or Kenneth Branagh.
Good other choices, Velvet!
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I pictured Paul Newman. Pretty much the way he was in Road To Perdition. I'm watching it now on T.V. and Sydrow doesn't seem that bad. A lot of old actors have the general look for Gaunt it seems.
shareHow about Ian Richardson? He's not too well known, he played Mr. Book in "Dark City." He has that Shakespeare-esque way about him that is like Max Von-S and Sir Ian MacKellan, but is not enough on the menace-side of looks. With what everyone is talking about, I can understand what they're looking for. How about Robert Shaw for an idea, he's dead, but an idea either way.
I"m from the Chicago area and I always pictured Gaunt as George Steinbrenner just for kicks, but it didn't take away from the book.
i think either hopkins or maybe even geoferey rush but i cant picture sean connery as a bad guy