I thought he was better in the dramas and comedy-dramas, not so much the comedies. Awakenings, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poet's society, Good Morning Vietnam and Mrs. Doubtfire were all great movies. R.I.P..

"Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat. Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt?
It gets worse, the older that you get. No escape from the state of confusion I'm in.

Not Waving but Drowning
BY STEVIE SMITH
Nobody heard him, the dead man,   
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought   
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he’s dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,   
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always   
(Still the dead one lay moaning)   
I was much too far out all my life   
And not waving but drowning.

His passing makes me very sad. The more I read about him, the more I realize what a special person he was. He truly had a heart of gold. I knew he had his troubles with depression and substances, but I never knew how severe his problems were...not too mention the newly-diagnosed Parkinsons Disease. Total despair for him. Yesterday, I read the articles about him in Time Magazine...just never knew how versatile and prolific an entertainer he was. I've watched Mork and Mindy, saw him on talkshows and watched only a fraction of his movies. The article by Dick Cavett about depression in that issue was particularly interesting if not scary. Such a debilitating disorder.

On the brighter side, one of my favorite movies was The Birdcage, and he wasn't the funniest person in the film...Nathan Lane was. Incidentally, Robin Williams was supposed to play the part of Albert, but he turned that down in favor of the more macho character of Armand. He just finished shooting the film Mrs. Doubtfire and didn't want to be in drag again..or so the story goes. Mostly, I like him in comedy-dramas and dramas...he's such a terrific actor. Good Will Hunting was great and What Dreams May Come is another good film but gut wrenching IMO. I've seen it twice and, given Robin's suicide, I don't think I could watch it again.

I feel particularly sorry for his kids, especially his daughter. Despite his illness and severe depression, I don't really think anyone saw this coming. There are photos of him online attending an art gallery with his wife a couple of days before his death...he looked very gaunt and frail. What a shame.

Just realized he was also in the video clip for "Don't worry, be happy".

Bellajane, thanks for mentioning the Cavett piece.
I will try to find that one.

Ah, here it is, for anyone interested other than me:

[time.com]

~"Love is Strong"~



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-08-20 02:45 by angee.

Famed British film-critic, Barry Norman, has caused somewhat of a stir by suggestion that, although terrific on occasion, Williams was too often guilty of sugary, over-sentimentality. He cited his two characters in that - in my opinion - marvellous Mrs. Doubtfire as being a prime example: the afformentioned character being terrifically funny, whilst the 'dad' character reprints everything wrong with Williams' style.

I have to say, I partially agree. Then again, a lot of U.S. movies can be overly sappy; particularly when based around the various holiday seasons: Christmas, Thanks Giving, etc.

Quote
Big Al
Famed British film-critic, Barry Norman, has caused somewhat of a stir by suggestion that, although terrific on occasion, Williams was too often guilty of sugary, over-sentimentality. He cited his two characters in that - in my opinion - marvellous Mrs. Doubtfire as being a prime example: the afformentioned character being terrifically funny, whilst the 'dad' character reprints everything wrong with Williams' style.

I have to say, I partially agree. Then again, a lot of U.S. movies can be overly sappy; particularly when based around the various holiday seasons: Christmas, Thanks Giving, etc.

Yes, having a few cringe worthy movies does not take away from his reputation, his genius.

It reminds me of a band I know that had it's own mid 80s career slump.

Very tragic and sad. May G-d bless him and comfort his family. We must pray for those suffering from depression and with medical help, counseling support, and prayer, we can help others avoid this sad fate.

One actor can't change the industry. Actors have to adapt. That is part of being an actor. The British film critic Al mentions is right. Robin sometimes played in movies which could be blamed for being sugary or oversentimental. But that is how parts of the industry works. He's not the only who could be blaimed for this. That is Hollywood for you.

Even the great actors, towards the late middle ages, have to take roles or parts "for the check". I don't think that alone caused his depression. This was apparently a life long struggle and sadly few were able to help him.

Quote
backstreetboy1
wrong topic,this is a stones site.

you're in the wrong thread dude.

His depression was deepened by his health issues and the onset of Parkinson's disease. Very sad.

Reading through this thread, as people mention their favourite Robin Williams roles, I keep thinking "How could I have forgotten that one - and oh yes, that was him, too - and that - and that..." So much great stuff, and so sad to think there won't be any more. I do agree with Barry Norman that some of his films strayed too far into treacly sentimentality (the British don't have such a sweet tooth in these matters as Hollywood does) but he was a fantastic actor in all kinds of roles from Dead Poets serious to Munchhausen manic. Thank you, Robin, and rest in peace.

As for the depression business, I don't believe sufferers, alone in their worst moments, are open to any kind of rational thought about the "selfishness" of suicide or how much their friends and families care for them - it's a horrible disease.

With Barry Norman's critique in mind, may I recommend to those who have yet to view it, a low-budget film from 2002, titled One Hour Photo. It is surely one of Williams' most chilling, down-right disturbing non-comedy roles. It's an absolutely marvellous picture.