Who can say why the passing of a stranger can be so heartbreaking?... an artist whose work has changed your life and perhaps not for "the role he was best remembered for"! I saw Alan Rickman walking alone on the street many years ago, and didn't want to interrupt his private time to gush over how much his talent meant to me. His Hans Gruber in DIE HARD (1988), homely-handsome, suave, witty, wry, merrily villainous, and the perfect foil to the goofy, fumbling-but-direct, all-American yahooist John McClane of Bruce Willis' was an astounding debut in American film! Unforgettable!.... and of course, then there's the Harry Potter juggernaut...
But for me, the role that changed my life was Rickman's Colonel Brandon in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. He had none of the fireworks, glamour, or even the screen time as his co-stars, but I can't think of anyone who could have communicated so much through the silences, the soulful glances, the pauses, and his measured deliveries done like a viola being played in another room. I found myself looking at him and studying his “listening” more than the other characters even as they spoke.
I had no idea he was ill, and his passing has been described as fairly sudden. All I can do at this point is to borrow the much-used quote, "A great light has gone out.".... and it has indeed in the world of film and theatre according to the messages being posted by his compatriots. His many fans will miss him for Snape, but for me it will be for all those quiet moments in his most subtle performances, and the unexpected beauty, passion, and sexiness of his soul that came through those oh-so expressive eyes... A great light indeed.
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