So, yeah, last week was a pretty crappy one in the dead-famous-people department. First, director Anthony Minghella passed away at the age of 54. Minghella directed one of my favorite movies, The Talented Mr. Ripley. It's a bit overlong, but exceptionally well-cast and well-acted. I first saw it about a week before I left for college, and it made me want to totally reinvent myself when I moved into my dorm (without the murder, though).
The next day, science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke passed away in Sri Lanka. Among other things, Clarke wrote the short story "The Sentinel," which was adapted by Stanley Kubrick as 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is one of my favorite movies. (Incidentally, since I'm not sure when I'll have another excuse to link to it, do check out Michael Berube's two-part essay on 2001, which is among the more useful things I've read on the film.)
To close out this particular trilogy, news came out the next day that Paul Scofield had died. Scofield won an Oscar for his role in A Man for All Seasons, and he also appeared in Quiz Show, which is (all together now!) one of my favorite movies.
Hopefully next week will be a little less mournful. But just in case, I'd like to urge Brian Cox, Seymour Cassell and Bill Murray to be extra careful in the near future.
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