Actor Discussion #8: Alastair Sim

[samuelrichardscott]

Best? Worst? General thoughts?

[addicted2dvd]

Not familiar with him... checking my collection... I was surprised I don't have a single title with him!?!

[GSyren]

Interesting choice for discussion.

I can't recall seeing him in a role I disliked. I guess Scrooge would be the obvious role to mention, but it's not the one I remember the most. I'd say his roles in the first two St. Trinian comedies. I also liked Green for Danger and School for Scoundrels.

It seems like I have seen him in so many old British movies that I was a bit surprised to see on IMDb that he hadn't done more than he had.

[Antares]

One of my favorite British actors, a perennial scene stealer. I loved him in Green for Danger. He is the quintessential Ebenezer Scrooge. The only role that I felt was rather weak for him was in Hue and Cry. Maybe I need to re-visit it, but the film was rather lackluster compared to the other Ealing comedies I own.

[Jon]

I know we've discussed Hue And Cry before and I love it. I meant to reply to your post in Curtain Call actually. I really enjoyed his performance in that, as I liked how fragile his character was. Writing adventure stories, but far too timid to take part himself!

He was excellent in Hitchcock's Stage Fright, a relatively unusual film for him to be in. In a lot of Hitchcock's films you can sometimes find a character or two that represent the director and I think Sim was that in Stage Fright, a cheeky old man who can't resist being an amateur detective!