FOUR FILMS STARRING TERENCE STAMP

Probably the greatest compliment I could pay to Terence Stamp is that he is the type of actor who makes an otherwise not very good film interesting.  Like the party guest everyone looks forward to seeing who breathes life into an otherwise dull get together.

The present day Stamp is an elderly character actor with the deep voice of authority blessed by nature with a penetrating blue-eyed stare and granite authority.

However, back in the 1960’s, Stamp was a leading man who made a number of good to great films.  I’d like to discuss the four best and what about his acting makes them special….

Stamp’s first film BILLY BUDD works because Stamp is able to keep the audience guessing.  We do the same as Robert Ryan as the villainous master of arms Claggart tries to guess is he a fool, a wise man, or a smart ass?  Only in the end is the Christ analogy made obvious to us.  It would have been very easy for Stamp to take a lofty approach to playing this role but instead he keeps the audience unsure of Billy Budd with his stutter and inability to see evil in others’ hearts.

 

THE COLLECTOR is my favorite film that Stamp has acted in.  It contains his best performance.  This is not a horror film but a psychological study as in the head of the title character, Freddie Clegg as TAXI DRIVER was in Travis Bickle’s head.  The POV is totally from Clegg/ Stamp.  We know why he reacts the way he does and why he is ultimately let down by Samantha Eggar.  A great film all around with an actor who shows not tells the audience what his character is all about.

Stamp is not the main star of POOR COW but his role is important and allows the actor to indulge in a contradictory role.  We are shown that he is a mostly kind man who is loving to Carol White’s single mother and a surrogate father to her son.  It is only later when he is in court and the judge reads off a list of his past offenses dating back to childhood and including acts of violence one against an elderly lady that he robbed that we realize what a complex performance this was.

I have taught high school literature in the past and FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD was one of the texts I used.  In order to play Sgt. Troy, one must combine the right amount of clueless narcissism and raw charm.  Troy is not completely evil and it would be wrong to play him as such in a film.  Stamp finds the right mix and turns in a great performance.  Best scenes – The swordsmanship scene with Julie Christie and the drunken behavior/speech during the wedding party.

I watched an interview with Terence Stamp in youtube on the Michael Parkinson show dating from the late 80’s.  When asked about the 1960’s and his time as a leading man and cultural icon, Stamp said something along the lines of that he was very ordinary looking and his ordinariness became the look of the times.  He was being humble there I think.  There is certainly nothing ordinary about him as an actor.