{"id":4434,"date":"2010-05-17T01:24:28","date_gmt":"2010-05-17T05:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=4434"},"modified":"2010-05-16T18:21:43","modified_gmt":"2010-05-16T22:21:43","slug":"100-greatest-movie-characters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=4434","title":{"rendered":"100 Greatest Movie Characters"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Last week Fandomonia.com<\/strong><\/a> did a four part series<\/strong> on their choices for The 100 Greatest Movie Characters<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Using just their characters, here is My Top Ten<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

10.<\/strong> Preacher Harry Powell<\/strong> played by Robert Mitchum<\/strong> in The Night of the Hunter<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 I first watched this as a youngster on a little black and white tv.\u00a0 The story pulled me in and Mitchum’s evil preacher<\/strong> had me loving every scary minute of it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

09.\u00a0 Sam Spade<\/strong> played by Humphrey Bogart<\/strong> in The Maltese Falcon<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Was Bogie<\/strong> ever cooler than when he went head to head with Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre <\/strong>and Mary Astor<\/strong> in The Maltese Falcon<\/strong><\/em>?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

08.\u00a0 Rick Blaine<\/strong> played by Humphrey Bogart<\/strong> in Casablanca<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 If Bogie<\/strong> ever played a cooler character than Sam Spade<\/strong>, it had to be when he played Rick Blaine<\/strong> and found himself once again knocking heads with Sidney Greenstreet<\/strong> and Peter Lorre<\/strong>, but this time joined by a town overrun with Nazis<\/strong>!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

07.\u00a0 Phyllis Dietrichson<\/strong> played by Barbara Stanwyck<\/strong> in Double Indemnity<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The only woman to make the list and I’m as surprised by that as I was when I first watched Ms. Stanwyck<\/strong> seduce Fred MacMurray<\/strong> and manipulate him into killing her husband.\u00a0 I knew Ms. Stanwyck<\/strong> as the older matriarch on The Big Valley<\/strong><\/em> and Mr. MacMurray<\/strong> was the older father on My Three Sons<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 To think that they had once been so young and so good in their respective roles!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

06.\u00a0 Don Corleone<\/strong> played by Marlon Brandon<\/strong> in The Godfather<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 To think that the studio made Brando<\/strong> audition and still almost passed.\u00a0 Thanks to Francis Ford Coppola<\/strong> for his vision and Brando<\/strong> for his skills since we were given one of the best movie characters ever.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

05.\u00a0 Forrest Gump<\/strong> played by Tom Hanks<\/strong> in Forrest Gump<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The new [at the time] technology coupled with Hanks’ portrayal<\/strong> made for an unforgettable character.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

04.\u00a0 Indiana Jones<\/strong> played by Harrison Ford<\/strong> in Raiders of the Lost Ark<\/em><\/strong> and the sequels.\u00a0 Ford<\/strong> was perfect as the swashbuckling adventurer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

03.\u00a0 Hannibal Lecter<\/strong> played by Anthony Hopkins<\/strong> in Silence of the Lambs<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Hopkins<\/strong> wasn’t the first to play Hannibal the Cannibal<\/strong>, [that distinction goes to Brian Cox<\/strong> who played him five years earlier<\/strong> in Michael Mann’s Manhunter<\/strong><\/em>], but he more than made the role his own.\u00a0 My guess is that after seeing Hopkins’ riff<\/strong> as Hannibal<\/strong>, census takers all over the country dreaded home visits.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

02.\u00a0 Harry Callahan<\/strong> played by Clint Eastwood<\/strong> in Dirty Harry<\/strong><\/em> and the sequels.\u00a0 It’s hard to remember that when Dirty Harry<\/strong><\/em> premiered in 1971<\/strong>, there weren’t any other cops like him.\u00a0 Eastwood’s iconic performance<\/strong> created a new genre of cop movie… but none were better than Eastwood’s Harry Callahan<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

01.\u00a0 Rocky Balboa<\/strong> played by Sylvester Stallone<\/strong> in Rocky <\/strong>and the sequels.\u00a0 Was there any doubt who my number choice would be?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Fandomania<\/strong> list was a solid one, but I had to wonder about these characters that didn’t make the cut:<\/p>\n