Scenes We Love: Henry Fool
Filed under: Independent, Scene Stealers, Trailers and Clips
One of the most overlooked actors in the world of cinema is Thomas Jay Ryan, also known as Henry Fool. In Hal Hartley's world, he was a Fool by name, but only in the most dynamic and classic sense. Ryan served us one of the most dynamic and irresistible characters that quirky cinema has seen. He's an actor that oozes presence, and it's one of Hollywood's biggest oversights that this man can't get a big, and dramatically engaging break.
Writing about Henry Fool, I want to call it a masterpiece, and I don't use that phrase lightly. The film is wonderful, but it is more about the world that was created, and how Fool's adventures can morph from serious poetry and child rearing to spies, intrigue, and explosions (in Fay Grim). In Fool, Ryan even makes the simplicity and awkwardness of grammar seem intriguing, and below, you can watch him teach Simon Grim (James Urbaniak) the differences between there, their, and they're.
Yes, the scene taps into my writerly inclinations, but it's also a wonderful example of Ryan's skill -- taking such a simple notion and thought, and expressing it Just. So., punctuating thoughts with a simple tapping of the piano key, and deliberate pauses.
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-02-2009 @ 8:42PM
Marcus said...
I love this movie. I picked it up on DVD at Target a while back.
I love Trust and Hal Hartley directed Henry Fool. I had to buy it.
Reply
3-02-2009 @ 10:05PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
Wow. Haven't thought of this one in forever. But it's one that got me into indie cinema in the first place. The marriage proposal/ explosive diarrhea scene is a timeless classic!
Reply
3-03-2009 @ 8:27AM
Christopher Campbell said...
Monika, you had better stop tapping into my brain looking for my favorite films with which to write these posts, or I'll have to just assume we're long lost twins (maybe I should try to move a harmonica with my mind...).
Anyway, were you as disappointed with Fay Grim as I was? It's not as bad as some of Hartley's other films of late, but it just wasn't the rich sequel to Henry Fool I'd desired.
Reply