So instead of looking at a movie, let\u2019s switch it up and talk about an actor. Charles Laughton was a British actor of Hollywood\u2019s Golden Age (1930s and 40s) who lasted into the 1960s.\u00a0 In most cases this was fairly rare.\u00a0 And that is because most of those actors back then were movie stars who depended on good looks to bring in the audience.\u00a0 Once they hit forty parts started drying up.\u00a0 Not Laughton though.\u00a0 He resembled, and as he got older, more and more closely resembled, a toad.\u00a0 Because of this he never depended on his looks to garner success.\u00a0 He was a truly versatile and skillful actor.\u00a0 As I\u2019ve stated recently we are inside the month-long pre-Oscar movie festival on TCM.\u00a0 Many old classics are being shown daily.\u00a0 Over the weekend I watched two Laughton movies in one day.\u00a0 In the morning I watched him in \u201cThe Private Life of Henry VIII\u201d and that night I watched him in \u201cMutiny on the Bounty.\u201d\u00a0 The only thing that King Henry and Captain Bligh have in common is that they were both English.\u00a0 The characterizations, appearances and mannerisms are worlds apart.\u00a0 And yet both characters are memorable and believable.\u00a0 And the same can be said for the multitude of characters he played over the years.\u00a0 He was the Hunchback of Notre Dame, an American senator in the Cold War era, the Roman senator Cicero, an English barrister, the Emperor Claudius, a British butler in the old Wild West, Captain Kidd the pirate, a hobo, a ghost, a henpecked husband who murders his wife and even a horror movie mad scientist.\u00a0 His versatility allowed him to create entertaining characters in a comedy, drama, tragedy, history or any combination of the above.\u00a0 In fact, it was sometimes the case that a poor movie would still be worth watching just to see Laughton do his stuff.\u00a0 Laughton movies that I have enjoyed for at least his efforts include:<\/p>\n
1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mutiny on the Bounty (highly recommended)<\/p>\n
2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Witness for the Prosecution (highly recommended)<\/p>\n
3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Advise and Consent<\/p>\n
4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Private Life of Henry VIII<\/p>\n
5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Hunchback of Notre Dame<\/p>\n
6)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ruggles of Red Rock (a very silly but enjoyable comedy)<\/p>\n
7)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spartacus<\/p>\n
8)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Canterville Ghost (a WWII comedy)<\/p>\n
9)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Island of Lost Souls (an early horror movie)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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So instead of looking at a movie, let\u2019s switch it up and talk about an actor. Charles Laughton was a British actor of Hollywood\u2019s Golden<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,238,237],"tags":[759,756,762,43,757,191,761,760,758,763],"class_list":["post-2237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie-reviews","category-classic-movie-reviews","category-reviews","tag-advise-and-consent","tag-charles-laughton","tag-island-of-lost-souls","tag-movie-review","tag-mutiny-on-the-bounty","tag-ocf-classic-movie-review","tag-ruggles-of-red-rock","tag-spartacus","tag-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame","tag-witness-for-the-prosecution"],"yoast_head":"\n