Movie Icons: A Very Interactive Post

What is an icon?  I start this post with a question because I wish to begin as I intend to continue.

'A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something: e.g. "an icon of manhood".'

That's one of the only answers you'll get today.  Wikipedia says 'Some writers say that the terms "icon" and "iconic" have been overused. A writer in Liverpool Daily Post calls "iconic" "a word that makes my flesh creep", a word "pressed into service to describe almost anything."'

I can understand their point.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember knowing that an icon is a representative symbol of something.  But when I use the word iconic, I think I'm actually thinking more along the lines of 'unforgettable'.  I think somebody once told me that icons could always be recognised by their silhouette.  So in Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot, we recognise his cameo appearance just from his silhouette for example.

But then I type 'movie icons' into Google images and I get this:

I guess these little pictures are just icons because they are representative of the actual characters that they stand for.  Is that right?  And could somebody enlighten me as to who the last one is please?  I was expecting actual pictures of Monroe, Bogart, Chaplin but not these little ladies and gentleman.

In fact I scroll down and the first actual pictures of people I get are quite a way down:

Which gets me thinking?  Is there room for debate about who our movie icons are?  Or do some higher powers have to bestow the term 'icon' before us common muck can use it?  Why are the above characters iconic?  How long does it take to become iconic?  Is it instant?  Was Ledger and Nolan's Joker instantly iconic?  Was the Joker already iconic before The Dark Knight and therefore any fresh incarnation of the villain will always be iconic?

What is Frankenstein a representative symbol of?  The undead?  The arrogance of man messing with the powers of God?

I am aware I'm rambling but I wish to get to the bottom of this.  Can I say that any film character is an icon if I feel s/he is a representative symbol of something to me personally?  Do I have to justify my use of the word iconic to anybody?  I recently heard a blogger ranting about the over use of the word masterpiece.  Do we really need to hold back on using words like iconic and masterpiece and save them for only the specialist occasions.  I'm sure most people do but doesn't it all come down to opinion?

What about stars?  I can clearly see how characters can be iconic.  Many characters are written to be symbols.  But stars?  How can they be iconic?  I mean really iconic?

MSN thinks they can be:

In the 00's we have: Will Smith, Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Clooney, Winslet and Jolie.

In the 90's we have: Pitt, Hanks, Willis, Thurman, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Jim Carrey, Winona Ryder, Meg Ryan

In the 80's we have: Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Schwarzenegger, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Molly Ringwald, Kathleen Turner

The list goes on and on, check here for the 70s, the 60s, the 50s, and apparently MSN then decides there were no icons before this last decade.  So no Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy etc.

I'm just not sure if all of these stars are really iconic.  I mean what is Brad Pitt a representative symbol of?  Now Tyler Durden maybe... but not Brad Pitt himself surely?  And what about Johnny Depp?  Edward Scissorhands I can see being iconic, Captain Jack even maybe at a stretch... but not just Johnny Depp.

So another question for you and I hope you are making a note of all these because I NEED answers!  What makes a star iconic?

Finally, I'm more interested in iconic images than I am with iconic stars or even iconic characters.  So what do you think are the most iconic images of cinema?  For me it just doesn't come any more iconic than this.  I could talk about this image all day but I'll leave that for another post.

Over to you!  Please give me some answers to my endless questions and I will be forever in your debt!

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The Ten Best Actors of All Time: Relay Race

The baton has been passed.  Thanks to Scott from Front Room Cinema, it is my turn to add and replace an actor on the list that has been doing the rounds since it was started by Nostra at My Filmviews.  Check here for The Focused Filmographer's update who then passed it to Scott and now here we are!  What silly decision am I going to make?  Read on to find out!  Here's the deal:

"So what’s the idea behind the relay? I’ve created a list of what I think are the best actors. At the end of the post I, just like in a real relay race, hand over the baton to another blogger who will write his own post. This blogger will have to remove one actor (that is an obligation) and add his own choice and describe why he/she did this. At the end the blogger chooses another blogger to do the same. The idea is to make this a long race, so that enough bloggers get a chance to remove and add an actor. We will end up with a list (not ranked in order) which represents a common agreement of the best actors"

So here's the list and who I've added and replaced is at the bottom!  Long may this series continue!

Here we go…

Robert De Niro

Although he may not have had any roles that stood out in the last couple of years, he has proven what an amazing actor he is. Just think of his roles in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Godfather: Part II, Goodfellas, The Untouchables, Heat and Cape Fear.

Daniel Day Lewis

Although he might not have appeared in as many movies as some of the other actors in this list he makes up for it in the amazing performances he gives. He really disappears in his roles. Some of his best work includes My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, Gangs of New York, In the Name of the Father and Last of the Mohicans.

Charlie Chaplin

Now this might not be someone you’d immediately think of, but when it comes to comedy and silent movies he was perfect, funny and knew exactly how to make his audience care about the character he played. Some of his best work can be enjoyed in The Kid, City Lights, The Great Dictator and Modern Times.

Gary Oldman

He has proven that he is a true chameleon, with a very distinct look in every movie he appears in. His acting is always a joy to watch. Some of his best known work is that in the Harry Potter series, Leon, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the latest Batman movies and Dracula.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

He started acting in 1991 and really has had a very versatile career appearing in movies that are loved in art houses, but in mainstream movies as well. His movies include The Ides of March, Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Wilson’s War, Capote and Magnolia.

Marlon Brando

Now I must admit that I haven’t seen many of his movies, but he was stunning in his most famous role in The Godfather, but also roles in Apocalypse Now, On The Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire he wowed audiences.

Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall has had an amazing career as well. I don’t know much about his early work, but I always enjoy to see him on the screen. His characters always are injected with something that grounds them into reality. He appeared in movies like Get Low, The Godfather, Colors, Apocalypse Now and THX1138.

Christian Bale

With quite the diverse range in roles, Oscar-winner Christian Bale goes to great lengths for many of his roles. From losing weight to almost unhealthy standards twice (The Machinist, The Fighter) to taking dance and martial arts lessons for 10 weeks for Newsies (a film which he dislikes), Bale consistently goes to incredible lengths to bring a role to life. Other examples of his great work include: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Empire of the Sun, Equilibrium, and 3:10 to Yuma.

Paul Giamatti

This is a guy who can do anything. He is the everyman of actors. From insane villains to hen-pecked husbands on the brink of depression. He has great comedic timing as well as some fantastic dramatic chops. From Win Win to Barney’s Version to Ides of March (which he owned) to Sideways. I could watch this guy paint walls and still be enthralled.

My Choice

Edward Norton

The star of one of the greatest films of all time; David Fincher's Fight Club.  He has made a career out of playing characters with two sides to their personalities.  From an 'innocent' abused choirboy with a dark side in Primal Fear right up to his turn as The Incredible Hulk, Norton does Dr Jekyll and Mr Nutcase Hyde better than anybody!  American History X and Fight Club are the standout performances of his career and though he might not have a huge filmography, his casting with Brando and De Niro in The Score was a significant baton-passing to the best actor of a new generation.

Who I Replaced

Samuel L Jackson

He may well be one of the hardest working actors around, with 139 roles to his name, but I really don't think he stretches himself too much. Yes I loved him in Pulp Fiction but other than that I can't think of a role where I'd say 'damn that Samuel L. Mother Humping Jackson is a fine actor!'

I'm terribly sorry to get rid of the only black guy on the list and then replace him with a guy who played a neo-nazi.  I promise there is no hidden agenda here!  I just hope somebody puts a Poitier or Freeman or Washington on this list soon so I can relieve some sense of guilt! 

 So, to who do I bestow the baton?  I think I'm going to go with Ruth from FlixChatter.  Let's see which actor she will replace and who will be added in the next lap of this relay!  Good luck Ruth!