Alan Rickman: a quiet directorial force to be reckoned with
Alan Rickman was one of those few souls in the film industry who was uncommonly gentle and kind.
After his tragic passing in 2016, many of his collaborators shared moving stories about his generous spirit and humility, with Daniel Radcliffe explaining how the actor had cut his holiday short and flown to London for his stage debut in 2007, providing unwavering support throughout each stage of his career. Rickman, of course, famously started out in the theatre himself, starring in productions such as The Seagull, The Grass Widow and Les Liaisons Dangereuses, with the latter earning him a Tony award nomination.
Despite being an incredibly nurturing and generous spirit in real life, Rickman later came to be known for playing morally questionable characters, with his first on-screen role being that of Hans Gruber in Die Hard, who is largely seen as one of the greatest villains of all time. But while building a reputation for playing ‘the bad guy’ and being associated with characters that were the polar opposite of himself, the actor revealed his true colours through his often-overlooked directorial work, showing a knack for deeply sensitive and thoughtful stories.
Rickman directed two films over the course of his career despite being infinitely better known for his work in front of the camera. However, both projects show a tenderness that highlights the heart of his creative spirit and something less obvious through his more mainstream characters. His directorial debut, The Winter Guest, is an intimate slice-of-life drama set in a small Scottish village during a particularly harsh winter, following multiple characters over the course of one day as they deal with the pains, joys and dramas of their lives.
Emma Thompson stars in the project alongside Phyllida Law (Thompson’s Mother) and Sheila Reid, with the ensemble creating a beautifully lived-in and philosophical musing on the meaning of life, death, purpose and pain, trying to find fulfilment in their lives and making sense of their melancholia. The harshness of the environment exists in stark contrast to the fragility of the characters and their careful pursuit of meaning, creating a poignant and bittersweet portrait of small-town life and the forces we try to escape from.
After a 17-year hiatus from directing, Rickman then helmed A Little Chaos in 2014, starring Kate Winslet, Stanley Tucci and Matthias Schoenaerts in this period drama about a landscape gardener who is hired by an architect to design the gardens at the Palace of Versailles. However, as the pair begin work on the palace, they are drawn to each other and thrown into a bitter feud. While the film is less emotionally astute compared to The Winter Guest, it again shows a knack for sensitivity and softness that went against the public perception of being seen as a villain.
Rickman was a man of many talents, revered for playing characters with complex depths and hidden multitudes, always with a disarming sense of humour and knack for stoic yet commanding performances. But the actor also had a talent that extended beyond his presence in front of the camera, despite there being less of a spotlight on this aspect of his career.
He was a quiet yet powerful force, and his directorial work shows the inner workings of a man who cared about people and worried about the state of the world, infusing his eternal sense of compassion and kindness into his craft.
