..sasom i en spegel...von Sydow...

If one wanted to add a degree of stilted gravitas to a picture, then one would seek Max von Sydow. As witnessed by the grind of B and C level dregs at the bottom of the Netflix barrel, there's not many with the singular talent of actually adding to a film. I have yet had the time to watch every von Sydow film, but of the ones I have seen, these are some. Note I'm not saying they're the absolute best of his repertoire, but are somewhat important (I actually left off Ghostbusters II):

1. "Through a Glass Darkly" (1961) - von Sydow plays the father, Martin, in a family drama by Ingmar Bergman. As we head down the list of films, not owing to von Sydow's obvious talent, you'll see a wide drop-off from such watershed films as this. The film must be watched quietly and as intensely as it was created. The acting is technically perfect - the subject matter is rough: a family works out the years of callous issues in a 24 hour period as their mother succumbs to an illness.

2. "The Exorcist" (1973) - as Father Merrin, von Sydow's performance (along with Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn) create the pitch perfect movie that few have been able to touch in the bottom of the dregs, horror movies. If anything, Exorcist transcends the genre to this day - as it was handled by the sober Williams, Friedkin and Blatty.

3. "Three Days of the Condor" (1975) - what's better than von Sydow as a villain, especially as he hunts down CIA agent, Joe Turner (Robert Redford) in another watershed film that puts the suspense genre in highest form. I think in this case, a subdued De Laurentiis, with director Sydney Pollack, hits all of the right notes and handles the source material with some regard (whereas the recent suspense genres seem to hate the whole game, I'm thinking The Saint and the Bourne series).

4. "Conan the Barbarian" (1982) - the genre could have been cast the same way, had it remained true to this film and Dune. But, the business decided to create a slew of trash that really watered down and pretty much destroyed it, up until Lord of the Rings was re-handled by someone passionate about the best of the genre. Blink in this movie and you may miss von Sydow, who plays King Orsic. Set aside your preconceived notions (about director Milius and the genre) and Conan is actually a pretty decent film.

5. "Strange Brew" (1983) - anyone that is a fan of this movie, probably had to have known and enjoyed the SCTV sketches. If not, it may not make as much sense about these jingoistic Canadian brothers who really love beer. von Sydow plays the evil Brewmeister who attempts to take over the world with a titular blend of beer. Only funny if you watched local television in the 80s in the middle of the night.

6. "Minority Report" (2002) - only interesting piece is von Sydow's character, but in a heavy-fisted story that can never step up to the concept. With this an A.I., I feel is the decline of Speilberg and the summer audacity. I wonder if the movie were extended to really concentrate on the rings of the plot and more von Sydow, how much better it would have been. Not a watch that'll necessarily waste your time...

7. "Shutter Island" (2010) - only interesting in that von Sydow is still working. Born in 1929, the man has worked for so long. Unfortunately, this is another film with a high concept, a convoluted script and one that Scorsese did his best with. DiCaprio is a very capable actor, but this bit was rough. The hardest part for me to suspend was that any institution would honestly put its entire staff at risk, much less the patient, in an elaborate game to heal him. Must have been a much better book - but now that I know the ending...

Hopefully, Christopher Nolan can snag von Sydow in something quiet and dark and one that has as much power as Bergman did so many years ago. I think the audience deserves it, no? And, no, I don't mean Batman 3.