RateItAll: The Opinion Network

I like Guinness a good deal, although I could give a damn about a knighthood.

His body of work is very impressive, from the rigid, proud and blinkered officer in "Bridge on the River Kwai," his urbanely menacing Chekist in "Dr. Zhivago," the cunning shiek in "Lawrence of Arabia" and wide range of others.

Unfortunately, it is for the role he liked least, and which frankly shows relatively little of his power as an actor, that he is best remembered, that of Kenobi in "Star Wars." Guinness apparently hated the role, but he or his agent were the only ones who had the foresight to negotiate points on the gross of the movie, so it made him rich.

While not the real "Man of a Thousand Faces" (that was Lon Chaney) the description would be apt in his case. He could play a coniving villian and a every man and convey each with only subtle change to his expression and demeanor, dispensing with tricks of makeup and costume. My favourite of his work were the Ealing Comedies of the 50's, I'm All Right Jack, The Man in the White Suit, The Lady Killers and the Lavender Hill Mob. Gary Oldman is the only actor today who could approach his range.

I agree with Irish in that I couldn't care less about his Knighthood. Heck, Elton John is Knighted, and he is not even a Sir.

Kidding aside, Alec Guinness is a wonderful actor who played in one of my favorite movies of all-time, Lawrence of Arabia.

Guinness gets much deserved credit for his Tony and Academy Awards, but few speak of his service with the Royal Navy in WWII. He should be commended for that as well.