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Small Roles… Big Performances (Chiwetel Ejiofor in Children of Men) + 1

I am honored to be participating in this blogathon (Small Roles … Big Performances), created by blogger Ruth at Flixchatter. Be sure to visit her site to check out her post as well as the postings of the other participants.


When I first approached this topic, one performance came to mind – Chiwetel Ejiofor in the dystopian Children of Men (2006). That is quite a feat – in a film where there are so many impactful supporting performances (Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Pam Ferris to name a few), I selected Ejiofor’s because of all the roles I have seen him in over the years (not enough for my liking), this is the the most deviant and surprising one.

As always, I strongly encourage you to check out this film for yourself and decide for yourself – way back in 2007, I dedicated a blog post to this film.

If you are so inclined, check out this video (WARNING: It does contain some integral plot elements, either that or you will just be a tad confused about all the talk about “The Human Project”).

 

But wait – there’s (one) more …

As I was making my shortlist for this post, my mind was flooded with actors and performances from yesterday and today that deserved some notice. So, as I conclude my post, I would like to mention the performance of a personal favorite of mine, Thelma Ritter; watch this clip of her memorable performance in Pickup on South Street to see what I mean:

 

 

 

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What I Have Been Watching …

A few weeks ago I mentioned one of my latest television obsessions and tied it into the world of cinema. This week I will not even attempt a tie-in; instead I will just wax poetic about a program I am a couple of episodes in, The Shadow Line, which originally aired on BBC Two (BTW thanks for the recommendation, Scott – he of Front Room Cinema).

This one-off, seven part series stars a personal favorite of mine, Chiwetel Ejiofor as a cop investigating a murder of an underworld boss. But rest assured, it is not that straightforward. See, he is just back on duty after recovering from a gunshot wound to the head – and the bullet is still lodged there. As a result of the shooting, he has amnesia from the event, which also saw his partner die. This is al established the end of the of the first episode, which had a perplexing and intriguing final act that left one wondering, “Just WHAT is going on?”

And now that I have just finished episode two which heralded the introduction of Stephen Rae’s shadowy figure, I cannot wait for episodes 3 and beyond.

Although made for television, this series has a very cinematic look and feel to it. The writing is clever and well-placed in the hands of a superb cast of actors including Stephen Rae, Christopher Eccleston, Kierston Wareing and a very, very frightening Rafe Spall as the nephew of the murdered crime boss who has more than a screw loose.

Check out the trailer:

For us here in the States, getting our hands on this series has been a hard task to say the very least; this past February, DirectTV aired the program on its Audience Network. But it now appears to be available on Blu-ray via Amazon.com. My only warning: the video description states that this is an All-Region disk, so I can assume that it will play on a North American video disk player, but one cannot be too sure.

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Spotlight On Chiwetel Ejiofor

CHIWETEL UMEADI EJIOFOR

OBE (Order of the British Empire)

DOB: 10 July 1977, London England

Education: Dulwich College, National Youth Theatre

 

 

 

In my book, Chiwetel ‘Chiwe’ Ejiofor is due some series props. His face has graced the stage and the screen with equal measure. Granted not all of his roles have been big ones, but they have certainly provided fertile ground for some of his larger roles.

Film credits include (in no particular order):

  • Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg
  • Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears (Winner: Best Actor, British Independent Film Awards)
  • Endgame (TV) (Nominee, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film)
  • Melinda and Melinda, directed by Woody Allen
  • American Gangster, directed by Ridley Scott
  • Redbelt, written and directed by David Mamet
  • Kinky Boots, directed by Julian Jarrold (Nominee, British Independent Film Award for Best Actor – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy)
  • Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón
  • Tsunami: The Aftermath (TV) (Nominee Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Mini-Series, TV Film or Dramatic Special)
  • The Inside Man, directed by Spike Lee
  • Talk to Me, co-starring Don Cheadle (Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, Nominee, Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture)

Some of these films are quite popular, while others came and went with little mainstream mention. It is no wonder then as I was starting to work on this list it was only then that I realized just how prolific he is, yet still manages to fly under the radar.

And I have not even mentioned his highly lauded stage career. In 2008, he received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character in Shakespeare’s Othello. Another notable stage performance was in the 2007 Royal Court Theatre production of Chekhov’s The Seagull alongside Kristin Scott Thomas, Mackenzie Crook and Carey Mulligan.

With a CV like this, he is slowly being raised to the status of ‘national treasure.’

It should come as no surprise having mastered TV, film and stage, that he has been conferred an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his body of work.

Next up for Mr. Ejiofor is a role in the completed film Savannah and, in 2013, a film that I cannot wait to see: Twelve Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen and produced by Brad Pitt, who will also feature in the film.

 

 Source for Article: Wikipedia 

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