I can show you the world
It's taken me two days to even begin to come up with a way to start articulating how I feel about Robin Williams and the manner of his passing. The latter topic is for a different post, one that'll be clearly marked and cut-tagged. But as for Robin Williams himself...
I've read lots of eulogies about him by now, and one common theme is that people keep talking about how nice he was, in addition to his genius. I'm glad; he always seemed like a wonderful man to me, although I never met him in person, and it's heartening to know that those who were close to him felt that way too.
Robin Williams was part of my life from my childhood on. I remember watching the original episode of Happy Days where Mork from Ork first appeared, and went on to watch Mork and Mindy (although I only mostly remember the first season). His Evening at the Met made me and my whole family laugh, bringing us together in shared joy; not only did I watch it when it aired, but I took a cassette tape of it on vacation with me that year and listened to it during the long drive. Dead Poets' Society broke my heart at the same time that it inspired me to follow a dream (O Captain my Captain!); What Dreams May Come remains one of only a handful of films that has resonated so strongly on an emotional level that I've been brought to incoherent tears (another one was Good Will Hunting). I've only been able to watch it once, but I can still see every scene in my mind's eye; Williams's performance was that powerful. His work in One Hour Photo and Insomnia was terrifyingly good, too; I'd not previously realized the full range of his talent until I saw him portraying the villain with the same depth that he'd brought to his heroic roles. And, of course, let's not forget his appearance as the "Genie... of... the LAMP!" in Aladdin - that's where the subject line of this post is from, and that's the movie soundtrack which has been running through my head for the last two days. He brought that character to life in a way that was uniquely his, after all - over 70% of the Genie's lines were his original work.
Comedy and drama, playing heroes and villains alike, bringing us laughter and joy while sharing difficult experiences with unflinching honesty - all of this Robin Williams gave to us, and our lives were far, far richer for it. Thank you, Mr. Williams, for everything. You're so very much missed, and always will be so very much loved.
This entry was originally posted at http://silveraspen.dreamwidth.org/317188.html and mirrored to LJ. Please comment where you wish! (There are
comments currently posted at Dreamwidth.)
I've read lots of eulogies about him by now, and one common theme is that people keep talking about how nice he was, in addition to his genius. I'm glad; he always seemed like a wonderful man to me, although I never met him in person, and it's heartening to know that those who were close to him felt that way too.
Robin Williams was part of my life from my childhood on. I remember watching the original episode of Happy Days where Mork from Ork first appeared, and went on to watch Mork and Mindy (although I only mostly remember the first season). His Evening at the Met made me and my whole family laugh, bringing us together in shared joy; not only did I watch it when it aired, but I took a cassette tape of it on vacation with me that year and listened to it during the long drive. Dead Poets' Society broke my heart at the same time that it inspired me to follow a dream (O Captain my Captain!); What Dreams May Come remains one of only a handful of films that has resonated so strongly on an emotional level that I've been brought to incoherent tears (another one was Good Will Hunting). I've only been able to watch it once, but I can still see every scene in my mind's eye; Williams's performance was that powerful. His work in One Hour Photo and Insomnia was terrifyingly good, too; I'd not previously realized the full range of his talent until I saw him portraying the villain with the same depth that he'd brought to his heroic roles. And, of course, let's not forget his appearance as the "Genie... of... the LAMP!" in Aladdin - that's where the subject line of this post is from, and that's the movie soundtrack which has been running through my head for the last two days. He brought that character to life in a way that was uniquely his, after all - over 70% of the Genie's lines were his original work.
Comedy and drama, playing heroes and villains alike, bringing us laughter and joy while sharing difficult experiences with unflinching honesty - all of this Robin Williams gave to us, and our lives were far, far richer for it. Thank you, Mr. Williams, for everything. You're so very much missed, and always will be so very much loved.
This entry was originally posted at http://silveraspen.dreamwidth.org/317188.html and mirrored to LJ. Please comment where you wish! (There are
comments currently posted at Dreamwidth.)