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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 277344" data-attributes="member: 23">Any Old Port In A Storm continuedDonald Pleasence is an actor I associate with characters who are filled with an intense obsessive mania. Whether they’re masterminding an escape from Stalag Luft; having agents devoured by piranhas for failure; or pursuing a masked serial killer, Donald’s characters always seem to be on the verge of going right over the edge with catastrophic results. He frequently plays quiet and meek too. And can effectively swing between this more gentle side and sudden terrifying outbursts. He’s frequently the impotent everyman who turns out to be far more threatening that he first appears. One of my favourite Donald Pleasence performances is in Polanski’s 1966 film Cul-de-Sac because of how his bizarre otherworldly eccentricities are embraced. At the back of my mind I had wondered if his outraged shouty side might be just a little too much for the world of Columbo. It turns out it isn’t at all. His furious tirades over people or situations not meeting his exacting standards are incredibly entertaining. At times they’re comical because of how over the top they are over a detail most of us would consider trivial. But at the same time they’re quite frightening because he seems truly unhinged. Of course, this makes his unplanned killing of Ric completely truthful. It happened in a moment of impassioned anger, and one can truly believe he didn’t even know what he’d done until after the event (although his final words to his brother might suggest intent and, of course, the cover up afterwards was coldly planned out). I love his haughty reaction from behind those thick glasses the first time Columbo dares to enter his office without being announced. One can really feel his contempt that someone has dared to break this rule of propriety. His righteous anger throughout contrasted wonderfully with Columbo’s more externally laid back persona. It’s easy to understand why these two might grow to respect one another. They’re two people with an eye for detail who will not give up in their pursuit of their respective obsessions. Carsini’s controlling nature extended to his relationships. Obviously that’s partly why the murder happened. But it’s perhaps best clearly seen with his secretary Karen Fielding in the scene where they’re leaving for dinner. He informs her that - for one night only - she will be permitted to call him Adrian. When her heart plainly melts at being thrown these crumbs he goes on to say he might consider dropping the formalities permanently. And yet by the end of the evening, he’s making it clear she was never anything more than an employee. continued...</blockquote>

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