Unfortunately, modern cinema is increasingly directed precisely at making money, rather than at art itself. For one real creative picture, free from any commercial research, today there are sometimes dozens of so-called blockbusters. The viewer quickly gets tired of these cinematic stampings, and now even the most sophisticated superspecial effects with which the creators of these "masterpieces" try to cover up the semantic and intellectual nudity of their creations cause only boredom and irritation.
The article is about a completely different movie. About the so-called mono films, or, as they are most often called, films with one actor. Every year they attract more and more attention.
Of course, everyone understands that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the leading person will not be completely alone, all one hundred percent of screen time in the mathematical sense of the word. However, he will do another trick with the viewer - he will take possession of all his attention and thoughts so much that all the other characters who get into the frame will be perceived no brighter than a distant cloud floating somewhere far on the horizon ...
So, let's make a list of films with one actor, which you will never regret watching. Let's get started!
Complete Monofilm List
Having a little understanding of the concept of a monofilm, for a start it would be nice to study it with specific examples. As a result of a small study, it turned out that such paintings are actually very few. With the exception of their top ten representatives, which we will discuss in more detail in the following paragraphs of this article, the list of all films from films with one actor barely exceeded two dozen.
So, what kind of monocartins came into it? Let's start in order.
The most striking such paintings in the 60s of the last century were only two films - “The Old Man and the Sea” (1958) and “The Human Voice” (1966)
Below in the photo you can see a shot from the film "The Old Man and the Sea"
Five paintings were especially prominent in the 70s - “Johnny took the gun” (1971), “Duel” (1972), “Silent Escape” (1972), “The Man Who Sleeps” (1974 ), as well as the work of the brilliant Arkady Raikin "People and Mannequins", published in 1974.
Below in the photo you can see a frame from the painting "People and Mannequins".
In the 80s, the drama Secret Honor (1984), which won the Berlin Film Festival prize, became the only representative of films with one actor.
The 90s also became so meager in this kind of cinema. During this period, only one such film came out - "Anatomy of Gray" (1996).
But in the 2000s, monofilms became quite regular, but still infrequent. We all remember such interesting and original paintings as “Telephone Box” (2002), “Hole” (2005), “1408” (2007), “In the Wild” (2007), “ Victim ”(2010),“ Steel Doors ”(2010),“ Brake ”(2011),“ Fight ”(2011),“ Love ”(2011),“ Conquering Time ”( 2012), “Life of Pi” (2012), “Martian” (2015), “Know the Unknown” (2016), “Sandbank” (2016). The latter is the unique movie "Manifesto" (2016), a photo of numerous characters of which performed by the only actress Cate Blanchett can be seen below.
Now let's start a review of the list of the best and brightest films with one actor.
"Nerves to the limit"
Our list of the best is rightfully opened by the tragicomedy of 1992, the main and almost the only role in which the actor Steve Odekerk played.
In the 90s, this unexpected monologue picture of an enraged man, whom everyone in the world got tired of, made quite a lot of noise and was extremely popular. Indeed, no one has ever seen such a sparkling and, one might say, sophisticated humor in a movie.
The protagonist of the film "Nerves to the Limit" is a writer of secrets brought to a boil. During one wonderful day that the audience will almost completely survive with him, he will tell and shout the truth about everything in the world, starting with the amount of milk in a cup with cornflakes, and ending with some strange type in the hood, which in fact turns out to be nothing other than Death itself, whose fleeting role was played by the famous Jim Carrey, the best friend of actor Steve Odeker.
Outcast
In 2000, the premiere of the drama Outcast, telling the amazing story of many years of struggle for the survival of courier delivery service manager Chuck Noland, whose lifestyle is an iron discipline and almost fanatical worship of the passage of time, literally every minute of it, which in no case should the abyss in vain, because the prosperity of the company, which he honestly and faithfully serves, depends on this.
For this brightest example of films with one actor, a high rating was a well-deserved reward for the pleasure and absolutely fantastic experiences that all viewers get when watching it. Judge for yourself - as a result of the crash, Chuck Noland, whose image was brilliantly embodied on the screen by Tom Hanks, is the only survivor and ends up on a desert island. Very soon, the hero of the picture is faced with all the problems that a civilized person can only encounter on an island surrounded on all sides by an endless ocean, and whose only friend is a ball with a painted face. But the main test is not even in these difficulties, but in the fact that on his island there is absolutely no such thing as time ...
"I'm legend"
Our review continues with the fantastic utopia film "I Am A Legend", released in 2007. This picture, based on the novel of the same name by the writer R. Matheson, tells of the terrible days of the scientist Robert Neville, the last person on earth.
It was he who invented a miracle cure for cancer, which as a result killed all of humanity. It was he who destroyed his own family, as well as billions of other families on the planet. He is serving his term in solitary confinement, whose name is deserted New York. And this he repeatedly repeats attempts to find a way to change everything.
The brilliant dramatic role of Will Smith. A bewitching sight of a deserted planet. Despite everything - faith in humanity ...
“Moon 2112”
Actor Sam Rockwell starred in the main role of the 2009 science fiction film “Moon 2112,” which became a rather unexpected choice for its authors, since the main asset of Sam's filmography at that time was the role of the finished villain William Wharton from the cult film The Green Mile. The image of a purely negative hero, who pretty firmly stuck to this amazing actor for many years.
In "Moon 2112," the personal drama of the astronaut Sam Bell, who lived alone for three years at the lunar station, and the only interlocutor of whom all these years was a robot, appears before the viewer. One of the cosmic days in Earth’s orbit, Sam suddenly learns the truth that his dreams of a home and return to his family are just the thoughts of the real Sam Bell who never left the Earth, and he himself is his clone. As well as all his followers, sleeping in suspended animation chambers before the expiration of the three-year term of the next astronaut of the lunar station. And that there really is no way home, like the house itself ...
127 hours
The next of the outstanding single-actor films was the 2010 biopic “127 Hours,” which tells about the tragic accident that happened with young extreme player Aron Ralston, as a result of which his hand was tightly sandwiched among stones in the middle of a lifeless canyon, which he set off in search of adrenaline .
The main role in this drama, based on events that actually happened, was played by actor James Franco. His prototype Ralston actually spent 127 hours without food and water, desperately fighting for his life and leading a video diary in which he talks about all the changes in his condition and, in fact, says goodbye to everyone. When he finds himself at the very edge, he decides on the most incredible act ...
It is noteworthy that the real Aron Ralston showed the records of that video diary only to his relatives. The only people on the planet who still had a chance to see them were the director of the picture "127 Hours" Danny Boyle and actor James Franco.
"Buried Alive"
Another masterpiece of the genre under consideration was the drama "Buried Alive", presented to viewers in 2010. The main role in this incredible picture was played by actor Ryan Reynolds, who later became known as "Deadpool".
His screen hero is Paul, and he is fighting in Iraq on a contract basis. Once in an ambush, he loses consciousness and comes to himself in absolute, and also very close darkness. Using a lighter, Paul makes a terrible discovery for himself - he is buried in a coffin.
From this moment begins the inhuman struggle of the main and only hero of the picture for his life. Ahead of him is terrible physical and psychological tests, and still hope. The incredible hope of being saved and the thirst for life.
I don’t want to talk about the ending of the film. It’s better to see it yourself ...
Gravity
Actresses in single-actor films also have a spot on our list. One of them was the famous Sandra Bullock, who played the main role in the 2013 film "Gravity". Her character is medical astronaut Ryan Stone, who is on her first space expedition. Her daily research duties are pretty routine, but they are suddenly interrupted by a disaster.
Of the survivors, only she and the shuttle captain Matt Kowalski remain, whose role was played by actor George Clooney. Around them is the gaping depth of space, and all they can do now is fly in the orbit of the Earth, like space debris. The heroine of Sandra Bullock is not immediately, but still comes the realization that Kowalski, trying to help her, is actually only a figment of her imagination. And now she can only hope for herself ...
It is noteworthy that the outstanding film director James Cameron after the release of "Gravity" on the screen recognized this picture as the best film about space in the history of world cinema.
Lok
In the same 2013, the great actor Tom Hardy played in the dramatic thriller “Lock”, which tells the story of the builder and exemplary family man Ivan Lock, who should be promoted tomorrow, and he is looking forward to it. But when evening comes, an unexpected phone call bursts into Ivan's life, turning everything around.
During almost the entire film, the viewer sees only the face of the hero Tom Hardy and his endless conversations on the mobile phone while driving through the city at night. However, this does not make the picture boring. More likely, on the contrary, because after a short time the viewer seems to plunge into life behind the screen, becoming a kind of accomplice to all events.
Hero Hardy is completely alone. There is only him, his car, road and arrow navigator. And, of course, an important decision that he must make.
"Hope will not fade away"
In the 2013 film, actor Robert Redford played a lone traveler dissecting the warm waters of the Indian Ocean with his luxury yacht. However, soon his serene voyage was interrupted by a strong blow from a container floating in the water, breaking through the side of his ship. As a result, his yacht begins to sink, and a storm broke out only aggravates the position of the hero of Redford, forced to engage in an unequal battle with the elements.
This film is notable for the fact that it is the only film in the last hundred years that has only one actor and one screenwriter and director JC Chandor. Only a few remarks will be said by the hero of Robert Redford for the entire screen time, but this film by and large does not need any words, because the main thing in it is the silent and gloomy duel of a stubborn middle-aged man with the ocean and circumstances.
"Collector"
The final in today's review of films with one actor was the wonderful work of one of the best contemporary actors in Russia Konstantin Khabensky, who played, perhaps, in the only Russian film that represents the topic of our discussion today.
Arthur, the protagonist of the thriller "Collector", released in 2016, is a true professional in knocking debts from large debtors. He is a cynical and confident virtuoso of his craft, a subtle psychologist and a master of transformation. In his life Khabensky’s hero suits absolutely everything, only in the heat of his never-ending work, he does not notice at all how he himself turned from a collector into a target and a debtor.
The hunter was a victim, but the world didn’t react to this fact, and the megalopolis lights still measured in the window of the office of a lone collector Arthur. He is completely alone. There is only a telephone and several hours of time to escape ...