Limelight This Robin can fly By Lubna Abdel Aziz In a mad, mad world such as ours, where 'honour' is obsolete, where 'rights' are wronged and 'justice' is fast disappearing, to extol sanity sometimes proves to be a difficult task, unless you are a clown. Only the zany clown can bring lucidity and sense, while the rest of us are the demented crowds, laughing at him when we should be laughing at ourselves. One of the world's giddiest, dizziest, wildest clowns is Robin Williams. Unintelligible as he sounds, we do not ask what he means, we know what he means. He is the one laughing at us. His boisterous exuberance and his brilliant quick mind, his vertiginous comedic outbursts, his spasmodic hysterics and unmistakable joie de vivre translates into apparent stark raving undisputed frenzied madness. Yet Robin Williams is no madman. He is a mature seasoned actor who has made us roar with laughter often with unstoppable tears rolling down profusely. He has distinguished himself in a variety of roles that have won him public admiration, critical praise and an Oscar, for best supporting actor for Good Will Hunting (1997). Once again the screen's uncontrollable funny man, breaks out of his Birdcage (1996) as he has done on numerous occasions, sheds his clown costume for a One Hour Photo (2002), an opportunity that, judging from the critics, may very well be his next bid for another Oscar. Written and directed by one of musical video's brightest directors Mark Romanek, One Hour Photo has been receiving raves from critics and public alike. Romanek has made a very successful transition to the big screen, not only with Williams starring, but playing against type, boxing up his inexhaustible energy into a subdued, disciplined, unnerving character in a psycho-thriller, defying all expectations. Romanek, one of the most visually sophisticated video directors of the MTV School (Madonna, Jennifer Lopez) knew what he wanted to be at age 13, when he first saw Stanley Kubrik's 2001 Space Odyssey (1968). At Ithaca College in New York, he studied liberal arts and made a name for himself in musical videos, winning many awards, with a permanent collection exhibited at New York's Museum of Modern Art. It was time for a feature film. In the back of his mind was this character of a potentially dangerous photo clerk who develops films for a neighborhood family. All he ever sees of their lives are their happiest, most wonderful moments. Romanek transposed this character into Sy Parrish, who not only develops films for the Yorkins, but also develops an obsession for them and their activities. As his obsession grew, so did an insatiable desire to live vicariously through them and to become part of their family. When the family proves to be less than perfect, trouble starts. Williams became aware of the script and tirelessly pursued the role. Shocked and flattered, Romanek was intrigued by Robin's interest, but fearful. "How can the charismatic, charming, energetic comedian be so transformed?" "How can the loveable 'Mrs Doubtfire' become bland, forgettable, dark Sy Parrish?" It was a gamble and it paid off handsomely, especially for Williams. His Sy Parrish seeps under your skin, leaving you edgy, uncomfortable and breathless. The Yorkins alas, are not as perfect as Sy thought. At some point an illusion will be shattered. We sit and wait. For an established superstar to break the chains and fly out of the gilded cage is more than risky. Some have done it of course -- Charles Chaplin for one, but others stumbled and fell flat on their faces. No one has done it as often as or as gracefully as Robin Williams. This year alone he has appeared in what some critics have dubbed his "dark trilogy". It started with Death to Smoochie (2001), followed by Insomnia (2002) and now the most successful of all, One Hour Photo. Just turned 50 (21 July) Williams seems to be celebrating in golden style. Born to an affluent family in Chicago, Illinois, Williams had no doubt what he wanted to do at an early age. An only child, Robin was happier playing with his 2000 toy soldiers than with kids his own age. He joined the renowned Julliard Institute and studied acting under John Houseman. Upon graduation he got steady work as a stand up comic, but yearned to act. When director Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman) was casting the TV series Mork and Mindy, he was desperately seeking an alien from planet Ork. Williams went to audition. When Marshall invited him to sit down, Williams immediately sat on his head on the chair -- Marshall had found his 'Mork'. While shooting the hit series, Williams often departed from the script by improvising and ad-libing most of his lines. His lines were so superior to the script, the writers would leave gaps for him to fill. The series was a hit and Williams was on his way. However, success on the big screen was hard to come by. Robert Altman cast him as Popeye the spinach-guzzling sailor man of cartoon fame, which died a quick death at the box-office. It was not until Good Morning Vietnam in 1987, that he saw big- screen stardom. It was followed by a string of successes like Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), all dramatic roles in which he excelled. The flight from silly to serious became a regular exercise for him, and a good thing it did, for such a versatile talent should not be contained. The public would be the poorer without his rendition in such contrasting roles as the Scottish housekeeper in Mrs Doubtfire (1993), the inventive Dr Sayer in Awakenings (1990), the gay Armand in The Birdcage (1997) and Osric in Hamlet (1996), and his Oscar role in Good Will Hunting (1995). His screwball comedy, his impeccable timing, his endless energy, have been recognised again and again by numerous awards, Emmys, Grammys, five Golden Globe Awards, four Oscar nominations, and one Oscar. He was voted "funniest man in the world" by Entertainment Weekly of this, and probably any other planet. The secret to Robin's survival and success is his frequent flights into new horizons. He never plays it safe. As a dramatist, he keeps taking risks in darker alleys, as a clown, he keeps wearing his many outrageous hilarious hats, always quite becoming to our 'Mad Hatter'. It has not always been a smooth flight. Once a drug addict, Williams saw his close friend comedian John Belushi die of a drug overdose minutes after they bade each other good-bye. He also saw his roommate at Julliard reduced from a virile, vigorous Superman to a helpless quadriplegic following a fall off his horse. His name -- Christopher Reeve. He has seen big productions flop miserably at the box office like Bicentennial Man (1999) and Toys (1990) and he is also known to have brought in $2 billion in revenues for his films, a feat only a handful can claim. Mrs Doubtfire alone brought in $1/2 billion worldwide. His humour is unmatched "The Nobel Prize is the one award show I would like to see, just for the dancers." He makes his permanent residence in the city by the bay, the unique and picturesque San Francisco. "In Hollywood I feel like a hemophiliac in a razor factory!" In First Person Plural, his next project, he is possessed by 24 different characters in a multiple personality disorder story, penned by Cameron West (Forrest Gump). At 50, this rare thespian, this irrepressibly funny clown, this ever-flying bird seems to soar higher each time he takes off. In this mad, mad world of human failings, it seems that every moment is the right moment to relieve us of the confusion we live in. So, "send in the clowns!"
