One of the main factors affecting the audience’s perception of the film, and therefore its success, is the work of the cast. In big-budget blockbusters, the number of protagonists can be in the tens, and the total number of characters can even exceed a hundred. However, the films on this list and the actors who played in them prove that the viewer’s interest can only be kept through a good story and the performer’s charisma.
The Human Voice (1966)
- KinoPoisk: 7.1.
- IMDb: 6,9.
In the theater, plays for one actor are very common. However, for a long time they were afraid to use this approach in cinema or did not know how to use it correctly. The first film of this kind is considered to be the Indian film by Sunil Dutta “Memories” in 1964 (it is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records in the category “Feature film with the least number of actors”). From that point on, other directors began to experiment with this format little by little. And already in 1966, one of the best films with one actor came out, even by modern standards. This is a tape by Ted Kotcheff based on the play by Jean Cocteau “The Human Voice” with Ingrid Bergman in the only role.
The film is only 50 minutes long, so I recommend that all movie lovers set aside one of the lunch breaks to get acquainted with the classics. The great Ingrid Bergman plays a woman who calls her beloved on the eve of his wedding and tries to explain herself. The conversation begins calmly, but in less than an hour, the heroine reaches complete despair. And this is an hour of the actress’s most virtuoso game, because despite the fact that, in fact, there is a dialogue in the film on the phone, the viewer does not hear the man’s voice. Therefore, you will have to learn about his answers from the facial expressions, reactions and emotions of the actress. Interestingly, half a century later (in 2020) another adaptation of the play was released – a half-hour short film by Pedro Almodovar with Tilda Swinton in the title role.
Outcast (2000)
- KinoPoisk: 8.3.
- IMDb: 7,8.
In the 70s and 90s, both successful films with one actor (“The Man Who Sleep”) and frankly terrible ones were released. However, only in 2000, with the release of Robert Zemeckis’s “Outcast”, it became clear to everyone that such films can be interesting, entertaining and even profitable. It is interesting that just a few years before that, the film “Robinson Crusoe” was released with a similar plot and everything else. However, the authors of this tape, obviously, missed something important from the original source and were unable to show all the cruelty of the hero’s battle for life. But “Outcast” copes with this task one hundred percent. Largely thanks to the brilliant work of Tom Hanks, who received a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama.
The main character of the film is an inspector of the logistics company FedEx named Chuck Noland. He is a scrupulous practitioner and an incorrigible pedant. His life is scheduled by the minute. He almost never even has time to relax with his beloved woman. However, one day the plane on which Chuck travels crashes over the Pacific Ocean. The only lucky survivor is Noland. He manages to get to a desert island. This is how the agonizingly long years of fierce battle for life begin. And although other actors briefly appear in the film, the viewer will watch the survival of Tom Hanks on a desert island for more than an hour and a half.
Moon 2112 (2009)
- KinoPoisk: 7.6.
- IMDb: 7,8.
In 2009, the movie Moon 2112 was released, which was filmed on a minuscule science fiction budget of $ 5 million. And in the director’s chair there was then a debutant Duncan Jones. Nevertheless, they managed to attract Sam Rockwell to the main role, who at that time already had several strong works, and as a composer, Clint Mansell, who eventually created an incredible atmosphere in the film with his compositions. Brilliant acting (and considering that Rockwell, in fact, had to play several different personalities to some extent) is mixed in this film with excellent picture, sound and first-class voice acting of the robot GERTY from Kevin Spacey.
Sam Bell is a contract astronaut who is completing a three-year solo watch at the Lunar Lunar Mining Complex. His duties included monitoring the proper operation of the automated helium-3 production station. There was nothing difficult to do. The main problem he had to face was isolation from the world for such a long time. Yes, he periodically receives video messages from his wife. He has an assistant – the robot GERTY. But this does not replace full-fledged communication with people. In addition, two weeks before the end of the shift, communication with the Earth is cut off, and an unexpected guest is found at the station …
Buried Alive (2010)
- KinoPoisk: 7.6.
- IMDb: 7,0.
With the release of Luna 2112, the golden era of monofilms began. Already in 2010, two more brilliant films were released, in which only one actor shines. In January, one of the most intimate films in history, Buried Alive, was released at the Sundance Film Festival. The only place that the viewer will see is a closed coffin buried underground. It contains the main character played by Ryan Reynolds, who demonstrated all his talent in an hour and a half. All he has in his pockets is a pen, a flask, a flashlight, a Zippo lighter and a BlackBerry 8900 mobile phone. Despite such limited space, the Spanish director Rodrigo Cortez has managed to tell a strong and deep story that covers many life issues.
One day, Paul Conroy, a contract chauffeur in Iraq, is ambushed and fainted. When he comes to himself, he realizes that he is in a very dark and cramped place, and of things – only what was in his pockets. With the help of the light from the lighter, he realizes that he is in the coffin. He faces a psychologically and physically difficult struggle for his life. He will have time to contact the terrorists and representatives of the special services. I wonder what will be more expensive for a soulless bureaucratic machine: the life of one person or the reputation of a country? The ending of the tape will definitely not leave indifferent any spectator.
127 Hours (2010)
- KinoPoisk: 7.7.
- IMDb: 7,5.
At the end of 2010, another film by one actor was released – “127 Hours”. It is based on the autobiographical book by mountaineer and amateur climber Aaron Ralston, in which the author described the story of how he got stuck in the Blue John Canyon in Utah. On the screen, he was embodied by the inimitable James Franco, who at that time had already managed to become the king of stupid comedies. However, he did such a great job and impressed audiences and critics so much that he received his first Oscar nomination for this role. Perhaps Franco was greatly helped by the fact that Ralston actively helped the creators of the tape throughout the filming process.
One day climber Aaron Ralston went for a walk without telling anyone where he was going. So when he was trapped in one of the gorges of the Blue John Canyon, there was nowhere to wait for help. There is no connection, one of his hands is pressed by a huge boulder, there is not a single soul around. For five days and seven hours, Ralston tried to figure out a way to get out of the trap. And when all his supplies of food and water ran out, and the question was only about survival, he had to take extreme measures. Interestingly, he kept a video diary all this time. These materials were seen only by members of his family, as well as Danny Boyle (director of the picture) and James Franco, which helped them with the film adaptation.
Manifesto (2015)
- KinoPoisk: 7.0.
- IMDb: 6,6.
The most unique work on this list is the Manifesto tape. This is an Australo-German multi-channel video installation, produced and directed by Julian Rozefeldt. It was filmed in 2014, first shown in 2015, and in 2016 it was edited into a film for limited release in cinemas. Shining in it is Cate Blanchett, who for an hour and a half, through the lips of 13 different characters, reads the texts of the main artistic manifestos of the 20th century. The work contains excerpts from 60 manifestos written by famous artists (from Karl Marx and Guillaume Apollinaire to Lars von Trier and Jim Jarmusch).
The film consists of 13 different parts, in each of which a certain character speaks excerpts from more than fifty manifestos written throughout the 20th century. All excerpts are embedded in recognizable situations from the present: opening day and funeral, family dinner and garbage dump, news studio and punk party. And the heroes are quite recognizable images. For example, a school teacher, a conservative mother, a punk, a factory worker, a news anchor, a choreographer, and so on give their monologues. Thus, “Manifesto” becomes a kind of guide to the history of art of the 20th century, expressing the main theses of great people about freedom and innovation, about politics and art, about love and death.
“Collector” (2016)
- KinoPoisk: 7.0.
- IMDb: 6,8.
It is interesting that in the category of films of one actor, Russian cinema has something to answer to its Western colleagues. Fortunately, in Russia there is Konstantin Khabensky, who can easily keep the audience for more than an hour with his charisma and his voice. As a result, “Collector”, despite the presence of voices and silhouettes of other characters, turns into a real one-man show by one of the best Russian actors of our time. Khabensky himself said that acting in a film in which he would be the only actor was an interesting creative challenge for him. In addition, the work was not easy: to play a psychological drama about the torment of a person who finds himself in a critical life situation in which values are being reassessed.
Arthur is a collector. And in this matter he is a real master. It is he who is trusted to work with especially large debtors. He carefully examines the case of each of his victims, and then begins to press, psychologically driving the debtor into a dead end. His voice and tone change as quickly as all the dirty facts about customers fly off the tongue. As a result, people are ready to find any money to pay back all their debts, in order to simply never cross with Arthur again. However, the situation changes in the blink of an eye when a scandalous video with the participation of the collector appears on the network. In the modern world, one mistake leads to the fact that Arthur is immediately abandoned not only by colleagues, but also by friends. Now the man will have to use all his skills to defend himself from attacks and restore his reputation.
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