Inspired by Nellie who was inspired by Britney, this is a small list of all the movie characters I think are most memorable. I have seen far more movies than healthy in the last few years, a habit which is probably not gonna change anytime soon. I recently started renting movies from amazon and my renting list already has over 60 mostly weird foreign movies on it, so I might have to post an update to this list someday….

  • Hans Beckert (M – Eine Stadt sucht ihren Mörder, Germany 1931)
    Why would a creepy child murder be memorable? Peter Lorre’s breakthrough performance certainly was for a role such as this in a time like this, back when movies were still virgin soil.

    “Was für einen schönen Ball du hast…”

  • Mortimer Brewster (Arsenic & Old Lace, USA 1944)
    Cary Grant always said in interviews that he didn’t like his performance in Arsenic & Old Lace because it was ‘too over the top’. I think that this ‘over the top’-ness is exactly what it makes such a great performance, and what makes this one of the funniest movies Hollywood has ever seen.

    “Insanity runs in my family… It practically gallops.”
    “Hello… Operator? Can you hear my voice? You can? Are you sure?”

  • Harry Lime (The Third Man, UK 1949)
    The post-war scenery and the mysteriousness of this character is what makes this movie memorable – the chase through Vienna Below became one of the most famous scenes in Hollywood history.

    “Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever?”

  • Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins, USA 1964)
    Who didn’t want Mary Poppins as their nanny? She can do magic, she’s fun, she can sing, she’s just brilliant!

    “Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!”

  • Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Young Frankenstein, USA 1974)
    Another over the top but incredibly funny performance, Gene Wilder in this role still makes me laugh everytime I watch this, it never gets old.

    “No, it’s pronounced ‘Fronkensteen.'”

  • Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs, USA 1991)
    Hannibal Lecter is one of the creepiest guys I’ve ever seen in a movie – there is always a certain mystery about him because we hear about the many terrible things he’s done, but we hardly ever see them in The Silence of the Lambs. Unfortunately Hannibal with it’s gore-lust destroyed that a little, but this haunting character is the reason why I can’t watch any Anthony Hopkins movie without thinking about Hannibal Lecter at least for a second.

    “I do wish we could chat longer, but… I’m having an old friend for dinner. Bye.”

  • Gomez Addams (The Addams Family, USA 1991)
    Gomez Addams is the most charming, passionate, spirited crazy lover a Morticia could dream of (maybe not soo much in looks, but certainly in character). Gomez and Morticia are my perfect image of a relationship. The Addams Family has been one of my favorite movies forever, I’ve seen it so often I know every line off by heart.

    “I would die for her, I would kill for her: either way, what bliss.”

  • Dracula (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, USA 1992)
    I’ve never seen Dracula as the monster he describes himself in this movie, for me he was always a desperately love-sick creature.

    “Listen to them: the children of the night. What sweet music they make.”

  • Eric Draven (The Crow, USA 1994)
    Eric Draven rises from the dead after a year (remarkably undecayed) to avenge his and his fiancées murder, and kicks some serious butt. I don’t really know what exactly makes him memorable, but he’s just another desperately love-sick guy…

    “Can’t rain all the time… “

  • The Narrator (Fight Club, USA 1999)
    I can’t really tell you what’s so great about this character without spoiling the movie for you – but even the small things about him are memorable, like his obsession with shopping for furniture at IKEA.

    “People are always asking me if I know Tyler Durden.”

  • The Girl (The Ninth Gate, Spain/France/USA 1999)
    The girl with the green eyes is another one of those characters which are memorable because of the mysteriousness. We pretty much don’t know anything about this girl, which makes her so very interesting.

    “See you around, maybe.”

  • Commodus (Gladiator, UK/USA 2000)
    Commodus is a very complex character, one one hand he is powerful and corrupt and on the other hand he has a weak personality. His best scenes are those in which he gets upset and abusive of his power as (future/) Emperor.

    “Smile for me, brother.”

  • Amélie Poulain (Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, France / Germany 2001)
    Amélie is such a sweetheart, she does the crazy things which the audience always dream about doing (at least I do).

    “I like to look for things no one else catches. I hate the way drivers never look at the road in old movies.”

  • John Preston (Equilibrium, USA 2002)
    It’s fascinating how stoic this character is, and how these non-existent emotions develop throughout the movie.

    “Not without incident.”

  • Niklas (Den Osynlige, Sweden 2002)
    Due to a misunderstanding Niklas gets trapped in a limbo where he exists among the living, but they don’t see him. He manages this situation by following the people in his environment and learns disturbing things.

    “Jag måste gå, måste smyga bort i natten. Ensam, obemärkt, utan avsked.”

  • Dalton Russell (Inside Man, USA 2006)
    This guy sticks out because of his coolness. Once he was inside that bank, he practically PWNED the place.

    “My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself. I’ve told you my name: that’s the Who. …”

  • El fauno (El Laberinto del fauno, Mexico/Spain/USA 2006)
    The faun is a little bit creepy, because we don’t know a lot about him. It’s not only his looks that are intimidating.

    “I’ve had so many names. Old names that only the wind and the trees can pronounce. I am the mountain, the forest and the earth. I am… I am a faun. Your most humble servant, Your Highness.”