Philip Seymour Hoffman

Writer, editor and director Caleb Slain has created something quite special entitled, P.S. Hoffman (A Tribute),which is a memorial to actor Philip Seymour Hoffman that showcases the entire library of his work. After the emotional montage piece at the Oscars a few nights ago, we were all once again reminded of the magnitude of Hoffman’s work and this is a perfect way to revisit his finest moments.

This 20 minute film is entitled “A post-script journey through Philip Seymour Hoffman’s lifetime in cinema” is a timely reminder of his legacy.

Caleb is quoted as saying “200 hours of work went into breaking down 47 of Hoffman’s films. Compiling his legacy has been one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever faced as an editor, and yet indescribably rewarding. I can assure you that after 22 years on screen and nearly fifty films, we now look at the work of an actor who never had a single dishonest moment on camera. I know because I’ve seen them all. Please take a breather and raise your glasses to one of our greatest.”

For anyone wanting to hunt down some of the lesser known titles in the list, there is a list of all the featured works contained in the video at the end of this post.

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Hollywood now seems littered with models, whilst traditional film/stage actors are sadly few and far between. For me personally, Philip Seymour Hoffman represented one of the few remaining actors who have spent years honing their craft and would only make that big Hollywood blockbuster to finance their true passion of acting in a small theatre somewhere away from the red carpets and attention that so many of todays disillusioned stars crave

Philip Seymour Hoffman once tellingly revealed that he found acting ‘torturous’

In an interview with Shortlist he said: “You have to [make people] believe that you’re 70 years old and that you’re lying at the death-bed of your daughter that you haven’t seen in 30 years.

“There’s a certain amount of pain that goes into that. So torturous is just being dramatic. It’s painful. It’s not easy.”

“It’s painful for anybody. That’s just part of the job of being an actor. It’s one of the things you have to do. Every job has those things that are tough.”

Such a great talent from a seemingly tortured man and the news of his death today is incredibly tragic and I find myself looking back at his most memorable performances.

Almost Famous “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we’re uncool.”

As a massive music fan, it is probably no surprise that Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous blew me away and one of the reasons was down to the the small yet unforgettable role of Lester Bangs.

Hard Eight “Gonna Light The Cigarette”

Paul Thomas Anderson had Philip Seymour Hoffman in all his films with the exception of There Will Be Blood, but we should have known early on what was on the horizon. In Hard Eight, we get to see his character for only one scene, but you will remember it forever. Considering most films are forgotten by the time you reach the car park, this is something quite special.

Hard Eight was a fantastic underrated film, that is filled with great performances and the scene “Gonna Light The Cigarette” will always be remembered as an early glimpse of the troubled characters that he played with ease.

Magnolia – Phil Parma Tracks Down Frank T.J. Mackie Scene

No matter how small the scene, he had the ability to grab and hold your attention, the Oscars may have inexplicably snubbed Magnolia but once again, all eyes were on one actor.