# Whom  Do You Consider The Greatest And Most Memorable Characters  In All Of  Cinema ?



## BAYLOR (Feb 8, 2021)

And what makes them so great and so memorable  ? This covers all film genres and includes  animated films as well.


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## BAYLOR (Feb 8, 2021)

*The Maltese Falcon    *The character Sam Spade detective. Hardboiled and unsentimental noir detective and very much unforgettable.


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## AE35Unit (Feb 8, 2021)

A tough one to narrow down to one. There's Alien's Ripley. She's bad ass
Then there's HAL of course. 
But possibly my all time favourite sf character on screen is Spock!


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## Vince W (Feb 8, 2021)

Off the top of my head:

Roy Batty. He could be just another psychopathic killer but he was so much more than that.
Indiana Jones. Iconic.
'Mad' Max Rockatansky.


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## Guttersnipe (Feb 9, 2021)

Luke Skywalker is basically a Messiah or Galahad figure. I'd say Darth Vader is the greatest film villain.


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## Astro Pen (Feb 9, 2021)

Clint Eastwood in the Spaghetti westerns, by a country mile. Working with Leone he redefined the depiction of the west.

Runners up Steve McQueen in _Bullitt _
and Harrison Ford in _Witness_
Actually I'm going to add Tilda Swinton in_ Orlando _She cut that finely balanced role perfectly.


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## BT Jones (Feb 9, 2021)

DiCaprio's Danny Archer from Blood Diamond; a mercenary with his heart in the right place.
Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley for strength of character in the face of extreme work conditions and physical peril, as well as emotional resilience to personal loss.
Dalton's James Bond for the jadedness and 'cruel smile'.
Clive Owen's Theo Faron from Children of Men, for the selfless hero beneath the broken man.
Michael Gambon's take on Albus Dumbledore, the father figure we'd all want.
And, of course, Robert Shaw, Roy Schieder AND Richard Dreyfus from Jaws, all for inhabiting three realistic, driven individuals with their own goals and prejudices, and for making quite possibly the best triumvirate in cinema.


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## Rodders (Feb 9, 2021)

Lots of great mentions.

I agree on Bond (in general, but Timothy Dalton ranks as my favourite Bond. It's a shame he didn't want to be tied to the role.)
Star Wars had a lot. Luke, Han and Leia. I would even go as far as to add Rey.
Star Trek had their trifecta in Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
Ellen Ripley is a great movie heroine.
Sarah Connor from the Terminator movies.
I think Harry Callahan from the Dirty Harry movies is up there with Eastwood's Spaghetti Westerns.

What about the Marvel Movies? Okay, they're by the numbers but they are enjoyable. Or are they considered more to be memorable comic book characters? 

I think the bad guys have the best and most memorable roles.

Hans Gruber in Die Hard stole the movie.
Darth Vader in the Star Wars Trilogy
Khan and his chest. (and the recent death of Christopher Plummer makes be think of General Chang. Although i'd argue that he hasn't really made it into the zeitgeist of the general public.)
Arnie's Terminator is always watchable, although i prefer the mindless killing machine of the first one.


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## CupofJoe (Feb 9, 2021)

Harry Callahan [Dirty Harry] from the early movies. The epitome of the maverick so-unhip-he's cool cop. Pragmatically, he always worked for what he thought was right. I think you can draw a straight line from Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon to Harry Callahan. Its just a nice coincide that they are both set is San Francisco.


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## Droflet (Feb 9, 2021)

For me Dirk Bogart, (Sydney Carton) from Tale of Two Cities. A man suffering through an unrequited love but in the end he sacrifices himself for the woman who doesn't love him. One of the great books ever filmed.


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## paranoid marvin (Feb 11, 2021)

Definitely agree with Hans Gruber. In fact Alan Rickman was a brilliant baddie. Think of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves; an instantly forgettable move if it wasn't for the Sheriff of Nottingham. And he (almost) steals the show as Snape in Harry Potter.


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## BAYLOR (Feb 11, 2021)

paranoid marvin said:


> Definitely agree with Hans Gruber. In fact Alan Rickman was a brilliant baddie. Think of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves; an instantly forgettable move if it wasn't for the Sheriff of Nottingham. And he (almost) steals the show as Snape in Harry Potter.



And Alan  Rickman was great in *Galaxy Quest* as Alexander Dane / Dr Lazarus.


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## BAYLOR (Feb 25, 2021)

*Barton Fink  *from the film of the same name.


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## Timebender (Feb 25, 2021)

Live-action:

Captain Jack Sparrow
The Addams Family
Indiana Jones
Darth Vader
Heath Ledger's Joker
Obi-wan Kenobi (Old and young versions)
Loki (MCU)
Betelgeuse
Davey Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Frankenstein's Monster
The Invisible Man
Animated:

Jack Skellington
Judge Claude Frollo
Hades (Disney)
Maleficent
Ramses (Prince of Egypt)
Scar (The Lion King)
Wallace and Gromit
Miles Morales (Into the Spider-verse)
Not an exhaustive list, to be sure, but still.


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## Robert Zwilling (Feb 25, 2021)

Frankenstein


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## Piman25 (Jun 18, 2021)

Without a lot of thought:

-Gwynplain - The Man Who Laughs
-Hotelportier - The Last Laugh
-Philbert Bono - PowWow Highway
-Angel Eyes/Sentenza - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
-Bernardo O'Reilly - The Magnificent Seven
-Sabata - Sabata films
-Doc Brown - Back To The Future Films
-Randal McMurphy - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
-Inigo Montoya - Princess Bride
-Inspector Charles Dreyfuss - Pink Panther Movies


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## Piman25 (Jun 19, 2021)

Oh and:
Child Catcher - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang


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## BAYLOR (Jun 19, 2021)

Piman25 said:


> Oh and:
> Child Catcher - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang



Played by Robert Helpmann  He was amazing in that part.

Benny Hill was also in that film as the toymaker.  He was great comedian and damned good actor.


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## Parson (Jun 19, 2021)

For me Sean Connery's James Bond. James Bond may be the most iconic of characters and Sean Connery was the most iconic Bond.


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## dask (Jun 19, 2021)

The Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood)
James Bond (Sean Connery)
Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart, *Casablanca*)


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## Mon0Zer0 (Jun 19, 2021)

Willy Wonka - Gene Wilder
Connery's Bond
Randall McMurphy / Nurse Ratchet - One flew over the cuckoo's nest
Luke / Han / Leia / Vader / Emperor / Obi Wan - Star Wars
Alex De Large - Clockwork Orange
Mick Travis - If...
Daniel Plainview - There Will be blood
The Dude - The Big Lebowski
Quint / Brody - Jaws
Joker - Full Metal Jacket
Jack Torrance - The Shining
Alex Murphy / Clarence Boddiker - Robocop
Indiana Jones
Seller's Clouseau
Alistair Sim's Scrooge
Nada - They Live
McCready - The Thing
Snake Plissken - Escape from New York
The Terminator
Lee / Roper / Jim Kelly -Enter the Dragon
The Crow
Batman
Ripley / Bishop
John Maclaine - Die Hard
Mad Max
Beetlejuice
Jason
Freddy Kreugar
Gizmo the Mogwai
Kaiser Soze
Tony Montana
Vito Corleone
Jules Winnfield - Pulp Fiction
Rocky
Scarlett O'hara / Rhett Butler
Dorothy / Toto / Lion / Witch / Scarecrow / Tin Man / wizard
Charles Foster Kane
Colonel Kurtz
Capt Yonoi / Sgt Hara / Mr Lawrence - Merry Xmas Mr Lawrence
Fiver - Watership down
The Elephant Man
Lawrence - Of Arabia
Landlady - Kung Fu hustle
Patrick Bateman - American Psycho
Shaft
Dracula - Christopher Lee
Scaramanga - Man with the golden gun
Jim - Empire of the Sun
Hector - Saturn 3
Maximillian - The Black Hole
Elf King - Labyrinth
The toxic avenger
Hal 9000

amongst many others...


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## DrStrangelove (Jun 19, 2021)

Darth Vader would be my first shot in terms of broader influence. As of my personal list:

- Any Stanley Kubrick villain, especially those that had their own "Kubrick stare" shots
- Cpt. Picard of The Next Generation fame
- Snake Plissken from Escape from New York and Escape from LA
- Char Aznable from Mobile Suit Gundam (who, in Japan, basically eclipses Darth Vader in terms of popularity and influence)
- R.J. MacReady from The Thing
- Paul Atreides from Dune (the 1984 David Lynch version)
- Conan as played by Arnold Schwarzenegger


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## BAYLOR (Jun 19, 2021)

DrStrangelove said:


> Darth Vader would be my first shot in terms of broader influence. As of my personal list:
> 
> - Any Stanley Kubrick villain, especially those that had their own "Kubrick stare" shots
> - Cpt. Picard of The Next Generation fame
> ...



A great list. Welcome to Chrons Dr Strangelove .


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## Ray Zdybrow (Mar 14, 2022)

Baby Jane Hudson, played by Bette Davis. 
Because? She's just ott MENTAL


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## PadreTX (Mar 15, 2022)

One name I haven't seen mentioned. Vito Corleone.

"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."


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## KGeo777 (Mar 15, 2022)

In terms of greatest cinema characters-- famous and influential, these I consider the top ones.

Count Orlock   

Lugosi Dracula

Karloff Frankenstein

King Kong

The Wicked Witch of the West

Godzilla

Darth Vader  


If traditional performance (without makeup assistance) is the factor then 
 Bogart in the Maltese Falcon or Eastwood in the Leone films or Dirty Harry would be influential contenders. Or Brando in the Godfather (but he is also wearing a lot of makeup).

Christopher Lee's Dracula

Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes ("it's a madhouse! a madhouse!")


It's harder to nail down because they might be identified for their stardom and not a particular film performance.


 Sebastian Medina in the Pit and the Pendulum--that's a great character but not world famous. I consider it Vincent Price's best character.

Gold Hat in the Treasure of the Sierra Madre is another--famous for a single line but it's a memorable performance and he does kill Bogie.


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## CupofJoe (Mar 15, 2022)

Bruce the shark from *Jaws*.


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## Swank (Mar 15, 2022)

Since Orlando and Roy Batty are taken:

Max Fischer of Rushmore
Tyler Durden of Fight Club
Mathilda, Stan or Leon of The Professional
Cher in Moonstruck
Rocky
Lebowski
Pee Wee Herman


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## M. Robert Gibson (Mar 15, 2022)

I think one of the criteria for a character to be great is it has to move into the cultural subconscious (or some other such psycho drivel)

Apologies for any repeats but here's my nominees
Dracula
Sherlock Holmes
Tarzan
Robin Hood
Hannibal Lector - Antony Hopkins' version
Darth Vader
James Bond
Norman Bates

I could probably add more, but those were the ones that came to mind without really thinking too hard, and most have been mentioned anyway


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## Ian Fortytwo (Mar 15, 2022)

Jason Bourne from the Bourne trilogy, played by Matt Damon. The best scene being Waterloo Station in the Bourne Ultimatum.


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## Justin Swanton (Mar 16, 2022)

Thomas More for me, from _A Man for All Seasons_. A genuine hero.


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## Dave (Mar 16, 2022)

If you are seriously wanting "Most Memorable Characters In All Of Cinema" then these are good,


Robert Zwilling said:


> Frankenstein['s monster]





KGeo777 said:


> Lugosi Dracula





KGeo777 said:


> King Kong





M. Robert Gibson said:


> Tarzan





M. Robert Gibson said:


> Sherlock Holmes


But really you cannot beat *The Tramp (1915)* for the sheer number of people who would have seen him on the cinema screen (and on TV) and remember him.

It's difficult to believe for members of a Science Fiction and Fantasy website, but quite large numbers of people will still be unaware who Darth Vader, Captain James T Kirk and Ellen Ripley are. I believe that most people would instantly recognise The Tramp. Most would probably recognise the others quoted above.


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## dask (Mar 16, 2022)

I was wondering if there were anyone, regardless of age, who wouldn’t recognize Perry Mason as the embodiment of the American lawyer or The Three Stooges as the epitome of handymen.


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## KGeo777 (Mar 16, 2022)

I almost said Tarzan but  visually his image isn't distinct. The yell is.
The Tramp was world famous but then Oliver Hardy and Hitler came along which diluted the image--there's a melding of the image with other famous people.

Many people might not know Darth Vader but know his image. And merchandising plays a role in that--they keep the image constantly exposed.
That's another consideration--they may not identify any cinema connection to the character, just product tie-ins.


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## Draven Vertigo (Mar 16, 2022)

Gary Oldman Characters: The Professional, Dracula. ZORG.

Naturally Ellen Ripley. Spock for sure, Will Shattner Kirk. Arnie as Terminator.


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## Parson (Mar 16, 2022)

Dave said:


> I believe that most people would instantly recognise The Tramp.


I seriously doubt this. I'd bet that people would recognize Darth Vader at about a 2-1 ratio over The Tramp. I don't know any way to test this, especially not on this site. But I am dead sure my children and most of my grandchildren would recognize Vader (might not know the story) but none of them would know The Tramp. Remember it was most famous a century ago, or put another way, four generations ago.


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## KGeo777 (Mar 16, 2022)

One could make the case that the Tramp, as a cinema character, was more famous than Darth Vader is now--in that the Tramp was famous mainly due to cinema, as the focus of the story, at a time when film was the number one mass consumer entertainment medium, while Darth Vader is famous as an image in merchandising etc. As a purely cinematic character, the Tramp was more memorable (he was the star of the show) and had greater audience identification.
As a character Darth Vader is not really memorable, sort of a black knight kind of person, but the visual image of him, was unique. If we are talking modern times, for better or worse, deservedly or not, he's one of the most recognizable cinema images.


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## Parson (Mar 16, 2022)

KGeo777 said:


> One could make the case that the Tramp, as a cinema character, was more famous than Darth Vader is now


In that very limited sense, I might agree with you. But if was more famous is meant in the more general sense of people knowing the name/role than I don't believe it. Second, we have the question of most famous now. If you look at percentages of people in the 1910's-20's, perhaps there would be a greater percentage of people who knew The Tramp than who now know of Vader now. But remember going to movies was not a majority activity. Most people could not and fair number would not, enter the cinema for financial or moral reasons. So I also find the percentage argument difficult to believe.


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## Robert Zwilling (Mar 16, 2022)

In my area, Perry Mason and The Three Stooges have stood the test of time. Perhaps the Stooges have done better as they always seem to be on outdoor aerial TV as well as streaming.


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## KGeo777 (Mar 16, 2022)

Parson said:


> In that very limited sense, I might agree with you. But if was more famous is meant in the more general sense of people knowing the name/role than I don't believe it. Second, we have the question of most famous now. If you look at percentages of people in the 1910's-20's, perhaps there would be a greater percentage of people who knew The Tramp than who now know of Vader now. But remember going to movies was not a majority activity. Most people could not and fair number would not, enter the cinema for financial or moral reasons. So I also find the percentage argument difficult to believe.



I guess the intensity of interest would have been greater back then for those who were seeing them.

I have heard that the fame of 1920s-30s movie stars was greater than now because film was a new technology and impressed people.
When Laurel and Hardy went somewhere in Ireland on a trip--all the churches were set to ring the bells to their theme song. That's quite a show of affection.
Orson Welles said in 1980 that there were no movie stars anymore. They weren't regarded as larger than life as they had been.
You could say that's "get off my lawn" syndrome but he did say it was possible to re-create that sensation, but it would require an effort to capture audience interest in a way that was no longer sought.
That's why I say, I am convinced, that the superstars of the late 60s-to the 80s in terms of who generated the most excitement for a movie audience--it was the SPFX people, the stunt performers, those who were pushing the envelope in technology of visuals and sound.
Because from Bonnie and Clyde to the Godfather to the Exorcist to the Terminator--they all have some innovation in spfx that was a major component of the film's impact. Bonnie and Clyde--it was the shootout scene. That had never been done before-that kind of bullet effect.
The violence in the Godfather was unique for the time.
This is a reason why movie enthusiasm seemed to peak around 2000 or so--Avatar was the last movie which really pushed the boundaries of new cinema experience--but only the FX and 3d technology. Not the story, not the characters, just the technology.
In short, just because Darth Vader is more famous, doesn't mean the impact of the Tramp character is less. His impact on a captive audience was probably much stronger than Darth Vader is-he was the star.
I doubt a movie starring Darth Vader going around and inspecting Death Star hallways would do well despite his fame.


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## Dave (Mar 16, 2022)

Parson said:


> ...we have the question of most famous now...


No, we don't! That wasn't the OP's question. That was my point. The question said, "Whom Do You Consider The Greatest And Most Memorable Characters In All Of Cinema?" Where does it say "now" or "among living people" in that question?



KGeo777 said:


> a time when film was the number one mass consumer entertainment medium


Precisely! Which is why those older, popular characters, Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, would also score higher than more modern characters.

Also, I would disagree about how many living people recognise recent science fiction cinema characters. I personally know people who wouldn't recognise Darth Vader. I know people who wouldn't recognise Captain Kirk. Okay, not very many, but certainly not 100%. So, when we get down to characters like Robocop and George Taylor (Planet of the Apes) you are really going to struggle. I really do think that people on this forum overestimate the number of people who watch science fiction, which is understandable.

Probably, if we are going to make the question apply only to living people, then more people would recognise James Bond, Rocky or Batman.


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## KGeo777 (Mar 16, 2022)

That's the thing--there are people who do not care about movies and  never would--even if living decades back.
When we say memorable and greatest, I am trying to think in terms of overall and lasting cultural impact.
Most people have never seen Nosferatu and wouldn't know who Count Orlock is, but that image of a vampire has resonated and been copied or used as a reference ever since.
Is he the greatest character for witty dialogue?
No.
Or rather, 
nein.


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## Parson (Mar 17, 2022)

Dave said:


> No, we don't! That wasn't the OP's question. That was my point. The question said, "Whom Do You Consider The Greatest And Most Memorable Characters In All Of Cinema?" Where does it say "now" or "among living people" in that question?


Humble apologies. I lost the OP's question a while back and was responding to the posts.


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## Christine Wheelwright (Mar 17, 2022)

Justin Swanton said:


> Thomas More for me, from _A Man for All Seasons_. A genuine hero.



Hilary Mantel is less enthusiastic about More in her novel Wolf Hall.  Also, from Wikipedia:

_During More's chancellorship, six people were burned at the stake for heresy; they were Thomas Hitton, Thomas Bilney, Richard Bayfield, John Tewkesbury, Thomas Dusgate, and James Bainham.[19]: 299–306  Moynahan argued that More was influential in the burning of Tyndale, as More's agents had long pursued him, even though this took place over a year after his own death.[42]

Burning at the stake had been a standard punishment for heresy: 30 burnings had taken place in the century before More's elevation to Chancellor, and burning continued to be used by both Catholics and Protestants during the religious upheaval of the following decades.[43] Ackroyd notes that More zealously "approved of burning".[19]: 298  Marius maintains that More did everything in his power to bring about the extermination of the Protestant "heretics".[40]

John Tewkesbury was a London leather seller found guilty by the Bishop of London John Stokesley[44] of harbouring English translated New Testaments; he was sentenced to burning for refusing to recant. More declared: he "burned as there was neuer wretche I wene better worthy."[45] After Richard Bayfield was also executed for distributing Tyndale's Bibles, More commented that he was "well and worthely burned".[19]: 305 _


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## Swank (Mar 17, 2022)

Dave said:


> The question said, "Whom Do You Consider The Greatest And Most Memorable Characters In All Of Cinema?" Where does it say "now" or "among living people" in that question?


I'm unsure if "most memorable" even implies popularity. Something is memorable if it sticks out in the minds of those who have seen it, regardless of who has seen it or not. I took the question to mean "who is most memorable to you?" 

The Tramp is not the way Gary Oldman is. To me.


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## Justin Swanton (Mar 17, 2022)

Christine Wheelwright said:


> Hilary Mantel is less enthusiastic about More in her novel Wolf Hall.  Also, from Wikipedia:
> 
> _During More's chancellorship, six people were burned at the stake for heresy; they were Thomas Hitton, Thomas Bilney, Richard Bayfield, John Tewkesbury, Thomas Dusgate, and James Bainham.[19]: 299–306  Moynahan argued that More was influential in the burning of Tyndale, as More's agents had long pursued him, even though this took place over a year after his own death.[42]
> 
> ...



There's an old expression: "Ce qui commence en mystique finit en politique," loosely translated as "What is first preached by mystics ends up as politics." 

We moderns are radically incapable of understanding society prior to the French Revolution, which isn't said to excuse everything done by that society but which helps put it in context. Our problem is that we can't grasp the fact that in the pre-revolutionary world there was no such thing as a secular state. A secular state means that government and religion are separate; the government does not base its authority or lawmaking on the precepts of a religion, even if that religion is held by the majority of its citizens. This means that if somebody comes along and starts preaching a new religion and makes converts, there is no reason for the government to impede him as he is not threatening the social order in any way.

It was a very different thing in the past. Then, it was considered obvious that the government upheld the religion of its citizens since the citizens took for granted their rulers would protect and defend their most cherished beliefs, beliefs which were the foundation of the social order. A government could not be neutral in religious disputes as its authority and legitimacy were precisely founded on religion. So when somebody came along and began to preach a new religion everybody knew what would happen next. Once the preacher had gained enough converts he would raise an army and attempt to compel the authorities in his region to support his religion. Luther attempted it, Calvin succeeded. The result was religious civil war. It happened in Germany where about half the population died in consequence.

It is for this reason that the Inquisition existed in Spain and Italy and something similar in France and England: you were always free to believe whatever you liked in private, but you could not propagate your beliefs in the public forum. The best modern equivalent are perhaps Marxist guerillas. They have a set of social and political beliefs but their whole aim is to compel a government to adopt those beliefs, which means civil war with its pandora's box of horrors. Governments at that time executed heterodox preachers in the most horrific way possible as the most effective means they could devise to stop religious political dissent in its tracks before it got out of hand and turned into a civil war.

Sure, we are repelled by the thought of burning people alive, but are _*we*_ nobler beings? The Inquisition in Mediaeval and post-mediaeval Europe executed surprisingly few people: the Spanish Inquisition in its 350-year existence put to death about 4000 people, say 12 per year. Let's look for comparison at the bombing of Dresden, January 1945. Dresden wasn't a military target; it had no factories or anything else that much helped the German war effort. Nonetheless British and American bombers dropped incendaries on it for a day and a night. The resultant firestorm burned 25 000 civilians alive, people who had committed no crime, were not soldiers, but were nevertheless targets of the Allies. If someone like Thomas More had known of it what would he have thought of us? What about Hiroshima or Nagasaki?

The ideal of course is to live in a world where people get along in perfect harmony and don't drive governments to act in such extreme ways. Good luck with that...


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## KGeo777 (Mar 17, 2022)

Justin Swanton said:


> The resultant firestorm burned 25 000 civilians alive,



Digressing as we are, Stars and Stripes--the US Military newspaper, using eyewitness US and UK estimates, said in 1945 it was more like 200 000 killed. I don't know how modern historians would be more accurate. Did they find some kind of records?  It sounds like a really low number for a place that had a lot of people and refugees and considering how destructive it was for Tokyo.
Kurt Vonnegut talked about it-- I don't know if he offered his own estimate. I checked, 135 000.


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## Swank (Mar 17, 2022)

Hundreds of years after More, you could still be executed in England for poaching or, as a 13 year old in 1801 was, stealing a spoon. More only burned 6? Sounds downright humanitarian compared to how the justice system of that nation functioned.


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## Christine Wheelwright (Mar 17, 2022)

Justin Swanton said:


> There's an old expression: "Ce qui commence en mystique finit en politique," loosely translated as "What is first preached by mystics ends up as politics."
> 
> We moderns are radically incapable of understanding society prior to the French Revolution, which isn't said to excuse everything done by that society but which helps put it in context. Our problem is that we can't grasp the fact that in the pre-revolutionary world there was no such thing as a secular state. A secular state means that government and religion are separate; the government does not base its authority or lawmaking on the precepts of a religion, even if that religion is held by the majority of its citizens. This means that if somebody comes along and starts preaching a new religion and makes converts, there is no reason for the government to impede him as he is not threatening the social order in any way.
> 
> ...



Justin, I replied in PM as we are getting way off topic here (my fault).


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## Phyrebrat (Mar 17, 2022)

I live in London (U.K.) but I couldn’t tell you what the three stooges or Perry Mason look like. But I suppose I must’ve led a sheltered life, culturally (but then, I do live in your wardrobe and our TV reception is awful!).


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## farntfar (Mar 17, 2022)

If the required property is recognition by the most people over the longest time then I would say Superman wins. 
A character known on screen from the 1940 s (apparently) but certainly known now throughout the world. 
I'm afraid the 3Stooges and Perry Mason etc are a fairly local thing, not that well known even in Britain, let alone the rest of Europe or (God forbid) elsewhere in the world.


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## Parson (Mar 17, 2022)

*Superman* is indeed an interesting choice. It would certainly belong on any short list.


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## Elckerlyc (Mar 17, 2022)

The birds in *The Birds.*


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## KGeo777 (Mar 17, 2022)

Superman was not a cinema creation though.
His fame is not due to the cinematic versions alone.
Cartoons, comics, toys, radio, tv shows...there is so many other things that promoted the character.
Likewise for Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, except that the 1930s film and radio versions tended to dominate the general perception.
"Me Tarzan, you Jane." That line has become so common place  and the same is true for Rathbone's Holmes. There's an expectation about how one says, "elementary, my dear Watson!" 

Dracula and Frankenstein, same thing. Even if you have never seen the movies, who isn't familiar with a Hungarian accent for Dracula or the Karloff Frankenstein image. It's been used so many times in other works.


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## KGeo777 (Mar 17, 2022)

Also, the term "superman" was already known in the 1930s.
I watched a 1936 Zorro film, and someone spoke a line --"you must be a superman."
It was already in circulation.
Nowadays if you say "Superman" everyone thinks of a red cape.


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## Christine Wheelwright (Mar 17, 2022)

KGeo777 said:


> Also, the term "superman" was already known in the 1930s.
> I watched a 1936 Zorro film, and someone spoke a line --"you must be a superman."
> It was already in circulation.
> Nowadays if you say "Superman" everyone thinks of a red cape.



From Encyclopedia Britainnica:
*superman*, German *Übermensch*, in philosophy, the superior man, who justifies the existence of the human race. “Superman” is a term significantly used by Friedrich Nietzsche, particularly in _Also sprach Zarathustra_ (1883–85), although it had been employed by J.W. von Goethe and others.


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## Justin Swanton (Mar 18, 2022)

Christine Wheelwright said:


> From Encyclopedia Britainnica:
> *superman*, German *Übermensch*, in philosophy, the superior man, who justifies the existence of the human race. “Superman” is a term significantly used by Friedrich Nietzsche, particularly in _Also sprach Zarathustra_ (1883–85), although it had been employed by J.W. von Goethe and others.


Nietzsche's term (and the thinking behind it) was adopted by another prominent German (Austrian actually) who popularised it in Germany in the 1930s and in Europe in the first half of the 1940s. Clarke Kent, you Nazi, you!


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## KGeo777 (Mar 18, 2022)

That's an interesting aspect to it--superman originally meant being the best you can be-or rising above normal expectations-and it was turned into "superman comes from another planet, not your own."
Mickey Mouse is probably the most recognizable cinema image (ignoring all the merchandising promotion that boosted his fame). He did originate in film.
Superman and Batman probably, right now, are the most promoted cultural images all over the world (poor world).
Never would have dreamed when watching Superfriends in the 1970s that Batman would be all over the damn place.


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