Maxum, I enjoyed your post very much. In the ice-cave scene, the first thing Kirk asks Spock when he finally believes Spock is from an alternate reality is: "Did you know my father?"
Thanks, Jeri. That's one of my favorite scenes, and it reinforces how much his father's loss has impacted his life. I wish the writers had given us a little more backstory regarding Kirk's life without his father because that loss is pretty painful for Kirk.
Chris did that beautifully; as he did the point where Spock releases him from the mind meld, and Kirk's eyes, face and mouth are all swollen -- as though he himself had been weeping. I think that's my favorite scene from an acting standpoint.
It was a great scene, and again, that's what made Pine's performance, for me, so effective. I love seeing that emotion on his face. I think many of my favorite scenes were the ones with Spock Prime because Kirk sort of let down his guard around him and allowed his emotions and insecurities to come to the surface. When he asks about his father, he just seems so pained and desperate to know anything about his father. It was really well done.
I have to agree with Jeri and Maxum. though, I must say that Shatner did show some vulnerability in both TOS and the movies... City on the Edge of Forever and STIII: The Search for Spock come to mind...
I agree. City on the Edge of Forever is one of my all time favorites, especially the scene when Kirk first starts to head across the street to save Edith, and Spock yells out to him, and Kirk stops. Then McCoy tries to save her, and Kirk stops him. Then you hear the screech of the tires and screams, and Kirk just rests his head against McCoy's shoulder in despair. McCoy says something like "I could have saved her. You deliberately stopped me. Jim, do you now what you just did," and Spock says, "He knows, doctor."
Yep, that scene is imbedded in my memory. It was fantastic. That being said, I feel that Pine brought much more emotion to the one movie he was in as Kirk then I've seen in Shatner most of the TOS run. Pine really ran the gamut of emotions: cockiness, courage, humor, arrogance, fear, vulnerability, anger, confidence, uncertainty, joy, and pride. He showed all this in one movie. That's why his performance stands out for me. That doesn't mean that I didn't thoroughly enjoy Shatner as well.
but Pine really imbued Kirk with a lot of latent introspection. I agree with the scenes that they point out above. another scene -- an offshoot of the Kirk/Pike scene in the bar -- that I love is when, after Pike leaves -- Pine allows Kirk to drop all the bravado and the blase attitude he's been displaying and picks up the Kelvin salt shaker and stares at it. at that moment, all I see in his eyes is the look of a haunted, wounded man who is very alone, and very lost. and he does it without a single word.
I like how you interpreted that scene. I agree, and that's what I meant earlier when I said that Kirk wears armor around himself. Although he can be cocky and arrogant, there is very much a wounded young man underneath. I think you summed it up nicely in that Kirk is alone. I hadn't really thought about that before, but he is alone and lost before he meets Pike in that bar.
it was a small scene, but it stayed in my mind enough for me to realize what an understated yet emotive actor this guy is.
I love actors who can pull that off.
he's really, really good. and we're really, really lucky to get three such excellent actors (not to mention the others) in the main troika.
I wholeheartedly agree.
