Last night, the “In Remembrance” portion of the 2014 Oscars ended with an image of Philip Seymour Hoffman. While many of the deceased artisans and actors that were paid tribute to could merit their own individual tribute, the sudden and horrific circumstances surrounding Hoffman’s death inspired Caleb Slain to explore his life in films.
The 20-minute video is an undeniable effort of love, as the description for the piece explains, “200 hours of work went into breaking down 47 of Hoffman’s films.” Not all efforts of love, however, are as illuminating or as revealing as the video below. Hoffman’s performances in everything from The Master to Love Liza to Twister overlap here, revealing an actor with an ability to portray the passions and frustrations of a spectrum of iconic characters in films of all genres. This is as personal and moving a tribute any artist, living or deceased, can hope for.
With public memorials set to occur this spring in New York City and his hometown of Rochester, NY, take a look at the career of the relentlessly talented late actor below and listen to our remembrance here.
What did you think of the tribute? What is your favorite performance from the late actor?