THE PRESENCE OF PLEASENCE

 

Donald Pleasence makes for a helpless and fearful President of the United States in John Carpenter's Escape From New York, but then has had to survive a plane crash, a series of beatings and being used as a human target by Isaac Hayes. His character isn't even given a proper name. The point is, I suppose, that sometimes the position is great, not the man. 

THE PRESENCE OF PLEASENCE

In William Klein's rambunctious pop art protest film Mister Freedom (1969), Worksop born Donald Pleasence plays Dr. Freedom, a cross between the American president, a televangelist and Baron Frankenstein. He was always good at mad authority figures, perhaps because his most prevalent characteristic is a menacing blandness: he seems innocuous, but you never really know where you are with him. Only ever seen on a flickering TV screen, here he talks passionately about democracy and liberty and decency whilst overseeing the violent overthrow and destruction of anyone who disagrees with him. Freedom, like peace, is clearly worth fighting dirty for.