Christopher Walken Dance Now
March 19, 2014 3:34 PM   Subscribe

Maybe you anticipated the explosion, the sound of shattering glass, and the flames rising out of the flowing gasoline. But did you ever anticipate all the dancing? Here's a supercut of Christopher Walken's dance scenes, from 57 movies. [SLYT]

List of films used:

"Roseland" (1977)
"The Deer Hunter" (1978)
"Brainstorm" (1983)
"Pennies from Heaven" (1981)
"The Dead Zone" (1983)
"A View To A Kill" (1985)
"At Close Range" (1986)
"Puss in Boots" (1988)
"Homeboy" (1988)
"Communion" (1989)
"King of New York" (1990)
"The Comfort of Strangers" (1990)
"Sarah, Plain and Tall" (1991)
"All-American Murder" (1991)
"Batman Returns" (1992)
"Skylark" (1993)
"True Romance" (1993)
"Wayne's World 2" (1993)
"A Business Affair" (1994)
"Pulp Fiction" (1994)
"The Prophecy" (1995)
"Search and Destroy" (1995)
"Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead" (1995)
"The Funeral" (1996)
"Suicide Kings" (1997)
"Mousehunt" (1997)
"New Rose Hotel" (1998)
"Blast from the Past" (1999)
"Sleepy Hollow" (1999)
"The Opportunists" (2000)
"Scotland, Pa." (2001)
"Joe Dirt" (2001)
"America's Sweethearts" (2001)
"The Affair of the Necklace" (2001)
"Poolhall Junkies" (2002)
"The Country Bears" (2002)
"Undertaking Betty" (2002)
"Catch Me If You Can" (2002)
"Gigli" (2003)
"The Rundown" (2003)
"Man on Fire" (2004)
"Envy" (2004)
"The Stepford Wives" (2004)
"Around the Bend" (2004)
"Wedding Crashers" (2005)
"Romance & Cigarettes" (2005)
"Domino" (2005)
"Click" (2006)
"Fade to Black" (2006)
"Man of the Year" (2006)
"Hairspray" (2007)
"Balls of Fury" (2007)
"$5 a Day" (2008)
"The Maiden Heist" (2009)
"Stand Up Guys" (2012)
"A Late Quartet" (2012)
"The Power of Few" (2013)

[via]
posted by Room 641-A (36 comments total) 40 users marked this as a favorite
 
After a short stint working for a lion tamer, he trained as a dancer and only later moved on to acting. So yeah, dancing is definitely expected.
posted by effbot at 3:39 PM on March 19, 2014


Given that I just introduced a few of my friends to The King of New York this past weekend, and the subject of Christopher Walken dancing was fairly central to our discussion during and after the movie, the timing of this supercut is ideal.
posted by sparklemotion at 3:41 PM on March 19, 2014


I read the headline, said to myself "this better use that C+C Music Factory song" and was actually kinda surprised that it did. AAAAAAA+++++++ WOULD WATCH AGAIN.
posted by GuyZero at 3:45 PM on March 19, 2014 [11 favorites]


Clearly I have not seen enough Christopher Walken movies, because I recognized very few of those.
posted by curious nu at 3:46 PM on March 19, 2014


That was way fun to watch and made me want to have a Christopher Walken movie marathon.

Also I don't know much about video editing but it seemed super well-done too.
posted by aka burlap at 3:47 PM on March 19, 2014 [2 favorites]


Oh, this is FUN.

He's a lot more physically expressive than I realized.
posted by zarq at 3:48 PM on March 19, 2014


Oh, I hope he has the chance to see this. Delight!
posted by maudlin at 3:51 PM on March 19, 2014


When he passes away (and may it be a long time from now) the Academy should just play this entire thing as tribute at the Oscars.
posted by shortfuse at 4:01 PM on March 19, 2014 [23 favorites]


Also, from 1985's "Night of 100 Stars," Red Shoes. It doesn't really get going until 4:30, but when it does, hoo-boy.

(Walken shows up at roughly 7:00.)
posted by themanwho at 4:15 PM on March 19, 2014 [5 favorites]


Seven Psychopaths was a bit of a wasted opportunity, really, a Walken\Rockwell dance off would be a wonderful thing.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 4:36 PM on March 19, 2014 [7 favorites]


Seven Psychopaths was a bit of a wasted opportunity, really, a Walken\Rockwell dance off would be a wonderful thing.

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Jinx!
posted by Benway at 4:49 PM on March 19, 2014


That is an awesome piece of editing.

However, clearly needs more cowbell.
posted by raider at 5:09 PM on March 19, 2014 [8 favorites]


Came for the Walken thing, lost an hour to the Night of 100 Stars stuff. There's a time capsule. (Also, the comments on the Red Shoes piece are a treasure trove).
posted by anastasiav at 5:22 PM on March 19, 2014 [1 favorite]


He's a God. Damn. National. Treasure. (Actually, just stop at the first period)
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 5:34 PM on March 19, 2014 [5 favorites]


Holy crap was this good! I had forgotten all of the movies he was in, and then some. I will have to go back and watch them again and catch up on some others.

"The ice... is going to break!" I love that line. He's amazing.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 5:50 PM on March 19, 2014


He's good, but he's no Sam Rockwell...
posted by Lokheed at 5:51 PM on March 19, 2014 [2 favorites]


That is an awesome piece of editing.

It was edited by Ben Craw, video editor at HuffPo. I haven't had time to check any of his other videos, but I think this is certainly one of the best supercuts/mashups I've seen.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:14 PM on March 19, 2014


Gee, I hope HuffPo paid Mr. Walken's SAG P & W for these clips.
posted by Ideefixe at 6:16 PM on March 19, 2014


Great thread! Much fun! Wow!
posted by michellenoel at 6:24 PM on March 19, 2014


This thread could do with more cowbell.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:29 PM on March 19, 2014 [2 favorites]


Watching all of these scenes, I noticed for the first time that Walken basically just plays the same character in every film. And it's awesome.
posted by KGMoney at 6:39 PM on March 19, 2014


I saw this earlier today and immediately had to rewatch. The arms. THE ARMS!

Have I ever shared my one degree of separation from Christopher Walken story?

My college chamber choir went to sing at another college, and faculty members took one or two of us each in for the weekend. My friend and I stayed with a really sweet drama professor and her family in a slightly modernized version of the Addams Family house.

The second night, the conversation casually touched on movies, and one of us mentioned The Milagro Beanfield War. The sweet professor’s ears started turning red, and she was obviously trying to hold something back, but after about thirty seconds the floodgates opened about the horrible year she spent teaching at a program where Christopher Walken was the artist in residnece, and how he constantly blew off classes and workshops he was supposed to lead, or turned up an hour late and wouldn't say why, or acted so stoned (she stressed that she didn’t know if he WAS or not, because she couldn’t tell) that he couldn’t accomplish anything when he was there. There was a moment of silence. “He’s made some good movies,” she finished, “but I just can’t watch any of them anymore.”

I felt so bad. I sometimes wonder if the passage of more time has made it wear off for her.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:43 PM on March 19, 2014 [3 favorites]


Walken's dance scene in Pennies for Heaven is a legitimately great piece of celluloid. (potentially NSFW, depending on your workplace's policy on scenes of Christopher Walken in his underpants)

The movie itself is a dire piece of work -- a woeful adaptation of a wonderful Dennis Potter BBC 2 miniseries -- but all of the dance numbers are wonderful. They're just surrounded by what Roger Ebert aptly termed "emotional crash landings", an inky bleakness too exaggerated to really register. It's hard to imagine how a studio could expect a depressing $20 million neo-deconstructionist musical starring the lead couple from The Jerk to make any money in 1981, and it didn't.
posted by workingdankoch at 6:43 PM on March 19, 2014 [8 favorites]


I probably haven't listened to that song since those college Korean Students Association parties during freshman year decades ago, and now, today, I've listened to it four times.
posted by shortfuse at 6:47 PM on March 19, 2014


"Puss in Boots" is just nuts. I came across it one day while channel-surfing and was really, really confused.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 7:27 PM on March 19, 2014


Anyone else catch the cut of him licking his fingers directly after the Pulp Fiction watch scene? Sneaky things like that are why I love editors.
posted by i less than three nsima at 8:52 PM on March 19, 2014


One thing - intentional or not - that I liked was that it kicks in slowly, for me at least. When it starts, the edits and dance moves don't seem synced so carefully or wittily; it felt like it'll be a supercut that just sequences one clip after another. Then it becomes much more intricate and special. Really enjoyed that.
posted by shortfuse at 9:18 PM on March 19, 2014 [2 favorites]


I've always thought his dance scene in Pennies From Heaven was sexy as hell, which is totally bizarre because, A), His character is a truly horrifying monster, B), I'm not even into dudes that much, and C), Christopher Walken??

The movie itself is a dire piece of work


Oh, hell no. I love Ebert, but as perceptive and wonderful as the guy was, every now and again he was just totally f-ing wrong. (Remember the "video games can never be art" stuff?) His take on Pennies From Heaven was a big ol' pile of wrong. It's an extraordinary, devastating film. Maybe it suffers if you go in expecting the BBC series (which I've never seen) but as its own thing, it is simply fantastic.

Underpants Monster, what you're telling us is that this woman was appalled to find that Walken was weird and flaky? That came as a real shock, did it? (I'm sure he would've driven me nuts, had I been in her position. But the man is one of America's most celebrated odd birds. If he shows up for the job at all, call it a win.)

I noticed for the first time that Walken basically just plays the same character in every film.


Oh, no, but they are usually on a continuum with terrifying sociopath on one end and lovable weirdo on the other.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:32 AM on March 20, 2014


Underpants Monster, what you're telling us is that this woman was appalled to find that Walken was weird and flaky? That came as a real shock, did it? (I'm sure he would've driven me nuts, had I been in her position. But the man is one of America's most celebrated odd birds. If he shows up for the job at all, call it a win.)

Oh, I know! I wondered if it might have been early in his career, when he wasn't quite as well-known as an eccentric. I mean, If somebody walked up to me *today* and said, "You've got to co-teach with Chris Walken for a year," I'd basically plan on doing 100% of the work. But if it was in the early 1980's or something, I could see her not realizing the extent beforehand.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:44 AM on March 20, 2014



Walken with rhythm, and he might attract the worm . . .

 
posted by Herodios at 7:00 AM on March 20, 2014 [1 favorite]


I love Ebert, but as perceptive and wonderful as the guy was, every now and again he was just totally f-ing wrong.

Agreed. Sometimes I'd have to use the "Ebert Filter" for when he had such a personal reaction to a movie that he'd dismiss it, as with his one-star review of Blue Velvet.

WRT the supercut: much better than I was expecting from the usual stamp-collecting supercut subgenre. Including bits from The Dead Zone? Genius.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:25 AM on March 20, 2014


Wow, that was fun. His dancing doesn't really flow out him. He really does look like an actor who is dancing, rather than looking like a dancer. But he always looks like he's really enjoying it, so that makes it great to watch. It's great watching someone having fun.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 8:41 AM on March 20, 2014


I love when they edited it to make it look like he was singing along. Good stuff.

I always thought the awesomeness of the Fatboy Slim music video came from Walken normally being such a serious dude and then suddenly he's dancing, but apparently I had missed out on a huge portion of his other work.
posted by vytae at 11:04 AM on March 20, 2014


I've always thought his dance scene in Pennies From Heaven was sexy as hell, which is totally bizarre because, A), His character is a truly horrifying monster, B), I'm not even into dudes that much, and C), Christopher Walken??

80s Walken is just incredibly sexy.
posted by dng at 1:12 PM on March 20, 2014


apparently I had missed out on a huge portion of his other work.

NBC keeps SNL locked down pretty tightly but you could look on nbc.com, netflix, or wherever else you can find it and look for the episodes Walken hosted because here are at least a couple of song and dance monologues.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:49 PM on March 20, 2014


Walken's dance scene in Pennies for Heaven is a legitimately great piece of celluloid. yt (potentially NSFW, depending on your workplace's policy on scenes of Christopher Walken in his underpants)

I had no idea this existed. You just changed my life.
posted by device55 at 8:26 PM on March 20, 2014


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