John King

Originally launched this comment with a long account of how bad an actor I think Jeremy Irons is, and why. Since this boils down to being distracted by his technique it seemed simpler just to point that out and delete the original comment. So I did. I don't find his performance good. It tramples on and destroys the tension in Pinter's script. That's doubly a pity because Patricia Hodge is a revelation in exactly the way you point out. She has qualities of stillness and realism that eluded her later in her career.