I love this analysis, especially descriptions like these: "It’s hard to overstate just how beautiful Dalton is in this role, and there’s something almost-but-not-quite feminine about his good looks. His face almost appears as if it has been chiseled out of ice, and his eyes give almost nothing away. At the same time, they also flicker with a deep-seated anger, one might even say a passion..." I do think Hopkins give a performance of such desperation that we cannot help but side with and feel for Richard, thus bolstering the view that Philip is a queer villain, as sadistic as he is alluring.
I love this analysis, especially descriptions like these: "It’s hard to overstate just how beautiful Dalton is in this role, and there’s something almost-but-not-quite feminine about his good looks. His face almost appears as if it has been chiseled out of ice, and his eyes give almost nothing away. At the same time, they also flicker with a deep-seated anger, one might even say a passion..." I do think Hopkins give a performance of such desperation that we cannot help but side with and feel for Richard, thus bolstering the view that Philip is a queer villain, as sadistic as he is alluring.