... you can learn from:
The Trouble With Harry (1955)
Jennifer: It's too late to say prayers.Besides, wherever he's going he's there now.
A happy 89 to the great Shirley MacLaine today!
Tell me your favorite Shirley roles in the comments.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
5 comments:
Love Shirley, very gifted performer!! I don't even mind all her spoon bender craziness because first of all she believes in it so more power to her and second she has a sense of humor about the subject when brought up and doesn't get all sour or didactic.
She's been in so many wonderful films through the years (and like all great stars some real dogs) that outside of my absolute faves it's hard to winnow down amongst the others.
Much as I adore her in Steel Magnolias that performance comes in second to her absolutely heartbreaking, gut wrenching work as the almost painfully vulnerable Ginny Moorehead in "Some Came Running" apparently also a favorite of Shirley herself. It's always pained me that she was placed in the wrong category (Best Actress) when she was nominated for it when had she properly received a nod in Best Supporting Actress she could have and should have won in a walk.
Be that as it may here's my top 10 of her performances (not necessarily the best films she's been in but the ones that contain my favorite work from her.)
1. Some Came Running
2. Steel Magnolias
3. What a Way to Go!
4. Gambit
5. Terms of Endearment
6. Career
7. The Apartment
8. Madame Sousatzka
9. The Matchmaker
10. The Turning Point
The List above is pretty great. Even reminded me of some I had forgotten about Highest on my list would be in this order, Some Came Running, Terms of Endearment, and Turning Point. I'd kind of like to see Turning Point again. It hasn't been around lately.
Oh I will have to watch Some Came Running I guess, I've never seen it -- I kind of can't stand Sinatra and Martin though
Jason,
Some Came Running is a slow build but director Vincente Minnelli guides it with a sure hand and it's a beautiful looking film. Sinatra is full of bitter flintiness, nowhere is some of the laziness that crept into his later work. This is the film that righted Dean Martin's career ship after splitting with Jerry Lewis, he's still Dino but there is nuance to his performance. It is full of attitudes of the time though and I admit while I liked it the first time I watched the movie it took me a few times through to fully fall under its spell.
Shirley however blew me away from the very first!
Love Shirl,
My favourite of her performances is The Children's Hour it's my favourite of all her dramatic roles then Steel Magnolias and Postcards from the Edge for camp quotability,soft spot for The Turning Point as a good one to watch with your mother,later career performances probably In Her Shoes.
Post a Comment