This post is part of the LAMB Acting School 101 - Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett - one of the most admirable actresses alive. A look at her filmography reveals the versatility of her acting and also the daringness with which she chooses her projects.
Cate has been in many movies that I love or like, most importantly the Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which I saw her for the first time. Just like the whole magnus opuum of a film, what Cate did in it is pure magic, and I am literally dying to see her in the prequels The Hobbit 1 & 2.
There seems to be a source of infinite energy hidden inside Cate Blanchett, aside from the obvious immense pound of talent and that enchanting mixture of fragility and strength. I think she has evoked every possible feeling in me already, except from dislike. Though most of her characters and films tend to be more serious, I was pleasantly surprised by her performance in Bandits, co-starring Bruce Willis, and the one in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This woman can do anything - not even playing one of the most beloved musicians of the world seems to be a big task for her, as she easily outshone each of her many male teammates in the Bob Dylan biopic-thingy I'm Not There.
Nevertheless, I would say that my favourite performance of Cate's (hereby I don't mean the best, but my completely subjective favourite) must be the one in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. First of all, I started taking ballet classes because of that film. It inspired me, my life, in countless ways, and a lot of that is thanks to Cate Blanchett who made her character and the whole story come alive. Not by herself, no, the movie didn't rely on her, but still it wouldn't have been the same without.
Objectively seen though, I think that the best of Cate's performances I've seen yet was the one in I'm Not There. She was simply the most perfect choice to play Bob Dylan, maybe I'd go as far as saying that this one's the best performance of an actor I've ever seen... but I feel I'm not ready to say this about any performance.
Still, there's much more to explore of Cate's work, and following the tradition of my first LAMB 101 post on Kate Winslet, I have put together a list of five of this actress's films that I want to see before a certain date (not including films released after today):
Cate Blanchett films I've seen:
Hanna - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I'm Not There. - Babel - The Aviator - The Lord of the Rings 1-3 - Bandits
Cate Blanchett films I have to see before Christmas 2012:
(In chronological, most-anticipated/"curiosifying" order)
5. Robin Hood (2010) Ridley Scott
Why? A friend of mine told me she found this movie fantastic, and even though our tastes differ at times, I think I'm actually going to like this one. I mean, it's Robin Hood! With Cate!
4. The Gift (2000) Sam Raimi
Why? Many people have recommended it for Cate's great performance (though this probably counts for all of these films), and... that's it, I think. I also like the title. My only fear is Katie Holmes, whom I've never liked in anything.
3. Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) Jim Jarmusch
Why? Because it sounds crazy and eclectic enough to not just be a depressing modern black-and-white movie. And because everyone says Cate's segment is their favourite.
2. Notes on a Scandal (2006) Richard Eyre
Why? I watched the making of a long time ago and thought it sounded extremely intriguing. Okay, maybe I have a weakness for films like this - they are just so interesting, psychologically - but I've actually heard that this one is supposed to be very good.
1. Elizabeth (1998) Shekhar Kapur
Why? There are countless reasons: Indian director, Cate's breakthrough, acclamation, period drama and so on. I should have seen this one a long time ago.
+ BONUS:
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
(In case I like the first film, which is... likely).
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I have never seen Elizabeth properly. And I really need to see Notes on a Scandal too. Coffee and Cigarettes is awesome man, though I like this segment called Renee the best.
ReplyDeleteComing to Blanchett, I think she's just lovely and awesome. Her performance in I'm Not There is one of my most favourite performances of all ti,e. It was crazy awesome. She also plays a villain beautifully.
I'm so excited for all of these films! Cate Blanchett is one of my favourite actresses ever, I love her... her personality, her films, her style - everything.
DeleteI still remember seeing The Gift in the cinema and I still remember it to this day as being one of the worst films I have ever seen. I'm still not wholly convinced that it has a plot.
ReplyDeleteHaha, that doesn't sound very... good. I'm still going to see it. Maybe at least Cate was good in it?
DeleteYou're in for a treat! Notes on a Scandal and Elizabeth are fantastic movies, and Cate's work in The Gift and C&C is some of her best.
ReplyDeleteGreat! I think I'm going to watch all of these way before Christmas ;).
DeleteThanks for reminding me that Blanchett is in the Hobbit films, despite Galadriel not being in the book AT ALL - just like Return of the King, Jackson deciding to abandon any pretence of caring what the story is about. I'd been toying with the idea of going to see The Hobbit, you've helped me avoid making that mistake,
ReplyDeleteIt's been so long that I've read the books that I don't even remember... but personally I don't think it's bad that Jackson adjusted the story a little.
DeleteI was actually concerned when I first learned that he was making it in two parts. After eviscerating all the substance from Return of the King and reducing the most thoughtful and substantial part of LotR to a two-dimensional shooty-shooty bang-bang movie, he's now taken a simple kid's story that could have been a rollicking Indian Jones style quest film and inflated it by throwing stuff in, like characters who weren't there. No doubt they will be CGI extravaganzas, and generate enough "wow!" to drown out the voices of those who point out how little resemblance they bear to their alleged source material. Thank goodness he's not touching The Silmarillion! :)
DeleteLove seeing all of this Blanchett love. I really enjoyed her work in all of the films you highlighted, with the exception of Robin Hood. I really thought that movie was just dogshit. She isn't bad in it, but the movie seriously fails her talent. Just my opinion though!
ReplyDeleteHm, I'm really excited for Robin Hood... it seems to be one of those films you either love or hate. In any case, I'm sure Cate is going to be great.
DeleteNice post Mette, I really loved her performance in the Wes Anderson film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
ReplyDeleteReally looking forward to the Hobbit. :-)
I considered putting that film into the 5 I want to watch, but wasn't sure.
DeleteThanks for commenting, one of the three guys :)