Sunday, December 21, 2008

20 Actresses

In my fine tradition of lagging far behind the blogging pack, I'm just now ready to participate in the '20 Favorite Actresses' meme started at The Film Experience. I love a good excuse to dip into my pool of collected screengrabs (17 of the following 20 images came from my hard drive), and even though I could probably list 20 different names tomorrow, today it's the following ladies that entertain, awe and fascinate me the most, even if some of their filmographies are more impressive than others.

Note: The list of films following each name contain the performances by each actress that give me the most pleasure, and are not necessarily the finest films on that actress' resume. (But just try and argue with me on the merits of The Skeleton Key. I dare you.) The first film listed for each actress is the film pictured. Here we go:


Angela Bassett - Strange Days, What's Love Got to Do With It, Sunshine State


Jennifer Connelly - Dark City, Requiem for a Dream, Dark Water, Career Opportunities


Bette Davis - All About Eve, Jezebel, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?


Irene Dunne - Love Affair, The Awful Truth, My Favorite Wife


Audrey Hepburn - Funny Face, Wait Until Dark, My Fair Lady, Charade


Katherine Hepburn - Stage Door, Bringing Up Baby, Adam's Rib, Holiday


Madeline Kahn - Clue, Paper Moon, What's Up, Doc?, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, The Cheap Detective


Deborah Kerr - Black Narcissus, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Innocents


Jennifer Jason Leigh - eXistenZ, Short Cuts, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Anniversary Party, Margot at the Wedding


Shirley MacLaine - Some Came Running, The Apartment, The Children's Hour, Steel Magnolias, In Her Shoes


Giulietta Masina - Nights of Cabiria, La Strada


Emily Mortimer - Bright Young Things, Lovely and Amazing, Lars and the Real Girl, Transsiberian


Sarah Polley - No Such Thing, The Sweet Hereafter, Go, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Guinevere


Thelma Ritter - Pickup on South Street, Rear Window, All About Eve


Rachel Roberts - This Sporting Life, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, O Lucky Man!, Picnic at Hanging Rock


Gena Rowlands - A Woman Under the Influence, Faces, Minnie & Moskowitz, Love Streams, The Skeleton Key


Rosalind Russell - His Girl Friday, The Women, The Trouble with Angels


Lili Taylor - I Shot Andy Warhol, Say Anything, Girls Town


Sylvie Testud - Fear and Trembling, Murderous Maids, Beyond Silence, The Chateau, La France


Rachel Weisz - My Blueberry Nights, The Shape of Things, The Fountain