 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
Maybe somebody can help me out...the thread regarding Unbearable Lightness got me thinking about actresses like Juliet Binoche and Lena Olin, who are numbers one and two on my list of favorites as far as sheer drop dead sexy good looks, regardless of age (who can also act). Rounding out my top five is Sophie Marceau, Emanuelle Beart, and...well, maybe Charlize Theron. It sturck me as a bit strange that NONE of these ladies are American.
Since I can't think of ONE single American actress that I find to be in the same class as the ladies above (Demi Moore? HA! the other Charlie's Angels? NOOOO! Julia-you gotta be kidding me-Roberts? G. Paltrow? ugh!)...honestly, I'm stumped.
Since I'm admitedly a novice with foreign films (I've seen everything available to me that the "A List" of ladies above have done)...what, and more importantly, who might I be missing?
You can go "vintage" if you like...I think Simon Simone was a real babe (with limited film utput), and there is, of course, Bardot, Gina L.,
Verni Lisi, Sophia, et al...but I'm really looking for curent/working actresses of the type mentioned above...ones that you would sit through even a mediocre film just for them...and I don't just mean the way tey look.Can anybody mention an American actress they feel has the same "qualities" of a Binoche or Olin? I realize this is personal taste and opinion...so feel free to disagree with me.
Thanks,
Gary
Follow Ups:
Not familiar with Binoche or Olin; I prefer subtitles on period films mostly (i.e., silent). Among those I've listed are a few foreign stars, but all made their fame in Hollywood or appeared strictly in silent films.Louise Brooks
Renee Falconetti (foreign star, but made only one silent film)
Mary Pickford
Anna Mae Wong
Janet Gaynor
Clara Bow
Lillian Gish
Gloria Swanson
Greta Garbo
Marion Davies
Vilma Banky
Marlene Dietrich
Faye Wray
Claudette Colbert
Ingrid Bergman
...et al.As for current American female actors, Renee Zelweger & Maggie Gyllenhaal come to mind, but I also like Kate Winslet, Julia Roberts and Gweneth Paltrow in some roles; BTW, I'm tempted to toss in Liv Tyler and Kate Blanchett just to annoy Victor and Patrick. ;^)
AuPh
With Liv yes, through she is very pretty ( in her Italian film ) but Kate I like her, but THIS film NO!!!
...who in current European cinema is "hot" (good looks with acting chops)?
What I'm looking for is ladies we don't see in American films.
Victor mentioned in an earlier post that opening this up worldwide would be a long list...so far, almost everyone named is well-known in the U.S.
BTW, a note to Audiophilander...I certainly respect your love of silent films...but I'm pretty sure that I want to hear what my favorite actress SOUNDS like...what if the lovely Louise Brooks had a voice like that of Rosanne Barr? A lifetime of listening to THAT is surely my idea of hell.
Thanks,
Gary
Well the hottest is Monica Bellucci, You have a nice actress with Sandrine Kiberlain the still beautiful Carole Bouquet ( Depardieu ex lover who now is with Truffaut ex muse Fanny Ardant ) My favorite is Charlotte Gainsbourg . And so many more..You may have a look at:http://www.inter-coproprietes.com/portail/celebrites/femfrance.html
Well in the moment I am under stress, and I can only act as a sniper here, but you can count on Victor at the moment, we share a large part of cultural and appreciative moment.
I hope that in a few days I will be more here here...
Me no Patrick, but figure I owed you an answer.Danielle Darrieux is a gorgeous lead female with tons of class.
Then I would love to move into an obscure subject of Poland - the Polish beauties will hold their own in a company of anyone.
Pola Raksa is an old time favorite, she was considered a Bardot of Poland. Barbara Brylska is another - and that will do for now from Poland... the two blondes will more than keep you awake at night.
And... for some icing on a cake... how about the Italian super-bombshell, the true sexpot on unparalleled appeal - none other than Mariangela Melato!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is one of Melato. If you recall the original Swept Away -that's her... BIG time!
Victor,
This is what I had in mind...I'll check out some of their films, provided I can find them.
If any more come to mind...
Thanks,Gary
Melato you will not have difficulty finding - she played in many fine films, including many by Lina Wertmuller, who is a must see in itself.Raksa and Brylska will be hard... but if you can find Wajda's Ashes, you will find Raksa there, together with yet another FAMOUS Polish leading lady - Beata Tyszkiewicz... don't say I didn't warn you though!
Young Liv was pretty, she's got worse lately. Her acting was never much, but she was OK in Stealing Beauty. Kate I love. She should have gotten the Oscar for Elizabeth, not the other completely forgettable gal.
Hum, sorry too, that is excatlly what I wrote...The Italian film was of course " Stealing.." ( a bore by the way..) and I notice her first film because she turn sour....
No dispute on this..As for Kathy ...
One of the best of the current females. Great range.
Hep,I only know Ms. Parker from Fried Green Tomatoes and her recurring role on The West Wing...but from this sampling, I agree...she may have the"X" factor I'm talking about. Again, I may need to see more of her work before I can tell if she is on the same level as the "ladies on the A list." Certainly promising.
Her co-star in FGT was Mary-Stuart Masterson, and at one time, I thought she may possess the elusive "X"...but she seems to have droppped off my radar.
Thanks,
Gary
Try to catch her in Sugartime.
...the WORST photograph of a good-looking woman ever taken! I wonder where IMDB gets these shots?Thanks for the link...I'll look for Sugartime. I forot about MLP's smallish role in the very decent Red Dragon.
All the best,
Gary
First, no one in film has the quality that Lena Olin has. I agree completely about Emanuelle Beart as well.
But others that are eye catching in their own ways would include:Julia Ormond (Smilla's sense of snow)
Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
Catherine Zeta Jones (Entrapment)
Kelly Hu
Gong Li (earlier films such as Ju Dou, Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern)
Barbara Bach (from James Bond fame)
Thandie Newton (Mission Impossible 2)
Dianne Lane (Unfaithful)This is to say nothing of their acting ability, but merely reflects beauty, which, too, is in the eye of the beholder--and opinions will certainly differ. Whether they have that other quality you're looking for, I can't say
Cetaele (aka Bob)
...agree on your assessment; there is only ONE Lena Olin...she first got to me years ago in Romeo is Bleeding, Havana, and more recently in The Ninth Gate. I watched the (imo) dumb film Polish Wedding strictly to see her and my favorite actor, Gabe Byrne. What a waste of great talent.I've never seen Alias (or her other work), but you may have a point about Jen. Garner...doesn't Lena play her mother or something on the show? Quite a (fictional) gene pool, eh?
Thanks,
Gary
Yes, Lena Olin played the mother in Alias, a show which I like a great deal, and I was particularly happy when Lena Olin decided to be on the show last year.
Cetaele (aka Bob)
Cet,I can't comment on all the ladies you mentioned, but certainly agree on Julia Ormond (English), and C.Z. Jones (Welsh...I know she won Oscar, but can she act?). I'm just getting ready for my first "taste of Thandie" in The Truth About Charlie, which I just checked out of the library.
Diane Lane is an American actress I hadn't thought of...great and certainly sexy in Unfaithful, but she let me down in that Under the Tuscan follow up she made. Good pick, but I guess the jury is still out for me...her "body" of work is very erratic...not bad in Lonesome Dove.
I can only think of two films with Babs Bach...the Bond film, and that goofy cave man thing...is she an actress?
What's the general consensus on Uma Thurman? I thought the "X" factor we're looking for oozed out of her in Pulp Fiction, then not so much in anything since (haven't seen Kill Bill).
Thanks,
Gary
My understanding is that "The truth about Charlie" is pretty poor, but don't know about Thandie's performance.Is Barbara Bach an actress? :) Good point!
Don't know what the concensus is on Uma, but she certainly doesn't do much for me.
Of all those I listed, the only American would be Diane Lane, and, for me, she certainly has that "X" factor.
Oh, another possible one would be Ashley Judd in "Ruby in Paradise"--though she's become rather mundane in her more recent roles.
Cetaele (aka Bob)
It's "Diane" Lane.Also, I think Jennifer Connelly has the quality you were referring to as well.
Cetaele (aka Bob)
American actresses have never been free to expose their souls. Their job is to be both pretty and desirable at best. This lack of soulfulness is what attracted me to French actresses due to their ability to stare into the camera and melt it down. British actresses don't seem capable of that connection, either. Apparently Anglo breeding just doesn't allow the total communication other cultural types can convey, especially those Frenchies. I can hardly think of any American film where the actress communicates directly with the camera using her face and eyes.
Albee,Interesting point, and I really seem to gravitate toward the French actresses as well...one that I left off my list is Fanny Ardant...born in 1949, she is still working, and still looks great the last time I saw her.
An actress that I thought EVERYONE would bring up is Catherine Denueve (sp?)...although beautiful, she always stuck me as a little cold... perhaps to beautiful, if here is such a thing. (Just my opinion).
Any French favorites not mentioned that you can recommend?
Thanks,
Gary
but all of them seem to share that soulfulness to some degree--Deneuve seems to be less gifted in that respect, though. Her redheaded sister, Franciose Dorleac (deceased at an early age-1967), was much more gifted and, to my taste, more desirable.You should see "8 Women" which covers the gamut of current French femmes. Fanny's in it as well.
I was just doing a imdb search and came across 8 Women...definitely on my list!Sorry, not familiar with "Bonnaire"...I think this is what I'm looking for...can you give me a bit more?
In thinking about my original query, I came up with three more names that I think are in the ballpark:
Julie Christie (born India, 1941)...erratic, but but certainly always (imo) watchable. I recently re-watched The Railway Station Man fro 1993-I loved her in this.
Jackie Bisset (born England, 1944)...major beauty, and underated as an actress (imo)...ever see Chris Munch's very-indie film Sleepy Time Gal? possibly her best work.
and, for someone a bit younger...
Laura Linney (born NY, 1964)...this is the only interesting American leading lady that I can come up with right now...still, not in the same class as the orignal "A" list. To add insult to injury...LL is currently working on the tv show Frasier!
Thanks!
Gary
Well, I would consider Audrey Hepburn such an actress, and when it comes to style there is no equal.In the second plance I would put Monica Vitti the blonde Italian beauty, since you already expanded your search.
.
Victor,
I was really counting on you for a loooong list of ladies of forign film...after all you are the resident maven of European film here...and I mean that in a good way.
Help a backwoods boy from Ohio out!
BTW, re: A. Hepburn...great face, very classy, acting talent to burn... but waaay to skinny for my taste!
I enjoy a little "body language" (and I don't necessarily mean "voluptuous") to go with the "face and eyes acting." I really never watched many of her films...Brakfast at Tiff. comes to mind, along with Wait Until Dark and the original Sabrina (I've read that she and Bogie HATED each other). Are there other really great AH films I've neglected.All the best,
Gary
Directed by Stanley Donen in 1967, with Albert Finch and Jacqueline Bisset, music by Mancini...: Hepburn is wonderful in itI have seen it more than ten times..., one of them with a friend, a daltonic mathematician: listening to his colourful description of what we had just seen was something surrealistic!
Regards
BF
x
I never liked that film. Audrey was nice, as she always is, but the film was boring, I thought.Nothing like How To Seal a Million, which I thought sizzeled with humor and fun.
I, again have to say yes....To your post.
Roman Holiday and How to Steal a Million are both must see Audrey films, plus the Charade.But if you open your search world wide, then there are just too many to list this late in the night.
Let me start with a relatively little known one - Capucine. If that one doesn't get your blood pumping I don't know what will. Tons of class too.
.
...interesting link; I didn't know Cap committed suicide. Very attractive lady, but I don't really know her work...could she "act?" (Of her filmography, I only remember her from the so-so John Wayne flick North to Alaska).I forgot about Roman Holiday, perhaps the only A. Hepburn film I would watch more than once. Sabrina is the only Bogart film made after 1940 that I don't care if I see again. (Just my opinion...obviously not much of a fan of Ms. Hepburn).
Any current actresses in European films you can recommend? You know, like the "Drew Barrymore of France, Sweden, etc"...except attractive and with acting chops?
Thanks,
Gary
n
...Charade is a very nice film as well, and I own a copy of it...but imo, this a Cary Grant film...many actresses could have done AH's role (imo).I really like the Geo. Kennedy/James Coburn roles here...especially at the funeral service, where George sticks a pin in the courpse, and Coburn holds a mirror under the dead guys nose, making sure he is dead...right in front of the widow and other mourners. Somehow, to me at least, this was funny (black humor?).
All the best,
Gary
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
