There are many talented actresses working in films and on stage and TV. Only a few are blessed with extraordinary mystique. It doesn't seem that it can be acquired. It seems natural. The late Gloria Grahame had it. Although she was descended from British royalty, on screen she seemed a woman who could not get on the right side of the tracks. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1947 for
Crossfire, and won for
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952). Her personal life was a mess. She married four times, the last to her former step son Anthony Ray, 15 years her junior, the son of Nicholas Ray, who directed her in one of Bogie's best,
In a Lonely Place (1950). Last night I watched
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017), adapted from the memoir of the same title by Peter Turner. Almost three decades younger than Grahame, he was her lover in her final years. Her life was cut short at 57 in 1981. Turner has had a modest career, 15 titles on the big and small screen listed under his name at IMDb as an actor, five TV episodes and one full length feature as a writer, and one documentary as a director. Annette Bening is solid in the difficult role of the insecure and enigmatic star. Jamie Bell is outstanding as Turner, as is Julie Walters as his mum, who graciously allows the ill Grahame a place in her home. Old pros Vanessa Redgrave and Frances Barber are terrific in their one extended scene, the former as Grahame's mom, whose memory is failing, and latter as her resentful, bitchy sister. The story is told in non-linear style, backed by a great soundtrack of familiar songs. Peter McGuigan directed. He has also been at the helm of four episodes of
Sherlock, which I love although it is usually over my head. Matt Greenhalgh adapted the screenplay. 4400+ users at IMDb have rated the film, forging to a consensus of 6.7 on a scale of ten. On a scale of five, I rate it 2.5. I wasn't as moved as I expected to be given my fascination with Grahame. Something is missing. Maybe Grahame was too much of a mystery to get right. The film did not fare well at the box office, apparently in limited release. It received no Oscar nominations. I'd guess its appeal is restricted to Grahame's fans. It runs 1:45. Here are pics of the star in her heyday and Bening in character:
Last night Council Bluffs Jefferson beat Sioux City North 99-81, the highest-scoring game in the history of Iowa high school football. Jefferson had 749 yards rushing on 67 carries. One RB had 358 yards and eight touchdowns, another 209 yards and two touchdowns. The Sioux City North QB threw for 310 yards and nine touchdowns. Neither team punted.
My thanks to the kind folks who today bought and swapped a variety of books in Russian and English.
No comments:
Post a Comment