Kate Winslet is one of my favourite actresses, in fact, tied with Meryl Streep she may be my favourite actress, she has been in a wide range of roles, nominated for six oscars with one win, winning two golden globes in the same year, and with such a wide range of characters portrayed, it would almost be a crime not to compile this list.
- Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This may be Winslet's most gonzo performance yet, her scene stealing performance as the quirky and unbalanced Clementine is at times breathtaking, far removed from the period housewives and corset queens she in known for playing, the dyed hair and neurosis. Winslet plays Clementine with a vulnerability and a pathos that is commendable.
- Juliet Hulme in Heavenly Creatures
Winslet's screen debut, directed by Peter Jackson and based on a true story, Winslet plays Juliet Hulme, a fourteen year old english schoolgirl living in New Zealand who makes a plan with her best friend to murder her friends mother. The relationship between the two girls is platonic, though bordering on obsessive, and Hulme comes off as being controlled, poised and manipulative. Winslet shows herself as being a natural in front of the camera, and her performance in the film is surprisinly elegant for an actress so young.
- Mildred Pierce in Mildred Pierce
Winslet's performance in this piece is fascinating simply because there is so much of it. A six hour miniseries, Mildred Pierce is the story of a woman living in the depression, divorcing her husband and struggling to feed her family. Mildred Pierce spans multiple decades and multiple husbands, and we are really able to see the emotional maturing of a woman finding her independence and her feet, and making something of herself in the world. Mildred is a woman who adores her daughter to a fault, and who will do anything for her, even to the point of losing everything. Joan Crawford truly would have loathed her.
- Hanna Schmitz in The Reader
Winslet won an Oscar for her portrayal of Hanna Schmitz, a former Nazi SS agent on trial for her involvement in the deaths of many prisoners during the second world war, earlier, before the war, Hanna started an affair with a fifteen year old boy, and as he watches her trial, he realizes certain truths about her. Winslet's portrayal is perfect, her german accent is on point, and she comes off as a woman hiding a terrible secret, more important than her involvement in the deaths of concentration camp prisoners.
Here Winslet plays the 20th century philosopher and novelist Iris
Murdoch. Winslet plays the character in flashback, the younger version
of Judi Dench. Her role in the film is small, and despite being
overshadowed by Judi Dench, she manages nonetheless to imbude the role
with an ingenuity and a charm that is lost in the older Iris. Winslet's
Iris has a free artist's spirit, and a sexual promiscuity that is
refreshing, and she portrays the character as a little naive, but with a
huge personality.
No comments:
Post a Comment