Friday, September 22, 2006

Some initial thoughts on favourite female film characters

Inspired by Marie, and following a glance at MysticDollarRedemption's list over at All About My Movies, I thought I would draft up a list of favourite female film characters. This is a rough draft post though...

In no particular order then my additions...

  1. Celine (Julie Delphy, Before Sunrise/Before Sunset) - for being vulnerable, spiky, expectant, mischievous and for the great way she deals with Jesse ["baby, you're gonna miss that plane..."]

  2. Anne Napolitano (Mercedes Reuhl, The Fisher King) - for knowing what love really is, for being sparky and pained, and for coping so well with the quirky-beyond-belief Lydia (Amanda Plummer), who could easily have been another choice from the same movie

  3. Mary (Kathy Burke, This Year's Love) - for keeping her self-esteem: "I'm not that desperate..."

  4. Marge Gunderson ( Frances McDormand, Fargo) - for just being the coolest pregnant woman ever

  5. Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hudsucker Proxy) - two Coen brothers women? Yep, I love 'em - "I won the Pulitzer Prize!"

  6. Mathilda (Natalie Portman, Leon) - for being older than her years and vengeance-driven

  7. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, Terminator 2) - in the original she's pretty much just a screamer, albeit one who finally 'triumphs'. But I love the psychotic, pumped up momma that she becomes in T2

  8. Cecilia (Mia Farrow, The Purple Rose of Cairo) - for being such a great dreamer

  9. Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert, Amateur) - what's not to love about a nymphomaniac ex-nun who's never had sex?

  10. Margo Channing (Bette Davis, All About Eve) - one of the first BD films I remember seeing and she just mesmerised me

  11. Devon Stockard (Mischa Barton, Lawn Dogs) - one of the few child roles I can bear to watch, and before Mischa went all OC on us...

  12. Marla Singer (Helena Cardboard-Box Bonham-Carter, Fight Club) - in a boy's film she absolutely dominates the screen when she's on it

  13. Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss, The Matrix) - not the trilogy, just The Matrix. Kicking ass and looking cool - what a combination!

  14. Alabama Worley (Patricia Arquette, True Romance) - for being way cute and fighting back


Okay, that's just a few first thoughts and as I say Marie KNOWS she has nicked off with a lot of the great ones I would have chosen. I mean, she's already stolen off with Thelma and Louise, Rizzo, Ripley, Hildy Johnson etc etc. It's tough following that choice!!

7 comments:

Imposs1904 said...

Kathy Burke in This Year's Love - sigh. That is such an underrated film.

Can you believe it that you can't get either This Year's Love or Gimme Gimme Gimme on netflix in the States?

Daft I tell you.

Rosby said...

I haven't turned fickle...I...well...oh screw it, I have.

Put it down to a lack of nice boys at my school...can't wait to go to University.

Anonymous said...

No contest! Either:

Scarlett O'Hara (Vivienne Leigh: Gone With the Wind)

or

Gigi (Leslie Caron; Gigi)

Rob said...

Celine would be top of my list too. And Isabelle and Trinity would probably be on it. I like David Duff's choices too.

But I'd have to have The Bride (Uma Thurman. Kill Bill). I'd have Natalie Portman, but as Sam in Garden State: enigmatic, vulnerable, irrestistibly lovable. Molly (Louise Smith in Working Girls): not so much a tart with a heart as a tart with an Ivy League degree, making ends meet by working in a New York brothel.

One really good child role you missed: Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider) - not so much feisty as doggedly determined and utterly convincing. And I'd have to have Anna Paquin too, not for the Piano, amazing though she was in that, but as Amy in Fly Away Home (possibly my favourite 'family film' of all time). Dogged determination again. No wonder my daughter has turned out like that....

And - I only saw this last night but an immediate chart entry here - Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) in Volver.

Marie said...

Oh I want yours! I want them! Not Trinity though. I never found her interesting, though I did once go to a fancy dress party dressed as her. Nobody would sit next to me on the bus.

Emma said...

Oooh, yes, good call on Mischa in Lawn Dogs. An interesting character indeed, and pity she's doing crap like The O.C. now.

Lisa Rullsenberg said...

I now have the image of you Marie as Trinity in my head... I cannot think why no one would sit next to you on the bus! You would look great as her!

I did say it was only an incomplete list, and that I would happily steal off with other people's contributions.

Welcome MysticDollarRedemption too - glad you ain't too cross at mehaving been inspired by your list as well as Marie's. And I make no bones about praising Lawn Dogs ever - 'cos not only is Mischa Barton bloody excellent in it, but Sam Rockwell is just divine!