Some people find memes to be a bit of a chore, a kind of chain letter they don't really welcome because it usually hits just when they are busiest with their own planned postings. It feels like homework, they usually say. For me, it proves to be a necessary jolt when I'm lazy and don't feel like writing something I may have on my docket (like obligatory reviews for DVDs I've been sent that are way over due). So I'd like to thank Jeremy Richey at the wonderful Moon in the Gutter for tagging me with this (incredibly reductive) meme on twenty all-time favorite actresses that originated at Nathaniel R.'s Film Experience.
As for who I'm tagging, I'm very interested in seeing lists from:
James Hansen at Out 1
Lissette Decos at her eponymous blog
MovieMan0283 at The Dancing Image
T.S. at Screen Savour
Dean Treadway at filmicability
And since you guys tend to be on my list of you-kinda-don't-like-to-be-tagged-for-these-sorts-of-things, but I think you secretly like them:
Campaspe at Self-Styled Siren
Glenn Kenny at Some Came Running
And now, on with the show. These actresses are my favorite for simply one reason. In their own way, they are all, no matter the caliber of the film they are in, compulsively watchable.
Victoria Abril in ¡Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) (1990)
Jenny Agutter in Logan's Run (1976)
Claudia Cardinale in Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) (1963)
Julie Christie in Shampoo (1975)
Barbara Crampton in From Beyond (1986)
Bridget Fonda in Jackie Brown (1997)
Pam Grier in Coffy (1973)
Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark (1967)
Claudia Jennings in 'Gator Bait (1974)
Grace Kelly in Rear Window (1954)
Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Nastassja Kinski in Cat People (1982)
Diane Lane in Streets of Fire (1984)
Janet Leigh in Houdini (1953)
Gina Lollobrigida in Trapeze (1956)
Valerie Perrine in Lenny (1974)
Charlotte Rampling in Il Portiere di notte (The Night Porter) (1974)
Theresa Russell in Bad Timing (1980)
Monica Vitti in Il deserto rosso (Red Desert) (1964)
Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979)
UPDATE: As I start getting responses to my tags I'll post links to their lists here:
Self-Styled Siren's list
Screen Savour's list
filmicability's list
Lissette Decos' list
The Dancing Image's list
8 comments:
This will be fun, though I suspect that I will be picking few if any currently bright young actresses. Perhaps it's the fatalist in me...
Great list...love everyone on here and am especially happy to see someone else remembering Bridget and Nastassja. I must admit that I am pretty unhappy with mine because I decided to make it post 1970. I might very well be doing an alternate...
Valerie Perrine was so great in LENNY; I love that picture of her, of course. She's adorable (also in SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE, too).
I like that you cited specific performances, but in responding, I decided to go with entire careers. I also tried to balance sex appeal with more lofty attributes. Were I picking the 20 sexiest actresses, my list might be quite different. However, maybe not (though certainly Perrine, Kinski, Rampling, Tuesday Weld and Salma Hayek would be in the running).
Anyway, my list is up now, if you wanna check it out.
Oops. Actually, it's not up yet. Soon, though...
Dean,
Actually, I didn't mean to cite specific performances, just identify my favorite film from their respective filmographies. But these are actresses I can watch in ANYTHING. For instance, I find Perrine just as fascinating in Slaughterhouse Five, Superman, or The Border.
And let me clarify that while sex appeal was a quality inherent in all of my choices, I did go for more than that. In my opinion these are all compulsively watchable actresses that in most cases I feel have been underrated throughout most of their careers. Jennings died too young. Some like Lollobrigida or Vitti faded into anonymity. But though I certainly chose sexy photos, I didn't select them simply for this quality.
As Pam Grier proved in Jackie Brown, these actresses can do more when they are called upon to do so.
Okay, I have my choices up on filmicability! Fun post, but it took longer than I expected!
amazing list. i have just added a bunch o films onto the old netflix queue.
i just posted mine. thanks for the challenge.
I finally tackled it: http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2008/12/shine-on-you-crazy-diamonds_15.html
I included clips for all & sundry, so it took forever, but it was worth it - reminded me why I loved them in the first place. Incidentally, we have 4 overlaps.
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