SUMMER OF STARS #15: Cate Blanchett
Summer of Stars is a MovieJawn celebration of actors that have shined on the silver screen. Follow along as we count down some of our favorite players from various eras in the magical cosmos of cinema
by Benjamin Leonard, Best Boy, Managing Zine Editor
When thinking of my favorite Hollywood Stars of all time, it’s hard for me not to have a bias towards classic Hollywood. In addition to their talent and charisma, there was, of course, the glamour and fashions. On top of that was the studios’ control over access to and public perception of the stars. Comparably, today we have constant feeds of what everyone in Hollywood is up to. While soul-crushingly relatable, the countless photos of a put-upon Ben Affleck smoking a cigarette takes a little something away from the mystique I’ve come to expect from my favourites. Cate Blanchett is a modern star that has all that appeal from the classic era and manages to keep a low enough profile that we don’t see her when the world’s got her down. The few candid pictures out there when she’s running her kids around, she still looks calm, cool, and amazingly put together. It’s this spell of an unrealistically charmed life that sweeps me off into a different world when I think about her.
I didn’t always feel this way about her though. I’d first encountered her in a few British films such as Elizabeth, Oscar and Lucinda, and An Ideal Husband. While her performances were good, these films didn’t make me sit up and take notice. While I was working at a video store, I became curious when she started popping up in American comedies such as Pushing Tin and Bandits. While neither of these were standout films, it was interesting to see that she was getting to stretch her legs a bit. Simultaneously, she was in a number of thrillers including The Gift, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Charlotte Gray when I really began to understand her range. Then, silly as it is, seeing her as Galadriel in Lord of the Rings put me past the point of no return. The one-two punch of her talent and beauty could not be denied.
Following that, I thought I’d discuss five films along the way where she maintained that star status, starting with Tom Twyker’s Heaven. I was already primed for the new (at the time) Twyker film as I’d been sucked in by Run Lola Run and The Princess and the Warrior, like most other pretentious video store employees of the time. In addition to that, Heaven boasted the talents of Blanchett and Giovani Ribisi. Both turned in excellent performances in this quiet and moody thriller about woman that is arrested for avenging her husband’s murder and falls in love with an arresting officer. The story may be a bit sparse, but it looks amazing and Blanchett owns the screen.
Continuing in the vein of artsy staff picks was Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes. While the most memorable story in this anthology of 11 shorts is likely to be Delerium with RZA, GZA, and Bill Murray, the second is easily Cousins with Blanchett playing the dual roles of herself and her cousin, Shelly. This story has all the elements of the best of Jarmusch: humor, melancholy, and the juxtaposition of its main characters. Blanchett does an amazing job bringing this out through both of these roles. While the rest of the collection doesn’t quite live up to the Night on Earth standard, Coffee and Cigarettes is filled with lighter, quicker vignettes that makes this an enjoyable package.
Next up is The Aviator. I’m not gonna lie, I skipped this one for a long time—and boy was that a mistake. I still wasn’t sold on DiCaprio. Most of what I’d seen just hadn’t impressed me. Turns out I’d just missed the best stuff. But we aren’t here to talk about Leo (even though I think this is one of his best performances). In this story all about the life of Howard Hughes, Blanchett nearly takes over the film in her turn as Katherine Hepburn. Playing a character that is an actual person so well known to your audience cannot be easy. Too often, an actor will get lost in wigs, prosthetics, and caricaturization, but not here. All signs that this is a performance wash away as Cate becomes Kate. Perhaps this brings us full circle to my bias towards classic Hollywood but I feel this film cemented her status as a star for me. In a film that is loaded with wild rides, Blanchett (along with Beckinsale as Ava Gardner) really center things.
Worth mentioning, not just because it’s a fun ride but because of the star power it takes to play a comedic role opposite Jack Black, is The House with a Clock in Its Walls. In this spooky, family-friendly, comedic, fantasy, Cate and Jack play a witch and warlock best friends duo that are tasked with caring for an orphaned ten year old boy. While I may not love every comedic turn Black takes, there’s no denying that he’s got an intimidating presence. Blanchett handles it with ease, though, in this fun little film that could serve as an entry point for young future horror fans.
Last (but far from least) we have Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley. In a film loaded with talent, Blanchett has the starring villain role. But can you really feel bad when a master manipulator like Bradley Cooper’s Stan Carlise gets twisted up by Blanchett’s Dr. Lilith Ritter? Maybe a little? Either way, Cate has the runway completely cleared for takeoff here. She’s got a great role, surrounded with great production design, shown through amazing cinematography, while draped in a fabulous wardrobe. When I say glamour, I mean glam-MORE. She looks astounding. And the film is great too. I really enjoyed the 1947 original, but this is a rare case where I like the update more. The way the story is structured/developed just works better for me this time around. I haven’t yet read the book they were based on, but Kicks’s description leads me to believe this film is an interesting midway between that and the original film.
While certainly not exhaustive, I hope this collection gave you an idea of a few films worth checking out from MovieJawn’s #15 star of summer. She’s got a slate of interesting projects coming up including del Toro’s Pinnochio, A Manual for Cleaning Women with Almodóvar, and Paul Feig’s The School for Good and Evil. I’m sure there will be some fine additions to her great filmography.