Film of the Day: 45
The Lion in Winter (1968)
Once upon a time, there live an actress. An actress so great, she won 4 Academy Awards and was nominated for 12, a record that still stands today. She was titled one of the greatest actress that ever lived, has a street named after her and has even been portrayed by Cate Blanchett (one of our finest actresses) in The Aviator, a role that won Cate the Oscar. Her name was Katharine Hepburn.
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Connecticut, U.S. on May 12th 1907. She Graduated from Bryn Mawr College, in Pennsylvania in 1928 with a degree in history and philosophy (which is most probably where she developed her distinctive posh "Bryn Mawr" accent).
Her first film was in 1932 called A Bill of Divorcement and only a year later winning her first Academy award in Morning Glory. After this she was officially on the A list and thus began a career of numerous hits. With her most memorable roles from the brilliant comedy Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen, Summertime, Long Day's Journey Into Night and On Golden Pond.
She met her long life partner Spencer Tracy on the set of Woman of the Year and was even in Tracy's last film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Katharine never watched this film as Tracy died only weeks after it was finished).
To me, her best performance has always been that of Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter. Her husband Henry II (played by Peter O'Toole) must decide between his three sons, whom he shall leave his kingdom to. However he refuses to make a decision and Eleanor plans to help her sons and make him decide as she wants him to pick Richard the Lionheart (the future king, played by a young Anthony Hopkins).
When the two meet, sparks fly, and Katherine gives a ferocious performance here as a woman who will never back down and is never afraid of Henry II as she knows she is right. As she says in the film "I could peel you like a pear and God himself would call it justice!". It is a powerhouse of a performance.
Katharine Hepburn died in her home state of Connecticut in 2003 today at the incredible age of 96 and even has a stamp to commemorate her in the "Legends of Hollywood" stamp series. To me, she was one of the first actresses (along with Bette Davis, whom I personally prefer) to not take any crap from any man. She was fearless.
Click here for the trailer
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Connecticut, U.S. on May 12th 1907. She Graduated from Bryn Mawr College, in Pennsylvania in 1928 with a degree in history and philosophy (which is most probably where she developed her distinctive posh "Bryn Mawr" accent).
Her first film was in 1932 called A Bill of Divorcement and only a year later winning her first Academy award in Morning Glory. After this she was officially on the A list and thus began a career of numerous hits. With her most memorable roles from the brilliant comedy Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen, Summertime, Long Day's Journey Into Night and On Golden Pond.
She met her long life partner Spencer Tracy on the set of Woman of the Year and was even in Tracy's last film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Katharine never watched this film as Tracy died only weeks after it was finished).
To me, her best performance has always been that of Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter. Her husband Henry II (played by Peter O'Toole) must decide between his three sons, whom he shall leave his kingdom to. However he refuses to make a decision and Eleanor plans to help her sons and make him decide as she wants him to pick Richard the Lionheart (the future king, played by a young Anthony Hopkins).
When the two meet, sparks fly, and Katherine gives a ferocious performance here as a woman who will never back down and is never afraid of Henry II as she knows she is right. As she says in the film "I could peel you like a pear and God himself would call it justice!". It is a powerhouse of a performance.Katharine Hepburn died in her home state of Connecticut in 2003 today at the incredible age of 96 and even has a stamp to commemorate her in the "Legends of Hollywood" stamp series. To me, she was one of the first actresses (along with Bette Davis, whom I personally prefer) to not take any crap from any man. She was fearless.
Click here for the trailer
Hi son,
ReplyDeleteToday's pick feature 2 film stars that rank way down my favourite actors's list. As good as they were I don't watch their films anymore, although I'll make an exception or two with Hepburn films, mainly because of her better co-stars....like Spencer Tracy for instance!
But still Legends in their own right!