Tag: Actress

Acting, Female Filmmaker, Personal Essays, Women in Film

Happy Birthday Barbra Streisand!

Barbra Streisand was born April 24, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish parents, Diana and Emanuel Streisand. Her father died when she was young and she grew up in a middle class family. Streisand did well in school, attending Jewish School as a child, then moving to public school, and finally Erasmus Hall High School. She discovered her love of singing and being on stage early, and took any chance she could to perform. She knew she wanted to get out of Brooklyn and become an actress and at 16 she graduated from high school and moved out of her mother’s house to try and make it on her own. Continue reading Happy Birthday Barbra Streisand!

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Acting, Women in Film

Happy Birthday To Sigourney Weaver

There is not a single word that can describe Sigourney Weaver. Even if you only focus on her persona, or the part of her that she is willing to bequeath to the rest of the world, you will still find yourself unable to isolate her characteristics. They play off of each other, fanned out in differing shades, to be appreciated for the separateness and their unity all at once. She is enigmatic in the way that one could say Jodie Foster or Tilda Swinton is enigmatic. One cannot help but look past her obvious charms and beauties to that something- that special something which is uniquely palpable and lies beneath the visage that so many display to the public. She is a woman of multitudes; undefinable. Continue reading Happy Birthday To Sigourney Weaver

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Acting, History, Spotlight

Spotlight: Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Professional Stunt Woman

In the month of August, we at In Their Own League are focusing on Women in Action; female-led films in the action genre. For this piece I’ll be looking back at the work of Helen Gibson, a truly amazing woman from the silent film era who is dubbed “Hollywood’s First Professional Stunt Woman”. Continue reading Spotlight: Helen Gibson, Hollywood’s First Professional Stunt Woman

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Acting, Interviews

Exclusive Interview with Stacy Martin, Actress from “Archive”

You may recognise the name Stacy Martin, she’s a talented young actress who has starred in films such as “Nymphomaniac: Vol. I” (2013), “High Rise (2015), “All the Money in the World” (2017)and one of my personal favourite films of 2018 “Vox Lux”. Martin’s most recent role is perhaps one of her most challenging yet, playing the character of Jules, a robot called J3 and providing the voice for another A.I. in Gavin’s Rothery’s “Archive”. However, this is a challenge that Martin is more than willing and capable of undertaking. On behalf of ITOL I managed to catch up with her to discuss the challenges of playing a robot, what attracted her to the role and what draws her to play such complex characters. Continue reading Exclusive Interview with Stacy Martin, Actress from “Archive”

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Female Filmmaker, Indie Film, Interviews

Exclusive Interview with Georgia Hurt and Sian Astor-Lewis Regarding “To Nowhere”

“To Nowhere” is a micro-budget film that focuses on telling a queer love story and exploring gender identity. It’s currently in its final stages of post-production but the filmmakers need your help to raise the funds necessary to finish this project. ITOL editor, Bianca Garner, sat down with producer Georgia Hurt and director Sian Astor-Lewis to discuss the film in more depth, from its inception to the challenges they faced making a film on such a small budget. Most importantly, we discuss how you can show your support for this project and help to promote new and emerging talent in the indie filmmaking scene. Continue reading Exclusive Interview with Georgia Hurt and Sian Astor-Lewis Regarding “To Nowhere”

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Female Characters, Retrospect Reviews, Reviews, Women in Film

Retrospective Review: Sudden Fear

Year: 1952 Runtime: 110 Minutes Director: David Miller Writers: Lenore J. Coffee & Robert Smith Stars: Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame By Bianca Garner The Film Noir genre isn’t always the immediate place to go for great female representation. Women in Noir are often presented as the stuffy secretarial type who works silently in the background for the private eye, or the concerned stay-at-home … Continue reading Retrospective Review: Sudden Fear

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Acting, Activism, Female Characters, Women in Film

Spotlight: Audrey Hepburn

May 4th marks Audrey Hepburn’s 91st birthday.  Hepburn is remembered for her many iconic roles.  From Holly Golightly in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961) to Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” (1964) to Princess Ann in “Roman Holiday” (1953), Hepburn was captivating on-screen.

My personal favourite films of hers are “Charade” (1963) and “Wait Until Dark” (1967).  “Charade” was a smart comedy.  Her banter with Cary Grant was superb.  And I appreciate that she squashed the romantic storyline of the film because of the significant age difference between her and Grant.  Iconic.  Meanwhile, “Wait Until Dark” was much, um, darker, than any other works before.  Hepburn stars as a recently blinded woman who accidentally has a doll full of heroin in her possession.  Alan Arkin plays the drug dealer needing to get his product back.  It is an intriguing and intense cat and mouse game which culminates at the climax of the film where Arkin chases Hepburn through a pitch-black apartment.  It is horrifying, terrifying, stressful, and made watching “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006) a bit difficult for a while. Continue reading Spotlight: Audrey Hepburn

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Acting, Female Characters, Interviews, Women in Film

Exclusive Interview With Hermione Corfield, Actress From “Sea Fever”

One of the best thrillers we’ve seen this year has been “Sea Fever”, which took us by surprise in terms of how timely the film’s subject matter is and a superb performance by the film’s leading actress Hermione Corfield. You may recognise the name, Corfield has been popping up in all sorts of films from the likes of “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” (2015) to “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (2017). She is an actor who knows her stuff, studying English literature at UCL and a method acting course at Lee Strasberg in New York. Continue reading Exclusive Interview With Hermione Corfield, Actress From “Sea Fever”

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Acting, Female Characters, Women in Film

de Havilland: Olivia for all time, Melanie forever

This year Hollywood legend Dame Olivia de Havilland turns 104 – a tribute

Olivia de Havilland first appeared on movie screens 85 years ago. 

If you’ve watched her in David O. Selznick’s “Gone with the Wind” (1939) you can’t be faulted if that’s how you remember her – as Melanie. If you haven’t watched her as Melanie, perhaps you should be faulted, after all. She was vital to GWTW’s success. 

Remember Mammy pouring out her grief to Melanie as she walks up that staircase in the mournful Rhett-Scarlett household? 

Seconds of grumbling. That’s all it took. Unlike the rest of us, Melanie didn’t find it just mildly annoying. She found it unbearable. She saw the world through a clean, clear lens. She wouldn’t let her own dark thoughts – she did have those – or the dark words and actions of others, cloud that lens beyond a point.  Continue reading de Havilland: Olivia for all time, Melanie forever

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