6th form student

Hi guys, I am a British 6th form student and I am doing an investigation on the representation of women in film. My chosen actress is Emma Thompson therefore, if any within the forum has any opinions on her as an actress and her past/present articles and interviews then would it be possible to answer a few questions for me?
Firstly, how successful do you think Emma Thompson is as a female British actress considering her strong opinions shown in the press?
Do you think that her roles within her films stick to the stereotypyical representations of women?
Would be greatful to have some responses tonight before my exam.thank you.

Hackett

Whenever I think of Emma Thompson The first thing that allways comes to mind is Joyce Grenfell playing Miss Gossage in "THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF YOUR LIFE" 1950.

Moor Larkin

I always recall she had her own comedy show on TV before anyone had ever heard of her........ (A bit like a Katherine Tate)...... Then she married Kenneth Branagh.... or did Kenneth Branagh marry her...... Unsure.

Then she was suddenly a 'Classic British Actress'. Maybe I missed something along the way. Must google.

[code]http://www.flickr.com/photos/29487363@N02/sets/72157606700675506/code]

penfold

That episode of The Young Ones where they ended up on University Challenge against a team from a posh Uni....Thompson, Fry&Laurie, and Ben Elton...
To be honest, I think she's managed to steer away from the stereotypes quite well; Attractive but not gorgeous, Bright but not genius, she always comes over as being believable, whichever role she's in, comedy or drama. She may have strong opinions, but we're pretty happy with that; at least she's not a barking Scientologist....is she??
Try to get hold of The Tall Guy. Great early performance in an underrated film.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

DB7

Very successful but would she have gotten a role in a Hollywood film like Dead Again were it not directed by Branagh?

Penfold mention the Young Ones spoof and she's appeared in a few films directed by those present in that episode.

I'd say she's suffered a bit from being typecast by the Merchant Ivory films. Shame she never took on more roles like that in In the Name of the Father.

ChristineCB

All of her pratfalls and physical comedy strikes me as startlingly funny because I have given her this Classics Brit Actress title, and then to see her become silly - it's always a wonderful revelation.

I don't recall her song & dance numbers, but something tells me she could easily transcend into the '30s and '40s actress roles, too (which I consider an ultimate compliment which few actresses entering the biz since the '60s could claim).

I don't think of her as stereotypic, though, but I hope she's doing whatever she wants - if that's stereotypes, fine with me.

NappieB

Strong opinions didn't hurt the acting carreer of Vanessa Redgrave... even during a more repressed era!

Wolfgang

Strong opinons are only unattractive in stupid people which I do not believe Thompson is. I saw clip from Remains of Day last week, and it struck me that although her face is very plain it is also very beautiful looking. Personally I think it is all done with lighting.

Torquemada

She used Brannagh to get what she wanted and dumped him when she thought she'd got it. I always think she's too worthy and I just don't trust her and that gets in the way of me believing her in the various roles she plays.

Pye

I hope this doesn't cause offence, but I find this type of attitude very annoying. YOu know absolutely nothing about her personally or first hand, you are plucking the only thins you do know about her, ie the moments in her life when she has married/ seperated/got big breaks etc and even those you only know through the media slant on them. She's a nice woman who had a marriage that didn't last and also has a career. Millions of other women have those pasts too. "She married him to get what she wanted and then dumped him when she got it" is a ludicruous suggestion.

Wolfgang

Did he not dump her for Helena Bonham Carter?

sippog

Everyone was very unflattering about her first tv sketch series, and she's put it down herself, but I remember it as being quite fresh and funny at the time. There were some pretentious bits but it was far more intelligent and witty than most comedy shows at that time.

As an actress, her role in WIT; an adaptation of a play about a woman dying of cancer; is easily the performance that has affected me the most. Strip away all the Ken n Emma luvvie nonsense - and the Hollywood roles that pay the bills - and there are few other English actresses who have quite her range: from comedy to serious drama. She's in a class of her own.

George Fry

I'm not interested in the backward and forward of gossipy stuff. Sixth former asked a question which few have answered. One of Emma Thompson's best roles for my money was as Beatrice in "Much Ado". Beatrice was surely a libber if anyone was.
George

sheriff_bart

i actually never liked Emma Thompson.
Then i watched Love Actually (it's not that bad) and i must say i was very impressed with her.
i mean she is quite fit for her age.
but the trouble is all i wanna do is give her a big hug, due to the part in the film where she finds out that her Husband (alan rickman) bought a necklace for some "tart" at work and she goes upstairs to put on the Joni Mitchell cd and plays both sides now and she stands there crying it gives me a lump in my throat every time.
yes i am a big soft sh**e.

ChristineCB

I think she's done a good range of roles in her career, more than most actresses and with better skill. From that stoic wife in LOVE ACTUALLY to the stammering flusters of JUNIOR, she can be touching and perfect, to funny and physical. I hope they'll give her the good roles for a couple of more decades.