Her acting was decent but she had to have been of the most homely looking leading ladies of her time. She looks like a Grandmother in this film. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
share1up for us homely girls then... :D (We can get a H.B...!)
She's a great example of how important proper styling is. Her hair here is virtually the same as in Maltese Falcon, and film historians for decades have been decrying how much it detracted from her looks.
She was no stunning beauty, but she did have damned good looks that ranged from innocence to a low smolder depending on make-up, hair, and lighting. It's worth checking out some of her earlier flicks - 1929's Dressed to Kill, Dodsworth from '36, The Hurricane from 1937 - to see what she looks like when she was properly presented.
The thing is, if you see her in The Prisoner Of Zenda, she WAS a stunning beauty. I'm no Mary Astor expert but I've read passages by others who know a bit more about her, the impression I got is that she was a heavy drinker, and it took its toll. She was no falling-down drunk, mind you, I've never read she was anything but professional, but she liked to hit the bottle and she's one of those people it ages quickly. I don't think there was a big gap in between her playing femme fatales like in Maltese Falcon, and her being sort-of typecast as a loving mother type (Little Women, Meet Me In St Louis, etc - with some interesting work as "low" women, as in Act Of Violence).
I find her career very interesting.
Takes two to tumble it takes two to tango
Speak up don't mumble when you're in the combo
Isn't she Nathan Lane's grandmother?
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I thought her sassy personality made her attractive in this film.
shareFunny , I think that while she certainly isn't a bombshell beauty or engenue cutie , she certainly had sex appeal to spare. Always glad to see her in anything and if you get a chance to read her autobiography It offers remarkable insight to the Times....and a good story !
shareI did not like her acting in some scenes. She appeared really uninvolved in some scenes. One particular scene in which she visits Bogie when he's came back to his cabin after being drunk. Her scoffing & laughter looked so bad. In some however dialogue delivery was flawless. I know Mary Aster is a great actress but definitely not in this one, in my opinion.
shareShe was probably hung over.
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