I think she nailed the caracter in general but there were times where she was a little wooden.Her pronounciation and body language weren't right as if she was trying hard or something.What do you think?
"Charity is taking an ugly girl to lunch."Warren Beatty
I agree, there were moments of her she was wooden but as you said, a little bit amateurish, it's her first cinema film. overall I can't call it a average performance, she was good for a debut cinema film. since as you know, she is a terrific actress!
shareI may be a bit biased here, seeing as how she is my favorite actress, but it seems to me it's more the style of the character than her acting ability.
Lucy is unsure of herself, who she is, how she should act, what she should say. Helena Bonham Carter portrays this very well. Lucy is wooden at times, but remember, that's because she is transforming. The climax of the movie is when she finally figures out who she is, ditches Cecil, and marries George.
Helena Bonham Carter has a skill that belongs mostly to another era, namely that she is able to convince herself that she is the person she is playing. Sir Laurence Olivier had this skill as well, but it's not often seen in modern actors.
I have yet to see a film in which she isn't believable, and that includes this one.
Part of the problem with this movie is the reliance on the actors dubbing their voices over the original footage. It means the sound is not quite natural - it just feels wrong. Beautifully shot and realised but the dubbing gets in the way.
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Well said! Sorry for the late reply. But I'm sure you are right. She was, simply put, 'acting' the character as depicted by the author.
Exactly as she does with Bellatrix in the HP movies. Just great to watch.
I predict she will take Dame Maggie's crown as the 'grand dame' of British theatre, when that sad day arrives.
I recently saw an interview and Helena mentions she just finished filming another movie, so this must be her second film. They showed a picture of her and a man laying in a haystack. I can't recall the title.
shareShe was not at her best here I agree. She got better as she got older. Like in Wings of the Dove she was fantastic and much more natural.
My Wins: Williams/Firth/Dickey/Garfield
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She was not at her best here I agree. She got better as she got older. Like in Wings of the Dove she was fantastic and much more natural.
I have to agree with you. As a matter of fact, I came here to say the exact same thing! Except I was going to go a step further, and say that the way she dictates sounds almost like one of the voice dubs on an anime cartoon. She just doesn't have a much emotion in her voice, it's not that she sounds monotone, she just sounds like she's acting -- like she's reading from a script. I must say, if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was a bad actress.
Maggie Smith on the other hand, complete contrast! Every time she spoke, I found myself hanging on her every word, loving her sound, thinking to myself something along the lines of "That's how an actress should be -- real." It's almost as though when Maggie is acting, she's not acting. But, then again, she is a whole other subject, isn't she?...
I am the movies I love! (^_^)
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You're right, I am biased (I do adore Maggie Smith---probably my favorite living actress!)! But, believe me, I still find fault with my beloved Maggie Smith all the time!! That being said, she somehow manages to be my favorite, go figure...
But, when it comes to Helena---particularly her performance in this movie, I'm ashamed of myself, because she brings out the most critical side of me! I think her performance in "A Room with a View" is among the worst I've ever seen! I just abhor the way she sounds like a voice-over for an anime(sp?) cartoon throughout, with little to no emotion in her voice, at times!
But, I'm glad we both agree that Maggie rocks the silver screen!
I am the movies I love! (^_^)
This is definitely her worst performance.
shareI'm stunned that people would say this! Comparing Helena B-C to Maggie Smith is like say, Elijah Wood to Ian McKellan. Smith is so accomplished, she's like a national monument, as someone pointed out, she flubs up routinely, especially recently, on "Downton Abbey", in which she relies far too heavily on sarcastic asides and lip-pursing.
According to one article I read years ago, Helena didn't really want to make this film, didn't feel she was ready and had a tough time with it. She was still a teenager and the language was not at all easy for anyone to feel comfortable with, let alone to master. I was reading the novel and despite being familiar with turn-of-the-century language (I'm a writer and teacher of Victorian/Edwardian literature), I found Forster's dialogue agonizing! That's probably why Julian Sands had trouble too (however, we must remember that, as Lucy puts it, "George never says anything!"). You can also see Rupert Graves fumble over lines frequently; I think they let it go because he's supposed to be a buffoon. And he's adorable. The guy who handles the lines best, Daniel Day-Lewis, is also the most annoying and detestable!
Also, as someone else pointed out, the character of Lucy is supposed to be unsure, awkward and trying to be imitating something she's not. I thought she was brilliant, especially when just hanging out with Graves or at the end, with Denholm Elliot (an amazing actor!).
For another great example of stiff, awkward Edwardian dialogue, watch "House of Mirth" with Gillian Anderson. Good as the film is, there are scenes in which the characters are so hidebound and repressed, you want to shout, "Lighten up!" or "Get to the point!".
She deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die.
I love HBC. She is perfect in this role and I can forgive her inexperience. And she's proven herself enough at this point anyway.
She was wonderful in "Howard's End." Sort of like a slightly older, looser, more confident Lucy. Helen was impetuous and not 100% self-aware but she was a pistol.
To be fair, she was very young, 18 years old. Though I have to say I thought she didn't look like what a girl at the time should look like, not very wordly or sophisticated.
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