I am going to be honest here. I thought Judy Davis was horrible in the movie. She looked too old, her acting was lousy, her moving her mouth around while lip synching was ridiculous. It was a total embarassment to see her in this film.
I think Judy Davis is a great actress, but Tammy Blanchard should have also played Judy in her 20's and 30's as she was 23.
Judy Davis made Judy Garland look older than Vincente Minnelli.
My friends tell me when im watching such films as Ali, Chaplin, Ray, the aviator and Life with Judy Garland- Me and my shadows that the actors don't look like the real ones. My response is the only thing that really counts is the performance, when you believe in that you don't really think about the actor but the character, the looks can only come close and so far the closest had been Jamie Fox in Ray. But Judy davis performance is just brilliant at times i thought i was seeing the real Garland, her looks and the way she talks the scenes that really made me believe is when she was singing at the palace or carnegie hall when she finishes she looks up and that moment i saw Judy Garland. But the scene where the looks made me believe is the scene from ' a star is born' she looked just like her and it was great, If only my friends can see that....
shareYou know, I agree with you wholeheartedly, tiduslinheart9X. I thought that both Tammy and Judy were WONDERFUL as Garland, and that they made the right choice. Yes, I am one of those people who feel that although Tammy looked more like Garland in her youth, some seem to forget what Judy looked like towards the end of her life, and I think that Judy Davis pulled it off very well, (although I am still wondering about whether it was the wisest move to start her part off at 20 with "Meet me in St. Louis") and I am still doing some double takes in some places. Mostly the sadder parts, like when she barges into Lorna and Joe's room looking for her pills and the dressing room scene in Melbourne (man, she even SOUNDED just like her, I feel) and after all the abuse poor Judy put on her body, yes she did look older than her 47 years at the end. I feel the same way about many other biographical movies too, especially Chaplin and Ray, although not so much "Ali". I think that Salma Hayek also did a fantastic Frida Kahlo, although she did take out some of the harder elements of her look in particular, most notably her facial hair, through almost the whole movie. All in all though, I think that if you can embody their spirit, then that will intrinsically make you look more like the person in question. I never would have considered Geoffrey Rush as Peter Sellers before in a million years, and I felt he did pretty well, although I don't feel he really resembles Sellers much physically, either, and then mostly with the help of extesnive makeup, hair and wardrobe. I probably would have gone with Kevin Spacey, myself. I'm sorry for trailing off a bit here, but I just love talking about this kind of stuff, as biographies, written or filmed, of people that I find interesting for whatever reason is one of my passions. :)
sharethanx for ur reply,
i think both actresses did an amazing job and there are some parts in the film where they both look like the real Garland, and i think it was good to have davis start out at 20 because i believe they have to introduce her at least somewhere, i don't think many people agree with me about this but i think it was great to have her start out in meet me in st louis because you were mezmerised by tammy,but once davis takes over man does she take over. i was amazed by Tammy the way she lip syncs, acts and looks but when you get to Davis she gets wat tammy did and did it 10 times better! and i agree with you about the Lorna scene with the pills, i also enjoyed the scene when shes complaning to Vincent about the annie get your gun movie. i havent seen da biopic of peter sellers but i saw chaplin and again amazing, kind of makes u wonder wat happened to robert downey jr? like why does his movies suck now? but he will be remembered for his acting in Chaplin just like Jamie Fox and judy Davis, some say they give the greatest performance in their carreers for playing these famous people for Garland's case a legend...
FINALLY...there are a few people here who see the genious of both of these actresses' depiction of Judy Garland. Different as though each of these actresses may be one from the other, it's amazing how each captured the essence of young, grown-up, and older Judy Garland. So what if Judy Davis was a bit too old for the 30's Judy...she was superb. They both channeled her in their own ways.
shareYou are entitled to your opinion, but I couldn't disagree with you more. I thought Judy Davis delivered an electrifying performance in this film. Ms. Davis did her homework before attacking this role and it really shows onscreen. I read somewhere that she watched all of Judy's movies before she began filming. She nailed Judy's walk, gestures, and as for the moving her mouth around while lip-synching, I guess you've never seen Judy sing because that's exactly what she did. Watch "The Trolley Song" from MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS and "The Man that Got Away" from A STAR IS BORN" and the recreations of those numbers in this movie...it's spooky.
share