"My only problem is finding a way to play my fortieth fallen female in a different way from my thirty-ninth."
"Egotism - usually just a case of mistaken nonentity."
"I`m a tough old broad from Brooklyn. I intend to go on acting until I`m ninety and they won`t need to paste my face with make-up."
Barbara Stanwyck (16th July 1907 – 20th January 1990)
When it comes to how women were perceived in the movies in the Golden Age, her stills are so telling - is there an actress today that would dare be photographed looking so cool, so defiant, so imperious - and yet still be considered the leading lady? Maybe Angelina, but she's a confection of sex and tatoos, not really an actress...
ReplyDeleteI think you've hit the nail on the head - where, these days, are the genuine Hollywood actresses, the genuine stars? I can only think of Olympia Dukakis and Anjelica Huston, and neither of them are spring chickens. Jx
DeleteMy favorite Stanwyck films are BALL OF FIRE and THE LADY EVE.The woman had a way of being irresistible without being salacious. You always wanted more, you never got quite enough. A rare gift.
ReplyDelete"Irresistible without being salacious" sums the lady up perfectly! Jx
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