Jessica Lange, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

Friday, April 08, 2005

Hal Hinson

“…. Streep doesn't inhabit her body in the way that an actress like Jessica lange or Debra Winger or even a beginner like Cher does.

“Jessica Lange is physically present on screen in a way that few movie actresses have ever been--Anna Magnani and Sophia Loren and, perhaps in a different way, Marilyn Monroe. In The Postman Always Rings Twice she anchors the character of Cora directly in her body: we can feel the suppressed rage and desire in her muscular neck and shoulders, and in the powerful curve of her back. One look at her and you know that this woman is no pushover. And from the way she cocks her head and narrows her eyes at Frank it's clear that there's not much in life that she hasn't seen before, particularly when it comes to men. In Postman, Lange makes no attempt to hold herself in physically, and her solidity on the screen is a kind of a challenge. It says, "Go ahead. Try to knock me over. Give it your best shot."….

“In Frances, Lange isn't as boldly sexual as she was in Postman, but she gives the character a primal vitality that is sexual in a more subtle way….”

Hal Hinson
Boston Phoenix, October 2, 1984
title ?
[left out little gen comments after Frances]

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home