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We start with the most classic entry – musical West Side Story (1961) directed by Robert Wise (The Sound of Music) & Jerome Robbins, with recipient of the award being Rita Moreno (Singin’ in the Rain, Fast X). She is joined in the cast by Natalie Wood (Miracle on 34th Street – 1947), George Chakiris and Russell Tamblyn (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). An adaptation of a 1957 Broadway musical [itself based on Romeo & Juliet], it is set in a New York where two gangs are at war for control of the Upper West Side – The Jets [a white gang led by Riff (Tamblyn)] & The Sharks [a Puerto-Rican gang led by Bernardo (Chakiris)]. The Jets challenge The Sharks to a rumble after an upcoming dance.

 

Riff convinces his best friend and co-founder of The Jets, Tony, to go the dance and join the fight. Things take a turn however when Tony falls for Maria (Wood) – Bernardo’s engaged sister. While the marriage is arranged, she & Tony genuinely fall in love. In turmoil, Maria confides in her best friend Anita (Moreno) over how she feels. Will they get their happy ever after? And who will win control of the West Side? Watch to find out. West Side Story is highly regarded as one of the best musicals ever made, receiving a record in the genre of 10 Oscars – including Best Picture. For Moreno, it was a breakout role and she made history herself, becoming the first Latin-American woman to win an Oscar for her engaging role. The film is available to loan only on DVD, and you can watch a clip of Moreno singing by clicking the link below:

 

Fast-forwarding 50 years to our second entry – Ron Howard’s (Willow, Apollo 13) biographical drama, A Beautiful Mind (2001). Which saw Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth, Top Gun: Maverick) pick up the gong for her role as mathematician John Nash’s dedicated wife. Nash himself is portrayed by Russell Crow (Gladiator, American Gangster) with Ed Harris (The Truman Show) & Paul Bettany (Avengers: Age of Ultron) in supporting roles. Nash [1928-2015] was an extremely talented man who developed severe mental issues for a period in his life.

 

The story begins in 1947 – when John begins a scholarship at Princeton University, later meeting his eventual wife Alicia (Connelly) – leading to him being invited to the Pentagon in 1953 to help decipher enemy communications, thanks to his brilliant work at the University. Bored with his work at Princeton, John becomes more engrossed with the cryptology jobs assigned to him, however the secrecy surrounding it starts to have a devastating effect on his mind. Alicia devotes herself to helping him battle through it in any way she can. A Beautiful Mind was moderate success, winning 4 out of 8 Oscars [though Crowe missed out on Best Actor in a tough year]. Despite a little controversy surrounding her casting, Connelly stood out and beat veterans Helen Mirren & Dame Maggie Smith for her award. You can see her in action now on DVD or e-stream, and catch a glimpse of her finest work by clicking the link below:

 

Now we have our second musical of the blog, the French based faire Les Misérables (2012). The latest in a longline of adaptations of an 1862 Victor Hugo novel, it is directed by Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and features an award-winning performance from the talented Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada, Interstellar). Hathaway managed to standout in an ensemble cast that included: Hugh Jackman (X-Men, The Greatest Showman), Russell Crowe (Gladiator, Cinderella Man), Eddie Redmayne (Fantastic Beasts) and Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia).

 

Jackman portrays Jean Valjean, a French prisoner released in the year 1815 after a 19-year sentence for stealing bread and attempting a prison escape. Unable to gain employment due to his conviction, he assumes a new identity, intending to help and redeem others like him. He returns however to a broken and bitterly divided France, with the poor suffering immensely. 8 years later, he is a factory owner and mayor of the town of Montreuil, treating his employees well. Valjean runs into difficulty however, when a former guard from the prison named Javert (Crowe) reappears as his new chief of police.

 

Jean desperately tries to hide his true identity from a suspicious Javert, while protecting one of his workers, Fantine (Hathaway), from his grasp. Fantine is an ailing woman, who sends all of her earnings to care for her illegitimate daughter Cosette (Seyfried). The film was a huge success, with Hathaway stealing the show. Despite having much less screen time than most of the cast, she puts of an extremely powerful and sorrowful performance enduring herself to audiences. In addition to the Oscar, she won a litany of other awards, while Jackman for his part missed out on the Best Actor gong. Critics also lauded her performance, with Peter Travers [Rolling Stone] detailing – “A dynamite Hathaway shatters every heart”, and Ann Hornaday [Washington Post] exclaiming – “The centrepiece of a movie composed entirely of centrepieces belongs to Hathaway”. You can experience her sensational performance now only on e-stream, and get a taster of the music by clicking the link below:

 

Finally, we finish with the author’s choice, the cheesy supernatural romance that is Ghost (1990). Directed by Jerry Zucker (Airplane!), it propelled winner Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act, The Color Purple) to superstardom. She’s joined in it by Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing), Demi Moore (A Few Good Men) and Tony Goldwyn (Disney’s Tarzan). Swayze depicts protagonist Sam Wheat, a banker who moves into a Manhattan apartment with his girlfriend Molly (Moore), aided by his best friend & co-worker Carl (Goldwyn). Disaster strikes however, when the couple are attacked by a mugger in the street one night, and Sam is gunned down and killed. Yet, he somehow returns as a ghost, unable to leave Molly and journey into the afterlife.

 

As he pursues the man that killed him, he learns there may be more to the supposed mugging gone wrong. Desperate to contact Molly, he employs the help of infamous psychic medium Oda Mae Brown (Goldberg) and hilarity ensues, but can she really contact the dead? Beloved by audiences, the movie received mixed reviews from the critics, Goldberg’s performance did not. Whoopi was universally acknowledged as the best part of the film, with Janet Maslin [The New York Times] proclaiming – “Ms. Goldberg plays the character’s amazement, irritation and great gift for back talk to the hilt”. Ghost can be viewed anytime, anywhere only on e-stream and you can watch one of the most hilarious scenes by clicking the link below:

 

So there we are, four great films, heralded by four amazing women who stood tall among some incredible co-stars. Why not watch one or two as we head into spring time? And relieve some of the history of women’s acting. Happy Women’s History Month.

 

 

 

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