Top Ten: Cate Blanchett
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 11:41PM 
Cate Blanchett in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine"Today is Cate Blanchett's birthday and since we just celebrated her Oscar-winning altar ego Katharine Hepburn, why not extend the love? As longtime readers know I have been notoriously cool on the Aussie star over the years equating her work with the kind of "click click click" technique-first acting that Meryl Streep was sometimes discredited for early on. But since I actually think it's interesting to hear other people talk about their favorite perfromances from actors they don't naturally respond to, I hope it will be interesting to you to hear the things I do love about Cate the to-others Great. Cate was EVERYWHERE throughout the Aughts aggravating me with her ubiquity (I have issues with this in general, I know. It's not just Cate but Hollywood's tendency, especially in the past decade, to put the same actors in every movie and wear me out on them) but after four relatively Blanchett-sparse years (2009-2012) wherein she was only doing cameos or that Robin Hood no one liked, I am actually excited to see her again. Which is a relief because they'll be no escaping her again soon...
She's coming back in a major way over the next 24 months with new pictures on the way from Terrence Malick, Woody Allen, George Clooney, and Peter Jackson. She'll cap off that new flush of activity with a blockbuster-hopeful evil queen showstopper in Kenneth Branagh's production of Cinderella.
Here are the ten Blanchett performances of which I am most fond...
I have not seen everything (Charlotte Gray, Veronica Guerin and Oscar and Lucindaare major misses) and a few roles she was greatly lauded for I do not like her in AT ALL (The Shipping News, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and it's possible I'm misremembering my affections but here we go.
10 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) and/or Hanna (2011)
Over the top, sure. But at least she shows no fear of heights.
09 The Good German (2008)
So photogenic that sometimes the pose is enough.
08 Notes on a Scandal (2007)
Egregious abuse of category fraud, damn her. But even if I never 100% bought her in this role, there are definitely strong moments in this star turn as a flaky sexually reckless school teacher. Perhaps I'd love the performance more if Judi Dench weren't doing the best work of her career in the same film, absolutely owning the duet.
07 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
Galadriel. She passes the test!
06/05 Heaven (2002) and The Man Who Cried (2000)
The former was a rare moment where she flirted with being an auteur vessel... something she should try more often. The latter was the peak, for me, of her screen beauty and magnetism. I don't remember the performance (or film) well thirteen years later but remember not being able to look away from her face in enigmatic close-up
and the clear favorites
04 Elizabeth (1998)
The Promising Newcomer. This wasn't quite the arrival of a fully formed screen giant for me the way it was for many (I was rooting for Montenegro in the Oscar race but was fine with Gwyneth's win), but there was no denying the arrival of someone truly talented.
03 I'm Not There (2007)
The Transcendent Stunt. I expected to be unwowed by this. I tried to resist on the grounds of gimmick but I think she's bewitching in it.
02 The Aviator (2004)
The Divisive One. Some people think her Kate is all affect and no soul. But Katharine Hepburn herself sometimes performed Katharine Hepburn so... I found this impression riveting and it makes for a worthy Oscar win even if it wasn't the best from that particular year (my honor went to Virginia Madsen, her chief rival, for Sideways).
01 The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)
The Sly Support. I remember loving her so much in this - just absurdly endearing. Will it (and she) hold up again for me when I watch it tomorrow for "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"?
Yours? Are you happy to have her back this year... or was Galadriel enough for you recently?
Reader Comments (66)
Blanchett is a fascinating contradiction of ethereal and earthy. She's one of our very best, but I confess I haven't seen much of her work. I thought she was terrific in The Aviator, but like Nathan, my pick for the Oscar that year would have been Madsen. She made me love wine even more--that's an accomplishment.
saw elizabeth just recently. she is to that role as olivia de havilland was to the heiress.
Bandits is one of her best. She's hilarious in it. I really like the film, too.
I remember seeing her in Oscar and Lucinda and thought she was ugly and unappealing. It wasn't until I saw Elizabeth that I realized she was giving a real performance in Oscar and Lucinda and wasn't just that way in real life! ;-) So few actresses are capable of a chameleonic performance that her entire early career had me dazzled. It was hard to believe that hippie chick in The Shipping News was the same person.
Her other real quality reminds me of the two Isabelles, Adjani and Huppert. The ability to play flat out crazy and over-the-top and yet to maintain an aura of calm and and ethereal beauty when you actually try and recall them in your mind.
I love her, but I think my favorite Cate moment is Notes on a Scandal when she goes off the deep end by putting on Siouxsie Sioux eye makeup and going apeshit in front of the press. It was so over the top and insane and campy!
since no one EVER mentions it. she was wonderful in the gift as well.
When she first appeared onscreen in The Hobbit earlier this year, I took a quick intake of breath because I've missed her so much. I've been envious of the Australians lucky enough to see her stage performances.
Kudos to those who mentioned Little Fish, Bandits, and even The Shipping News, but my favorite performance is Notes on a Scandal.
More Cate please!
I loved her in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Damon, Law, Hoffman, Paltrow and Blanchett all superb.
An even dozen.
Oscar and Lucinda
Elizabeth
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Gift
Charlotte Grey
Heaven
The Aviator
Little Fish
The Good German
Notes on a Scandal
I'm Not There
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth Debicki in Gatsby reminded me of Cate in Ripley. That same haughty confidence, although Debicki galloped across the screen while Cate glided.
Cate is my fave, thanks Nathaniel for thepos.
Is it me or nobody has mentioned Babel so far? I love that movie, it always brings tears in my eyes, and I think Babel has a very special place in the Blanchett universe. Yes, Pitt was the dramatic character of their story, but the scene where he helps her pee, and she bursts into tears, and they kiss, is one of her most beautiful scenes, ever.
To me, her best performance is in the production of A Streetcar Named Desire. She was magnificent and it was layers after layers. I will for ever treasure the experience of seeing her on stage
I really want to see her again on stage, especially Uncle Vanya and Gross und Klein
I love every performance she has done and my favs are:
Little Fish: the most naked performance
Elizabeth: the big break
Mr Ripley: Minghella wrote the role and made it bigger because he really loved Blanchett
Coffee and Cigarettes: acting against herself
Im not There: iconic performance and will be studied for years to come
Bandits: funny
Heaven: auteur
The Good German: channeling Dietrich and the acting style back in the days. Impressive
Notes on a Scandal: her scenes with Dench......wowsa
The Aviator: the only saving grace and she was amazing channeling Hepburn
@ Manuel - I hate you for having seen her in Streetcar and love everything you've said, your words, much better than mine explain why I love her so much. She's not afraid of experiments.
How did I forget Coffee and Cigarettes?
I would have swapped out Indiana Jones for her role in "Hanna". Wow, I love that movie.
"I'm waiting for her to really sell me a role"
So Elizabeth didn't sell?
I wonder, with her unanimous praise and supernatural, career-best performance in Blue Jasmine - are all you aloof individuals or naysayers satisfied?
It's been decades since an actress received that level of raves (universal).
That may just be her Sophie's Choice in film.
WATCH THE FILM GUYS.