10 films with Cate Blanchett.
Not many actors have been in enough films that I would consider creating a list of my 10 favourite ones. Cate Blanchett definitely belongs to that category - not only because she has been very active and played many roles in the last decades, but also because I love many of the films she has been in. So here are 10 great performances by her, in honour of her 51st birthday.
Carol (2015) by Todd Haynes
An adaptation by Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt, this film is set in the 1950s in New York. The eponymous Carol is played by Blanchett, a wealthy but unhappy married woman, whose life changes when she meets a shopgirl with artistic aspirations. An elegant and beautiful film with great performances.
Starring: Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulsen, Kyle Chandler
Accolades: Oscar nomination for Blanchett, plus 5 more for the film.
Elizabeth (1998) by Shekhar Kapur
(sequel in 2007: Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
History film about Queen Elizabeth I. of England, focusing on the earlier years of her reign. Her transformation is stunning, and Blanchett's performances put her on the map in Hollywood.
Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Richard Attenborough
Accolades: her first Oscar nomination, five more nominations for the film plus a won for Best Make-up
The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) by Peter Jackson
In the three film based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, Blanchett plays the magical Galadriel, one on the most powerful Elves in Middle Earth. She is both angelical and sometimes frightening, and is an essential role in all three films, despite not having much screen time.
Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler and many more.
Accolades: 17 Oscar wins for all films combined.
Blue Jasmine (2013) by Woody Allen
This film is loosely based on the play Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, which has been put into modern America by screenwriter and director Woody Allen. As an ageing woman trying to find a better life than she's currently living, while in denial about many things and heavily medicated, Blanchett gives one of her best performances.
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Saarsgard, Alec Baldwin
Accolades: second Oscar win for Blanchett, plus 2 more nominations for the film.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) by David Fincher
A magical film based on Fitzgeralds short story, which has been prolongued in an interesting way. While Blachett's character Daisy ages normally, her male counterpart, Benjamin Button, ages backwards, which creates some interesting developments for their relationship. One of my favourite performances.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond, Taraji P. Henson, Mahershala Ali, Elle Fanning and Jared Harris
Accolades: three Oscar wins for the film, plus 10 more nominations; none for Blanchett.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (2019) by Richard Linklater
Based on the novel by Maria Semple, this unusual story is about a woman who despises many things about her life in Seattle, after she has experienced many setbacks in life. Luckily, her daughter and husband are providing her with some positive elements, but when things get out of hand, she disappears. A funny film with great performances, especially by Blanchett as a neurotic artist.
Starring: Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Laurence Fishburne, Judy Greer
Accolades: Golden Globe nomination for Blanchett.
Cinderella (2015) by Kenneth Branagh
A Disney film about a fairytale princess is definitely unusual for Blanchett, but when the great Kenneth Branagh directs it, the cast list is amazing. Blanchett gives a hilarious performance as Cinderella's evil stepmother, which is one of the humorous elements in this remake.
Starring: Lily James, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, Stellan Skarsgard
Accolades: Oscar nomination for Costume Design
(This is of course an alternate poster, not the main one - but with Blanchett in it.)
Notes on a Scandal (2006) by Richard Eyre
A young art teacher who is unfulfilled in her marriage starts an affair with a student, but the situation gets difficult when an older teacher near her retirement finds out. Based on the novel by Zoe Heller. Great performances by Dench and Blanchett.
Starring: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Andrew Simpson, Juno Temple, Anne-Marie Duff
Accolades: Oscar nomination for Blanchett as well as Dench, plus 2 more nominations for the film.
Robin Hood (2010) by Ridley Scott
A fictional film based on the legend of Robin Hood, this costume film contains a lot of action, as one would expect from director Ridley Scott. The great cast has some room to shine as well, and the dialogues are much better than one would expect from this kind of film. Blanchett holds her own as the only major woman in a male-dominated story.
Starring: Russel Crowe, Matthew Macfadyen, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac
The Good German (2006) by Steven Soderbergh
A less known role by Blanchett, this is a modern Film Noir which is beautifully shot in black & white. Set in Berlin in 1945, an American journalist is in Germany for work but also wants to find a former lover. In this difficult setting with everybody following their own secret motives, a dangerous investigation begins.
Starring: George Clooney, Tobey Maguire, Beau Bridges
Accolades: 1 Oscar nomination for the film.
Her versatility is very visible on some pictures form these 10 films. The names of directors Blanchett worked with, as well as her co-stars show the amazing career she’s had so far.
(Note: Her second Oscar (or rather, her first, actually) was for The Aviator, which is not featured in this list as her role is not that big. It's still a great film, of course.)
(Images: IMDB)