Joanne Woodward
Am I alone in loving Joanne Woodward in this film? Also, I don't think she ever looked more glamourous in any of her other films!
shareShe does look fabulous...wish she'd played more roles that showed her in that light.
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MovieChat Forums > From the Terrace (1960) Discussion > Joanne Woodward
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I love Woodward, and I love her in this. She was the real talent in the family (I'm not a big Newman fan), and this glamorous shrew is a nice change-of-pace in her filmography. The only bad performance I've seen Woodward give, and it's a whopper, is in The Fugitive Kind.
shareWhile passably attractive but never a great beauty let alone generally considered beautiful, Woodward looked so glamorous and gorgeous in this film. Just incredible, in the league of a Grace Kelly or nearly so. An icy patrician goddess. I was amazed how stunning she looked, esp. as compared to her usual down-to-earth, dowdy, average-woman appearance. But even without the juxtaposition to her usual persona, she is ravishing here.
She looked to me like a little girl dressed up in her mother's clothes. Nothing she wore really fit her. She looks a bit ridiculous in "high fashion."
Her acting is fine - but this was NOT a part she knew how to play. She played "at" it using that wacky "method" - but she was NOT convincing.
That awkwardness may be more due to her acting style/vibe perhaps...in the films I've seen her in, Woodward generally possesses a neurotic, uptight, schoolmarmish quality. She was like that playing her usual dowdy everywoman-type roles in frumpy outfits, so I don't think her demeanor here was necessarily due to being uncomfortable glammed up to the gills.
shareOn repeated viewings, Woodward's performance just gets better. She had the meatier, more difficult role. She nailed it perfectly, and looked stunning to boot.
"Peggy, this isn't China. There's no money in virginity."
Indeed, Woodward fascinates me in this film. Visually, she is a quintessential Hitchcock blonde--glacial and aristocratic. Yet with fire and defiance which belies her ladylike looks. That scene at the party where she first locks sights with Alfred...the simmering, haughty look in her eyes depict this perfectly--she's trouble, she's a challenge (which stimulates Alfred; as opposed to the pretty but easy Barbara Eden, who throws herself at him as a groupie to a rock star!). However, her edgy quality set her apart from the tranquil surface of the usual Hitchcock leading ladies.
Her character reminds me of Michelle Pfeiffer's Elvira Hancock in "Scarface"--both coldly beautiful, bitchy, disdainful blue-eyed blondes who are messed up wildcats under the perfectly elegant, cultivated, ice princess veneer. But the restless, rebellious eyes give them away.
I thought she looked amazing in this film. I loved the clothes and how they complimented her lovely figure. She really was more beautiful than people gave her credit for. I once saw her in a movie called "The Sound and the Fury" (many years ago)with Yul Brynner. She was so sexy in that movie and so was Brynner of course.
I don't think that "The Sound and the Fury got great reviews, but I still remember the impact of seeing those 2 great actors, Woodward and Brynner, together on the screen...