Katharine Houghton Hepburn
Jun. 29th, 2003 09:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fabrisseThe "Great Kate" is dead. Her mother and father championed women's rights and the right for women to know about birth control. Hepburn herself led the life she wanted to lead and managed to do it both boldly and tactfully -- the rarest of combinations.
I've recently defined one of my pet theories about acting. There are great actors and good actors and bad actors, but there are also actors with wide ranges and narrow ranges (just because an actor is typecast doesn't mean that she has a narrow range, nor are "daring choices" the hallmark of a wide range). In spite of the famous Dorothy Parker remark, Hepburn was one of the greats with a narrow range.
What she could do within her range was remarkable. The plain sister in The Rainmaker or Jo March in Little Women (much as I love the 1990s version directed by Gillian Armstrong, Winona Ryder was not a good Jo) have so many differences between them, but they have an innate self-honesty that put them well within Katharine Hepburn's range.
For all that the New York Times obituary said that she lied two years off her age (and for other reasons lied about her birthdate), self honesty seems to have been her hallmark. There are many anecdotes about her out there, but they all come down to her knowing who she was and working with it.
With the recent death of Gregory Peck, I'm beginning to wonder where all the grown-ups are going. Harrison Ford is nearly my father's age, but with all the derring do (and for all the gravitas heavy roles Hollywood hands him) he never seems to be an adult -- though, bless him, he's far better than most of the alternatives out there.
Movies show us "life without the boring bits;" they help us to model good choices and bad; they force us to recognize what makes a good person or a bad guy. Gregory Peck played Atticus Finch, but I can think of several other actors from the same generation who could have played it well. Katharine Hepburn played Tess in Woman of the Year, but Barbara Stanwyck or later Grace Kelly could have done as well -- differently, but as well. I can't see either role being played successfully by a current American lead. (Having said that, we'll probably end up with Tom Cruise as Atticus. I have these nightmares sometimes...)
So Katharine Hepburn, who showed us that American women could wear trousers -- not just those decadent and sexually ambiguous Europeans, is no longer here. I'm glad she kept at it and lived the life she wanted to.
I'll miss her.
I've recently defined one of my pet theories about acting. There are great actors and good actors and bad actors, but there are also actors with wide ranges and narrow ranges (just because an actor is typecast doesn't mean that she has a narrow range, nor are "daring choices" the hallmark of a wide range). In spite of the famous Dorothy Parker remark, Hepburn was one of the greats with a narrow range.
What she could do within her range was remarkable. The plain sister in The Rainmaker or Jo March in Little Women (much as I love the 1990s version directed by Gillian Armstrong, Winona Ryder was not a good Jo) have so many differences between them, but they have an innate self-honesty that put them well within Katharine Hepburn's range.
For all that the New York Times obituary said that she lied two years off her age (and for other reasons lied about her birthdate), self honesty seems to have been her hallmark. There are many anecdotes about her out there, but they all come down to her knowing who she was and working with it.
With the recent death of Gregory Peck, I'm beginning to wonder where all the grown-ups are going. Harrison Ford is nearly my father's age, but with all the derring do (and for all the gravitas heavy roles Hollywood hands him) he never seems to be an adult -- though, bless him, he's far better than most of the alternatives out there.
Movies show us "life without the boring bits;" they help us to model good choices and bad; they force us to recognize what makes a good person or a bad guy. Gregory Peck played Atticus Finch, but I can think of several other actors from the same generation who could have played it well. Katharine Hepburn played Tess in Woman of the Year, but Barbara Stanwyck or later Grace Kelly could have done as well -- differently, but as well. I can't see either role being played successfully by a current American lead. (Having said that, we'll probably end up with Tom Cruise as Atticus. I have these nightmares sometimes...)
So Katharine Hepburn, who showed us that American women could wear trousers -- not just those decadent and sexually ambiguous Europeans, is no longer here. I'm glad she kept at it and lived the life she wanted to.
I'll miss her.
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no subject
Date: 2003-06-29 06:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-29 07:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-30 05:09 am (UTC)I enjoyed Katharine Hepburn's early roles (Bringing Up Baby, Philadelphia Story) more than her later roles.
But of course, losing her and Gregory Peck is sad. The passing of an era for sure.
Lord knows who they would make Atticus--more likely Tom Hanks than Tom Cruise (who I loathe). I don't want to dislike Tom Hanks, because I think he's a good actor and he seems like a nice guy, but I am so tired of him.
Chris Cooper would be great as Atticus. John Sayles is one of my favorite directors and Chris has been in a few of his films--including Lone Star which is currently at the top of my favorites list.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-30 10:30 am (UTC)Hugs and kisses.
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Date: 2003-06-30 10:32 am (UTC)My fear is that they'd so misunderstand the story that TPTB would try to cast Morgan Freeman.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-30 10:33 am (UTC)