January 30, 2006
Julia Ormond is Back
I love Julia Ormond. She is that rare package of stunning classic beauty, and filled with talent to the ears. Sadly, this gem of an actress has been invisible for years. As a matter of fact, back in 2003 I wrote the following article about her... wondering where the hell she went:
In the mid 90’s Julia Ormond was as hot a commodity as Julia Roberts ever was. From 1994 to 1995 she appeared in three hit films in a row that got her the public’s attention and critical acclaim. Legends of the Fall, First Knight and Sabrina (which was my personal favorite of the three) where all released within 20 months of each other and it looked like this talented and stunningly attractive actress was going to be Hollywood’s 'it' girl for years to come.I'm still not sure where she's been, or why she disappeared so quickly, but according to the good folks over at MovieHole she's back in the Che movie project:Then, inexplicably, she just disappeared. It’s not as if she was in a series of films that did poorly at the box office which caused her star to fade. She just dropped off the face of the earth as far as movies are concerned.
The “Legends of the Fall” beauty will co-star alongside Benicio Del Toro in “Che”, Steven Soderbergh’s biopic on the Latin American Political revolutionary. Ormond will give life to a female reporter in the film, currently shooting in the Big Apple. The film also stars Javier Bardem, Ryan Gosling, Franka Potente, Benjamin Bratt and Alex Manette.THis is great news. I'm suddenly really interested in this project. I hope she's back for good.
Posted by John Campea at January 30, 2006 09:53 AM
Comments
Posted by: Colin at January 30, 2006 10:04 AM
Hey there Collin,
I'm not sure where you're getting your figures from. Sabrina and First Knight were financial bombs??? How exactly do you define "Bomb"? THey both made well over $100 million world wide ( not blockbuster numbers, but VERY strong)and were big profit makers for the studio.
As far as being "bomb" critically... I'm not sure where you're getting your information from. Sabrina had big reviews from most major critics (and still holds a respectable 65% rating on Rotten Tomates). First Knight reviews were mixed... clearly the least quality of the three I mentioned.
Posted by: John Campea at January 30, 2006 10:19 AM
This is fabulous news! I adored watching Julia on screen - she was one of the shinning moments of First Knight (which I didn't really like much). It was only a couple of weeks ago I was wondering if she would ever surface again and I guess she is! Yay! I hope it's only beginning.
Posted by: Meli at January 30, 2006 11:22 AM
I really enjoyed her in Smilla's Sense of Snow. I'd like to think that she is picking roles which suit her and that she believes to be worthwhile. Of course this might not be true. I only wish all actors would pick roles that are worthwhile. We'd have a lot less dud movies then.
Posted by: John A at January 30, 2006 12:15 PM
I'll second that kudo for Smilla's Sense of Snow, John. That's the first movie I ever saw her in and she was great.
Sabrina will always be my favourite movie of hers. I know the Hepburn purists will disagree, but she transcended Audrey's performance with her open, honest emotions and calm elegance. The script (especially the re-writes) was funny and clever, the cinematography was clean and skilled, and the casting was perfect, but it was Ormond that made the movie beautiful.
Posted by: chosha ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](../../../../nav-commenters.gif)
at January 30, 2006 12:41 PM
Domestically, neither was as well-recieved as LEGENDS. If they crept into the black internationally, well, pretty much everything does.
Posted by: Colin at January 30, 2006 02:56 PM
While I have no problem with her casting, Sabrina and First Knight were indeed bombs, both financially and critically. THAT is why her star faded.