A Filmmaker's Guide to: Glenn Close

In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re actually going to be learning about literature and film together. I understand that many of you are sitting in university during difficult times and finding it increasingly hard to study and I understand that many of you who are not at university or not planning on it are possibly stuck of what to do, need a break or even need to catch up on learning film before you get to the next level. This guide will be brief but will also contain: new vocabulary, concepts and theories, films to watch and we will be exploring something taboo until now in the ‘filmmaker’s guide’ - academia (abyss opens). Each article will explore a different concept of film, philosophy, literature or bibliography/filmography etc. in order to give you something new to learn each time we see each other. You can use some of the words amongst family and friends to sound clever or you can get back to me (email in bio) and tell me how you’re doing. So, strap in and prepare for the filmmaker’s guide to film studies because it is going to be one wild ride.

Glenn Close

Who is she?

An actress who has had a stunning career as one of the most respected and talented women in Hollywood, she continues to outdo herself as a leading lady. Born in 1947 and continuing work to this day, she has won multiple awards for her impact on film. She is also a philanthropist and has been noted by many actors and journalists, photographers and directors alike as a wonderful human being.

What did she do?

Glenn Close is a woman known for taking on the difficult roles. She has often perfected and polished her performances on the screen and the character she is portraying is often incredibly three-dimensional. Her acting is incredible and ranges across many genres. Her roles have often gotten more difficult over time and with it, her acting style has evolved. She has more than thirty films under her belt and her work continues to this day to amaze us all.

I have seen many of her films in my time, I became incredibly interested in her work about ten years' ago and so, I sought out her filmography to learn more about her. Here are the roles I chose as her greatest.

Greatest Works:

Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

I loved her in this film. I got to see her when she was still in the first ten years of her career and it was wild how much personality and experience she gave to the character Isabelle. She has this very believeable nature to the character and all the personality that she gave to it certainly paid off in the end as it is often remembered as one of her most memorable roles.

Hamlet (1990)

Nobody portrays Gertrude like Glenn Close. She was basically the star of this film even though it is about Mel Gibson's Hamlet. Glenn Close gives all the grief and pity but also all the hardened anger and rage to Queen Gertrude. Her emotions are brilliantly written on her face as the audience wait for her to snap. It is, in my opinion, one of her greatest roles ever.

Albert Nobbs (2011)

This was really the film that made me first interested in Glenn Close. It is a wonderful film and it basically changed my view on her acting forever. From start to finish, the portrayal she gives is emotionally powerful, you really get involved in the character's want to be free and themselves. It's not just a character, it is their entire lifestyle that is at stake and the ending is so powerful, you probably won't get over it for weeks.

Other great works by Glenn Close that you should watch include:

• The World According to Garp (1982)
• Fatal Attraction (1987)
• The House of the Spirits (1993)
• The Stepford Wives (2004)

Conclusion

One of the most respected and talented actresses of all time, Glenn Close has made her name not only just by portraying difficult characters, but breathing life into them so much that you actually believe that they are real.