Glamour! Big Acting ! An Accent! A few hallmarks of Cate Blanchett’s performances that we love are present in Sally Potter’s The Man Who Cried (2001). It’s a commanding star turn that shows Blanchett at her best, and for that the movie is a must-see for every Blanchett fan. We discuss the film and performance. Plus revisit Mrs. America and the show’s chances at the winter TV awards (Golden Globes and SAG).

Hosted by Murtada Elfadl with guest Nathaniel Rogers of The Film Experience.

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What is the film about?

From Wikipedia: A Russian Jewish girl (Christina Ricci) is separated from her father in 1927 and escapes to England, where she’s rechristened Suzie. She grows up to be a singer in a Parisian theater populated by a glamorous Russian dancer (Cate Blanchett), an egotistical Italian tenor (John Turturro) and a handsome horseman (Johnny Depp). When the Nazis invade France, however, Suzie’s life is suddenly in danger, and she attempts to flee to the United States, where her father moved years earlier.

Who does Cate play?

Lola, a glamorous Russian dancer.

How is Cate introduced?

20 minutes in as the star attraction amidst a chorus of dancers. after she finishes the dance, she winks directly at the camera and the audience.

What year did it come out?

 Premiered at Venice September 2000. US release May 2001.

Box Office: Domestic = $747K Int’l = $575K

Critical Response: Metacritic : 40 RT: 35

Topics Discussed: The Man Who Cried

• This movie hardly made a ripple in 2001. It is one of the very few Cate performances that I have never watched until now. Very hard to find…. youtube is your friend (wink).
• Sally Potter as a distinctly visual filmmaker.
• One of Cate’s early roles. Does the star quality appear? Of course, in fact this is a must-see for any Cate Blanchett fan because it shows her total command and allure as a screen star.
• NBR awarded Cate best supporting actress for 2001 body of work including this, LOTR and The Shipping News. 
• Again a very physical full bodied performance – a theme we’ve talked about on this podcast. There’s a nervous energy to it though. Lola is always moving, gawky, not graceful like some of her other characterizations.
• Memorable look; albaster skin, red cherry lipstick, very blond hair – so very noticeable
• Cate the droll comedian, we dig deep into one scene; when telling the rules of seducing men… “without my looks I wouldn’t have gotten out of Russia.”
• Lola is a tragic figure . We talk about how Cate makes her so with emphasis on a couple of other scenes.
• One of a few movies that Christina Ricci headlined – what do we think of her?
• What’s with all the brooding Johnny Depp on horseback scenes – for a while both he and Ricci are silent in their scenes together.

Film within context of Cate’s career:

2000 – 2001 was the time when the choices she made post her breakout with Elizabeth began appearing for audiences. She chose a few supporting roles; all of them very far from that monarch and one lead role in The Gift (2000); previously discussed.

What reviews said of film / Cate:

“Blanchett’s role is the dazzler: Rolling her eyes, shrugging her shoulders and flinging her long limbs about insouciantly, she’s the soul of studiously artificial glamour, whether shimmying in a trashy revue or bewitching an unwary suitor.” – Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide.

“The movie is like a series of climactic moments from a World War II mini-series strung together without the undercurrents that might build character: it’s all big moments, the world’s longest and most sincere trailer. In fact, the title character doesn’t even appear until the end of the picture. (Before that the film should be called ”The Woman Who Cries,” since Ms. Ricci’s trembling chin gets quite a workout.)

With accents heavier than the melodrama going on around them, Ms. Blanchett and Mr. Turturro add comic weight and warmth as two predators sizing each other up before they realize they’re the same species.” – A O Scott, NYTimes.

“Ironically, in the midst of all this high caloric camp, the one performer who escapes with her dignity, Cate Blanchett, does so not by underacting but by getting in full shameless touch with her miscast inner ham. As Lola, a transplanted Moscow gold-digger with a borscht thick accent and lips as glossy red as the inside of a chocolate covered cherry, Blanchett is like Mata Hari played by Gwen Stefani impersonating Veronica Lake. It’s hard to take your eyes off of acting this knowingly overripe.” – Owen Gleiberman, EW

Topics Discussed: Mrs. America & miscellaneous

• Last time we talked Mrs. America was about to be released – our thoughts on the series.
• Cate’s performance on the show is a major career highlight. Check out our recaps of the show.
• Awards chances for Cate and the show at the upcoming winter awards (Glden Globes and SAG).
• Looking forward to Nightmare Alley and her collaboration with Guillermo Del Toro and Bradley Cooper.

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