THEGAYUK

Tag: Cate Blanchett

All the latest breaking news on the actor Cate Blanchett. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Cate Blanchett.

  • FILM REVIEW: Carol

    In the new film ‘Carol’, Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett play two women who fall in love at a time when it was not accepted and actually frowned upon.

    Director Todd Haynes, in his first film since 2007’s I’m Not There, has crafted this movie in a style and theme that he’s used before. In ‘Far From Heaven‘ Julianne Moore’s housewife faces a marital crisis – her husband is caught kissing another man so she takes comfort in the arms of a black man. Whereas in Carol Cate Blanchett‘s unhappy housewife falls into the arms of another woman. Both of these films take place in the 1950’s where it’s all dewy and lush and beautiful. And the attention to detail in both films is amazing, capturing the fashion and essence that was the norm of it’s time, where everyone made an effort to dress up, especially the women, even just to go shopping.

    Blanchett’s character, Carol Aird, is in a loveless marriage but it’s not because her husband is cheating on her with another man, it’s because Carol is cheating on her husband with another woman. It’s not a mid-life crisis that Carol is going through, she’s been linked to Abby Gerhard (Sarah Paulson) in the past, and Abby has always been in the shadows throughout Carol’s marriage to Harge (Kyle Chandler). Harge still loves Carol, he wants to stay married, but Carol insists that the divorce still goes ahead, which is very difficult for the both of them because of their young daughter. But one day Carol goes into a department store and is eyed by employee Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), who suggests to Carol to buy a train set for her daughter. Carol and Therese have chemistry, and the next day Carol invites Therese out for lunch to thank her for helping her out with her purchase. Eventually, they start seeing each other more and more, and they fall headstrong into a relationship. Carol, who has the perfect husband and the perfect house, pursues a relationship with Therese, at the risk of losing custody of her daughter. Harge, in utter frustration over Carol’s new found relationship, seeks full custody of their daughter using a morality clause as the reason. And Therese risks her impending marriage to her boyfriend Richard (Jake Lacy) to be with Carol, and she and Carol embark on several trips together. It’s not until New Year’s Eve where they consummate their relationship in a full on one-minute lip lock, which leads to a sexual act, again full on, there’s almost nothing left to the imagination. But will Carol’s impending divorce and the threat of losing her daughter and Therese’s burgeoning career as a photographer get in the way of their relationship?

    Blanchett is magnificent as Carol, who risks losing her daughter yet has strong feelings for a much younger woman. Mara is even more superb as Therese, her innocence and naivete in full display. Both actresses are excellent, yet it’s Mara who ups Blanchette in the acting arena. The movie basically revolves around Therese and her coming of age not just with her career but with her sexuality as well. It would be a shame if Mara is reduced to supporting actress level as Blanchett does get top billing, they both deserve Best Actress Academy Award nominations but it’s Mara who should be on the podium. Chandler is also excellent as Carols’ husband – he’s got an ideal 1950’s look about him. ‘Carol,’ Based on the novel ‘The Price of Salt’ by Patricia Highsmith, was written at a time when it’s subject was considered scandalous, which Haynes truly captures.

    Carol was filmed with Super 16mm to produce the muted hues of glamour magazines of the era, it’s romantic and dramatic and lovely to watch.

     

  • Cate Blanchett Admits To Relationships With Women

    When we wrote about Todd Haynes’s new movie ‘Carol’ that premieres this week at Cannes about two ‘straight’ women who fall in love, we knew that the project had been ‘in the closet’ for 15 years before it made it to the screen.

    It turns out that now that it was not only thing in there too. In a very frank and wide-ranging interview with Variety Magazine the movie’s Cate Blanchett now admits that she has had her fair share of girl on girl action too off the screen.

    When asked if this is her first turn as a lesbian, Blanchett curls her lips into a smile. “On film — or in real life?” she asks coyly. Pressed for details about whether she’s had past relationships with women, she responds: “Yes. Many times,” but doesn’t elaborate.

    Like Carol, who never “comes out” as a lesbian, Blanchett doesn’t necessarily rely on labels for sexual orientation. “I never thought about it,” she says of how she envisioned the character. “I don’t think Carol thought about it.” The actress studied the era by picking up banned erotic novels. “I read a lot of girl-on-girl books from the period,” she says.

    Ms Blanchett married to playwright and director Andrew Upton and mother of 4 children, has already been nominated for an Oscar six times (she’s already won for2004’s “The Aviator” and 2013’s “Blue Jasmine”) and the pre-Cannes buzz is that the new performance could net her another one.

  • Cate Stuns As Carol

    It was announced in Paris today that legendary gay auteur TODD HAYNES will be screening his new film in competition at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

    Carol based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr Ripley) stars the one and only Cate Blanchett stars in the titular role as a 1950’s-era married woman who begins a romantic same-sex relationship with a young store clerk played by Rooney Mara. It also co-stars Kyle Chandler and Sarah Paulson

    Haynes’s previous movies include Far From Heaven, I’m Not Here, Velvet Goldmine and he also directed the award-winning TV remake of Mildred Pierce.

    Carol will definitely be on our list of favourites at this year’s Festival and we will track its progress to a cinema near you hopefully later this year.

     

  • ANALYSIS: The Oscars 2014

    In case you miss the SKY MOVIES TELECAST of the OSCAR CEREMONY here are some of the really gay highlights, many of which you can already catch on YOUTUBE.

    ELLEN DEGENERES was back to host again after a 7-year break and kicked in to top gear from the word go with her hilarious monologue by referring to LIZA MINELLI as being represented by a female impersonator. Flash to Miss Minnelli sitting with her half sister LORNA LUFT and you can see that they do unmistakably look like a couple of Drag Queens!

    The sisters were there as part of the celebration for their mother’s classic movie THE WIZARD OF OZ that was introduced by WHOOPI GOLDBERG complete with striped stockings and red Dorothy shoes. And then came PINK, looking shockingly feminine in her sparkly red dress, who simply blew the audience away with her spine-tingling version of SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW, which bought the whole House to its feet.

    There had been an earlier standing ovation for DARLENE LOVE who had been on stage to help accept the well-deserved BEST DOCUMENTARY OSCAR for ‘TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM’, the compelling story of all the Back Up singers who stayed out of the spotlight. Instead of a speech, Ms Love simply sang her thanks in her own inimitable style

    Kudos to JARED LETO for his stirring tribute to his mother when he won his BEST SUPPORTING OSCAR for playing a transgender character in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, and for the very moving dedication of his Award to all the people that had died from AIDS. A similar and equally touching gesture was made by ADRUITHA LEE & ROBIN MATHEWS who won OSCARS for HAIR & MAKE UP for the same movie.

    Most excited winner was young Kenyan actress LUPITA NYONG’O who picked up BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS OSCAR for her part in 12 YEARS A STAGE proving that well-deserved unknown actors can still break through. Her exuberance was matched by her British Director STEVE MCQUEEN when the movie beat the favourite (GRAVITY) to pick up the BEST PICTURE OSCAR and as the closing credits of the Telecast roll he is literally jumping up and down on the stage with sheer joy like a kid.

    Most heartfelt and genuine speech was from CATE BLANCHETT when she picked up her BEST ACTRESS OSCAR, and for my money, her elegant beaded GIORGIO ARMANI DRESS was the best of the bunch too.

    A no-thrills BETTE MIDLER making her very first singing appearance at the OSCARS followed the IN MEMORIUM TRIBUTE to all the Hollywood greats who have gone to the movie theatre in the sky this year, with her anthem WIND BENEATH MY WINGS that ensured there were not many dry eyes in the audience.

    In was an fun albeit overly long evening with none of the usual big production numbers and had ELLEN mixing in with the star –studied audience a great deal … the popularity of hilarious ‘selfie’ she shot on her phone with MERYL STREEP and other front row stars actually managed ti bring TWITTER to a grinding halt. The whole night was just like the running gag had about JONAH HILL literally exposing himself in a scene in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET that Ellen declared was something she had not seen in a very long time.