Charlotte Rampling is a British actress who was an icon of the 1960s and known for her long career in many arthouse movies. She’s acted in a number of period films, these days often as the bitchy or complicated older woman. Let’s run down her frock flick-ography!
The Long Duel (1967)
Set in 1920s British India, when the arrest of an Indian tribal leader leads to an insurrection. Rampling plays “Jane.”
The Damned (1969)
Directed by famed Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti (The Leopard), focused on a wealthy German industrialist family who have begun doing business with the Nazi Party. Rampling plays Elizabeth Thalmann, who must be the wife or daughter of the family firm’s anti-Nazi vice president.
‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore (1971)
Based on the early 17th century play, a long-separated brother and sister are reunited with tragic consequences. Rampling plays said sister, Annabella.
Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972)
The big budget feature film. Rampling plays Anne Boleyn, and quite well too, although all the wives could use more screen time.
Zinotchka (1972)
A British TV adaptation of a Chekhov story, about a man who torments his governess. Rampling plays the title character, who must be the governess?
Giordano Bruno (1973)
A biopic about the Italian philosopher of the same name (1548-1600); Rampling plays “Fosca.”
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
A 1940s-set noir film about private detective Philip Marlowe (Robert Mitchum). Rampling plays the seductive married woman Marlowe gets a thing for.
Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976)
An American TV movie with Roger Moore as Sherlock; Rampling plays Irene Adler.
The Far Side of Paradise aka Foxtrot (1976)
Peter O’Toole and Rampling are a Romanian count/countess who escape Europe in 1939 for a private island paradise. According to Wikipedia, “The set is a full Art Deco interior under a tent on a deserted island, and the clothes (overseen by Jorge Ramirez) feature a seemingly endless supply of pristine white couture and custom tailoring.”
Hammers Over the Anvil (1993)
Set in 1900s small town Australia, a young boy crippled by polio grows up. Russell Crowe plays a horsebreak, and Rampling the Englishwoman who connects with him.
Radetzkymarsch (1994)
An Austro-German-French TV miniseries, with an overly-long synopsis on IMDB. Military, late 19th/early 20th century, blah blah, go read it yourself if you care. Rampling plays “Valerie von Taussig.”
La dernière fête (1996)
Rampling plays the real-life Marquise de Prie, who was a major player at the French court of Louis XV in the 1720s.
The Wings of the Dove (1997)
The fabulous 1910s-set adaptation of the Henry James novel. Rampling plays the bitchy aunt who expects her niece to marry well.
The Cherry Orchard (1999)
Chekhov, 1904, why do I know nothing about this play?
Great Expectations (1999)
As the famous Miss Havisham in this BBC TV miniseries adaptation of the Dickens novel.
Imperium: Augustus (2003)
A TV movie about the rise of Emperor Augustus (Octavian). Rampling plays his wife, Empress Livia.
Angel (2007)
A super shlocky attempt to adapt a novel about a writer. DO NOT ATTEMPT. Rampling plays “Hermione.”
The Duchess (2008)
As Countess Spencer, loving but bitchy mother who is full of expectations that her daughter, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, be conventional.
The Mill and the Cross (2011)
A film based on “The Procession to Calvary,” a 1564 painting by Bruegel, showing Christ carrying the cross surrounded by 500 figures.
The Little Stranger (2018)
An adaptation of a Sarah Waters (Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith) novel, set in 1948. Set in 1948 about a doctor visiting a house full of secrets.
Benedetta (coming soon)
About real-life 17th-century nun Benedetta Carlini, mystic and lesbian. Rampling plays the Abbess, natch.
What’s your favorite Charlotte Rampling frock flick role?
Hm, I’m curious about that Great Expectations… can’t say I loved the novel, but that regency wedding dress + Ioan Gruffudd pique my interest.
I need to revisit Chekhov. I read Three Sisters at probably 13, maybe the Cherry Orchard at one point? And I think I didn’t understand either. But I also read Lady with a Dog in a college lit class, and the entire thing was a send up of Anna Karenina, particularly its moralizing. So I would like to revisit on a suspicion of humor.
Nightgown in The Damned returns in Farewell my Lovely?
Although I’m familiar with the actress, I’m not familiar with her movies.
I absolutely loved her in The Duchess, but looking through this list I realized I loved her in a lot more. Not my fave Mrs. Havisham but she is definitely gorgeous in that dress. Need to go look for The Little Stranger.
Haven’t seen most of these, so “The Damned” I also remember a film she did with Dirk Bogarde, “The Night Porter” about a sick relationship between a Holocaust survivor and a concentration camp officer. She is one of those women, like Helen Mirren, who oozes sex appeal, and knows how to make it work on camera.
Wings of the Dove and The Duchess are my favourite movies. Costumes in each were super amazeballs.
Loved her in The Duchess and Great Expectations.She was pretty charming in the little screen time she had as Anne.The aquanet in The Long Duel might have created an ozone hole above the equator itself,if that were possible.
Cherry Orchard: “We will go to Moscow, and we will work.” Lather, rinse, repeat.
I read the novel Radetzkymarsch and loved it; gripping and tragic. I haven’t bothered with either series adapting it and wasn’t sure I should.
Also: what in the fresh hell is going on with the Photoshop job on the La dernière fête poster?
Did they crochet their outfits in Tis a Pity She’s a Whore? Both those outfits look like they came out of one of those Bernat How To Crochet pamphlets my mom still has in her craft room.
That French film “La dernieÌ€re feÌ‚te” is looking like one of those low Budget TV-films from this period. Look at the beard and the wig of one of the guys!
I ask for myself if not somebody managed to notice that the 62-years old Charlotte Rampling was just not looking like the 37-years old Lady Spencer?
The costumes in “The Duchess” deserved a better film (but maybe that’s something which is true for many epic frock flicks (“Jefferson in Paris” too – same problem with too old actors).
Charlotte Rampling has a long, impressive career and she is one of those actresses who can make period costumes sing! BUT!
.. are we just not going to discuss young hot Russell Crowe?
Charlotte is great actress and she has that natural regalness for costume pictures yeah she’s really great not valued enough
Zinotchka sounds awfully like garbo’s comedy doesn’t it? kkkkkk
Her photos in Sherlock made me think it would be nice to have an Irene Adler WCW she’s a very interesting character even if she’s no Milady de Winter
And one can’t blame no one for not knowing the cherry orchard it’s about a woman getting crazy while having to sell her state
I looked up the plot for The Damned, and oof….. Do not go there. Depressing AF!