English actress Natasha Richardson was a supremely talented star of numerous frock flicks. She’s another daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and sister to Joely Richardson. Sadly she died at only age 45 after a skiing accident, but not before taking on many historical roles:
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)
A satirical film about the Crimean War. Richardson’s father directed it, which may be why a very young Natasha (and her sister Joely) appeared!
Ellis Island (1984)
A TV miniseries about four immigrants coming to America, and set between 1907 and 1916. Richardson plays “Young Whore,” and this sounds supremely Snark Week-worthy!
Every Picture Tells a Story (1984)
A film about the early life of the the movie director’s father. So, vaguely period-ish? Richardson plays “Miss Bridle.”
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1985)
A British TV series about the famed fictional detective. Richardson guested in one episode, “The Copper Beeches.”
Gothic (1986)
Richardson played famous Regency author Mary Shelley in this adaptation of the Romantic poets’ stay at a villa in Italy, during which she came up with the idea for Frankenstein.
A Month in the Country (1987)
A World War I veteran comes to terms with the war in 1920s Yorkshire. Richardson co-starred with Kenneth Branagh and Colin Firth.
Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
The story of the Manhattan Project and the U.S.’s creation of nuclear bombs during World War II. Richardson plays real-life psychiatrist/physician Jean Tatlock, who was involved with the director of the Project (J. Robert Oppenheimer).
Suddenly, Last Summer (1993)
An adaptation of a Tennessee Williams’ play set in 1936 New Orleans, Richardson co-starred as Catharine Holly with Maggie Smith and Rob Lowe.
Zelda (1993)
A made-for-TV biopic about artist and author Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald. You know I loves me some crappy TV biopics, I may have to find this!
Widows’ Peak (1994)
In 1920s Ireland, a glamorous new woman (played by Richardson) shakes up a small Irish town. I really enjoyed it!
Haven (2001)
“A U.S. official escorts Holocaust refugees from 1940s war-torn Europe to temporary shelter in America.” Richardson stars as “Ruth Gruber.”
The White Countess (2005)
An emigre from the Russian Revolution (Richardson) lives in 1930s Shanghai. Directed by James Ivory of Merchant-Ivory fame.
What’s your favorite of Natasha Richardson’s frock flick roles?
Widows’ Peak, FTW! It was a total romp. :)
Such a warm and captivating screen presence! the Ang Lee Sense and Sensibility is my favorite Austen adaptation of all time as is, but I’ll admit to always wondering about what the (rumored) proposed casting of Richardson and her sister Joely as Elinor and Marianne would have been like.
“…Faye Dunaway wearing I don’t know what!”
From the looks of that poster and the stills I’ve seen on Google Image, I’m guessing “industrial-strength facelift tape stretched back so tight she can’t close her eyes.”
(And yeah, this looks like a good candidate for a Snark Week, based on checking to see if her face looked like that in the show itself.)
Natasha Richardson is much-missed, and I have to agree that the proposed SENSE AND SENSIBILITY with the (younger) Redgrave sisters would’ve been stellar (though I deeply love the one we got).
Oh, I adore Natasha Richardson. Fell in love with her when I saw The Parent Trap as a girl— she had so much elegance and grace. I need to see more of her frock flicks…I’ll try to find Gothic for Halloween and have been meaning to check out Widows’ Peak.
Same. Ita was The Parent Trap that introduced med to Richardson and I saw it som many times as a girl. I havent seen many of her films, but the ones I saw, I watched so many times i found myself crying when i heard she’d died.
I remember her being talented and quite charismatic. I should have figured out she was the great Tony Richardson’s daughter sooner than I did.
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) is brilliant satire and a very interesting recreation of the period.
Lovely Actress, With A Tremedous Talent and Presence who was taken away from Us Far too soon, I Believe Asylum (2005) was also (supposedly) Period Set In the the 1950’s I Believe, And Not Sure About Tv Movie Mastersons of Manhattan never saw it or got to see any pics but that title sounds like a Period Piece to me
She was both very talented and very beautiful.
The White Countess was such a gorgeous, bleak movie.
Loved her in Gothic, the release of which was a special event of my college years. What a weird fun film. It fostered my interest in Mary Shelley and Jane Austen and novels of that time. And Julian Sands naked on the roof in a storm. Also loved her in The Handmaid’s Tale, which has interesting dystopian costumes. Yes, in Suddenly Last Summer she has just, well, not escaped, but been released from an insane asylum.