Helena Bonham Carter: Five Films for Newcomers
Today marks the 54th birthday of pop culture icon Helena Bonham Carter. Known for her more eccentric works since the ‘90s, Bonham Carter actually has quite a varied career, especially including her period piece related roles that predominantly started her filmography off. Nevertheless, she is highly recognizable, so a list of this sort may be a little pointless. Still, just in case there is someone out there that would, perhaps, like to discover more of her films, then hopefully this list helps. For anyone not familiar with her filmography whatsoever, I will still start things at the beginning. To celebrate her birthday and decades of fantastic work, here are five films for newcomers to the films of Helena Bonham Carter.
5. The Harry Potter Series
Of course, the obvious place to start is with her multiple Harry Potter appearances as the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange (starting in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). A character that appears right until the second Deathly Hallows film (so, essentially the end of the series), Lestrange goes from a peculiar role to a main threat in the series. Bonham Carter wears both hats effortlessly, to the point that her character — no matter how monstrous she became — became a fan favourite.
4. Fight Club
I won’t lie, Fight Club is hardly my favourite film ever, but it’s difficult to discuss Helena Bonham Carter without bringing up her controversial role as the rebellious Marla Singer. Bonham Carter bounces between the film’s darkness and its campiness with ease, uttering some ghastly one liners and embodying the outsider perspective of the Narrator’s goings on. This role was arguably a transitional one for Bonham Carter, and for that reason it’s important to talk about Fight Club, no matter what the stupid rules say.
3. Corpse Bride
Of course, a Tim Burton film had to be brought up, but picking one wasn’t easy. In a number of his better films like Big Fish or Sweeney Todd, Bonham Carter’s character is a bit too small to put on a list like this. With some of her more prominent roles like Alice in Wonderland, the films weren’t very good. A nice middle ground is her vulnerable work as Emily the Corpse Bride in the stop-motion spectacle of the same name. Combining Bonham Carter’s knack for quirky humour and emotional connectivity with her great voice acting presence, Corpse Bride ticks off many boxes on the checklist of her many strengths.
2. Howards End
Now we’re rewinding a bit, because — as lovely as her kookier roles are — Helena Bonham Carter is brilliant and under discussed as a dramatic lead. As bourgeois Helen Schlegel in the inheritance drama Howards End, she represents the initial face of the film, diving head first into a rushed engagement. Her visceral reactions to the many developments afterward, including her quarrels with her sister, are pertinent to representing the severity of specific decisions made in the film, even if Helen overreacts. This isn’t Bonham Carter’s first Merchant Ivory film, as she also shines in the 1985 work A Room with a View.
1. The Wings of the Dove
To find Helena Bonham Carter, we must look to what made her a force to be reckoned with during the awards season. Her first Academy Award nomination was for this damned love triangle drama by Iain Softley. As Kate — a destitute girl who continuously finds herself in unfair predicaments — she adds a pathos to a role that could have been made incredibly petty or overly pessimistic. Instead, we feel for Kate, and the opportunities she has and the choices she makes. I’ve placed The Wings of the Dove this high not just because this could be Helena Bonham Carter at her best, but because I doubt enough people have even seen this film, or just how good she is in it. Also, it’s worth pointing out she would eventually be nominated for an Oscar again in 2011 for her supporting role in The King’s Speech.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.