August 9th, 1969. Film, pop culture, the peace movement, and the ‘60s ended once and for all. Sharon Tate was the most recognizable face of the Manson Family murders that took place fifty one years ago; her life was taken along with those of friend and former lover Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Steven Parent, and Wojciech Frykowski, as well as her unborn child she was pregnant with. This crime — as already unfortunate as it was — marked the end of so many eras because of the gravity of the situation in relation to who was attacked. Anyone’s lives being taken is devastating. Sharon Tate represented the last shreds of wholesomeness in Hollywood, and she was on her way towards becoming a star for a new, uglier generation. This is why this hurts so badly. A time for love, and the magic of the old industry, were stopped in place extremely suddenly.

Hemmingway’s Adventures of a Young Man was being shot near her neighbourhood in the early ‘60s, and she went to go look out of curiosity. She caught the attention of star Richard Beymer, who started to date Tate shortly afterwards. Knowing her interest in the industry, Beymer encouraged her to try out acting. She did just that, and she had bit parts in films and television shows for a little while. Her first break of any sort was Eye of the Devil: a horror film perfect for cult viewings. After many rejections and tiny parts, things didn’t seem to be progressing for Tate, who was often deemed too shy to compete in this industry. Yet, she vowed to keep trying. She seemed to keep meeting large talents or people in the know; it’s how she got into the industry in the first place. By now, Tate and Beymer were beyond history, as she had had a number of relationships within these few years (including Jay Sebring, as mentioned earlier, who was adamant on helping her career blossom). It’s only natural that she would bump into Roman Polanski, then.

Polanski was starting to make a name for himself, and he was aiming to make a campy horror picture named The Fearless Vampire Killers. Tate donned a red wig to fit the character of Sarah Shagal, and she was already acquainted with these kinds of sloppy horror films (wheher intentional or not). Now, she was an overnight sensation. This actress — who fought to be noticed for years — was now pondered about: where did she come from? She was set to dominate the cult cinema circles, including erotic comedy Don’t Make Waves, Matt Helm espionage comedy The Wrecking Crew, and her iconic leading role in Valley of the Dolls. Despite her being labeled as timid initially, Tate was being asked to appear in taboo works, if she wasn’t meant to be the scene stealer. Funny how things change, isn’t it?

Despite all of this, it always seemed like Tate was destined for something greater. She had a charm like Audrey Hepburn, an aura like Catherine Deneuve, and grace like Jeanne Moreau. I feel like we never got even close to seeing what Tate was capable of, because we didn’t even get past the films that many take in order to get to the better films. Her best known work is Valley of the Dolls, which would likely have been a footnote in other careers. Most of all, a majority of these films didn’t feel like they represented Tate the person, and I could bet she would have loved to have opened up to us all when granted the opportunity. Still, her loveliness radiated off screen, and her short career presented her with us for a little while (no matter what role).

This is why Sharon Tate’s death feels like such a definitive moment in Hollywood. Here was a rising star with all of the promise in the world who was yet to be given the proper break she deserved. In her personal life, she was doing really well. She was starting a family, and was amongst great company. She was all smiles, and her optimism would have driven her into the very films that early producers proclaimed she couldn’t pull off. When Hollywood was rebelling against itself and was dipping into the New Hollywood movement, when the ‘60s was wrapping up and the flower era was starting to tire out, and when world cinema was starting to reach all corners of the world with more force than it had previously, everything changed.

The quaintness of Old Hollywood, the necessity for peace back in America during the war, and a quest for harmony were all gone. Those Manson murders were the horrendous end to a decade that aimed to strive for better things. Sharon Tate’s tragic demise still hits hard, because we knew cinema and pop culture was forever changed. One of the last performers of her kind was stopped before she even really had a chance. A connection to the old ways of performing was halted. The world was proven to be hideous despite ten years of trying to insist it wasn’t. Fifty one years later, and all of that still rings true.

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.

Remembering Sharon Tate