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by Malcolm Coupland

(Last update April 6, 2002)

SCREEN PERFORMANCES NOT IN IMDB
* STAGE PERFORMANCES
AWARDS

Notes

1984

TV: MISTRAL'S DAUGHTER (Nancy)

Synopsis:
American TV serial about the life of an arrogant painter in France from 1925 through to 1978, telling of his various romantic involvements. Good entertainment; Lee Remick is excellent. Kristin makes a very brief appearance in (possibly) her screen debut.
WARNING: Some televised versions omit Kristin's scene. The full version runs for about 6 hours continuous.

Notable for ...
Her use of the hands.

Here's Kristin's bit...

[At a dinner party]

Nancy:

To create the best, as you do, must be the ultimate ... thrill.

Mistral:

Well, certainly there are other thrills, mademoiselle.

Nancy:

Well which ones did you have in mind, I wonder? And has anyone done any comparative research?

Mistral:

I don't know. I usually do my own research. Don't you?

Nancy:

If it's not too much bother ... your house here is so charming ... I'd love to see the rest of it. Especially the studio.

Mistral:

It would be my pleasure.

[Mistral's wife intervenes]

1986

UNDER THE CHERRY MOON (Mary Sharon)

Synopsis:
With Prince. Quirky musical comedy and romantic show-case for Prince. Kristin's first screen starring role as a young heiress whom the gigolo finally really falls for ... and she for him, natch.

Notable for ...
Kristin's (unwitting?) take on Audrey Hepburn. Early intimations of Fiona (Four Weddings ). Passionate abandon in a telephone box -- Prince comes a poor second. Comic monologue. She dances. She plays the drums. Need I say it: she's gorgeous.

1987

AGENT TROUBLE (Julie)

Synopsis:
In French. A rather feeble thriller. Catherine Deneauve is very watchable. Kristin plays a high class whore.

Notable for ...
She's hilariously sozzled. What's this -- character acting?

LA MÉRIDIENNE (Marie)

Synopsis:
In French. A young man, François, lives in a large beautiful house with two lovely young woman, Marie and Mathe who have nothing more to do than look after him and adore him. Yet François is not happy. He wants to be married, but doesn't know to whom: one of the two friends, or someone he is yet to meet? In his quest for self knowledge he has himself watched by a private detective. Marie hires the detective on the pretext that she is to be married to François and wants to know if he is ready. So the detective reports to Marie and Marie reports to François. The scene is set for a confusion of sensibilities. François, of course, is very immature. Marie spends most of her time lounging like a queen on a luxurious couch in the delightful garden (the méridienne of the title); Mathe is uncomfortable with this scheme and goes away for a while; and the detective takes a very eccentric approach to his profession. The few commentaries I have seen of the film treat it as somewhat ludicrous, but taken as an existential joke it's very amusing, and the fact that François is a cinema projectionist extends the joke to a sort of satire on cinéma noir. It is beautifully directed with gentle wit and a perfect sense of rhythm and visual balance, and the actors, especially KST, are allowed to give full reign to their talents.

Notable for ...
This was Kristin's first serious leading role and it's fascinating to see how inventive and creative she was, oozing confidence. The hair is always a point of note and here uniquely it's luxuriously long and wavy and brunette; sometimes tied up, sometimes in a single thick plait, sometimes flowing free. She looks stunning with a deep tan, and the camera dwells adoringly on every exposed part of her anatomy. There are plenty of opportunities for her to use that subtle body humour which no other actor has ever come close to. Marie is a languorous moody girl and Kristin produces a dazzling variety of faces, several not seen in any other film to date: sullen deprived; and especially: offended, stung by criticism. A pure delight.

1988

A HANDFUL OF DUST (Lady Brenda Last)

Synopsis:
Kristin's first leading dramatic screen role. The film follows Waugh's story of aristocratic infidelity very faithfully. Perhaps too faithfully: the final jungle segment is interminably tedious.

Notable for ...
This is the first time we see Kristin's unique breathtaking ability to express subtle fleeting emotions, changing from second to second. Brenda is totally real. Her playing of the scene where Brenda learns of the death of her son is renowned: what Kristin does here hardly seems possible. She was pregnant while making this film, which she says helped her to "cry at the drop of a hat".

THE TENTH MAN (Thérèse)

Synopsis:
With Anthony Hopkins and Derek Jacobi. Based on Graham Greene's short novel, but greatly improved by the screen writer. In wartime France a lawyer (Hopkins) is imprisoned by the Nazis. He buys his life by making over all his possessions to a young fellow prisoner who takes his place in front of the firing squad, leaving the estate to his sister (KST) in his will. After the war the lawyer, now destitute, can't resist knocking on the door of his old home. The complex story gets even more complex at a later stage when the Jacobi character enters. It's a bit hard to follow first time through, but you'll want to watch it again, and again ... Has a delicious theatrical quality.

Notable for ...
The ensemble playing with Hopkins and Jacobi. Kristin's ability to convey powerful feeling through the way she controls her body, and superb timing. The impact she makes with the briefest lines: "Let him in." ... "I forgot the bread." Unbelievable. Her costumes are lovely. She dances. A remarkable link to Richard III , seven years later. Thérèse spits in the face of the man she considers to be her brother's murderer. In the next scene, he remarks on the parallel with an incident in a Shakespeare play he once saw.

1989

BILLE EN TÊTE (Clara)

Synopsis:
In French. A woman becomes sexually involved with a precocious 16 year old boy. Spoilt by an unconvincing performance by Langmann as the boy, and the film's indecision about whether to treat the relationship seriously or as a joke. The focus is on the boy, but we want to know what's going on in the heart and mind of the woman. Kristin received awards for this film.

Notable for ...
The scene where Clara is confronted by the boy's adored grandmother. Scenes with the husband. Kristin's comic touches. Her deftness with the table napkins. Her command of languages: she speaks in Italian at one point. Even when playing to the empty eyes of Langmann she is full of vitality and feeling. She looks stunning in fabulous costumes -- even the pink bobbles suit.

THE ENDLESS GAME (Caroline)

Synopsis:
A tedious spy mystery. Terrible sound (on video). Kristin has only a small role. Her character is made very flat, providing little scope for expression.

Notable for ...
Can't think of anything.

FORCE MAJEURE (Katia)

Synopsis:
In French. Two young men have to decide whether to risk their own lives to go to the aid of a previous travelling companion who is held on drug charges in a S.E. Asian country. The story has a contrived feeling about it, and Kristin and Alan Bates seem uncomfortable with their ill-defined and rather peripheral characters.

Notable for ...
Kristin gives her all to at least make a bedroom scene feel authentic. There is only minimal love-making, but this is still a good example of her ease and facility in nude scenes: she acts with her whole body, completely uninhibited.

1990

AUX YEUX DU MONDE (AKA Autobus) (the school teacher on the bus)

Synopsis:
In French. Only moderately interesting tale of a young boy hijacking a school bus to impress his girl friend.

Notable for ...
How Kristin can act tellingly even in long shot, out of focus, and with no dialogue! A lovely touch of humour when she goes over the top telling off a little boy so as to forestall an irate shopkeeper.

LE BAL DU GOUVERNEUR (Marie)

Synopsis:
In French. Around the time of the Algerian war in the 50s the old colonial guard on the South Pacific island of New Caledonia is soon to be dissolved. Mainly through the eyes of the teenage daughter of the vice-governor we witness the unsettling effects on her family and the European community. A moody allegorical piece, beautifully photographed. The faltering sexuality of the girl is contrasted with the wayward antics of her desultory mother (KST).

Notable for ...
Quintessential Kristin Scott Thomas whimsy, uncannily blending a sultry sexuality with child-like naivety. Her captivating ease with the children at a time when her own daughter was still a baby. Of course, she dances a fair bit and wears gorgeous clothes. Probably her first film role as a blond.

FRAMED (Kate)

Synopsis:
With Jeff Goldblum. Kristin's only English language out-and-out comic role to date (1996). A silly story, superbly done, and very entertaining, though generally despised by the critics -- not pretentious enough for them? Two small-time art thieves stumble into jeopardy from big-time villains. Has an unusual moral twist to it: did she betray him, or is she an innocent victim like him? Keeps you guessing right to the end.

Notable for ...
Kristin's perfect comic timing, e.g. in the back of the taxi. The delicious way she plays perfidy and innocence simultaneously. Lust! She's a flame on the dance floor. Her deftness stuffing money into the false bottom of a case and into her clothing: note the little shiver as the wad is eased into her bra. A delightful line: "I mean, can you imagine how that preys upon your imagination, day after day -- the thought of being stalked by a man who's missing parts of his body?" There is evident sexual chemistry with Goldblum.

SPYMAKER: THE SECRET LIFE OF IAN FLEMING (Leda St Gabriel)

Synopsis:
Fictionalised version of the life of Ian Fleming before and during the war years, illustrating how his experiences gave birth to the James Bond character. Better than most Bond movies, though obviously on a low budget, with the only gadget being a touring car supercharger. Has a magical, fairy-tale quality, with a wonderful Wicked Witch character played by Patricia Hodge as Fleming's mother. Entertaining. Kristin plays Fleming's boss in the Royal Navy, and then lover.
WARNING: there seems to be another movie around with exactly the same title.

Notable for ...
Kristin in military uniform, firing a pistol on a practice range. Her confrontation with Fleming's tyrannical mother [c.f. Bille en tête ]. Her deftness photographing the secret documents. A good scene where Fleming tries to confess his love but Leda denies there is even friendship. Some good lines:
Leda to Fleming: "You are what you are. I am what I am. That's the joy and that's the tragedy."
Moonlit bedroom scene the night before Fleming goes on his mission impossible: "Your lips ..." / "What about my lips?" / "They're burning hot." / "Lucky me!". [Leda throws herself into Fleming's arms]

1991

MIO CARO DR. GRÄSLER (AKA: The Bachelor) (Sabine)

Synopsis:
The Bachelor is in English, but heavily dubbed. Synchronisation is good, but the sound is poor, giving it an annoyingly remote feel. A vain doctor misses out on love (Sabine) through his self-obsession. An absorbing story, well acted, but emotions are kept very tight.

Notable for ...
Kristin's voice-over as Gräsler reads Sabine's honest, brave and authentic letter (which he completely fails to grasp). She dances.

TITMUSS REGAINED (Jenny)

Synopsis:
In this 150 minute British TV serial David Threlfall is extremely good as Leslie Titmuss, the odious Thatcherite politician who woos and wins mild sensitive widow Jenny Sidonia. Having much in common with Look At It This Way, the story brings together themes of rapidly changing society and personal betrayal. Kristin underplays her role for most of the time which makes her character's devastation in the end all the more moving.

Notable for ...
Kristin's remarkable reserve and control of pace. She uses her sparse lines with exquisite intelligence, interspersing them with long-held silences that speak volumes.

1992

BITTER MOON (AKA Lunes de fiel) (Fiona)

Synopsis:
Polanski! With Hugh Grant as Fiona's husband. Brilliant and shocking contrast between the bourgeois English couple and the dissolute American/French couple who seek some kind of redemption by drawing the others into their lives within the confines of an ocean cruise ship.

Notable for ...
Kristin being sick in the toilet, then crawling across the floor, dragging herself onto the bunk, and then telling the husband what she thinks of him. She somehow separates her face from her body. No, it's indescribable ... you have to see it. She's even funny at the same time. The dance floor seduction between the two women.

LOOK AT IT THIS WAY (Victoria)

Synopsis:
This 140 minute British TV serial is a low key but well written meditation on the passing of traditional London life seen through the eyes of an American anglophile journalist. KST plays the producer of the TV commercial he's taking part in. An old-time Cockney (Lionel Jeffries, who almost steals the show) also has a part in it and forms the link between the old and new ways. Dishonest money dealing, drug trafficking, sexual betrayal and an escaped lion are brought in to enliven the action, the latter making a non-too-successful metaphor for Ye Olde England.

Notable for ...
Kristin, for once, plays a confident, capable, free-spirited modern woman and appears very relaxed in the role, dealing out playful sarcasm with relish. Perhaps her most memorable scene is where she sits opposite the journalist listening to his story while the camera lingers on her face: as always, she shows astonishing originality.

WEEP NO MORE MY LADY (Elizabeth)

Synopsis:
Appallingly bad murder mystery.

Notable for ...
Kristin keeping her head when all about are losing theirs. She acts being a movie actress: clues to how she does it? Kristin staggering out of the ocean after being half drowned. The dreadful clothes she has to wear. She dances.

1993

TV: BODY AND SOUL (Anna Gibson/Sister Gabriel)

Synopsis:
British TV serial. After 16 years in a closed convent, a nun must go out into the world to settle the affairs of her brother who has committed suicide. Gradually through these experiences she discovers that she is a woman. Corny in parts, but fabulous in others. Slightly spoilt, I think, by miscasting of the young man she gets romantically involved with.
WARNING: there is a feature film with the same title.

Notable for ...
Sheer quality and quantity. There are really too many things to mention individually. This is a must-see for any KST fan: her performance here will haunt you forever. Mainly I remember her eyes, which seem impossibly huge at times.

SOMEBODY TO LOVE

Directed by Michael Shamberg. Was this film ever released? Did it even get made? Not to be confused with the film of the same title directed by Alexandre Rockwell made one year later.

1994

EN MAI FAIS CE QU'IL TE PLAÎT

Synopsis:
In French. The same interval of about one hour is shown from the points of view of seven households in an apartment block with very poor sound insulation. The bizarre events, by turns horrific and funny, culminate with the arrival of all the emergency services. A clever, disturbing and very original commentary on the precarious nature of modern urban life.

Notable for ...
Kristin taking a small low key role as a working class housewife. There are no expansive emotions here, but she still gives us a jolt with her effortless gesture to indicate that sex is out while their young daughter is not yet asleep.

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (Fiona)

Synopsis:
A patchy comedy of errors about a group of friends who meet at weddings (and one funeral). It has an indefinable charm, which you may adore, or it may leave you cold. The quality of acting and style of directing combine to convince you that all this folly is really happening. The humour is often delightful, especially when Hugh Grant is involved, but sometimes embarrassingly basic.

Notable for ...
Kristin's two best scenes are Fiona's confession to Charles of her long term secret love for him, and her speech saluting the happy couple just before going into the church for Charles' wedding to "Duck Face". None of this takes her to the heights she is capable of, and there's not much comic material for her. But try the still frame button during the reception at wedding 2 as she says "Good lord, what made you say THAT?"

LES MILLES: LE TRAIN DE LA LIBERTÉ (Mary-Jane Cooper)

Synopsis:
In French. During WW2 the Nazis are beginning their invasion of France. The ailing commander of a French internment camp faces the dilemma of what to do with the German refugees under his charge. The story is interesting as an account of a little-known piece of WW2 history, but the characters and situations are rather stereotyped, which stifles our emotional involvement. A very small role for Kristin as an American press reporter.

Notable for ...
Simply, the flimsiness of Kristin's role in this fairly recent French film.

UN ÉTÉ INOUBLIABLE (Marie-Thérèse Von Debretsy)

Synopsis:
In Romanian and French. A very painful story about the brutality of soldiery and the impossibility for the individual of conscience to do anything about it. There's little to bring us close to the characters as people: they remain two-dimensional, and that goes for Kristin's leading character too, even though she has great vitality. Personal feelings are generally overridden by the appalling circumstances. Except, that is, in the early bathing scene.

Notable for ...
The open air bathing scene, with Kristin and the children in a gigantic tub, the local peasants looking on aghast. The grace and sensual naturalism of Kristin's playful antics with the little boy are a wonder. The dinner table scene near the end, after the executions, is remarkable for its pace and naturalism. Generally, Kristin and the three children are so good together, you would think you were watching a documentary. Her English dialogue sometimes seems too natural to have been scripted: I wonder if she improvised. Her command of languages: she learnt Romanian for the part, and also speaks in French, English and some German. But beware the dreaded looping: a shocking "Piss off!" to the little girl (French version) is dubbed to a tame "Get off!" in the "original" Romanian version. What a mess. She dances. She even sings Mozart.

1995

ANGELS AND INSECTS (Matty Crompton)

Synopsis:
An excellent adaptation of A S Byatt's short novel about a wealthy Victorian household which takes in a struggling naturalist. He falls for the radiant daughter with the dark mystery, not noticing the contained passion of the dowdy but intelligent poor relation, Matty. The unfolding tragedy of the household is mirrored in the insect colonies that the humans are studying. The tense constraint of the first three quarters of the film is resolved wonderfully in the final scenes. Worth the wait even if you don't find the allegorical aspects of the story very stimulating. Some wayward editing in places.

Notable for ...
The scene in Matty's bedroom where, by shear emotional intensity, she forces William to take her seriously as his future companion. That tragicomic whimper right in the middle of a line ("... I should like you to stay, but it's not very comfortable.") is a lovely example of how Kristin draws us right into the heart of her character, and without any suggestion of artifice. Her deftness wrapping the manuscript.

TV: BELLE ÉPOQUE (Alice)

Synopsis:
French TV serial. A fairly engaging saga following the ups and downs of a well meaning but vain business man in France during the period leading up to the first world war. Alice falls in love with him after struggling against it, but is then treated in a careless manner by her lover when it suits him. A similar theme to Mio Caro Dr Gräsler (The Bachelor ).
WARNING: there is a feature film with the same title.

Notable for ...
Nothing much to remark on. Her part is underwritten, and the character almost drops out of the story at the critical point. Kristin compensates with expressive body language. She dances.

LE CONFESSIONAL (Hitchcock's assistant)

Synopsis:
In French. A banal psychological mystery, stylishly played out in the present and thirty years earlier just before Pierre's birth. He returns to Quebec for his father's funeral and is drawn into a quest for the identity of his cousin's unknown father. The answer would be classically obvious, where it not for sundry red herrings strewn in our path. The Hitchcock connection is entirely redundant, except that it provides an opportunity for the father to finally reveal all by telling the story to Hitch while driving his limousine. One for aesthetes and Kristin Scott Thomas fans only.

Notable for ...
She's funny, she's svelte, she's blond (a wig), she's American.

THE POMPATUS OF LOVE (Caroline)

Synopsis:
Witty gem about four New York guys and their frustrated attempts to fathom the mysteries of sexual love. KST's dialogue is a bit too American to be quite convincing as the wealthy English beauty whom the New York Italian plumber is tempted by, but she is amusing to watch.

Notable for ...
Although Kristin's part is small, she gives us a character not glimpsed in any other of her films; more like the persona she sometimes brings out in interviews.

RICHARD III (Lady Anne)

Synopsis:
Kristin's first Shakespeare, on screen or stage. A very original interpretation of Lady Anne as yet another victim of Richard, which the full text of the play would hardly allow: there, she's a match for him in the first act. The whole film is a fabulous vision by Ian McKellen: breathtaking. The director was so impressed with Kristin's first scene that he asked for more to be written for her. [See Ian McKellen's published screenplay for some nice anecdotes and plaudits.]

Notable for ...
Her purely visual impact. Here she ravishes the camera, which is given a voyeuristic "role" with respect to Lady Anne, in contrast to its conspiratorial relationship to Richard. A perfect alliance of directing, writing and performance.

1996

THE ENGLISH PATIENT (Katharine Clifton)

Synopsis:
Based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje. Nearly three hours long, this epic romance tells the story of Count Almásy (Ralph Fiennes), an explorer in the Sahara desert at the time of the outbreak of WW2. Conceited and aloof Almásy and the exquisite Katharine, wife of his friend and colleague, fall in love. Their passionate affair is broken, first by Katharine's scruples, and then more tragically by the vicissitudes of the war. Writer and director Anthony Minghella has translated to the screen all of the best elements of the novel, and discarded the worst -- the comic-book heroics, phoney erudition, and tendentious plot devices -- adding in his own lovely touches of humour, and most significantly, human warmth and passion between Almásy and Katharine, turning their affair into the central motif of the story. The cinematography and soundtrack are fabulously beautiful, and the acting from all five leading players is sublime.

Probably no two people will react to this film the same way: it operates on so many levels. For many the tragedy is utterly overwhelming, while others find the complexity of the plot structure and the subtle smugness of the main characters make a barrier to their deeper involvement. But at the core of the film, and accessible to everyone, is the vivid reality of the lovers' desire for each other. They are by turns angry, violent, ecstatic, tender, funny, poetic, innocent, grave. And totally believable and exposed in their most intimate moments. It is a masterpiece of insight into the nature of romantic love.

Won some Oscars!

Notable for ...
This is Kristin's first major role in a major film. Her unique relationship to the camera is, at last, up there for all to experience, as are her range, subtlety, and depth of expression. Her humour, lyricism, grace, and physical presence are exploited to the full. These have all appeared on a smaller scale in previous films, but what is now shown as never before is the beauty and expressiveness of her body. As an example, there is the scene where the crazed Almásy confronts Katharine in a hallway. She turns her back to him and to the camera, and has only two lines of dialogue: You know why ... No; yet through the movements of her shoulders and her stance, we know exactly what is happening inside her.

TV: GULLIVER'S TRAVELS (The Eternal Gatekeeper)

Synopsis:
Entertaining and faithful TV adaptation of Swift's story. Only one (split) scene for Kristin.

Notable for ...
Her fairy-queen-like character makes an interesting contrast to Matty Crompton (Angels And Insects ).

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (Sarah Davies)

Synopsis:
With Tom Cruise (oh yes!) But what happened to those natty armoured under-vests that secret agents used to always wear? One of those for Sarah could've saved this movie.

Notable for ...
In the reception sequence she plays straight to camera: it's a jolt to be suddenly nose to nose with a real person. An example of how Kristin can sometimes inadvertently make everyone else look abysmally bad.

1997

AMOUR ET CONFUSIONS (Sarah)

Synopsis:
French comedy. Sarah and Dan fall for each other in one night but then accidentally lose touch, each thinking that the other doesn't care. In their search for the road back together they encounter every kind of New Age sexual attitude and fatuous pop psychology.

Notable for ...
Some nicely choreographed set pieces. KST looks sweet with yellow plaits.

THE REVENGERS' COMEDIES (AKA Sweet Revenge) (Imogen Staxton-Billing)

Synopsis:
A delightful comedy in the best English tradition, based on the play by Alan Ayckbourn. An ordinary bloke at the end of his tether comes under the influence of an aristocrat (Helena Bonham Carter) who is rapidly revealed to be completely off her trolley. We are required to laugh at some pretty dire goings-on, but the character acting is perfection all round, with HBC in particular outstanding. Shown as Sweet Revenge in the USA

Notable for ...
Kristin getting pretty close to real character acting as the only slightly potty enemy of the HBC character. She's soft and fluffy and emotional: adorable. Some foot-work (see A Handful Of Dust, Amour et confusions and Body And Soul for more excellent foot acting).

1998

THE HORSE WHISPERER (Annie)

Synopsis:
Following her daughter's horrific horse-riding accident, magazine editor Annie leaves her husband behind in New York and heads out to Montana to seek the aid of a famed "horse whisperer" (Robert Redford). Through his sensitive care the traumatised daughter and the horse are healed, but Annie and the whisperer fall in love. An impressive and very moving film that mostly retains the emotional authenticity of the novel on which it is based, and providing a vastly improved ending. Unfortunately it is marred by a lacklustre performance from Redford.

Notable for ...
Scenes with Kristin and Sam Neill where that unique KST magic is the most intense. This film is perhaps the first to show her serving up a consummate Hollywood-style performance. Her mixed American-British accent is delightful. There is yet another wondrous dance scene.

SOUVENIR

Synopsis:
In French and English. Following a road accident a young woman lying in hospital meditates on her past and present life. That context is not revealed until the end of the film but you need to know it to make any sense of what comes before. This film is pure art. There is no story to speak of; the sound -- mostly droning voice-over -- reveals her incestuous past with her brother and her father, while the striking images relate her recent experiences leading up to the accident. That disjointedness makes it tedious and fatiguing to watch, but the digitally photographed and edited images (in 4:3 aspect ratio) manifest stunning composition and use of colour and movement. KST has one 5 minute scene as the young woman's boss on a magazine, the only time that the film comes alive on a human level.

Notable for ...
Kristin as artist! Her voice is music, her movements are a dance. It makes you grieve for what she might have accomplished in the era of Renoir, Fellini, Godard, Malle...

1999

RANDOM HEARTS (Kay Chandler)

Synopsis:
A Congresswoman and a policeman each lose their respective spouses in a plane crash and then discover that the two were lovers. Kristin is totally in touch with her character's process, her emotions changing by the instant nearly too fast for the viewer to follow, but she is almost completely unsupported by the others involved. Harrison Ford is good at times, but whenever a connection between the protagonists is called for he's all at sea, giving rise to a frankly farcical spectacle. The incompetent structure and clunky editing point to a general failure in the upper ranks.

Notable for ...
The sustained focus of Kristin's performance, made more remarkable by the fact that she creates the whole thing practically single handedly. Repressed rage glares from her eyes; her voice snaps from a lilting coo into chilling sarcasm. She draws mesmerising poetry from the script's purpler patches. As in The Horse Whisperer she is wonderfully sensitive when playing opposite the teenage daughter.

2000

UP AT THE VILLA (Mary Panton)

Synopsis:
Staying quite close to Somerset Maugham's novel, the story follows the trials and tribulations of an impoverished upper class English woman living in Florence just before the outbreak of World War II. The husband she loved died leaving her penniless and now she must face the prospect of entering a loveless marriage to a much older man for the sake of survival. While her suitor is away on business Mary encounters dashing playboy Rowley Flint, whose obvious charms she at first resists. But then an impulsively foolish act brings her to the verge of disaster and she calls Rowley to the rescue. There is ample drama and emotion and Kristin's performance is hugely enjoyable throughout, yet the film lacks heart, so the rather tame ending may leave you feeling unsatisfied.

Notable for ...
Kristin's being in every scene and on screen almost continuously. Her portrayal of the well-intentioned but errant Mary is astonishingly authentic, drawing us so closely into her emotions that often it is hard to suppress the laughter of recognition. The high points are her telling Rowley the story of her tragic marriage where the director cleverly conceals her from the camera, highlighting the emotion and music in her voice; and the shooting scene where in a similar way, by not showing the gunshot but holding on the terrified Mary, the director allows Kristin to build an almost unbearable intensity of fear.

2001

GOSFORD PARK (Lady Sylvia)

Synopsis:
1930's British murder mystery directed by Robert Altman showing life at a large country mansion and the interactions between the leisured class and their servants. Disappointingly the "mystery" is sidelined and developed only late in the story. The female servants are the main focus of interest, all of whom are very well acted.

Notable for ...
Kristin says this will be absolutely the last time she plays a cold-hearted aristocrat.

LIFE AS A HOUSE (Robin)

Synopsis:
A middle-aged divorced man loses his job and is told he's dying of cancer all in the same week. Forced to reflect on his life, he sets about building the house he always wanted, roping in his rebellious teenage son and then his ex-wife (KST) to help. They all learn to love one another again in the process. A very moving story which remarkably avoids the kind of sentimentality typical of this genre, though marred slightly by the distracting minutia of the son's sex life.

Notable for ...
Kristin plays another American, another blond. Robin's falling in love again with her husband is portrayed completely convincingly, intelligently and with marvellous grace.

PLAY (the lover)

Synopsis:
Samuel Beckett's 15 minute stage play put on film by Anthony Minghella. Three characters -- husband, wife, and husband's lover -- are caught in a hellish afterlife where they endlessly recount the details of their relationship. A tour de force for the actors.

Notable for ...
Kristin dips her toe into the British theatre scene and more than holds her own. Let's hope for more to come.

SCREEN PERFORMANCES NOT IN THE IMDB

"Cela s'appelle l'amour" [France 1989]

"Valentino, I Love You" [France 1991]

TV: "L'Ami d'enfance de Maigret" (Second blond hairdresser) [France, unknown date]

TV: "Blockhaus" [unknown date]

STAGE PERFORMANCES

1983, La Lune déclinante sur 4 ou 5 personnes qui dansent [France, Festival de Semur en Auxois]

1984, Terre étrangère by A. Schnizler [France, Théâtre des Amandiers de Nanterre]

1984, Naïves Hirondelles by R.Dubillard [France, Festival d'Avignon]

1985, Yes, peut-être by Marguerite Duras [France, "in a field in Burgundy"]

2001, Bérénice by Jean Racine [France, Estival de Perpignan and Festival d'Avignon + national tour]

AWARDS

1989 London Evening Standard most promising newcomer (A Handful Of Dust)

1990 Europacinema Festival (Bille en tête)

1990 Cabourg Festival (Bille en tête)

1993 Chicago Film Festival (Body And Soul)

1995 London Evening Standard best actress (Four Weddings And A Funeral)

1995 BAFTA best actress in a supporting role (Four Weddings And A Funeral)

1996 London Evening Standard best actress (Angels And Insects)

Sir Ian McKellen's presentation speech:

"Your royal highness, ladies and gentlemen ... the highest praise that you can give some actors is to say that they are protean, in that each performance looks, sounds and feels different from the previous one; they are the masters and mistresses of impersonation, of disguise. But this year's winner of this award is of another sort: she has the gift of self-revelation. All her performances, it seems to me, are drawn from the well of her own personality and her experience of life. Subtly and luminously, she holds no secrets from the audience, so that whenever the camera leaves her to dwell on another actor we long for it to come back to her. Always impressive and expressive, in close-up as well as longshot. And one of the great joys for me, professionally, this last year has been to work with her [Richard III], and I on the set have been closer to her than any camera, and I still don't know how she does it, how she acts. All I know is that I am an addict for her talent, and the award-givers this year clearly are devotees too, because they are giving her this award two years running. For her performance in Angels And Insects, The Best Actress goes to ... the angelic, Kristin Scott Thomas."

Kristin's acceptance speech:

"I'd like to thank you all very much for giving me this. I'm very proud and very moved to be given this for playing Matty. I think she'd be absolutely horrified to hear me saying this, but I do owe it to four men, one of them being Michael Foster who PESTERED the director to give me the part. The other one being the director, Philip Haas, who directed me brilliantly I think -- did a really very good job. And then there's Paul Brown who designed the costumes and was very strict and gave me some great things to wear. And the last person is my husband, who's ... just a very good husband. Thank you."

1996 National Board of Review, best supporting actress (tied with JB) (The English Patient).

1997 Nominated for Golden Globe, best actress in a dramatic role (The English Patient).

1997 Nominated for Oscar, best actress in a dramatic role (The English Patient).

Notes

Screen timings are fairly accurately measured unless in parenthesis, when they have been roughly estimated.

Video availability is to the best of my knowledge based on Internet suppliers.
"(current)" means not in general distribution but available from some suppliers.
Here is where to get your British PAL, French SECAM or Canadian NTSC videos.

Printed screenplays: the information relates to the country shown in parenthesis.

"The hyphen" indicates whether Kristin is billed as "Scott Thomas" or "Scott-Thomas".

Fanatics like myself may be amused by a few trivial details, such as how frequently she is called upon to dance in her roles. There is also the bewildering recurrences of her character names, the strangest of all being Leda Saint-Gabriel (Spymaker ) and Sister Gabriel (Body and Soul ). Also note the link between The Tenth Man and Richard III .

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