Happy birthday, Sharon Stone!
“Nothing and nobody else matters in Martin Scorsese’s Casino whenever Sharon Stone’s decadent and devastating Ginger McKenna slinks into a frame. Playing a bona fide hustler unhappily betrothed to De Niro’s smitten casino honcho, Stone is the single most striking element in Scorsese’s fact-based Las Vegas crime saga. The actress can take our breath away just by strolling into a room in a beautifully beaded Bob Mackie gown, but she’s also playing a real, anguishing woman to never less than riveting effect. Stone’s voluptuous emotional shadings make us believe every stage of Ginger’s ever-shifting character, whether it be the scam artist with a criminal knowledge to rival any man’s, the codependent lover, the keyed-up addict, or the materialistic housewife itching to get out of her lavish prison at any cost, even if it means offing her husband/jailor with the help of his equally infatuated best friend. Stone never sands down Ginger’s rough edges and her strident, exceptionally physical blow-ups in the film’s final act conjure an intricate and unabating intensity that some critics like to pretend is the exclusive provenance of men in Scorsese’s movies; they’re wrong, and Stone’s superb and rightfully iconic performance is the enduring proof.” — Matthew Eng
The 10 Best Female Film Performances in Martin Scorsese Films
(Source: TribecaFilm.com)
“Interesting things happen when the creative impulse is cultivated with curiosity, freedom, and intensity.”
Saul Bass, the legendary, influential graphic designer and filmmaker, was born today in 1920. Here he is in his studio, as well as nine of his most creative title cards.
Happy Birthday, Sharon Stone!
“Casino, Scorsese’s rote, real-life Las Vegas crime saga, has never been considered Scorsese’s finest hour — or three. That plodding runtime doesn’t help matters, but the film might as well last for an eternity whenever the superb Sharon Stone slinks into a frame or strides into focus. As Robert De Niro’s hungry, hustling criminal wife, Stone is a striking, shapely element within Scorsese’s keyed-up, seventies-styled imagery. She can take your breath away by just strolling into a shot with a beautifully beaded Bob Mackie gown clinging to her skin, but she’s also playing a real and riveting woman: decadent and materialistic, sure, but also edgy, intricate, and emotionally voluptuous. Like all of Scorsese’s women, you can barely take your eyes off her. As if you’d ever want to.” — Matthew Eng
Read more: The 10 Best Female Performances in Martin Scorsese Films
THE 10 BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCES IN MARTIN SCORSESE FILMS
“Sure, Martin Scorsese loves himself a good, three-hour epic about a handsome, larger-than-life white man. But — let’s face it — behind every sad, downward-spiraling man in a Scorsese picture, there’s a crafty, complex, and irresistible woman who’s seamlessly anchoring these masterpieces from the sidelines.”
In honor of Martin Scorsese’s birthday, check out the ten best female performances from Scorsese’s storied filmography.
