Top 10 Movie Moms
By Sylvie Greil
While warm and fuzzy June Cleaver types may be
welcome in your kitchen cooking in pearls, they are not
as fascinating on screen as these complex characters portrayed
by talented women and guided by directors not afraid to
take a risk. Which one is your "mommie dearest?" |
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Joan Crawford delivers an Oscar-winning
performance in this murder mystery. This was a comeback
for Crawford in the title role as a successful
single mom dealing with an increasingly difficult relationship
with her haughty, demanding daughter. Added bonus: Crawford
(a woman!) does the voiceover—a rarety in the noir genre.
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A true examination of motherhood—as
well as black and white racial issues—this Lana Turner
melodrama has become a cult classic for women. It's director
Douglas Sirk's final film and, though often written off
as a soap-operatic chick flick, it showcases some
of his best work.
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The
marvelous Anna Magnani stars in this Pasolini masterpiece—and revival arthouse favorite—about a
middle-aged former prostitute trying to provide a better
life for her teenage son. Originally banned in Italy for
obscenity, it's Italian neorealism at its best with elements
of tragic opera.
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This piece of tabloid camp—based on
the real-life tell-all by Joan Crawford's adopted daughter—falls
in the "so bad it's good" category. It's a marvelous
role for Faye Dunaway. "No wire hangers!"
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Granted, this film is not really about motherhood. But the choice Sophie (Meryl Streep) is
forced to make as a young mother at Auschwitz permeates
her life on all levels.
This is told in flashback, but she's understandably haunted
by her ensuing
guilt.
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Where some see just a visually disturbing
horror movie, we examine Freud, Fellini and Oedipal
drama. It's that old Hollywood formula: Dad hacks off
Mom's arms, witnessing son agrees to "become"
mom's arms, Mom forces son to kill every woman he desires.
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If
you're still hung up on Almodovar's departure from his
"Women on the Verge" antics, it's time to mature—as
has Almodovar
in this film about a mother who loses her son in a tragic
accident. Subtle can be so sublime.
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Isabelle
Huppert is amazing as a woman trying to emancipate herself
from her claustrophobic mom, with whom she has a bizarre, incestuous relationship.
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To the chagrin of moms with teenage daughters everywhere, this is what precocious teenyboppers do for fun: "Hit
me. I'm serious, I can't feel anything, hit me! Again,
do it harder! I can't feel anything, this is awesome." Holly
Hunter as Tracy's tortured Mom is awesome.
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A widow (Anne Reid) in her sixties begins
an affair with a handyman half her age. The problem is her
daughter is the other player in this love triangle. A bit
literary and precious, this film reminds
us of a perhaps uncomfortable truth: senior citizens have sex and live complex lives. Better get used
to the idea.
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(Updated:
04/15/08 LH) |
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