Movies starring Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews made her debut on Broadway in 1954 at age 19. Later, she worked in television until 1964 when her first successful movie as protagonist was released: it was Mary Poppins (1964) by 'R. Stevenson' (qv), for which she won an Oscar. In the following years she worked with different directors in various genres (e.g., 'Robert Wise (I)' in Sound of Music, The (1965) and with 'Alfred Hitchcock (I) in Torn Curtain (1966)). In 1969 she married the director 'Blake Edwards' (qv), with whom she also made various movies (e.g., Victor/Victoria (1982)). ...
show all Julie Andrews made her debut on Broadway in 1954 at age 19. Later, she worked in television until 1964 when her first successful movie as protagonist was released: it was Mary Poppins (1964) by 'R. Stevenson' (qv), for which she won an Oscar. In the following years she worked with different directors in various genres (e.g., 'Robert Wise (I)' in Sound of Music, The (1965) and with 'Alfred Hitchcock (I) in Torn Curtain (1966)). In 1969 she married the director 'Blake Edwards' (qv), with whom she also made various movies (e.g., Victor/Victoria (1982)).
hide
|
|
The first two Shrek movies were packed with fairy-tale send-ups and warm humanity, and proved an absolute delight for young and old alike. The third outing shows signs of franchise fatigue as it struggles with a half-baked storyline in which the grumpy green ogre (voiced by Mike Myers) goes in search of a young King Arthur as heir to the throne of Far Far Away. The breathtakingly innovative wit of the earlier films may be lacking, yet there’s still plenty here to enjoy, from Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas’s manic double act as Donkey and Puss-in-Boots to some sly, “Once upon a time” in-jokes. But in keeping with the film’s less certain direction, entertaining scenes of adorably cheeky baby ogres are upstaged by a blandly mirthless human teenager in Artie (Justin Timberlake), who appears to have been brainstormed by marketing department suits eager to extend their audience demographics.
|
|
|
This welcome follow-up is every bit as cute, clever and funny as the original — if less of a surprise, as we expect its technical brilliance this time and are perhaps less dazzled by it. The sequel picks up after the marriage of Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz), and follows their trip to her homeland of Far Far Away. If Fiona’s parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), are shocked to discover she’s an ogre, that’s nothing compared to Harold’s reaction to her new husband. The king wants Fiona to marry the foppish Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), so he hires assassin Puss-in-Boots (marvellously voiced by Antonio Banderas) to kill his new son-in-law. The parodies, pop references, Disney-baiting and Hollywood send-ups (the kingdom of Far Far Away is etched as a medieval Tinseltown) are hilarious — as is Eddie Murphy, who’s on great form as Donkey — and there’s plenty of subtle satire and double entendres for young and old alike to savour.
|
|
|
Despite the regality of the title, this is a downmarket comedy with its box-office intentions very much aimed at the pre-teen market. Julie Andrews projects her usual sweet-faced radiance as Queen Clarisse Renaldi of Genovia — and revives memories of her My Fair Lady on Broadway — in another variation on the Pygmalion story. The Eliza Doolittle character here is San Francisco schoolgirl Mia Thermopolis — played for sympathy rather than understanding by Anne Hathaway — who’s so clumsy that she’s always at the mercy of cheerleader bullies. But when the gauche geek finds out she’s next in line to the throne of a small European country, she receives a royal makeover from her new-found grandmother. As he did with his biggest box-office hit Pretty Woman, director Garry Marshall has a wish-fulfilling romance on his hands, but on this occasion he is too interested in humdrum school scenes rather than the dilemmas of an ugly duckling-made-royal. Thank heavens for a performance of class from Andrews.
|
