Mr. Movie: Remembering Joan Plowright

She was one of the Grand Dames of British entertainment, along with Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins. Joan Plowright lived to the grand old age of 96 and we only recently lost her. Plowright famously married Lawerence Olivier but was never overshadowed by him. She was made a Dame in 2004 (that’s the same as Knighthood for us colonists). She won a Tony for A Taste of Honey. Her movie resume is outstanding.
 

Her first appearance of note came in The Entertainer (1960). It stars Olivier as Archie Rice, a fading music hall entertainer trying to hang on. Plowright is quite good — not as his wife, but as his daughter! During this filming is probably when romance bloomed between the two. They married the next year. Olivier owns the thing, and was nominated for Oscar. It’s one (of many) of his best performances.
 

Uncle Vanya (1963) is one of Chekov’s biggest hits and is still performed quite often around the world. In this version, Olivier not only stars but directs. It is the filmed version of the stage play and critic Harold Hobson said it is “the admitted master achievement in British 20th century theater.” Wow, I guess he liked it! Plowright is on board as Sonya and capably holds up her end. Unfortunately, this version appears almost impossible to find.

As Masha, one of the Three Sisters (1970) in another Chekov masterpiece, Plowright is as good as it gets. She proves she could be good in a bad production. However, Olivier’s direction is simply not up to snuff and the movie suffers. The critics hated it and the audiences weren’t far behind.

Equus (1977) has always been a difficult play — and movie. A disillusioned psychiatrist tries to treat an adolescent boy with terrible problems. The boy has blinded horses that were in his care as a stableboy. His bizarre explanation of the act doesn’t solve much. Peter Firth appears as the boy, Alan Strang, and Plowright is cast as his mother, Dora. Richard Burton portrays the doctor. Burton was nominated for an Oscar as was Firth. Both lost. Peter Shaffer was nominated for his screenplay but also lost. Audiences have wrestled with Equus through the years. Theories abound about its meaning.

Drowning By Numbers (1988) is a grim (!) fairy tale about three women, all of whom drown their husbands. All are named Cissy Colpitts. Plowright is the matriarch of the group. Juliet Stevenson plays her daughter and Joely Richardson portrays her niece. Numbers are central to the plot, with various numbers appearing at random intervals in random places. If this sounds like I don’t understand it, that’s because I don’t. I did think it was pretty good, though!

All of the movies in this article are available for streaming somewhere, probably for a price. All are for grown-ups.