I discovered Emily Watson a long time ago. By
that time I wasn´t acquainted with Lars Von Trier and the kind of films that he
made but I watched Breaking the Waves
because my friends and I were eager to watch any film in English which could
help us to improve our command of the language. We got together in a cultural
centre where you could either have a pint or coffee and a piece of cake but,
above all, you could have a chat and you could go to the cinema. Most of the
films that were on were non-commercial ones and very often, they were films
from non- English speaking countries which you could watch with English
subtitles.
Breaking the Waves struck me as being an unusual film:
unsettling but full of an uncontrollable energy embodied by Emily Watson, a
stage actress who was cast in the role of Beth McNeill because
Helena Bonham-Carter had rejected it. Since then Emily Watson has continued
working in very different types of films but apparently it came as a surprise
that she was chosen to be presented with the Donostia Award of the 63rd
edition of the San Sebastián International Film Festival. As the director of
the festival – José Luis Rebordinos – explained, Emily Watson is just an
actress, not a film star and that´s why she has been awarded this year´s
life-achievement prize. The worth of an actor´s work shouldn´t be measured in
terms of fame, prestige or glamour even if we tend to do so; therefore, the
fact that this year´s film festival has drawn its attention to an actress who
may not have hogged the limelight as much as others is their way of telling us
that good work – in the long run – is rewarded.
Are you
familiar with Emily Watson´s career? Do you know any of her films? Her latest
film was premiered at the Venice Film Festival, do you know the title of the
film?
