13 best movies starring the incomparable Helena Bonham Carter

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The queen of unusual roles turns 55.

The inimitable Helena Bonham Carter began as the "queen of corsets", brilliantly playing the roles of the heroines of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Helena later became famous as the muse of Tim Burton. The characters played by the actress during this period are peculiar and quirky. In total, Bonham Carter starred in seven films of her talented husband, not counting the voice acting for Corpse Bride.

The unofficial marriage of Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton lasted for 13 years. It is difficult to imagine a more suitable pair. But all good things come to an end. And in 2014, the actress and director announced their separation - to the great sadness of fans of everything creative and unusual.

1. Room with a view

• Great Britain, 1986.
• Melodrama, drama.
• Duration: 116 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

Helena Bonham Carter's first notable appearance on the screens was the role of the young Lucy Honeychurch in the film adaptation of the novel by Edward Morgan Forster. Raised in the best traditions of her time, the girl travels around Italy, accompanied by a strict elderly cousin Charlotte Bartlett (by the way, she was played by the magnificent Maggie Smith).

During the trip, Lucy falls in love with the brooding dreamer George Emerson, completely forgetting that a much more "suitable" groom is waiting for her in England.

The tape received as many as eight Oscar nominations, took three statuettes and became an acting breakthrough for Helena.

2. Howards End

• UK, Japan, USA, 1992.
• Drama.
• Duration: 142 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

Another film adaptation of the work of Edward Morgan Forster in the piggy bank of Helena Bonham Carter, which won three Oscars and a prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

The action takes place in England at the beginning of the 20th century. In the center of the story are three closely related families, in fact embodying various social groups: the old aristocracy, the enlightened bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The main question that the film is trying to answer is: why are representatives of different social classes unable to understand each other? At the same time, the mysterious Howards End manor, passing from hand to hand, is presented as a metaphor for Great Britain.

Helen Schlegel, played by Bonham Carter, is the complete opposite of the wealthy, cynical, calculating and narrow-minded Wiggins family. Regardless of the circumstances, this well-read girl remains true to her high moral principles.

3. Dove wings

• UK, USA, 1997.
• Drama.
• Duration: 102 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

And again, Helena plays a young English woman from high society. This time she embodied the image of Kate Croy from the novel by American writer Henry James.

The main character lives with an elderly domineering aunt who dreams of marrying her niece for a wealthy aristocrat as soon as possible. However, Kate is already in love with the simple journalist Merton Densher. The situation escalates when a new friend appears in the girl's life - a young, rich and terminally ill American Millie Teal.

Helena Bonham Carter won an Oscar nomination for her performance. But the award then went to Helen Hunt for her role in the romantic melodrama "It Can't Be Better", where Jack Nicholson also played.

4. Fight club

• USA, 1999.
• Drama, psychological thriller.
• Duration: 139 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 8.

The main character - an unnamed narrator played by Edward Norton - is mortally tired of the hopeless philistine existence. Together with his new buddy Tyler Durden, he organizes an underground fight club in protest against the consumer society.

Helena Bonham Carter surprised everyone by unexpectedly changing her role as the "queen of corsets". The actress played the only female character in Fight Club - the eccentric femme fatale Marla Singer. This heroine becomes a kind of stimulus for the hero, prompting him to abandon the bourgeois existence and choose a completely different life, full of dangers.

5. Large fish

• USA, 2003.
• Fantastic tragicomedy.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Film based on Daniel Wallace's bestseller Big Fish. A Novel of Mythological Proportions”tells the story of the incredible life of the itinerant merchant Edward Bloom. His son Will has not spoken to his father for many years, as he considers him a liar, unable to take care of the family.

When Edward is about to die, Will returns to his parental home. The question is whether the son will be able to rethink his attitude towards the dying father and his stories.

In this colorful freak show, Helena played a woman named Jenny, who has been unrequitedly in love with Edward since childhood. In fact, the actress had to portray three characters: young and old Jenny, as well as a witch.

Helena Bonham Carter met director Tim Burton on the set of Planet of the Apes. They quickly converged, and by the time of filming "Big Fish" the actress was already pregnant. Nevertheless, she steadfastly endured all the inconveniences associated with many hours of applying makeup.

6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

• USA, UK, 2005.
• Musical, comedy, fantasy, adventure.
• Duration: 115 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

The adaptation of the novel of the same name by Roald Dahl tells about the adventures in all respects of the wonderful boy Charlie Bucket. By chance, the main character gets the coveted ticket, which gives the opportunity, together with four lucky ones, to get to a closed chocolate factory. Its owner, the extravagant and eccentric Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp), promises that at the end one of the children will receive a special prize.

Bonham Carter appeared in the film in a small, but, as always, vivid role: she played Charlie's mother, the gentle and caring Mrs. Bucket. Despite the fact that her husband is fired from his job, she does not reproach him with failures, but supports him in every possible way.

7. Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet Street

• USA, UK, 2007.
• Musical, thriller, drama, horror.
• Duration: 117 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

A gothic story about a creepy serial killer Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), who took the sonorous name of Sweeney Todd. Together with his assistant Mrs. Lovett (Helen Bonham Carter), the protagonist opens a barber shop in the hope of revenge on Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). Only this barber shop is not at all simple: instead of shaving and cutting his guests' hair, Sweeney Todd cuts their throats.

Meanwhile, the heroine of Helena Bonham Carter helps her beloved accomplice to get rid of corpses in a very original way - by making minced meat for pies out of former clients. Which, by the way, are very popular among buyers.

In Sweeney Todd, the actress not only plays beautifully, but also sings superbly. Helena said that the individual vocals scenes were particularly challenging because they required both singing and cooking at the same time.

8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

• UK, USA, 2007.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 138 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

The fifth year of studying at the school of magic turned out to be completely unhappy for the young wizard Harry (Daniel Radcliffe): the shadow of Lord Voldemort, who returned from oblivion, hung over the heroes. And at Hogwarts, a new teacher rampaged - the evil Dolores Umbridge.

The Harry Potter franchise presented viewers with one of the most memorable images of Helena Bonham Carter - the bloodthirsty witch Bellatrix Lestrange. Her trademark attributes are an insane look, disheveled hair, genuine loyalty to the Dark Lord and a willingness to kill anyone, anywhere, anytime.

9. The King Speaks

• UK, Australia, 2010.
• Historical drama.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

The historical tragicomedy directed by Tom Hooper, who directed the musical Les Miserables and the acclaimed Danish Girl, is based on real events. In the center of the plot is the story of how the British monarch George VI is trying to get rid of stuttering with the help of the famous speech therapist Lionel Log.

For the first time in her career, Helena Bonham Carter played a real person - Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon of England. The actress won her second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but lost to Melissa Leo, who performed well in The Fighter.

It is worth noting that Helene is lucky to play the role of royals. For example, in the third season of the hit Netflix drama series The Crown, the actress will play Princess Margaret, the younger sister of the reigning Queen Elizabeth II.

10. Alice in Wonderland

• USA, 2010.
• Fantasy, adventure.
• Duration: 109 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 5.

In his striking blockbuster adventure, Tim Burton offers a new perspective on the universe created by the English storyteller Lewis Carroll. Instead of accepting the marriage proposal from the nasty rich Hamish, the matured Alice runs after the white rabbit and again finds herself in Wonderland. There, the heroine is in for an unpleasant surprise: it turns out that the evil Red Queen has seized power in the country. Alice herself is the chosen one and can save everyone.

Helena Bonham Carter played the main villain - the Red Queen. In Burton's version, this character got the name - Iratsibeta. I must say that the heroine appears even more unpleasant than in the fairy tale by Lewis Carroll. This is a jealous, quarrelsome and cruel person who, without the slightest remorse of conscience, is capable not only of executing a servant caught on sheer nonsense, but also of unleashing a bloody war.

11. Great hopes

• UK, USA, 2012.
• Drama.
• Duration: 128 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

The film adaptation of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations tells the story of a young orphan named Pip. He is looked after by a cruel sister who often hits and insults his brother. However, the life of the protagonist changes abruptly when he helps an escaped convict to free himself from his shackles.

Helena Bonham Carter plays the key character - the eccentric Miss Havisham, one of the most famous and colorful characters created by Dickens.

12. Suffragette

• UK, 2015.
• Historical drama.
• Duration: 106 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

The film is set in the late 19th century in Great Britain, when women sacrificed everything in the struggle for suffrage. The central character of this story is the simple washerwoman Maud Watts, played by Carey Mulligan. At first, she is skeptical of the revolutionary ideas of the suffragettes, but she completely changes her mind when she is separated from her child.

Helena Bonham Carter plays Edith Ellen, a desperate suffragist who knows exactly what she's fighting for. She directs all the operations of the movement, even under the threat of imminent punishment.

13.8 Ocean's friends

• USA, 2018.
• Comedy, crime.
• Duration: 110 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 2.

The spin-off of the cult film Ocean's Eleven tells about the perfect heist that the main character Debbie Ocean, played by Sandra Bullock, has been developing for several years. Seven accomplices, each of whom is unique in its own way, will help her in the implementation of this crazy plan.

Helena Bonham Carter played the eccentric Rose Vile, a bankrupt designer. Moreover, it was not difficult for the actress to portray such an extravagant character. The fact is that Helena dresses very strangely in real life. The actress even jokingly calls herself the Antichrist of fashion.