Helen Mirren names her favourite movie of all time
British cinema would look a whole lot different had it not been for the contributions of the esteemed actor Helen Mirren, the star of such iconic classics as Gosford Park, The Queen and The Long Good Friday. Rubbing shoulders with such icons of the 1980s as Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Harrison Ford, Tim Roth and the late Michael Gambon, Mirren is undoubtedly an icon of late 20th-century cinema.
Rising to prominence in the early 1980s after success with such movies as O Lucky Man! and Hamlet, Mirren found considerable fame in the Bafta-nominated Long Good Friday and the fantasy flick Excalibur, which got the decade off to a fine start. Such success led Mirren to roles in higher places, starring opposite Harrison Ford in Peter Weir’s Mosquito Coast before appearing in the celebrated ‘Eat the Rich’ classic The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover in 1989.
Where for many of her peers, whose careers slowed down towards the coming of the new millennium and a new wave of emerging movie stars, Mirren continued to operate at the height of the industry, taking roles with such filmmakers as Paul Schrader, Sidney Lumet and Brenda Chapman in the 1990s. As a result, she remains a key fixture of contemporary cinema, having built a fanbase of young and old alike.
Speaking to the American Film Institute (AFI), Mirren thrilled fans by providing some insight into her own personal movie tastes, exclaiming her love for one specific classic of early cinema.
“My favourite is L’Atalante, the French film,” she outright stated, “which I think is an absolutely beautiful film. I love The Baker’s Wife as well, possibly my second favourite film”.
Released back in 1934, the movie, directed by the great Jean Vigo, tells the story of a newly married couple who struggle to set the foundations of their newfound status whilst onboard the L’atalante ship. Based on a concept conjured by Jean Guinée, Vigo’s film is often considered to be a classic romance of early cinema featuring quality leading performances from Dita Parlo and Jean Dasté.
Elsewhere, whilst she doesn’t say the film is her outright favourite, Mirren feels it necessary to bring up the 1938 movie The Baker’s Wife, another French classic, this time helmed by Marcel Pagnol, a director better known for penning the iconic book Jean de Florette. The 1938 comedy tells the story of a small village that invites a new baker into their community, only for him to cause considerable conflict.
Take a look at Mirren discussing her all-time favourite movies below.
