Greta Scacchi Movies
The daughter of an English dancer and an Italian painter, Greta Scacchi was born in Milan, Italy, though she was primarily raised in London. Around the age of 15, Scacchi moved with her family to Australia, where she held a series of odd jobs; among the most unique were cowgirl and Italian interpreter. Two years later, Scacchi moved back to London in hopes of establishing an acting career for herself. Her first step was training at the prestigious Old Vic Theatre, to the displeasure of her father, who, by that point, had become estranged from the family. Before long, Scacchi began appearing in small stage productions and commercials, which were enough to snare the attention of filmmaker Dominik Graf, who cast her in the 1982 German thriller Das Zweite Gesicht. Scacchi learned to speak German strictly for the role.For nearly eight years, Scacchi performed almost exclusively for British stage and television productions, though, particularly after her 1984 portrayal of the title role in the TV-movie version of Camille, she was slowly building a fan following within the U.S. It was her role in a modernized Chekhov play, however, that would earn her attention from Hollywood. Her first American film was Presumed Innocent (1990), in which she portrayed the seductive attorney whose liaison with the married Harrison Ford precipitates her rather nasty murder. Two years later, Scacchi could be found at her seductive best opposite Tim Robbins in director Robert Altman's showbiz comedy The Player; she would star in a similarly themed film 11 years later (Henry Jaglom's Festival in Cannes).
Despite her success on the big screen, Scacchi continued her work on television rather than pursuing a full-time film career, partly because it provided more opportunities to perform in classic roles -- in addition to co-starring in productions of Macbeth and The Odyssey, the young actress won an Emmy for her performance alongside Ian McKellen and Alan Rickman in Rasputin (1996). Her film roles were generally met with praise; in Emma (1996), Scacchi was held in very high esteem by both critics and co-star Gwyneth Paltrow, though her most significant role came in the film The Red Violin (1998). The Canadian-Italian production was a surprise success, and Scacchi's portrayal of a novelist embroiled in an affair with a British composer (Jason Flemyng) certainly contributed to film's numerous Genie awards (a highly prestigious Canadian film honor) and its Golden Globe win for Best Foreign Film. In 1999, Scacchi appeared in a unique film that took place entirely inside a women's bathroom (the aptly titled Ladies Room), which also featured Lorraine Bracco and John Malkovich. Scacchi continued her international acting career in 2004, when she starred in both Baltic Storm and Sotto Falso Nome. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Acclaimed actress Isabelle Huppert stars in this downbeat tale of a suicidal mental patient trapped in an endless maze of despair following the death of her only child. Initially raised in an acrid household, later locked into a dicey marriage, and ultimately saddled with a daughter she never wanted, Danielle attempts to take her own life multiple times before doctors are left with no other choice than to lock her away for the sake of her own safety. Not even sympathetic psychiatrist Dr. Neilson (Greta Scacchi) seems able to break through to the stoic patient whose hollow gaze that hints that any hope for salvation has long been lost. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Huppert, Greta Scacchi, (more)
- 2007
Screen legend Isabelle Huppert (La Dentellière, Les Soeurs Brontë) headlines acclaimed director Alessandro Capone's gently-spun yet intransigent psychodrama L'Amour caché (2007). Huppert plays Danielle, a middle-aged woman rebounding from the trauma of an unsuccessful suicide attempt, and wrestling resolutely with the inner demons that propelled her into that tragic emotional state. Greta Scacchi (White Mischief) co-stars as Dr. Nielsen, the psychiatrist assigned to guide Danielle through therapy and recovery. Though the patient initially presents herself as unwilling to vocalize, in time she picks up a pen and attempts to write, letting the words flow out of her, cathartically, onto paper. It becomes apparent to both doctor and subject that the source of Danielle's trauma lies in her dysfunctional, estranged relationship with her daughter, Sophie (Mélanie Laurent) - now a contented, healthy wife and mother with a husband and a small child of her own - and that Danielle herself caused the schism by allowing irrational feelings of jealousy and inadequacy to separate her from Sophie. Danielle soon realizes that if she is to make any progress on emotional and psychological levels, she and Sophie must work through the immense obstacle of anger that divides them. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Huppert, Greta Scacchi, (more)
- 2007
An outwardly confident but unmarried woman on the verge of her fortieth birthday reflects on her past suitors and the choices she once made while attempting to help her marriage minded niece choose between a number of potential suitors in this tale inspired by the life and letters of Jane Austen. Jane Austen (Olivia Williams) is about to turn forty, but she still hasn't found her ideal man. When Jane is approached by her niece Fanny (Imogen Poots) and asked to help select the perfect husband for the young girl, the ageing spinster begins to wonder why it is that she never found a man to share her own life with. Perhaps if Jane had accepted the proposal of a wealthy landowner she could have saved her family from financial ruin, and what of the handsome young physician who once warmed to Jane after tending to her ailing family members? In this speculative tale, director Jeremy Lovering and screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes ponder the potential reasons why the real Jane Austen never found her own Mr. Darcy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots, (more)
Sideways star Thomas Hayden Church appears alongside Academy Award-winner Robert Duvall in a dramatic mini-series shot in the classic western tradition. The year is 1897. As Print Ritter (Duvall) and his estranged nephew Tom Harte (Church) travel the slow road to reconciliation, they reluctantly find themselves forced to care for five abused and abandoned Chinese immigrants while simultaneously attempting to deliver a herd of horses across the plains. Soon confronted by a gang of malevolent kidnappers who intend to abduct the girls and use them for the own nefarious purposes, Print and Tom determine to keep their young charges out of harms way while ensuring that their valuable delivery reaches its intended destination. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, Thomas Haden Church, (more)
A talented dancer who was abducted and tortured by three mysterious women struggles to come to grips with his harrowing experience in director Ana Kokkinos' adaptation of Rupert Thompson's unsettling novel. A beautiful and charismatic dancer who has immersed himself in a dream world of graceful movement, Daniel (Tom Long) maintains an amiable but somewhat detached relationship with his girlfriend, and a passionate relationship with his mentor and choreographer Isabel (Greta Scacci). When Daniel ventures out for cigarettes one day and doesn't return, the women in his life are devastated. Upon returning without explanation eleven days later, the profoundly shaken Daniel is unable to articulate his experience and loses his ability to dance. To make matters worse, Daniel is unable to engage emotionally with even the people who were closest to him before the strange incident. Now, in order to reclaim his identity by confronting his abductors, Daniel sets out to find the three women with only his memories of the ambient sounds that flowed into his window to guide him. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Long, Greta Scacchi, (more)
In an era when at-sea disasters have grown increasingly rare thanks to "foolproof" naval technology, the September 28, 1994 wreck of the ferry boat M/S Estonia raised more than a few eyebrows. En route from Talinn to Stockholm, via the Baltic Sea, the craft capsized and 852 civilians never reached their destination. In recounting this tale cinematically, writer-director Reuben Leder (brother of Mimi "Deep Impact" Leder) adapted German reporter Jutta Rabe's conspiracy thriller about the event. The picture - like its source - suggests that classified weapons were being smuggled on board the vessel, and that Russia - after learning of this secret - deliberately torpedoed the craft. The picture recalls Costa-Gavras's Z, Alan Pakula's The Parallax View, and other conspiracy thrillers by unfurling most of its story after the fatalistic event; in the vein of those earlier films, it has a suspicious character (here Jurgen Prochnow, as accident survivor and Swedish attorney Erik Westermark) teaming up with investigative reporter Julia Reuter (Greta Scacchi) to determine the truth behind the inferred political cover-ups. Screen vet Donald Sutherland co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Scacchi, Jürgen Prochnow, (more)
Produced for British television, Daniel Deronda was adapted from George Eliot's final novel, written in 1874 (and first filmed in 1921). As was her habit, Eliot laid bare the hypocrisy and venality of Victorian-era "class culture," at the same time admitting that a certain amount of conformity was necessary if one hoped to survive in a world where nonconformity was not only looked down upon but actively suppressed. Essentially, both the novel and the TV presentation are comprised of two separate stories, linked together by the titular Daniel Deronda (Hugh Dancy), a young man of Jewish heritage. In the main narrative, Daniel is attracted to the spoiled, headstrong Gwendolen Harleth (Romola Garai), who is reluctantly poised to enter into a marriage of convenience with the wealthy, snobbish, and intensely anti-Semitic Henleigh Grancourt (Hugh Bonneville). This romantic intrigue is played against the curious relationship between Daniel and the Zionist visionary Mordecai (Daniel Evans), who tirelessly proselytizes in favor of a permanent homeland for the Jewish people. Things come to a head when Daniel finds himself falling in love with Mordecai's sister Mirah (Jodhi May). Originally telecast in three parts on the BBC beginning December 7, 2002, Daniel Deronda was re-edited as a two-parter for the PBS anthology Masterpiece Theatre, where it first aired on March 30, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
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Home Vision Cinema presents Christmas Glory From Westminster. This program features poetry and music from celebrities from the worlds of film and opera. Readings include Greta Scacchi reciting William Blake's The Lamb and Joan Plowright reading Kipling's Eddie's Service, while the performances feature Charlotte Church singing Stephen Adams' "The Holy City" and Andrea Bocelli performing "Mille Cherubini in Coro." Released in 2000 and running one hour, Christmas Glory From Westminster also features Bryn Terfel and Trevor McDonald. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2000
The troubled career of blacklisted director Herbert Biberman, who endured a considerable struggle to make the 1954 pro-Labor film Salt of the Earth, provides the centerpiece for this historical drama. The film opens at the 1937 Academy Awards, where Biberman's wife, Gale Sondergaard (Greta Scacchi), wins the first ever "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar. Although the anti-Fascist sentiment in her acceptance speech gets her labeled a "commie" by some observers, she and Biberman (played here by Jeff Goldblum) are placed under contract at Warner Bros. Ten years later, with Cold War paranoia growing, a group of predominantly Jewish Hollywood directors -- Biberman, Sondergaard, Danny Kaye, and Dalton Trumbo among them -- are labeled Communists and questioned before Congress. Refusing to name names, Biberman is thrown in prison for six months; his wife's similar refusal to testify severely threatened her career as well. After his release from prison, Biberman, no longer able to work in Hollywood, strikes out on his own with other blacklistees, producer Paul Jarrico (John Sessions) and writer Michael Wilson (Geraint Wyn Davies), to make Salt of the Earth. Biberman's production is far from easy, however, as it comes under attack from both the FBI and redneck vigilantes. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Goldblum, Greta Scacchi, (more)
- 2000
A teenage girl confronts the crises of growing up -- some typical, some unusual -- in this drama. Josie (Pia Miranda) is the 17-year-old daughter of Christina Alibrandi (Greta Scacchi), a single mother and member of a large extended family of Sicilian immigrants living in Sydney, Australia. While Josie loves her mother, she's grown weary of her strict family, especially her grandmother Nonna Katia (Elena Cotta). The fact that her relatives still have issues with Christina raising her child out of wedlock hasn't made Josie's life any easier. A good student, Josie has earned a scholarship at a top private school, where she has to deal with Carly (Leeanna Walsman), a racist who often taunts Josie for her Sicilian heritage. Josie is also suffering from the tribulations of teenage romance, as she finds herself attracted to both clean-cut John (Matthew Newton) and working class Jacob (Kick Gurry). Meanwhile, the house is abuzz over a visit from Michael (Anthony LaPaglia), who Josie soon learns is Christina's old flame -- and her father. Looking for Alibrandi was based on a novel for young people by Melina Marchetta, which was a major best-seller in Australia. Marchetta also wrote the screenplay for this film adaptation. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Graeme Blundell
- 1999
John Malkovich and Lorraine Bracco star in this offbeat drama set in women's restrooms. The first half of the film tells of three actresses forced to prepare for their performance in the same bathroom because their dressing rooms are flooded. Veteran actress Gemma (Bracco) is stunned by the anger and pessimism of her younger counterpart. In the second half, Italian Lauren (Veronica Ferres) goes to the opera with her lover Roberto (Malkovich) only to learn his true nature when she runs into his pregnant wife in the ladies room. Ladies Room was screened at the 1999 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Malkovich, Lorraine Bracco, (more)
A drama of romantic obsession turned violent, Love and Rage was inspired by a true story and partially filmed in the home where the actual events occurred. James Lynchahaun (Daniel Craig) works at the estate of Agnes MacDonnell (Greta Scacchi), a wealthy woman who considers her privacy important but shows flashes of a high-spirited nature among those she trusts. When James discovers that a local land agent has been cheating Agnes, he shares the information with her. She's grateful to him and they get to know each other a bit better, leading in time to a romantic relationship. James soon begins displaying a rather unusual bent, appearing at the estate in disguise and meeting Agnes dressed as a priest. Agnes doesn't appear to mind this -- at times, she actively welcomes it -- yet what starts as erotic play-acting grows into something more sinister, and in time James's actions become less amusing and more threatening. In addition to drawing from real-life events, director Cathal Black and screenwriter Brian Lynch adapted their story from the novel The Playboy and the Yellow Lady by James Carney. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Scacchi, Daniel Craig, (more)
- 1997
William Shakespeare's famous "Scottish play" gets a new and updated look in this version produced for British television. Macbeth (Sean Pertwee), a brave and bloodthirsty man, has aspirations to political power, and at the urgings of his wife (Greta Scacchi), Macbeth murders Duncan (Philip Madoc) in hopes that this will help ease his way to being crowned King. While Macbeth does win the crown, his gruesome path to leadership comes back to haunt him. Director Michael Bogdanov and producer Sue Pritchard set Shakespeare's historical tragedy against the backdrop of a decaying industrial metropolis, with the characters wearing modern dress that suggests modern-day intrigue among genteel criminals, rather than warring factions in 11th century Scotland. Macbeth was a co-production of the English Shakespeare Company and the British television network Channel 4. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Pertwee, Greta Scacchi, (more)
Haughty and vain British industrialist Thomas Smithers (Pete Postlethwaite) dearly loves his wife Juliana (Greta Sacchi). Since they only have a daughter (Carmen Chaplin), and a strange one at that, Smithers decides that rather than leaving his fortune to his wife and child, he will build a fabulous garden to honor Julianna, who unfortunately, cares little for such things. Hearing of Smithers's plans, Julianna's conniving cousin Fitzmaurice (Richard E. Grant), who has secretly wanted her for himself, suggests that Smithers hire hot young Dutch garden architect Meneer Chrome (Ewan McGregor) to do the work. Chrome's work does not come cheap, but that is fine with Fitzmaurice who is hoping that the project will bankrupt Smithers and cause Julianna to return to him. Unfortunately for Fitzmaurice, Julianna finds herself falling in love with Chrome. Unfortunately for Julianna, Chrome has fallen in love with her daughter Thea. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ewan McGregor, Greta Scacchi, (more)
Utilizing an exceptional international all-star cast and excellent special effects, Hallmark entertainment and American Zoetrope productions created this fun-filled adaptation of Homer's most-famous epic poem. It was originally broadcast as a four-hour miniseries on the NBC network. The story faithfully chronicles the many adventures of sailor Odysseus (Armand Assante), his colorful crew as they encounter a variety of mythical figures, including Odysseus's spiritual guide Athena (Isabella Rossellini), the seductive Calypso (Vanessa Williams) and the treacherous Eurymachus (Eric Roberts). Highlights include the Trojan Horse (made to original scale and filmed on location in the ruins of Troy) sequence. Much of the miniseries was filmed in Europe and on the Mediterranean, making it a feast for the eye. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, (more)
- 1988
The loves and lives of three sisters provides the basis of this melodrama. The eldest is intelligent and very aware of life's ticking clock. The middle sister lives on emotions, while the youngest is an idealistic, impassioned pre-med student. The story is loosely based on Chekhov's play Three Sisters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fanny Ardant, Greta Scacchi, (more)
- 1988
Angela (Greta Scacchi) is an Italian woman in Italy to attend her father's funeral in Sicily in this romantic drama. She meets the teenage Salvo (Luca Orlandini) when he jumps aboard the ferryboat and into her car. Salvo claims he is being chased by drug kingpins, and Angela wavers on believing his story. Her mood soon softens as Salvo shows romantic interest in the slightly older woman. When Angela and an American serviceman start to become chummy, Salvo shows his jealous colors. Musician Tim Finn (Split Enz, Crowded House) makes an acting appearance as Steve in this low-budget but well-crafted feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Scacchi, Lucas Orlandini, (more)
- 1986
In one of his last film appearances, Laurence Olivier portrays an elderly painter who has locked himself away from the world in a crumbling French chateau. Olivier is not quite a hermit; he enjoys the attentions of two nubile admirers, played by Greta Scacchi and Toyah Willcox. This situation is disturbed by the arrival of young transient Roger Rees. Ebony Tower was based on a novel by John Fowles, who has made a career of creating enigmatic characters trapped in prisons of their own making. The film was originally produced for British television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Alexandre Dumas fis first dramatized his own novel La Dame aux Camelias in 1852. Before the century was out, the work had been transformed by Giuseppe Verdi into the opera La Traviata; before the next century was out, the Dumas book had been made into no fewer than 25 films. The 1984 TV-movie adaptation, titled Camille like most of the others (including the first film, way back in 1907), stars Greta Schacchi as Marguerite, the popular Parisian courtesan who is wooed by innocent young Armand (Colin Firth). She is willing to give up her libertine lifestyle for Armand, but is gently convinced by the boy's father (John Gielgud) that such a union would be impossible. She renounces Armand, but he returns to her side, just as she is dying of consumption. Blanche Hanalis' adaptation of the Dumas novel takes a franker approach to the subject matter than the more familiar 1937 filmization with that other Greta (Garbo), and also manages to insert a soupcon of feminism. Filmed in Paris, the 1984 Camille was originally offered as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Scacchi, Colin Firth, (more)
- 1983
Dr. Fischer (James Mason) is a cynical tycoon whose favorite past time is exposing human greed. Determined to prove that even the most righteous person can be bought, Fischer (Bates) plans a party with a strange and diabolical twist. The party favors contain one of two things--one million dollars cash, or a bomb designed to blow the "gift" recipient into tiny pieces. His guests go through a strange, emotional journey, ultimately deciding if they are willing to trade their dignity and risk their lives for the possibility of wealth. Directed by Michael Lindsey-Hogg, Dr. Fischer of Geneva also features Alan Bates and Greta Scacchi. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Bates, James Mason, (more)
- 1983
When a pay cut sends Australian dock workers on strike, a group of Italian immigrants are hired to take their place, causing much resentment and hatred on both sides. However, when an Italian woman and an Australian man start up a passionate affair, they discover that they must work to preserve their relationship and stay true to their fellow countrymen. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Two women, related but separated by one generation and 60 years, have parallel experiences in the evocative mystical environment of India in this period drama from producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Although a little slow-paced for some, and slightly confusing because the stories of the two women are intercut, the scenery and script evoke a time and place that mesmerize. Based on the 1975 novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, a long-time collaborator in Merchant-Ivory Productions, the story begins with Ann (Julie Christie) who discovers some letters written by her grandfather's first wife Olivia (Greta Scacchi) that open up a whole new world as Ann travels to India to continue researching her grandmother's past. The letters reveal that when she was young, the free-spirited grandmother fell in love with an Indian nobleman (Shashi Kapoor) and left her husband -- an administrator in the British colonial government -- for her lover. After Ann arrives in India, her life and the modern rush of cars and people are played off against flashbacks to Olivia's life in a colonial setting. When the environment of each woman is compared and the nature of their momentous decisions placed side-by-side, their rites of passage and the society that dominated their choices stand out in high relief. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala won "Best Adapted Screenplay" at the 1983 British Academy Awards for her script of Heat And Dust. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Christie, Christopher Cazenove, (more)
- 1982
A young woman who works in a bookstore has been terrified by nightmares about having committed suicide in a past lifetime, combined with a sense of deja vu regarding a specific apartment building. When she meets a young man who works in an optical company, whether she knows it or not, she is that much closer to the truth about her visions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Schuecke, Greta Scacchi, (more)
