A Compelling And Understated Femme Fatale – Lauren Bacall | The Great Acting Blog

“The Look”

I first stumbled upon Lauren Bacall, like so many others, in The Big Sleep, and was bowled over by her striking looks and extraordinary elegance. Her screen persona was complex and fascinating, a mixture of moodiness and vulnerability with an underlying strength. A compelling and understated femme fatale. Her trade-marks were her low voice and “The Look”, which, Bacall says, was developed because the only way she could control her nerves was by dropping her chin onto her chest.

She belonged to the golden era of Hollywood, an era of excellence and grandeur that our generation can only dream about. With her passing, another link to the history of cinema and the history of acting, is severed.

Five years ago, she was awarded an honorary Academy Award for “her central place in the golden age of motion pictures”. An apt summation, I think.

RIP Lauren Bacall. And thank-you for all that you gave to us.

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