Renee Zellweger (diversity of her range as characters)
Focus Film:
(Source 1) Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) – Sharon Maguire (Director)
I have chosen to use this film as my focus film as it is the film that Renee Zellweger is known for the most. She surprised many people with the role she played in this film; as they thought she wasn't the right person for the main part. Renee Zellweger played a British woman trying to improve herself while she looks for love. The female audience could relate to the character because she was so down to earth.
Related Films:
(Source 2) Miss Potter (2006) – Chris Noonan (Director)
Miss Potter shows off Renee Zellweger's talents in a different way, as this film is based on the true story of Beatrix Potter. It is an insight into the way she can change her acting skills to suit the character she is attempting to be. As the film is based on a true story Renee Zellweger had to try and capture the context of the truth before putting into the film, so that the character 'Miss Potter' wasn't seen as too over the top.
(Source 3) Case 39 (2009) – Christian Alvart (Director)
I decided to use Case 39 as a related film because Renee Zellweger is also a main character in this film, although her performance wasn't seen as ‘good’ as that of hers in Bridget Jones' Diary. Case 39 is a Thriller/Horror which is a different genre of film for Renee altogether. Renee Zellweger normally takes part in either happy or drama type films. Whereas Case 39 is completely out of her comfort zone and shows how she is adaptable as an actress.
Internet Sources
(Source 4)
http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/review/2006/12/29/potter/
I found this source useful as it not only spoke about the film as a whole, it also talks about Renee Zellweger's performance in the film and the fact that she has shown Beatrix Potter in a different way. As she plays Beatrix as if she were older than the young girl she was. It talks about how Zellweger was able to capture Beatrix Potter without being too over the top. The review also mentions how she is able to make a great connection in the film with her co-star Ewan McGregor.
(Source 5)
http://www.emanuellevy.com/comment/case-39-renee-zellweger-is-the-caseworker-3/
I think this is a useful source because it tells us what Renee Zellweger thinks about the film she is taking part in and also how she helped herself get into the character of Emily; the social worker in the film. There is also the point of view of the director as he was casting a strong female actress to play the part of Emily and why he chose Renee Zellweger for the part.
(Source 6)
http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/review/films/bridget-jones-s-diary/1586
This source is the review of the film Bridget Jones Diary. The review talks about how most people thought that giving the lead to an American woman trying to play an English woman wasn’t going to work. However, it then goes on to say how Renee Zellweger managed to pull off the part and make it work. After asking the initial questions on how the film would be bad, the article answers them with the opposite answers, saying that the film was a huge success.
Book Sources
(Source 7) Stars by Richard Dyer
I think this source is useful because it gives you theory about being a movie star. I can then apply the theory to my case study of Renee Zellweger. The book talks about the various critical and theoretical approaches that have caused the phenomenon of stardom.
Newspaper Sources
(Source 8)
The Times article ‘…While studios fear death of the movie star’This source is useful because it tells me how the use of stars in films has changed over time. The article talks about how stars used to be able to charge a lot of money to make a film, but now audiences go to see the technical advances in films rather than the star; meaning they aren’t needed as much. The newer films that are being released are using less known actors and actress’ yet still getting a lot of taking in their first few weeks of release.
