Faye Dunaway and iconic films
Faye Dunaway is one of America’s leading film stars. She reached the peak of her popularity in the 1970s, when, after her iconic role in Bonnie and Clyde, she became an icon of mysterious, somewhat dangerous and independent femininity with extraordinary charisma. In 1997, she was ranked 65th among the 100 greatest stars of all time by Empire magazine. Born in Florida in 1941, Dorothy Faye Dunaway was the daughter of a military officer, which meant that the whole family moved frequently. She studied at universities in Florida and Boston. She began her career at the Lincoln Center Repertory Theater in New York and on Broadway. She made her film debut in Otto Preminger’s drama “Dangerous Passage”.
Her awards include an Oscar, three Golden Globes, and a BAFTA. She also worked behind the camera and took part in television productions. She was married twice: to composer Peter Wolf and photographer Terry O’Neill, with whom she has a son. Her great love was Marcello Mastroianni, whom she met on the set of the 1968 film “The Lovers.” Faye Dunaway’s original beauty, as well as her extraordinary film personality and her own vision of acting, paved her way to the top of Hollywood. Over the years, however, she was considered difficult to work with and demanding on set. Here is a selection of 10 outstanding roles played by this star.
Faye Dunaway’s best roles
1. ”Bonnie and Clyde” (1967)
Without a doubt, Faye Dunaway’s most famous role is her performance in Arthur Penn’s movie. It is a story based on the true criminal activities of a couple who carried out a series of high-profile bank robberies in the 1930s: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Part of the American New Wave movement, the film referenced classic gangster cinema, but was imbued with the spirit of countercultural rebellion. The main characters were not subjected to moral judgment, but were endowed with charisma and legend. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty create a fascinating duo of beautiful characters in elegant outfits who “don’t like banks” because they rob the poor. The slogan advertising Bonnie and Clyde was: “They’re young, they’re in love, and they kill people.”
Faye Dunaway received her first Oscar nomination for her role as Bonnie. She managed to create a portrait of an attractive woman surrounded by an aura of mystery, who wants to change her boring life and gain true independence. The image of Bonnie became a cult motif of 1970s iconography. The retro costumes designed by Theadora van Runkle inspired the fashion world, and Faye Dunaway’s hairstyle – her blonde hair with bangs cut into a bob – remains a symbol of classicism and elegance to this day.
Operating outside the law gives the characters an intoxicating sense of freedom, but leads to bloodshed. Bonnie constantly senses that death is hot on their heels and wants to live on in the legend created by her poem sent to newspapers:
“Some day they’ll go down together
they’ll bury them side by side.
To few it’ll be grief,
to the law a relief
but it’s death for Bonnie and Clyde.”
2. ”The Thomas Crown Affair”, 1968
After her huge success, Faye Dunaway starred in several films classified as “heist movies,” partnering with big stars. One of these films was “The Thomas Crown Affair”, directed by Norman Jewison. The actress starred alongside Steve McQueen, who played a millionaire planning a bank robbery as an act of rebellion against the social system. Faye Dunaway played a beautiful detective named Vicky, who, instead of dissuading Thomas Crown from his plan, decides to help him carry it out.
A devastatingly handsome man on the wrong side of the law, a beautiful, intriguing woman, and a sensational plot are a combination that usually results in a box office hit. This was the case with this film, which cemented the actress’s image. The stunning costumes by Theadora van Runkle emphasize the actress’s original beauty and class. This time, the designer opted for charming frills and short skirts. Noel Harrison’s song “The Windmills of Your Mind” from “The Affair…” won an Oscar.
3. ”Little Big Man”, 1970
Arthur Penn’s “Little Big Man” brought Faye Dunaway a completely different role. Set in the Wild West, the film’s main character, Jack Crabb, recounts his fascinating, adventurous life on the border between two worlds: Native Americans and white Americans, from the perspective of a 100-year-old man. Raised by the Cheyenne tribe, the boy grows up learning about Native American culture and customs from the inside. However, fate forces him to return to white civilization more than once.
Faye Dunaway plays Louise Pendrake in Penn’s western, keeping pace with Dustin Hoffman’s sensational performance. Although younger than Hoffman, the actress plays a woman much older than him – his adoptive aunt, whom the young boy finds sexually attractive. Little Big Man is one of the first films in American cinema to expose the cruelty of white Americans towards the indigenous Native American population. What is more, it is also a western allegory, serving as a critical commentary on the Vietnam War that was raging at the time.
4.”Chinatown”, 1974
Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” brought Faye Dunaway another iconic role, which earned her an Oscar nomination. In this retro gangster film set in the 1930s, the actress played the attractive Mrs. Mulwray, wife of a high-ranking engineer managing the city’s drainage system. When her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, Detective Gites (Jack Nicholson) helps Evelyn solve the mystery. As time goes on, the plot thickens and the lives of both characters are in danger.
Polanski’s noir-style thriller is a true cinematic masterpiece. Faye Dunaway perfectly embodies the character inspired by the figure of the femme fatale, embodying a mystery that is as intriguing as it is dangerous. Evelyn’s casual elegance and restraint, as she strolls in front of the camera in classic costumes and flattering veiled hats, mesmerize the viewer as much as Jerry Goldsmith’s unforgettable music.
5. “Three Days of the Condor”, 1975
Among Faye Dunaway’s best roles, one cannot overlook her performance in “Three Days of the Condor,” directed by Sydney Pollack. This outstanding political thriller about the famous Watergate scandal is a showcase for two great cinema personalities: Faye Dunaway and Robert Redford. Joe Turner is an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency. When one afternoon he discovers the dead bodies of all his colleagues in the office, he decides to escape, taking Kathy hostage on the way. The woman soon becomes Joe’s ally.
“Three Days of the Condor” accurately captures the paranoid atmosphere in America after President Richard Nixon’s resignation. Here we have a confused individual colliding with the enormous machinery of the state. Political suspicion and uncertainty also insidiously creep into the private lives of citizens. However, the romantic storyline with an excellent duo in the lead roles works best. Faye Dunaway was rightly nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.
6. ”Network”, 1976
Faye Dunaway’s only Oscar-winning role was in Sidney Lumet’s 1976 film “Network”. It is a great conspiracy thriller showing the behind-the-scenes workings of the popular television station UBS. One of the leading news anchors, Howard Beale (Peter Finch), is about to be fired due to budget cuts. In his last on-air appearance, he announces that he is going to commit suicide, and immediately afterwards gives a fiery speech about the poor state of American society, which causes a sharp increase in viewership and saves him from losing his job. Soon, however, the presenter’s critical remarks cease to be popular, and the station decides to get rid of him for good.
Faye Dunaway plays the program director, Diana Christensen, who sees Howard’s “potential” and wants to make him a star. She is uncompromising and ruthless in her actions, stopping at nothing to manipulate, with only the financial gains of UBS in mind. Paddy Chayefsky’s Oscar-winning screenplay for Network was inspired by real events: the suicide of journalist Christine Chubbuck during a morning show. The film’s satirical edge is aimed at the mechanisms of large media corporations.
7. ”The Towering Inferno”, 1974
Another notable role played by Faye Dunaway was in the movie “The Towering Inferno”, directed by John Guillermin. The film, which has become a classic disaster movie, is not only a suspenseful story of people fighting for survival in a terrible fire, but also features a cast of top actors. The film is set in San Francisco. During the grand opening of an impressive skyscraper, a huge fire breaks out. Among those in the building are the investor (William Holden) and the project’s chief architect (Paul Newman), and Michael O’Hallorhan (Steve McQueen) arrives to the rescue as the fire chief.
Faye Dunaway plays Susan Franklin, a married woman who is having an affair with the architect, Doug Roberts. The film won three Oscars: for editing, cinematography, and best song – “We May Never Love Like This Again.” The idea itself was inspired by real events: fires in Brazilian skyscrapers in São Paulo, which became the subject of two books. Interestingly, Steve McQueen was supposed to play the architect, but the actor chose the role of the fire chief instead. The film used 80 stuntmen and stunt doubles, but Paul Newman performed most of the dangerous scenes himself.
8. ”The Three Musketeers”, 1973
Faye Dunaway also played a costume role in the film adaptation of Alexandre Dumas père’s novel. She played Milady in “The Three Musketeers” (1973) and “The Four Musketeer”s (1975). This is the well-known story of three brave swordsmen: Athos (Oliver Reed), Porthos (Frank Finlay), and Aramis (Richard Chamberlain), who are joined by the young D’Artagnan (Michael York). The Musketeers must save the Queen of France from the plots of Cardinal Richelieu and his henchmen.
Both movies, directed by Richard Lester, were commercial productions, but they were very well received by audiences and became part of pop culture. Faye Dunaway was phenomenal in the role of the beautiful and cunning Milady, capturing all the nuances of the character.
9. “Mommie Dearest”, 1981
Faye Dunaway’s outstanding performance in Frank Perry’s film “Mommie Dearest” was completely underrated by critics, and the actress received a Golden Raspberry Award (!) for it. Hollywood was probably not yet ready for such shocking stories that exposed the dark side of the entire industry. The plot of “Mommie Dearest” was based on the memoirs of Joan Crawford’s adopted daughter, Christina. It is a shocking and drastic portrait of a woman who gains fame and money but fails completely as a mother. Faye Dunaway, of course, played the big star, and she did so brilliantly, exposing various shades of her character’s personality on screen.
The movie contains numerous references to Joan Crawford’s filmography, emphasizing the character’s dissonance and confusion between her professional and private roles. The director uses the stylistics of grotesque and caricature to build a deeper commentary on the entire world of Hollywood. One of the lines spoken by the main character has gone down in cinema history: “No wire hangers, ever!”, referring to the destruction of expensive children’s clothes through the careless use of an inappropriate hanger. Years later, Faye Dunaway believed that her role in “Mommie Dearest” ruined her career. In the 1980s, the actress stopped appearing in significant films. To this day, the film does not enjoy a good reputation.
10. ”Barfly”, 1987
One of Faye Dunaway’s most significant roles from the 1980s is her performance in Barbet Schroeder’s film “Barfly”, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. The movie is based on the prose of Charles Bukowski, who also wrote the screenplay. It is a poignant analysis of alcoholism and its destructive impact on life. The main character of the film is a writer, Henry Chinaski, who meets a drinking buddy, Wanda, while visiting a bar and decides to move in with her.
Faye Dunaway forms a great duo with Mickey Rourke here. Together, they become guides to a world of smoky bars and seedy dive bars, where they slowly descend into increasingly pathological behavior and reach the edge.