Happy birthday, Judi Dench

[selenak]

It's Judi Dench's 90th birthday today, I'm told, and I'm so glad she's still with us. The first time I noticed her awesomeness was when I watched a video recording of Trevor Nunn's RSC production of Macbeth, with her and Ian McKellen in the leads. To this day, they are the ultimate Macbeths to me. In practically any other production I've seen, either Macbeth or Lady MacBeth weren't up to the acting standard of the respective other, and I didn't really believe them as a couple. Not with the 1970s Dench/McKellen combo. They were fantastic, together and apart. Here's Judi Dench's Lady M:

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The other role of hers that immediately comes to mind for me is of course her version of M in the James Bond movies, specifically those starring Daniel Craig. (Sorry, Pierce Brosnan. I just don't like you as 007.) Their dynamic together made me write Bond meta, which certainly wasn't on my list of life goals before, and while I liked Fiennes' Mallory, too, nothing will ever beat Craig/Dench as the ultimate Bond/M combo in those three movies they shot together for me. This scene from Skyfall being a case in point.

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Then there's her being wonderful when not in character as well. Here she's sonnet reciting in a talk show:

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And with Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins in Tea with the Dames:

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Comments

[lirazel]

She and McKellen are SO good in Macbeth! (Apparently Ralph Finnes and Indira Varma were recently onstage together in those roles, and I would kill to see that!)

She's fantastic in everything she's in; a favorite of mine is Cranford, where she plays against type.

[greenwoodside]

I love that production of Macbeth. I think it may have spoiled me for all other versions. Not just Judi Dench and Ian McKellen, but also Ian McDiarmid as hell's porter and the late Bob Peck as Macduff.

I remember really enjoying Dench as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love, though it's years since I've seen it.

Don't think I've ever seen her live. Sorrow.

[kathyh]

Happy birthday to her indeed. So many great roles in which she’s excelled and I am lucky enough to have seen her live several times. My own favourite is when we saw her in A Little Night Music at the National Theatre playing Desiree Armfeldt. She was mesmerising.

[selenak]

Fiennes/Varma: oh, I‘d love to see this one as well!

Cranford: okay, another to put on the „must watch“ list, then.

[selenak]

Macbeth: and the witches! It‘s almost a cliché now, but back in the day, that was the first production I saw which did the mother-maiden-crone thing with the witches, and made them come across as individuals, instead of unison cackling voices.

Judi Dench: I‘ve never seen her live, either, alas, but I‘m glad we have her on film to enjoy.

[selenak]

I‘ve only seen the excerpt where she sings Bring in the Clowns on YouTube, but it‘s enough to make me envious that you saw the whole performance. :)

[kore]

That is my absolute favourite Macbeth.

[sally_maria]

Did you see the story about Sean Bean seeing that production of Macbeth when he was a teenager, and it being one of the main things that inspired him to become and actor?

[lokifan]

She's so amazing. Thanks for the videos!