Johnny Simmons

Do you remember The Hours? Of course you do. Stephen Daldry’s sophomore effort was a successful 2002 film gaining ten Oscar nominations and a win for Best Actress [Nicole Kidman]. I mentioned The Hours a few months ago as my thirtieth favourite film. Whilst thinking of film characters that are often forgotten Miranda Richardson’s Vanessa Bell came to me. Vanessa Bell is the older sister of Virginia Woolf. After several suicide attempts Virginia’s doctors have recommended a change of scenery for her from the bustling London. With her husband Leonard she has moved to Sussex.
Miranda’s performance encompasses all of 15 minutes. She decides to visit her sister one day and brings along her three children. Vanessa’s entrance is my favourite entrance in the film. Scheduled to visit at four thirty the Bell family arrives over two hours earlier. The maid is flummoxed not knowing what to do, and Leonard doesn't care that she's here at two thirty. As he said, "She's supposed to come at 4:00" Virginia comes down with her impassive face. and sees her sister standing there.


Miranda looks at her, not certain if she’s angry or amused. And then she scoffs laughingly. The tension is broken and she embraces her sister. It’s a great acting moment and so much is achieved in so little time. If you know about the history of Virginia and Vanessa you’ll know that they had a somewhat tumultuous, they could be best friends at one moment and resent each other in the next.
It’s no surprise that Miranda’s performance has become forgotten. With such a large cast it was difficult for everybody in The Hours to be recognised, but excluding the three performances of the leading ladies Miranda Richardson gave my favourite performance in the film. And after having read so much about her life, how she designed the art work for the majority of Woolf’s novels. Her love for art, &etc, she really would make a good film.

Miranda's performance is not really that important to the film overall, but she did leave an indelible mark on me. She flits around for much of her time playing with the boys, talking about holding parties and seeming like a burst of fresh air to Virginia's moroseness. But it's at the end of her scene, after that kiss, when she says "Virginia", that you see the troubled woman beneath the mask of happiness. The sad last look she gives her sister is so beautiful and so tragic, and all that in so little time. You may have forgotten Vanessa Bell, but I haven't.

Did Miranda make an impression on you?