First Clip for Pablo Larraín's "Jackie" Shows A Woman Under Her Own Influence
Thursday, September 8, 2016 at 10:45AM Any fears that Pablo Larraín would smooth over the poised spikiness of his Chilean features in order to make a more palatable English language debut were put to rest this week with a rapturous Venice reception for his Jackie, with reviews especially singling out Natalie Portman’s performance as the eponymous First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. For those salivating to see Portman in mid-Atlantic action ahead of the film’s as yet undecided release date, the first clip from the film surfaced quickly thereafter. Jackie follows its heroine through the immediate wake of her husband’s assassination and, in this clip, she slyly pulls the rug out from under LBJ liason Jack Valenti (yes, that Jack Valenti of MPAA fame) in regards to her public role in JFK's funeral arrangements.
One of my favorite aspects of Larraín’s filmmaking is the thick coat of unsaid tension he can paint across a dialogue scene through precisely punctuated edits between polite adversaries – think of the moral ignitions within the living room interviews in The Club – and this scene exhibits that skill in spades. His eye for period detail and hazy texture translate beautifully; there’s a plywood stuffiness to the yesteryear political interiors of No’s production design that appear in this White House, as well. And as for Portman? She reminds us that Jackie’s purr didn’t just belong to a docile house cat but a ferocious lion that knows right when to corner and pounce. Make her my ringtone.
What do you make of this first look at Natalie Portman’s Jackie Kennedy?
Reader Comments (23)
Yasss! Watching that clip all i could think was "she did that!".
@Rachel Berry - She really did!!
Can't wait!!!! Btw, what a great year it is going to be for Best Actress. Portman, Adams (2 films), Davis , Blunt, Negga, Stone, Bening, Chastain - oh my!
Go Natalie! The movie looks great, too... Max Casella is good casting.
This was under the radar as far as what to expect and Portman looks great if slightly stilted,it's hard to read a performance from just a single scene.
Jackie talked like that?
Her voice also threw me off here for a minute and then I realised that I´d never heard the real Jackie's voice... after watching a few videos on youtube I think Portman's attempt is quite similar.
That voice
The juxtaposition between this post and the previous one reminded me that Rachel Weisz was also supposed to play Kennedy Onassis (in a project by Aronofsky, no less).
I Googled, and saw that the Aronofsky-Weisz project was first announced in 2010. Crazy how time flies (and things change)!
Thank you for posting this. I became intrigued about this project after the previous post. My feeling is that the film will get picked up soon. I just pray that whoever buys it do not release it in December. This feels like a film that needs simmering.
Portman seems to be a force and am glad she's receiving glowing reviews. I often feel like people judge her harsher than what is merited. She may not have a powerful filmography, but when she turns it, she excels. Her best performances have a decisive impact: Black Swan, Closer, The Professional. Jackie looks poised to be one of her shining works.
Didn't know how the original Jackie used to speak, but sounds like she nailed it if compared to the following video (see starting min 1:51):
oops, the link didn't work. here it is for a copy and paste: https://youtu.be/ZN_rzm60cQI
PLLLLLEASE COME OUT THIS YEAR. Can we please see 5 impassioned performances go toe to toe this year in the Best Actress category? Portman, Negga, Huppert, and Stone have laid their cards.. Davis?
Sounding like Jackie, but looking like Audrey as Jackie.
The filmmaking looks good here. Portman has grown on me. When she s bad she s very very bland. But I have really loved her in The Black Swan and Closer. And she is noticed heavily when she s good. I think as of now she s the one to beat for the Oscar though I was hoping for an Amy Adams year.
Polish that Oscar up for Natalie right now!
Oh, and I forgot to mention Streep, Mara, and Huppert. Looks on paper to be the strongest Actress field in years.
Oh, and I forgot to mention Streep, Mara, and Huppert. Looks on paper to be the strongest Actress field in years.
I think it is important to remember that it can be easier to get rapturous reviews when ppl are not really expecting greatness. It's easier to be surprised/ecstatic about a surprisingly awesome Portman or Stone than it is from someone who has been a front runner all along (i.e. Viola). Now when La La Land and Jackie eventually come out they'll have to meet our new expectations, which may be tough!
It's really gonna be hard to beat last years lineup for Best Actress--that is one for the ages. And I'm not even a Jennifer Lawrence fan.
Am I the only one that thought she was extremely clunky and calculated in this clip? :/
Larrains and Portman's budding director-muse synergy really stands out. Her "soul" shines through as the Natalie under Besson, all grown up. So I can't tell if she's more Jackie groping for a sense of normalcy after the event, or Natalie groping for the idea of Jackie.
Philip H., I'm with you. I just don't feel Natalie Portman. She's incredibly poised and beautiful. She seems like she has a wonderful personality. Unfortunately, those qualities don't make her a good actress.
I thought she was at her best and most natural in Garden State. Closer was good, too. That's about it for me.
Granted, it's hard to judge an entire performance from one scene, but at the moment, it's lookin' a little awkward and even showy. Like she's too aware this is supposed to be a big serious performance.
But, I do realize I'm in the minority. ;)
Don't get me wrong, I thought she was great in Black Swan. But this clip was horrible to me. I was shocked to see everyone praising it lol