Geneviève Bujold gives vulnerable characters an intensity that makes them difficult to dismiss. We value that force in Dead Ringers, where she keeps Claire Niveau compelling despite a screenplay that gives the men most of the attention.
Fi1m perspective
In Dead Ringers (1988), Geneviève Bujold makes Claire Niveau worth following even when the film is intent on its twin doctors. Claire is an actress involved with both men, played by Jeremy Irons, but Bujold gives her more force than that description suggests. We want to know what she wants, rather than simply what her presence will do to the brothers. She is a substantial reason to watch an excellent, deeply unsettling film.
Her career makes more sense if we do not treat Hollywood as its sole destination. Alain Resnais's The War Is Over (1966) brought notice in France, and Canadian work with Paul Almond and Michel Brault preceded her breakthrough as Anne Boleyn in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969). The American films then gave her parts such as Dr Susan Wheeler, the lead in Coma (1978). Period drama and contemporary thrillers both make use of her ability to suggest strong feeling beneath a composed exterior.
Her recurring work with Alan Rudolph, including Nancy in Choose Me (1984), took her into independent character pieces. Those parts fit her preference for character-led work over studio formula. There was more formulaic work, too, including Earthquake (1974); her presence is no guarantee of a good film. Her later, selective work in Canadian and independent films continued into the 2010s. We would not choose every title simply because her name appears in the cast.
Even a performance as forceful as hers in Dead Ringers cannot put right every problem with the writing. David Cronenberg and Norman Snider's screenplay sometimes uses Claire chiefly to disturb the brothers' arrangement, an awkward restriction in a film concerned with men's authority over women's bodies. We were frustrated when she was pushed aside, because Bujold had made us want more time with her. She holds our attention, but she cannot supply the scenes the writers have not given her. Start there if unsettling horror appeals, and be prepared to wish the film would spend longer with Claire.
Biography
Geneviève Bujold is a Canadian actress. She trained at the Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique in Montreal and began her career in Quebec theatre and television before moving into film.
She gained international recognition for her performance as Anne Boleyn in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Other notable roles include Dr Susan Wheeler in Coma (1978), Beryl Thibodeaux in Tightrope (1984) and Claire Niveau in Dead Ringers (1988).
Bujold has appeared in numerous Canadian and international productions, including Earthquake (1974), Obsession (1976), Murder by Decree (1979) and Last Night (1998). She was married to director Paul Almond from 1967 to 1974.
