11 thoughts on “Woman Crush Wednesday: Winona Ryder

  1. Her Jo March is my favorite — she manages to capture Jo in a different way than most of them. Just a gorgeous film, all around.

    The Age of Innocence has such GORGEOUS costumes. Oh, my gosh. I just about had a teenage heart attack when I saw the amazing Victorian detailing on everything. I fell in love — not with the film, but the costumes. Cue drooling.

  2. My favourite is her interpretation of May Welland in Age of Innocence. I don’t regard her as a goody two shoes, but more as a truly innocent young woman who loses her innocence regarding her husband and her cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska. She with great presence of mind, realises to do nothing is the best move (cany, it brings the Old Guard – Society’s matrons to her side) and that will insure her victory in the end.
    I believe that that was what Ms Wharton’s book implied too. But it’s been ages since I’ve read the book.

    1. She’s innocent but surprisingly canny. The photo I used not only has my favorite purple gown but I believe it’s from the scene where she’s telling Newland that she’s pregnant — and this is right after he’s decided he’s totally in love with the countess & must leave his wife. Of course, he does the honorable thing & stays w/May.

      I always felt like it wasn’t coincidence or a plot point that she tells him right at that moment. She knew. She could tell he wanted to leave her. So she preempted him, forced his hand. I mean, obviously, they were having sex, there’s no immaculate conception going on, so the guy wasn’t ignoring her, he was conflicted. She made the choice for him.

      I love how Ryder played it — soft for the first part of the film, lulling you into thinking she’s nothing, just a silly dull girl, perfectly average, couldn’t possibly compare to the fabulous countess. But still waters run deep!

  3. That was what I was trying to say, in my own humble way, but Trystan put it more eloquently. I am in awe of her writing ability.
    But that is my favourite dress that she wore, too. Her opera gown in the opening was my second and the meh wedding dress was not even in the running.

    1. LOL, I didn’t want to write an epic about just one of the movies & not all of them in the original post! And agreed, the wedding dress doesn’t even rate, hah!

  4. Personally, May Welland is my favorite Ryder role. So sweet, oblivious and innocent on the surface, yet . . . ruthless and manipulative when the moment requires it. I think she should have took home an Oscar for that performance.

  5. Age of Innocence is a fav of mine. I can’t say I wasn’t partly inspired by the color pallet in my latest bustle (well, Natural form, but who’s counting?) by the ball scene in this film.

    The more often you watch this film, the more you realize just how much she outplays him, at every moment. They play up the innocence thing – mom helping with the glove to make sure it doesn’t catch on the ring, but she fully pulls one on him, knowing he’s emotionally cheating, before they even marry. He thinks she is talking about something else. All he can see is her innocence, not that she’s as saavy as him in her own way. And she wins.

    I do wish they’d shown the Countess in the empire waisted gown they talk about in the book, at the first Opera. Very Dress Reform. And it wasn’t smart enough.

    You missed a period flick (show rather) though I know it is outside your purview. Stranger Things….

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