Charlotte Rampling: The Look

Angelina Maccarone bills her profile of Charlotte Rampling as "a self-portrait through others." Maccarone begins with a close-up on the actress's "look," capturing her ability to stare into the camera in an intimidating, yet Sphinx-like manner. Divided into nine chapters, each illustrated with clips and photos, Charlotte Rampling: The Look starts with “Exposure," in which Rampling talks with photographer Peter Lindbergh about her personal appearance, noting that some have encouraged her to undergo plastic surgery, which she has little interest in doing. Author Paul Auster, on the other hand, seems to have more of a problem with "Age" than Rampling does, stating that movies are "the medium for men to watch beautiful women on big screens and to lust after them." He congratulates Rampling for remaining employable after 40, but it comes across as a backhanded compliment. Other topics include beauty, resonance, taboo, desire, demons, death, and love, as Rampling converses with partners including her director son, Barnaby Southcombe, with whom she discusses acting; photographer Juergen Teller, in a conversation about Rampling's performance in the controversial 1974 film The Night Porter; and poet Frederick Seidel, talking about Rampling in 1982's The Verdict. Maccarone references all of Rampling's major films, although there's little information about her personal life, despite the participation of her son. The actress sums up her envelope-pushing career best when she says, "The entertainment side of cinema didn't interest me." Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)