Most comments about Ursula are about her body, but for me it was always her gloriously beautiful Face that won my heart! She was actual the for the Character in "Sophie's Choice", and was considered for the role that won Meryl Streep the Oscar. If you view the film, I think it is easy to see Ursula in the part. who knows what it might have done for her career?
Hello, Alan. I agree 100% that the special qualities of her face made her unique among beautiful faces of the movie business or any other business. Although the author of "Sophie's Choice" William Styron, wrote the novel with Ursula Andress in mind, wiser heads prevailed. I don't believe that her name was ever seriously in the running. It's not even clear that Ms. Andress ever knew anyone was thinking about her for the part. Meryl Streep, 13 years younger than Ms. Andress, made an extremely strong pitch to gain the role and succeeded in getting it over names like Liv Ullman, Natalie Wood, and a few other very serious European actresses. Ms. Andress could not have carried such a heavily dramatic role in the way that Meryl Streep did. No director could have coaxed a performance of such depth and subtlety out of her. She would probably be among the first to agree with that. Ms. Andress never took acting very seriously. For her, acting was a way to travel, to have an income, and do other things that made life interesting for her. At the time that things were getting started with "Sophie's Choice," she had just been through her pregnancy with her only child, Dimitri, born when she was 44. She was totally occupied with him. But there's another reason, not as well known, why she was not a good fit for the role, and it would have come out in the publicity for the film. Ms. Andress's father, Rolf Andress, had been a diplomat in service to the German government during World War II before his eventual disappearance without a trace. That doesn't mean that he had any personal role in or even knowledge of the concentration camps and what happened there. His six children in neutral Switzerland obviously had nothing to do with any of it or any awareness of it. But choosing Ms. Andress for the role of a concentration camp survivor would almost certainly have raised thoughts and questions, causing articles to be written with a certain slant that the backers and makers of the movie would have preferred not to waste time on at all. Imagine if you were in Ms. Andress's position. Someone would interview her. Without fail, the interviewer would raise the question about what she remembered about her father, what she thought about World War II, the Nazi regime, etc. etc. It could have become a headache. There was just no way she would ever have gotten near the role of Sophie Zawistowska, and I say that as one of the all-time, infatuated, weak-in-the-knees admirers of Ursula Andress, and a frequent sufferer of bouts of "Andress Psychosis."
My Goodness me, what a very thorough and well thought out response, none of which I am qualified to debate as I really don't know. However, it occurs to me that while Ursula did not consider herself a "serious" actress, and neither did anyone else for that matter, I think it could have been a "Kismet " situation, where a role was cast that just happened to fit the actor. Who knows, she could have stunned us all. There are moments in interviews and also on shows like "what's My line' where she really comes across very differently and sweet and nice more than she was allowed to portray, on screen. While not trained I can still see her in the role. As to her age, I haven't read the book, but as her son was 7 in the Concentration camp, and this was obviously set some years later, let's say for arguments sake she(Sophie) 27 in the Concentration camp, and this took place at least 5 years later, she could have been nearly mid thirties and Ursula we know looked stunning when she was a young mother, and well able to play the age range. Alas we'll never know, but I can dream!
Part 1 of 3: Hello, again, Alan. This reply will have to be delivered in installments because of UA-cam's limitations. When it comes to Ms. Andress, nearly 100% of all men who remember her in her prime and the impact she had on them (and, admittedly, not EVERYONE saw that special quality, that uniqueness) are stuck, like you and me, in the position of dreamers. The difficulty of what to do with her as an actress, finding the perfect role for her, was a question her first husband, John Derek, spoke about. She posed a problem. Specifically, she was so insecure about her ability to recreate on cue what she had done a few moments before that he had to accommodate and indulge her when he made a movie with her in the Philippines in 1964-65. They practically had to roll the camera when she didn't know it was on. But that movie, "Once Before I Die," is the closest to the REAL Ursula you will ever find on screen. Her husband (for at least a little while longer) made the movie as a vehicle FOR HER, as a celebration of her beauty and sometimes kittenish personality. She was more polished professionally by the time "Sophie's Choice" was being made more than 15 years later, but throughout her career, you either caught her at her best when she didn't know the camera was on and was basically being herself (the relatable, somewhat playful, ready-to-laugh, person of unscripted appearances on television that you referred to), OR you had her play something she was also very suited for and could project easily --- a person of cold, even cruel, aloofness, suggesting that she knew the power she had in her appearance and the advantage it conferred in most situations. That cold cruelty is on best display in "The Blue Max" (1965), which has, perhaps, her most effective scene near the end with James Mason, a powerhouse actor, who lifted her game, and again in 1979's "The Fifth Musketeer," in which she plays a cruel, conniving, ambitious courtesan among the French aristocracy. In that movie, she holds her own in those scenes with people like Rex Harrison. Below, reproduced in full, is an article that appeared in a Sunday newspaper supplement, the November 14, 1965, edition of "Family Weekly." In the article, John Derek discusses what it was like to direct her. (And, yes, you're right, if you think their troubled relationship --- they would be divorced by mid-1966 --- had something to do with things that are said AND NOT SAID in this article.)
PART 2 of 3: Ursula Andress: A Strange, New Love Goddess She steps out of the water in a bikini, and suddenly the world is clamoring to see her films; the only objector--her husband By PEER J. OPPENHEIMER WHEN URSULA ANDRESS was offered a role in “Dr. No,” her husband John Derek read the script and exploded with: “I think this is one of the worst things I’ve ever read. But if you feel you have to go to work, okay. No one will ever see this film.” After the release of the James Bond movie, John remarked: “My wife’s contribution to its success was nonexistent. Her coming out of the water in a bikini is something that girls have been doing for a long time. She was cardboard.” His attitude may be one of the reasons Ursula is currently separated from him and, according to latest reports, about to get a divorce. Actresses usually resent criticism, particularly from their husbands (even if they are actors). But regardless of John’s opinion, the movie was enormously successful, yielding one of the biggest grosses in box-office history. It established Sean Connery as the leading man of the year and Ursula as the movies’ most sizzling new love goddess. She now commands a six-figure salary and the constant adoration of the press and public. But her soaring career also has caused her some headaches, as she explained to me in Rome, where she was on location for Joe Levine’s thriller, “The 10th Victim,” costarring Marcello Mastroianni. I have known Ursula since a mutual friend gave a birthday party for her about five years ago. But I never had seen her so upset. “It’s blackmail!” she cried out in her thick Swiss accent. She was talking about an incident that had occurred earlier in Paris. A French photographer, who had sneaked past studio guards, climbed onto the rafters and photographed Ursula from above in a way that left little to imagination. “He says he wants to sell the pictures to magazines. I don’t think anyone would dare print them. But he also sent some copies for my approval.” There was irritation in her laugh. “Approval! Ha! He really wants me or the studio to buy the pictures back.” Since a clause in her contract gave her the right to approve still photographs and she wouldn't approve this particular batch, the studio had no choice but to pay off. Is Ursula a star because of the talent she shows or because of the anatomy she reveals in films? John Derek’s answer is: “Ursula is not an actress, she is just a person. Yet she can be a terrific star if she is handled right. You can’t give her a script and tell her to act it out. The part has to be written for her, and you have to use what she has. I did that when I directed her in ‘No Toys for Christmas.’ It’s the best thing she has ever done. She was magnificent. But I adapted the picture to her and not her to the script.” Ursula was brought to Hollywood after a talent scout spotted her in an Italian movie. “I didn't speak a word of English,” she recalled, “and I didn't know anything about acting. I got the part in the Italian film while I was on holiday in Rome, where any good-looking girl can get a part. I was scared of the test, and I’m sure it showed.”
Old Movie Fan, that music you chose, it really drives that whole sepia-toned montage with great force, giving it a grandeur and epic feeling that sweeps the viewer away. Please identify the source. Is it from "Gladiator" by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard? Help me out. I'm floundering here.
Never heard of "Two Steps from Hell," but I followed up with a bit of research and I've got the picture of what the company does. "The Colonel" was composed by Thomas Bergersen and was a bonus track on the "Skyworld" album in 2012. The piece has some of the feel of Carl Orff's "O, Fortuna" from "Carmina Burana." Thanks for putting me on the trail of and depositing me "Two Steps from Hell." Is it me or is it kind of warm around here?
Congratulation this videotape so beautiful, is in the Album of the Stars, please read the answer of this comment, it is alone for you, and for all the people also, thank you.
Please, make the click in my CHANNEL, enter in INFORMATION, to make click in one of the first three connections, it is all detailed one to find it, their videotape deserves to be in the Album of the movie Stars, thank you to share it, welcome and congratulation.
He leído mucho sobre cine, al morir Marylin Monroe 1962, Hollywood queda atónito y sus fans alrededor del mundo una gran e irreparable pérdida su mayor Símbolo Sexual, ya no esta, Inesperadamente ese mismo año 1962, una bella mujer emerge del mar con un bikini blanco, dejando impresionado a millones de espectadores alrededor del mundo alta, delgada y atlética Ursula adquiere una personalidad propia e imagen que la convierten rápidamente en el nuevo Sex Symbol, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Virna Lisi, Elke Sommer y otras, ya estaban, más no Ursula nueva Reina del 1962 al 1965 pero también Europea, pero entonces que pasaba con América donde estaba representado............ en 1965 aparece la Reina del bikini y nuevo Símbolo Sexual de Hollywood la Américana también de origen latino Raquel Welch, 1 Millón de años AC y Viaje Fantástico, Raquel ganaba cada vez más puntos mostrando sus curvas, actuando, bailando y cantando, No existia simbolo Sexual para las mujeres de color solo mujeres bonitas y buenas actrices hasta 1973 con la aparición de la agresiva y sexy Pam Grier, la mujer explosiva llena de vida y sex appeal.
Most comments about Ursula are about her body, but for me it was always her gloriously beautiful Face that won my heart! She was actual the for the Character in "Sophie's Choice", and was considered for the role that won Meryl Streep the Oscar. If you view the film, I think it is easy to see Ursula in the part. who knows what it might have done for her career?
I agree with you. Her face is really beautiful. A natural beauty
Hello, Alan. I agree 100% that the special qualities of her face made her unique among beautiful faces of the movie business or any other business. Although the author of "Sophie's Choice" William Styron, wrote the novel with Ursula Andress in mind, wiser heads prevailed. I don't believe that her name was ever seriously in the running. It's not even clear that Ms. Andress ever knew anyone was thinking about her for the part. Meryl Streep, 13 years younger than Ms. Andress, made an extremely strong pitch to gain the role and succeeded in getting it over names like Liv Ullman, Natalie Wood, and a few other very serious European actresses. Ms. Andress could not have carried such a heavily dramatic role in the way that Meryl Streep did. No director could have coaxed a performance of such depth and subtlety out of her. She would probably be among the first to agree with that. Ms. Andress never took acting very seriously. For her, acting was a way to travel, to have an income, and do other things that made life interesting for her. At the time that things were getting started with "Sophie's Choice," she had just been through her pregnancy with her only child, Dimitri, born when she was 44. She was totally occupied with him. But there's another reason, not as well known, why she was not a good fit for the role, and it would have come out in the publicity for the film. Ms. Andress's father, Rolf Andress, had been a diplomat in service to the German government during World War II before his eventual disappearance without a trace. That doesn't mean that he had any personal role in or even knowledge of the concentration camps and what happened there. His six children in neutral Switzerland obviously had nothing to do with any of it or any awareness of it. But choosing Ms. Andress for the role of a concentration camp survivor would almost certainly have raised thoughts and questions, causing articles to be written with a certain slant that the backers and makers of the movie would have preferred not to waste time on at all. Imagine if you were in Ms. Andress's position. Someone would interview her. Without fail, the interviewer would raise the question about what she remembered about her father, what she thought about World War II, the Nazi regime, etc. etc. It could have become a headache. There was just no way she would ever have gotten near the role of Sophie Zawistowska, and I say that as one of the all-time, infatuated, weak-in-the-knees admirers of Ursula Andress, and a frequent sufferer of bouts of "Andress Psychosis."
My Goodness me, what a very thorough and well thought out response, none of which I am qualified to debate as I really don't know. However, it occurs to me that while Ursula did not consider herself a "serious" actress, and neither did anyone else for that matter, I think it could have been a "Kismet " situation, where a role was cast that just happened to fit the actor. Who knows, she could have stunned us all. There are moments in interviews and also on shows like "what's My line' where she really comes across very differently and sweet and nice more than she was allowed to portray, on screen. While not trained I can still see her in the role. As to her age, I haven't read the book, but as her son was 7 in the Concentration camp, and this was obviously set some years later, let's say for arguments sake she(Sophie) 27 in the Concentration camp, and this took place at least 5 years later, she could have been nearly mid thirties and Ursula we know looked stunning when she was a young mother, and well able to play the age range. Alas we'll never know, but I can dream!
Part 1 of 3: Hello, again, Alan. This reply will have to be delivered in installments because of UA-cam's limitations. When it comes to Ms. Andress, nearly 100% of all men who remember her in her prime and the impact she had on them (and, admittedly, not EVERYONE saw that special quality, that uniqueness) are stuck, like you and me, in the position of dreamers. The difficulty of what to do with her as an actress, finding the perfect role for her, was a question her first husband, John Derek, spoke about. She posed a problem. Specifically, she was so insecure about her ability to recreate on cue what she had done a few moments before that he had to accommodate and indulge her when he made a movie with her in the Philippines in 1964-65. They practically had to roll the camera when she didn't know it was on. But that movie, "Once Before I Die," is the closest to the REAL Ursula you will ever find on screen. Her husband (for at least a little while longer) made the movie as a vehicle FOR HER, as a celebration of her beauty and sometimes kittenish personality. She was more polished professionally by the time "Sophie's Choice" was being made more than 15 years later, but throughout her career, you either caught her at her best when she didn't know the camera was on and was basically being herself (the relatable, somewhat playful, ready-to-laugh, person of unscripted appearances on television that you referred to), OR you had her play something she was also very suited for and could project easily --- a person of cold, even cruel, aloofness, suggesting that she knew the power she had in her appearance and the advantage it conferred in most situations. That cold cruelty is on best display in "The Blue Max" (1965), which has, perhaps, her most effective scene near the end with James Mason, a powerhouse actor, who lifted her game, and again in 1979's "The Fifth Musketeer," in which she plays a cruel, conniving, ambitious courtesan among the French aristocracy. In that movie, she holds her own in those scenes with people like Rex Harrison. Below, reproduced in full, is an article that appeared in a Sunday newspaper supplement, the November 14, 1965, edition of "Family Weekly." In the article, John Derek discusses what it was like to direct her. (And, yes, you're right, if you think their troubled relationship --- they would be divorced by mid-1966 --- had something to do with things that are said AND NOT SAID in this article.)
PART 2 of 3: Ursula Andress: A Strange, New Love Goddess She steps out of the water in a bikini, and suddenly the world is clamoring to see her films; the only objector--her husband By PEER J. OPPENHEIMER WHEN URSULA ANDRESS was offered a role in “Dr. No,” her husband John Derek read the script and exploded with: “I think this is one of the worst things I’ve ever read. But if you feel you have to go to work, okay. No one will ever see this film.” After the release of the James Bond movie, John remarked: “My wife’s contribution to its success was nonexistent. Her coming out of the water in a bikini is something that girls have been doing for a long time. She was cardboard.” His attitude may be one of the reasons Ursula is currently separated from him and, according to latest reports, about to get a divorce. Actresses usually resent criticism, particularly from their husbands (even if they are actors). But regardless of John’s opinion, the movie was enormously successful, yielding one of the biggest grosses in box-office history. It established Sean Connery as the leading man of the year and Ursula as the movies’ most sizzling new love goddess. She now commands a six-figure salary and the constant adoration of the press and public. But her soaring career also has caused her some headaches, as she explained to me in Rome, where she was on location for Joe Levine’s thriller, “The 10th Victim,” costarring Marcello Mastroianni. I have known Ursula since a mutual friend gave a birthday party for her about five years ago. But I never had seen her so upset. “It’s blackmail!” she cried out in her thick Swiss accent. She was talking about an incident that had occurred earlier in Paris. A French photographer, who had sneaked past studio guards, climbed onto the rafters and photographed Ursula from above in a way that left little to imagination. “He says he wants to sell the pictures to magazines. I don’t think anyone would dare print them. But he also sent some copies for my approval.” There was irritation in her laugh. “Approval! Ha! He really wants me or the studio to buy the pictures back.” Since a clause in her contract gave her the right to approve still photographs and she wouldn't approve this particular batch, the studio had no choice but to pay off. Is Ursula a star because of the talent she shows or because of the anatomy she reveals in films? John Derek’s answer is: “Ursula is not an actress, she is just a person. Yet she can be a terrific star if she is handled right. You can’t give her a script and tell her to act it out. The part has to be written for her, and you have to use what she has. I did that when I directed her in ‘No Toys for Christmas.’ It’s the best thing she has ever done. She was magnificent. But I adapted the picture to her and not her to the script.” Ursula was brought to Hollywood after a talent scout spotted her in an Italian movie. “I didn't speak a word of English,” she recalled, “and I didn't know anything about acting. I got the part in the Italian film while I was on holiday in Rome, where any good-looking girl can get a part. I was scared of the test, and I’m sure it showed.”
Diva, special, unique, very elegant, classic beauty.
she reminds me a Nataly Portman! those eyes , a bit of structure of face! so similar !! and of course EVA MANDES.
Old Movie Fan, that music you chose, it really drives that whole sepia-toned montage with great force, giving it a grandeur and epic feeling that sweeps the viewer away. Please identify the source. Is it from "Gladiator" by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard? Help me out. I'm floundering here.
Two Steps From Hell - The Colonel
Never heard of "Two Steps from Hell," but I followed up with a bit of research and I've got the picture of what the company does. "The Colonel" was composed by Thomas Bergersen and was a bonus track on the "Skyworld" album in 2012. The piece has some of the feel of Carl Orff's "O, Fortuna" from "Carmina Burana." Thanks for putting me on the trail of and depositing me "Two Steps from Hell." Is it me or is it kind of warm around here?
Nothing to thank for. In the scenes with Ursula Andress it gets automatically warm .
Congratulation this videotape so beautiful, is in the Album of the Stars, please read the answer of this comment, it is alone for you, and for all the people also, thank you.
Please, make the click in my CHANNEL, enter in INFORMATION, to make click in one of the first three connections, it is all detailed one to find it, their videotape deserves to be in the Album of the movie Stars, thank you to share it, welcome and congratulation.
He leído mucho sobre cine, al morir Marylin Monroe 1962, Hollywood queda atónito y sus fans alrededor del mundo una gran e irreparable pérdida su mayor Símbolo Sexual, ya no esta, Inesperadamente ese mismo año 1962, una bella mujer emerge del mar con un bikini blanco, dejando impresionado a millones de espectadores alrededor del mundo alta, delgada y atlética Ursula adquiere una personalidad propia e imagen que la convierten rápidamente en el nuevo Sex Symbol, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Virna Lisi, Elke Sommer y otras, ya estaban, más no Ursula nueva Reina del 1962 al 1965 pero también Europea, pero entonces que pasaba con América donde estaba representado............ en 1965 aparece la Reina del bikini y nuevo Símbolo Sexual de Hollywood la Américana también de origen latino Raquel Welch, 1 Millón de años AC y Viaje Fantástico, Raquel ganaba cada vez más puntos mostrando sus curvas, actuando, bailando y cantando, No existia simbolo Sexual para las mujeres de color solo mujeres bonitas y buenas actrices hasta 1973 con la aparición de la agresiva y sexy Pam Grier, la mujer explosiva llena de vida y sex appeal.