This weekend film fans will be flocking to cinemas to catch Maleficent, Disney's remake/ update/ reimagining of their own Sleeping Beauty (which itself is 55 years old this year). Following in the storytelling footsteps of Wicked and Oz, the Great and Powerful, the film retells the classic tale from the villain's point of view, portraying "the mistress of all evil" as a woman scorned and betrayed. Scripted by Linda Woolverton, writer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, Disney are hoping it will provide them with a big hit at the start of the summer blockbuster season. While initial reviews have been mixed, there is one thing on which they all seem to agree: Angelina Jolie is perfectly cast and does a really good job. Notwithstanding the fact that she looks the part - the dark hair, the piercing eyes, the red lips and that devilish smile - Jolie has always thrived when playing complex characters who are in some way broken, fractured or the subject of some traumatic event. Of course, she's also turned up in a lot of roles which trade purely on her world-famous looks, many of which we'll be picking apart today. So, in time-honoured fashion, here is a retrospective of Jolie's career, taking in five times in which she truly proved her worth and five occasions in which she settled for style over substance. We'll begin with one of her few TV appearances...
Freelance copywriter, film buff, community radio presenter. Former host of The Movie Hour podcast (http://www.lionheartradio.com/ and click 'Interviews'), currently presenting on Phonic FM in Exeter (http://www.phonic.fm/). Other loves include theatre, music and test cricket.
