Helena Bonham Carter’s 10 Best Movies ranked by Rotten Tomatoes
Compared to other actors in Hollywood Helena Bonham Carter stands out from the crowd. It’s not just because of her gorgeous, rebellious style; But it’s also because of her incredible talent and unparalleled versatility. In the course of her impressive acting career, she has taken on a wide variety of roles. From rather dark, whimsical characters to emotional powerhouses, Bonham Carter has shown that there’s nothing she can’t do. Here are 10 of the actress’ best films, according to review collection site Rotten Tomatoes.
10 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) – 86%
Based on the stage musical of the same name, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is Helena Bonham Carter’s fifth film with director Tim Burton. The film tells the story of murderous barber Sweeney Todd, who seeks revenge on Judge Turpin, who exiled him to steal his wife. Bonham Carter plays Mrs. Lovett, Todd’s dutiful and equally clumsy accomplice who turns the bodies of Todd’s victims into meat pies to help her troubled cake shop.
Despite initial misgivings about the adaptation, it eventually became a hit. Not only was it acclaimed for its stunning visuals and fidelity to the source material, but also for the performances of the leads, Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. Mrs. Lovett is clearly in love with Sweeney Todd, although he doesn’t return those feelings. Bonham Carter does an excellent job of portraying this deep longing while also showing off her musical talent.
9 Enola Holmes (2020) – 91%
Enola Holmes is a Netflix Original Movie inspired by the stories of Detective Sherlock Holmes. Although the character has a few appearances in the film, the story focuses solely on his younger sister, Enola. Helena Bonham Carter plays Enola and Sherlock’s mother, Eudoria Holmes, an eccentric woman with a mysterious air about her. The film’s action begins as Eudoria disappears and Enola begins to figure out where she’s gone. Despite Bonham Carter’s incredibly brief appearance in the film, he does a fantastic job of showing that Eudoria is fiercely strong-willed, independent and committed to making the world a better place for women.
8th Enola Holmes 2 (2022) – 93%
Similar to its predecessor, Helena Bonham Carter doesn’t have much screen time on Netflix Enola Holmes 2. The film follows Enola as she takes on her first case as a detective after being approached by a factory girl named Bessie who claims her sister has disappeared. Bonham Carter’s screen time is quite short as he appears to come to Enola’s aid with another suffragette named Edith after Enola is arrested. The pair free Enola from prison, and Eudoria continues to teach Enola about the importance of teamwork and camaraderie before they part ways.
Despite Bonham Carter’s brief role in both films, Eudoria’s spirit and bond with Enola can still be felt on screen. Much of what Enola knows comes from her mother, such as her ability to read between the lines and pull on loose threads. Her mother’s wise words about finding allies prompt Enola to join forces with the factory workers towards the end of the film to stand up against the grievances, while remembering Eudoria’s advice to work together to form a voice and make noise.
7 Howard’s End (1992) – 94%
Howard’s end is one of Helena Bonham Carter’s most critically acclaimed films to date, winning three Oscars. Based on EM Forster’s novel of the same name, the film examines the class tensions that prevailed in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century. Bonham Carter plays Helen Schlegel, Margaret Schlegel’s younger, more impulsive sister.
Both sisters are similar in character and are very intelligent and free-thinking. Both sisters become involved with the aristocratic Wilcoxes, but it spells Helen’s downfall. Helen becomes pregnant by the impoverished Leonard, badly damaging her reputation.
Bonham Carter does a great job of showing Helen’s naivety and how her maturity differs from her sister’s. Her lack of control over her emotions causes her to do things without considering the consequences, but Bonham Carter doesn’t let her flaws defy her character. Instead, thanks to Bonham Carter’s performance, it’s easy to sympathize with Helen and, in a way, one can understand the motivations behind her actions. Her performance earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 1992 BAFTAs.
6 The King’s Speech (2010) – 94%
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Most fans may remember Helena Bonham Carter’s role as Princess Margaret in The crown, but before that she actually played another member of the royal family. In 2010, Bonham Carter took on the role of Queen Elizabeth I The king’s speech, the mother of Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth II. The film is mainly about her husband, King George VI, who enlisted the help of Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue to deal with his stutter. Together they prepare George for his first radio show, in which he declares war on Germany.
Bonham Carter’s role as Queen Elizabeth I earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. In real life, Queen Elizabeth I asked that the film not be made until after her death, due to the painful memories that death brought her. Screenwriter David Seidler respected that wish, and Bonham Carter portrayed the late Queen with grace and dignity, while also showing her fiery nature.
5 Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Worker Rabbit (2005) – 95%
Helena Bonham Carter takes over in ” Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Worker Rabbit, plays Wallace’s mistress Lady Campanula Tottington. The horror-inspired film follows Wallace and Gromit as they battle a giant rabbit who is stealing the town’s crops ahead of the annual Giant Vegetable Contest. Bonham Carter’s character is a friendly aristocrat whose family has supported the giant vegetable competition for centuries.
Her romantic feelings for Wallace are a very sweet addition to the film and she is shown to care deeply for the rabbits despite protests from other people in town, even establishing a wildlife sanctuary by the end of the film.
4 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) – 96%
Helena Bonham Carter’s role in the Harry Potter franchise as Bellatrix Lestrange is one of her most iconic roles to date. Since their first appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixEstablishing herself as an extremely frightening presence, Lestrange tortured Harry by murdering Sirius Black in front of him. Therefore, fans were excited to see how she reached her end in 2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 by Molly Weasley, in one of the most iconic scenes in the franchise.
Bonham Carter’s role as Lestrange was loved by both critics and fans. Despite the fact that the character has been criminally underused for the last four years Harry Potter Bonham Carter remained one of the standout films. She perfectly embodied the role of Bellatrix Lestrange, and it’s incredibly hard to think of anyone who could have played the menacing antagonist better.
3 The House (2022) – 97%
The house is a stop motion anthology film from Netflix. The film contains three very different stories embodying different themes but all located in the same house. Helena Bonham Carter appears in the third story, Listen Again and Seek the Sun, playing an anthropomorphic cat named Jen. In this story, the world has been hit by an apocalyptic flood and the house is surrounded by ever-rising water. The landlady, Rosa, is trying her best to keep the business running, her main message being that it’s important to keep going.
Jen von Bonham Carter is Rosa’s bohemian tenant who plays a key role in Rosa’s spiritual ascent and eventual acceptance of her situation. Jen and the house’s other tenant, Elias, are not paying rent to Rosa because their main concern is the rising water. Eventually, Jen invites her spiritual partner, Cosmos, to the house, where he begins building a boat for Elias to leave. Jen is very attentive to Rosa and always listens to her as she embarks on a new life quest with Cosmos and Elias.
2 A Room with a View (1985) – 100%
A room with a view is Helena Bonham Carter’s first film on this list with a perfect 100 percent rating. The film is based on EM Forster’s novel of the same name and follows Bonham Carter’s character Lucy Honeychurch. It is set towards the end of the Edwardian era, when England’s culture was incredibly oppressive. Honeychurch meets a man named George Emerson who represents everything that doesn’t represent the world he finds himself in. He is free-spirited, believes in gender equality and challenges traditional societal norms.
Honeychurch falls in love with Emerson, prompting her to break away from the expectations placed on her.
Bonham Carter’s role in A room with a viewwas her first major film role. She was only nineteen at the time of her casting and already embodied everything about Lucy Honeychurch’s character and looks. Bonham Carter’s performance breathes life into the character and easily underscores the intricacies of Honeychurch’s emotional development. In doing so, Bonham Carter made her a truly memorable character, which is one of the main reasons the film is so popular.
1 Burton and Taylor (2013) – 100%
How A room with a view, Burton and Taylor also has a perfect 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film did not receive a theatrical release, instead being released on BBC Four. It is a biographical drama that focuses on the turbulent love affair between acting duo Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The film is set during the couple’s preparations for a theatrical performance of the play. private life. Bonham Carter takes on the role of Elizabeth Taylor, capturing the actress’s power of attraction and vulnerability.
Bonham Carter managed to accurately portray Taylor’s larger-than-life personality and portray the complexities of her relationship with Burton. She succeeds in embodying Taylor’s extravagance while showing the emotional turmoil she faces. Along with Dominic West, they show the heartbreak of a relationship that’s not meant to be and acknowledge the harm of toxic relationships.
Burton’s close friend Robert Hardy described Bonham Carter’s performance as “…brilliant, absolutely brilliant. She has the spirit of her and sounded like her.”
