A strong physical presence is one of the first things to be seen and one of the things that is simplest to cease noticing in an actor. Raquel Welch is one of the most commanding physical presences in movie history.
Welch’s gorgeous appearance caught everyone’s attention from her earliest jobs as a background character in movies and television in the early 1960s. Those second glances soon led to a small role in a beach party movie, one of the period’s distinctive cinematic genres. She rose to second billing in her subsequent major film, the 1966 science fiction classic Fantastic Voyage, thanks to her one small performance in A Swingin’ Summer. Following her iconic sequences in One Million Years, B.C. wearing a prehistoric bikini, Welch became an international sensation a year later.
Unless there is more to an actor than meets the eye, such a swift climb can result in an equally quick fall. There was more with Welch. She was endowed with a strong sense of resolve in addition to her commanding physical presence, which allowed her to continue working until her late 70s and allowed her to develop as an actress over time.
Her extraordinary work ethic and sense of self-respect helped her to successfully negotiate a lifelong career that alternated between film, television, the stage, and the business of health and beauty, despite the stereotypes that come with being categorised as a sex symbol. Her passing on February 15, 2023, was a genuine tragedy for the film business.
These nine films are the greatest way to honour Raquel Welch’s glitzy film career.
100 Rifles
Following in the footsteps of the great Sergio Leone, who primarily filmed his renowned spaghetti westerns in Spain, Raquel Welch starred in the 1969 western 100 Rifles, which was totally filmed on location in Spain. She appeared in a story that, as the title would suggest, involved a lot of guns and highlighted the struggle of an oppressed indigenous people alongside action heroes Jim Brown and Burt Reynolds.
The guts it took to depict an inter-racial connection between Welch’s and Brown’s characters, which some in Hollywood and a majority of the country were not ready to embrace, is perhaps what makes 100 Rifles and Raquel Welch’s performance most significant.
Bandolero!
Raquel Welch’s first opportunity to star in a western came in 1968 with Bandolero! Although it starred Welch and Dean Martin, James Stewart’s consistently outstanding performance elevated the film above many of the other westerns that were produced in the late 1960s.
Bedazzled
Although not everyone enjoys British humour, Raquel Welch joined the outstanding comedic duo of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in the 1967 film Bedazzled, which is about a dejected guy who sells his soul to the devil in order to win over the woman he is hopelessly in love with. Raquel Welch’s seven-minute performance as Lilian Lust, one of the seven deadly sins, was sufficiently memorable that it was featured on the movie’s poster. Who would dare object?
Fantastic Voyage
Raquel Welch made the crucial transition in 1966 from a supporting role in a beach party movie to the leading lady of a major motion picture with a prominent role in Fantastic Voyage.
The team in Fantastic Voyage invades the human body rather than shrinking to infiltrate superhero facilities and flying suits, which is a concept that is inherently more fascinating to any human with a body. This science fiction classic uses a miniaturising technology that most modern audiences would recognise in Ant-Man. The 1987 blockbuster Innerspace, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, and Meg Ryan, similarly made use of the premise of being injected into a human body.
Mother, Jugs & Speed
The chemistry between Raquel Welch, Bill Cosby, and young co-star Harvey Keitel does a lot to make this movie enjoyable and entertaining, regardless of the path that co-star Bill Cosby would later take (Cosby’s brilliant entertainment career would be tarnished by many allegations and a conviction of sexual assault).
Instead of the director’s attempt to imitate the humorous tone and manner of M*A*S*H, which had premiered five years prior, Welch’s captivating performance and interactions are what make Mother, Jugs & Speed successful.
One Million Years, B.C.
Raquel Welch’s breakthrough performance in the remake of One Million Years, B.C. may have been analogous to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s breakthrough performance in The Terminator in that it was more about on-screen presence than dialogue. The film, which was made by Hammer Films, not only featured the excellent form of Raquel Welch but also the stunning stop-motion animation of the legendary Ray Harryhausen (a style overshadowed by the technology of today, but still wonderful in its own right).
The ideal platform for Raquel Welch’s burgeoning career, One Million Years, B.C. quickly elevated the singer to a global celebrity. She appeared on a movie poster that became so well-known that The Shawshank Redemption’s script used it as a crucial prop.
Right to Die
In the 1987 made-for-television movie Right to Die, Raquel Welch played one of her most compelling dramatic roles. She portrayed a wife and mother of small children who was in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease (A.L.S. ), a crippling condition that targets the nerve system and gradually weakens the muscles required for movement, breathing, eating, and speaking.
Her portrayal helped bring attention to A.L.S., provided insight into the increasingly important topic of quality of life at the end of life, and garnered her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Made for Television.
The Last of Sheila
The Last of Sheila, an original ensemble-cast murder mystery that was released in 1973, may have served as a major source of inspiration for Warner Bros.’s most recent critically praised thrillers Knives Out and Glass Onion. One of the six visitors invited to spend a few days on a boat with Raquel Welch is one who will participate in a game that will disclose which guest is a killer, assuming anyone lives long enough.
The outstanding cast, which also includes James Mason, James Coburn, and Dyan Cannon, matches the script’s impressive strength and twists by Stephen Sondheim (West Side Story) and Anthony Perkins (Psycho).
The Three Musketeers
Raquel Welch won the 1973 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical after being cast in a role that perfectly fitted her. This film adaption of The Three Musketeers won over viewers all around the world with its captivating historical plot and unique fusion of swashbuckling action and truly amusing comedy.
Welch provides a surprisingly clever portrayal as a lady who appears to be a clumsy, gullible dressmaker but is actually a confidante of Queen Anne and a courier to the Duke of Buckingham. She handles the impressionable gullibility of the role with a great humorous delivery.
She reprised her part the following year in The Four Musketeers, one of the most flawless sequels in film history thanks to the continued use of the original director, writer, and cast members. Fans of Raquel Welch and of humorous action films will both enjoy seeing some of the actress’ best performances in these two films.
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