Sharon Tate was a talented and beloved young actress. This list will focus on her best films, not on her life. It’s a subjective list because everyone has a different opinion.
Here is the list of the Top 5 Sharon Tate Movies of All Time.
#5. The Wrecking Crew (1968)
The first film on our list is also Sharon Tate’s final film before she died. The Wrecking Crew, featuring Dean Martin as the flamboyant US counteragent, was released in 1968 and is the fourth film in the Matt Helm’s series.
Freya Carlson, Helm’s gorgeous but bumbling Danish Tourism Bureau guide, is played by Tate. Matt Helm is dispatched to Denmark this time to recover a highly precious gold bullion.
According to Matt Helm, the wicked Count Massimo Cantini may have stolen the ingot as part of his scheme to bring down the global economy.
For this mission in a foreign land, Helm is assigned a companion to guide him through the streets of Copenhagen. Â Freya proves to be of great help to Helm, even though her clumsiness can get them into even more complicated situations.
The Wrecking Crew was also the last film in the popular Math Helms series. There’s a certain rumor that this movie wasn’t as successful as its prequels, hence the series cancellation. The truth, however, is much darker than that.
A mere six months after The Wrecking Crew’s release, Sharon Tate was one of the victims of the infamous Tate Lobbianca murders. Committed by members of the Manson family. This heinous act shocked the entire Hollywood community.
Dean Martin, costar and friend of Sharon Tate was particularly moved by her demise. He vowed to quit playing the character of Matt Helm cutting the series short, the critics and audiences agreed that Sharon Tate’s portrayal of the ditzy yet Lovable Freya was one of the movie’s highlights.
To prepare herself for the action scenes where her character needed to fight. Tate recruited an expert martial artist’s help. The name of this martial expert, a certain young man called Bruce Lee.
#4. Don’t Make Waves (1967)
Despite the fact that it was Tate’s third film in 1967, Don’t Make Waves was the first to be released in theaters. This is the first time spectators will see Tate on the big screen in this comedy.
Muscle Beach is an adaption of Irawalik’s novel. Carlo Cofield is played by Tony Curtis, and Malibu is played by Sharon Tate. Carlo Cofield is a visitor on vacation on the West Coast of California, entranced in the beauty of the beaches and the surfer lifestyle. His journey has just just began when he is involved in an automobile accident.
In the other car is the gorgeous Italian artist Laura Califatti, who offers her house for him to stay the night. Carlo then gets involved in yet another incident. This time he nearly drowns at the beach. Luckily for him, he’s saved by a very attractive and young surfer, a girl simply known as Malibu.
He is soon involved in an uneasy romantic triangle and the ups and downs of Southern Californian culture. Despite the laughs, the production of Don’t Make Waves wasn’t a particularly pleasing experience for Tate. She would later tell her husband that the atmosphere on the set was quite tense.
This was only made worse when an uncredited stuntman drowned in a parachuting incident. That said, the movie became an icon of the Californian culture of the 60s, with Tate running an advertising campaign for Coppertone, she also became a symbol of the beach culture of the decade.
Tate’s appearance was so recognizable that Mattel used her likeness for the Malibu Barbie doll. Being the first big Sharon Tate film, MGM jumped into the chance to run an advertisement campaign based on her gorgeous looks.
This was her big movie premiere, at least for American audiences, as she had already debuted on the other side of the pond.
#3. Eye of the Devil (1966)
Despite producer Martin Ransohoff’s assertions that Sharon Tate’s debut as an actress was unremarkable, her first official film credit came in 1966 with Eye of the Devil.
Sharon Tate stars as Odile de Caray in a sinister drama set in a French vineyard in this modest British horror film. Philippe de Montfaucon is the heir to a run-down vineyard in Bordeaux. Grace’s land had failed to yield any fruit for three years, forcing Philippe to return to Paris.
However, one day he is suddenly summoned to the vineyard, where he’s welcomed by siblings Christian and Odile de Caray. Things soon take a turn for the wicked. As Philip and his wife, Catherine, discover ancient fertility rituals that happened in their vineyard.
Philippe will soon understand what a mess he has inherited and just how evil the people running this inconspicuous vineyard can be.
It was Martin Ransohoff who first came across Tate’s acting talents. He discovered the young actress and immediately signed a seven year contract with her. Ransohoff was a firm believer in the importance of showing new talent, insisting on including at least one new actor or actress in each of his productions.
Eye of the Devil was a small commercial success, but only in Europe. American audiences hardly ever knew of the film’s existence. Thus the reason why Tate didn’t become a bigname star thanks to this horror flick. Despite its lukewarm reception, the movie has become a cult classic with horror fans.
It’s also worth noting that Eye of the Devil had a particularly complicated production. A series of freak accidents affected production schedules, even gravely injuring actress Kim Novak.
Of course, due to the occult subject matter of the movie and the involvement of Alex Sanders, an English occultist and wicked as a consultant, there are rumors that Eye of the Devil’s production might have been cursed.
#2. Valley of the Dolls (1967)
A story about drama, substance misuse, and the entertainment industry’s temptations. Despite garnering some negative reviews from reviewers, Valley of the Dolls was a huge box office success in 1967.
The film follows three young women as they attempt to break into the entertainment industry. Jennifer North, one of the key characters in the film, is played by Sharon Tate. Jennifer is a stunning chorus singer with limited acting experience who aspires to be a Hollywood star.
She falls for a nightclub singer who also happens to have a rare genetic condition.
The disease is called Huntington’s career. It’s relatively rare. Unfortunately, there is no cure, disillusioned and heartbroken. Jennifer’s Hollywood dreams are cut short as she now has to take care of her institutionalized husband and her pregnancy.
In her time of need, she realizes just how dangerous Tinseltown can be. The limelights shine bright and burn deeper, especially for someone like Jennifer.
Based on a novel written by Jacqueline Suzanne, Valley of the Dolls was a controversial book for its time. However, much of what made the novel controversial had to be removed to comply with the 60s strict censorship norms. Things like lesbianism and some risque content had to be toned down or downright removed.
These differences between the movie and its source material are the reason for the film’s poor critical reception. The author herself was very vocal about her disdain for the movie, particularly because it uses a typical happy ending instead of the darker one scene in the book.
Sharon Tate herself wasn’t a huge fan of the novel. Upon first reading it, the actress would say that she hated the book’s themes but agreed to participate in the movie anyways. This ultimately proved to be the right decision, as Valley of the Dolls turned her into one of Hollywood’s most coveted stars.
#1. The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
The Fearless Vampire Killers is a horror comedy that parodies traditional vampire myths. Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski, her future husband, star in the film. This picture, directed by Roman Polanski, would be the couple’s first and only appearance on the big screen.
Polanski plays a respected professor and his devoted assistant in the film. They examine a rural community that appears to be under assault by vampires as vampire hunters.
The professors in that village aided me in my search for the bar keeper’s gorgeous daughter. Sharon Tate is a perfect match for Serra, Polanski’s romantic interest.
The couple was introduced by producer Martin Ransohoff who always defended Tate’s acting chops after a few dinners with Tate Polanski was convinced that she was the right actors for the role.
Despite being hit with European audiences, the movie didn’t resonate with the American public. Polanski blames the many differences between the British original and its American release as the cause for its failure.
For one the movie’s original title was dance of the vampires. Summary editing also messed with the movie’s plot ruining its narrative according to Polansky.
Whatever the case the film began an integral part of Sharon Tate’s career and considering her relationship with Polanski he changed her personal life as well.
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) was rated a respectable 7.2 out of 10 on IMDb website and receive the 76 percent audience score on rotten tomatoes.
This was our Top 5 Sharon Tate Movies list. We have been able to compile a great list of the best Sharon Tate Movies. Do you agree with our list? If you have any suggestions or comments please shoot them down in the comments below.Â
