Women In Love (1969) Direct

: This was Jackson's first major starring film role, and her portrayal of the independent-minded Gudrun Brangwen won her the first of two Academy Awards for Best Actress. Critics noted her performance was marked by a "flinty austerity" and a "startling authority."

Vanessa Redgrave and Faye Dunaway both turned down the role of Ursula. Women in Love (1969)

The film follows two sisters, Ursula and Gudrun, as they navigate relationships that take radically different paths. While Ursula and Rupert seek a connection that transcends traditional marriage, Gudrun and Gerald descend into a destructive cycle of power and emotional isolation. This juxtaposition captured the 1960s' own ambivalence about the evolution of social institutions and the birth of new, often confounding, personal freedoms. : This was Jackson's first major starring film