"Actress In A Leading Role" 1975

Moving along to another year of leading actresses:

1975

And the Academy selected:

• Isabelle Adjani in The Story Of Adele H.
• Ann-Margaret in Tommy
• Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
• Glenda Jackson in Hedda
• Carol Kane in Hester Street

Finally, a varied year, so will it be the Academy's choice, or will I name someone else the best of 1975?

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1951: My Ranking

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5. Jane Wyman in "The Blue Veil"

- One of the hardest nominees to find, is unfortunately the least impressive of this lineup. Wyman struggles to establish a purpose and a depth for her character, not to mention it's mostly a boring one. While everyone else in the movie has a storyline to follow, Jane Wyman seems to be just hanging on, and she's the lead!

4. Eleanor Parker in "Detective Story"

- One of the shortest nominees ever is actually very impressive, for what it is. And what it is, is a very short performance where Parker explores the nervousness and guilt of a decision Mary has made years before, and for the most part, she's great.

3. Katharine Hepburn in "The African Queen"

- It makes me really happy when a performer can overcome the badness around her, and Katharine certainly did that. Her character and performance makes this movie watchable, with her spinster, uppity mannerisms and attitude, it's a wonderful performance.

2. Shelley Winters in "A Place In The Sun"

- Shelley Winters manages to be annoying and heartbreaking all at once, and it's debatable whether or not she's supporting or lead (Eleanor Parker is much more supporting, if you ask me), yet she still is able to haunt the film, causing her to be the standout of the cast. Winters adds so many little things, that add up to a great, really amazing performance.

1. Vivien Leigh in "A Streetcar Named Desire"

- Was there any suspense? I hope not, because it's undeniable and unthinkable that Vivien Leigh couldn't be chosen as the best. She puts an everlasting stamp on the brilliantly written character Blanche DuBois, that maybe no other actress could. The nervousness, the fake joy, the past secrets, everything is perfect.

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Honorable Omissions: Elizabeth Taylor in "A Place In The Sun"

Jane Wyman in "The Blue Veil"

Jane Wyman received her third Oscar nomination for playing Louise Mason in The Blue Veil.

The Blue Veil is an average, very slow, and very melodramatic movie about a woman whose husband dies, not to mention her baby, so she decides to take up a nurses job for children. Again, the film is so average, and every high emotional moment seems completely fake and obvious.

So, as you might think, Jane Wyman gives a rather average performance. Louise is practically forced into being a nurse simply because she has no skills whatsoever doing anything else. She ends up taking care of many different children, including one that grows to the age of 8 with her. When his parents finally come to retrieve him, she simply cannot take it saying that she is the one who has taken care of him his whole life. After he leaves, she becomes basically a janitor in a school, so she can be near children, even though she looks to be in her late 60s. It all is very obvious and unbelievable, especially when Wyman is in old age makeup.

Still, I think she has some good moments, where she completely uplifts her movie. When she is working with the children, it's all extremely good, certainly because Wyman has great chemistry with the kids. But I don't want to overrate it in the slightest because for how many things there are good about The Blue Veil and Jane Wyman, there are more that are bad. Jane Wyman almost fades into the scenery, almost never standing out during the film.

She surely is better then her movie, but Jane Wyman is stuck with her obvious and melodramatic material. Although she does have some good scenes, especially when she is dealing with the kids, everything seems to come in place here, but elsewhere, it's simply unsatisfying.

Vivien Leigh in "A Streetcar Named Desire"

Vivien Leigh won her second Oscar for playing Blanche DuBois, in A Streetcar Named Desire.

A Streetcar Named Desire is a masterpiece of cinema. It's just an incredible piece of work, not just the acting, but the writing, the directing, the music. The movie begins with Blanche DuBois, arriving in New Orleans to spend a little time with her sister, while she is suffering from mental fatigue, after being exiled from her town for seducing a seventeen year old student.

From the first moment she appears, Blanche is a mysterious woman. She appears in mystery, and throughout the film, her sister Stella's husband Stanley, tries to learn more and more about her. Blanche is constantly nervous, always playing with her hair, or grabbing her neck. She always talks in a soft manner, even though everyone around her seems to be shouting, or even when Stanley starts attacking her mentally and physically - all of this is driving her to insanity.

Vivien Leigh is simply amazing. Leigh finds the emotional intensity in her character, and takes it to a level that no other could ever do. Yes, there have been many, many other actresses who have played Blanche DuBois, but there is only one who could play her in such a manner that is untouchable. She creates the same steamy tone that Kim Hunter and Marlon Brando have in their performances. Blanche is anything but innocent, but Leigh makes her incredibly sympathetic. And not only does she emotionally get Blanche right, she also perfectly plays the physical aspects of Blanche. Her nervous touches and curious looks as she hears voices, it's all just astonishing.

There is an amazing amount of art put into the part. That's a compliant and an half, as few performances could be compared to paintings by Vincent Van Gogh or Leonardo De Vinci.

Vivien Leigh took on a hard role, and amazingly, she succeeds on a sky high level. Blanche is many things, and it took a brilliant actress to tackle all the various emotions, and Vivien Leigh does it unhesitatingly, with incredible results. It's simply a clinquant performance, full of layers and humanity...

Shelley Winters in "A Place In The Sun"

Shelley Winters received her first Oscar nomination for playing Alice Tripp, a factory worker, in A Place In The Sun.

A Place In The Sun is a wonderful, dark movie about how far passion can drive you. Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor are perfect here, having some of the most amazing chemistry on screen. But, for me, the movie belongs to Shelley Winters.

Like Eleanor Parker, it should be stated first, Shelley Winters doesn't have alot of screen-time. But, she is in no way supporting. And unlike Eleanor Parker, she does so many things with her limited screen-time. She plays Alice, a lonely, unattractive girl who has taken a job at a factory. When she meets George (Clift), she is immediately taken with him, and George finds Alice is a nice person to talk too. Alice is constantly talking, always bringing something up, but there's always something strange and pathetic about her to keep George, and the audience involved with her. But, they just weren't meant to be with each other...

Shelley Winters was known for playing sex bombs early in her career, and this was the first role, where she donned her chubby, annoying attitude that came to be her norm in her later career. Here she is simply amazing as Alice, creating a vivid, memorable sad performance that haunts the viewer long after with it's "what could have been" ending.

Again, I'm not sure why people call it supporting, she has a huge impact on the story, and her screen-time is alot more then your usual supporting nominee. But, like I said in my review of Beatrice Straight in Network, it's quality, not quantity. Shelley Winters plays a quiet, simple girl whose life has been interrupted and eventually perpetuated by a person who really doesn't want anything to do with her in the long run. It goes without saying, Winters is simply perfect as Alice.

Katharine Hepburn in "The African Queen"

Katharine Hepburn received her fifth Oscar nomination for playing Rose Sayer, a missionary, in The African Queen.

Frankly, I do not like The African Queen. I find it to be boring, overproduced, and unconvincing. The plot is about war breaking out in Africa, while a reverend and his sister are helping out locals in a mission. The reverend ends up getting killed, and his sister runs off, when she meets up with a boat ran by Charlie, an annoying drunk, who agrees to help her get back to civilization.

Katharine Hepburn, plays Rose, a prim spinster, and thank goodness she is in this film. She completely saves it with her snooty attitude and lovely spinster mannerisms. Hepburn is truly wonderful as Rose, a woman who has really surpassed love all her life, and finds unexpected romance with the drunken Charlie on their long boat ride. But, there comes another problem: the love story is so unconvincing. Simply because the two characters have no chemistry.

But, again, thank goodness for Katharine Hepburn! Rose is a deeply religious woman, but her proper attitude starts to fade a bit as she is forced to spend more and more time with Charlie, and Hepburn plays it extremely convincing. It's also great that Hepburn is very entertaining as Rose, even when the movie brings her down, she still holds her character's stiff behavior up well.

Even though her movie is terrible for me, Katharine Hepburn seems to be in a whole other world with her stuffy religious spinster. And even though there is simply no chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and she, she still is able to make up for it with her entertaining and lovely presence that she brought to the screen. I might even consider it lightweight but still a fine job.

Eleanor Parker in "Detective Story"

Eleanor Parker received her second Oscar nomination for playing Mary McLeod, in Detective Story.

Detective Story is quite an interesting, even entertaining film about one day in the life of a police station, and more specifically, Jim McLeod. Kirk Douglas is very good as Jim, but the story is really stolen by all the supporting characters that keep popping in and out of the police station.

Eleanor Parker plays Mary, his gentle, and very secretive wife. First of all, Eleanor Parker has one of the shortest nominated performances ever in this category. It probably clocks around 20 minutes, if even less. But, it's easy to see why Parker managed to get a nomination in the Best Actress category. She completely steals the movie with her last scenes with Kirk Douglas. Mary is keeping a secret from everyone, and slowly as the day goes on, her secret is in danger of coming out.

Again, it doesn't bother me that she is supporting, but there is simply alot missing here. In her short period of time, Eleanor Parker is able to show Mary is a kind, loving woman, but we never know much more from her expect she has done something horrible, and knows if it ever gets back to her husband, he will leave her.

She handles her scenes very stagy as well, as Detective Story was originally from the stage. Again, I wish I could rate Parker's performance much better, but it's lacking, and it's not just the screen-time, even though that is a problem as with more, we could have gotten to know Mary more. But, she completely steals her scenes away from Kirk Douglas, and the end, it's Eleanor Parker (and Lee Grant) who leave the biggest impressions. I wish there was more to grade, but Eleanor Parker is stuck with a small performance that gets lifted off the ground, but doesn't really go anywhere.

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1951

Moving right along to another year of leading actresses:

1951

The Academy selected:

• Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen
• Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire
• Eleanor Parker in Detective Story
• Shelley Winters in A Place In The Sun
• Jane Wyman in The Blue Veil

It looks like another one horse race...but we shall see who I name the best of 1951...

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1972: My Ranking

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5. Cicely Tyson in "Sounder"

- Cicely Tyson shows the various shades of a mother's love, while showing the strength of a determined woman. It's not amazing or revolutionary work, but Tyson does her job very well.

4. Maggie Smith in "Travels With My Aunt"

- Maggie Smith delivers a vivid, humorous performance that is mangled for it's over the top nature. Yes, it is over the top, but Maggie is able to turn the eccentricity into a wonderful portrayal.

3. Diana Ross in "Lady Sings The Blues"

- While the majority of Diana Ross's portrayal of Billie Holliday is mixed (if only she hasn't injected so much Diana Ross into it) she still makes a huge impact, showing the stages of the desolation of an artist. Her attempt at showing the dark side of a bright singer are usually fantastic, just not consistent.

2. Liv Ullmann in "The Emigrants"

-  Liv Ullmann delivers a very quiet, or more appropriately, subtle performance that lies as the soul of The Emigrants. Liv quietly shows us the fear, love, and hope of her character. It all lies behind the eyes, and her performance remains riveting and beautiful.

1. Liza Minnelli in "Cabaret"

- Liza evokes a word of wonderment with Sally Bowles. Her singing, performing, and most importantly, her acting, are pitch perfect, the performance is rich with shadings and characteristics of a real person. A fantastic, amazing piece of work.

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Honorable Omissions: Divine in "Pink Flamingos" and Goldie Hawn in "Butterflies Are Free"

Liv Ullmann in "The Emigrants"

Liv Ullmann received her first Oscar nomination for playing Kristina Nilsson, a Swedish wife, in The Emigrants.

The Emigrants is the story of a Swedish family who hate their harsh farming life in Sweden, and decide to set sail for America. The film is full of beautiful cinematography, but the story is very harsh. It's very hard to enjoy the film because it does show the harsh side effects of traveling poorly across the ocean.

Kristina is the wife of Karl, and both of them are forced to do strenuous work due to the lack of money. They are faced with many challenges, in Sweden, and in the journey to America.

The Emigrants is full of pain, and at the center is Kristina. Liv Ullmann always knew how to play these types of roles, so Kristina fits her perfectly. Her strong determination, underlying fear, and always present naivety, Kristina has a hard time dealing with the misery in her life.

Liv Ullmann is superb as Kristina. The fear and pain you feel while witnessing the journey they go through is all thanks to Ullmann. Her expressive face and mannerisms are at work here, and she never leaves one emotion alone for Kristina. We always feel what she is feeling.

She's at the center of the movie, and appropriately so. And Ullmann never takes a misstep as Kristina, a naive woman who is forced with the utmost challenges. A really great performance, and yes, it is atypical for an Oscar nominee, which makes me respect it even more.

Liza Minnelli in "Cabaret"

Liza Minnelli won the Oscar for playing a singer, Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

Cabaret is a fantastic musical. It's not entirely a musical I think, it's not about people who jump into song and dance randomly, it's about performing on a stage. The camerawork is visually stunning, and the story is surprisingly hard hitting and entertaining.

Liza Minnelli was the perfect choice for Sally. Her big eyes, bowl hair, and incredible voice make Sally easily a beautiful and intelligent character.

Sally is a cabaret singer and we follow her journey through romance and fame. She wants to be a big star, but hates to give up the sudden excitement she has found in Nazi Germany.

Liza does a brilliant job with her musical scenes, perhaps the best musical performance ever, because she never stops acting while she's singing. From "Maybe This Time" to "Money" to "Life Is A Cabaret", she knocks her musical scenes out of the park.

But, why I said it might be the best musical performance ever, has to do with her dramatic scenes. Liza takes Sally, and turns her every which way she can. We see a woman who may look happy and excited, but she is really a child at heart, whose fear of losing her boyfriend is perfectly captured by a brilliant mix of music and drama, by Liza. She even has some humor in some of her scenes. Which makes Liza's Sally even more lovable and amazing.

With such energy and deep understanding, Liza Minnelli creates a brilliant portrayal of a singer who has more problems then she can imagine.

A beautifully wonderful performance from a gifted singer and actress.

Cicely Tyson in "Sounder"

Cicely Tyson received her only Oscar nomination for playing Rebecca Morgan, a poor mother, in Sounder.

Sounder is really alright, it's much better then a few films I've already reviewed on this blog that instead of being just a family film, goes to heavy on the sentimental side, but fortunately Sounder deals with tough subjects and the sentimentality is much needed for the situations. Sounder is about a black family in Depression America in the 30s. It follows their journey and struggle to not only keep money, but obtain the patriarch from the family once he is arrested for a ridiculous charge.

Cicely Tyson plays Rebecca Morgan, the mother of the family. She is naturally tough, warm, nice woman who loves her family, and her family relies on her for support.

I think my biggest problem with Cicely Tyson's performance is how quiet it is, and again, nothing wrong with giving a subtle performance, but I'd at least like some indication the woman is acting. Her quiet determination, her quiet love for her husband, her quiet strength she has for her family, it's all very quiet.

Tyson has some particularly good moments, some where she is helping her young son be a more of a man, or the much famous ending where she sees her husband again. Again, it's not a bad performance, I just wish Cicely Tyson could do more with her performance then being quiet.

Rebeeca Morgan is supporting her family to the fullest, her warm presence is felt on the screen. She provides the heart of Sounder, and it shows throughout, she simply looks like a warm mother who would do anything for her family. I respect and admire the work on display here, Cicely does her job, and does it well. It's not a flashy performance or a performance full of amazing depth, but it's still highly warming and that's really the purpose of her performance, to warm.

Diana Ross in "Lady Sings The Blues"

Diana Ross received her only Oscar nomination for playing troubled singer Billie Holliday in Lady Sings The Blues.

Lady Sings The Blues is an average biopic, that chooses to take a few easy shots with the life of Billie Holliday. Like quickly making her drug addict then exploring how she got there, but it's above average I'd say. Lady is an obvious vehicle for Diana Ross, but it's not a perfect choice. This is Diana Ross's film debut, and to be perfectly honest, it shows.

The film begins when Holliday is fairly young, and these scenes don't do well with Ross, she always seems out of place with her acting here. Later, as Billie becomes a star, Ross's acting improves, as her own star persona seems to take over. Still, it's still pretty obvious we are watching Diana Ross trying to act like Billie Holliday constantly.

And I not sure who advised Diana Ross to do it, but she sings all of Holliday's songs with her normal singing voice. This really hurts her performance from taking off because, maybe I could have believed her a bit if she tried. I mean, Sissy Spacek had Loretta Lynn's voice down, couldn't have Diana Ross just tried to get Billie Holliday's voice down?

Overall, Diana Ross has nice moments here and there, like her famous (if too underplayed) scene in the bathroom asking for drugs, but her performance is constantly a imitation of Billie Holliday, instead of acting. Sometimes I saw little hints of a performance that could have been knocked out the park, but Diana just didn't impress me as much as she should have. There are scattered gems here, but you have to really be looking for them.

Maggie Smith in "Travels With My Aunt"

Maggie Smith received her third Oscar nomination for playing Augusta Bertram in Travels With My Aunt.


Travels With My Aunt is a bit muddled, too long, and overall, a little uninteresting film that is only brought to life when Maggie Smith is on screen. The story is about a snobby young boy who meets his very eccentric aunt at his mother's funeral. The two strike up a friendship and she pulls him into a whirlwind of adventure. Together, the two discover more about life then they ever imagined.


Augusta is probably the definition of eccentric. She likes to be in peculiar situations and she is constantly showing herself off to anyone who pays her attention. So, as you would expect, Maggie Smith is very over the top as Augusta, but for this character, it works. Smith is getting the absolute best out of Augusta, like moving around her hands or using her voice to make Augusta the eccentric presence that she is.

And Maggie Smith was the wrong age for Augusta, who was supposed to be a middle aged woman, but all that aside, Maggie gives a very entertaining, charming, lived in performance that delivers many depths and insight into the character. Yes, I can understand how some could find her over the top acting to be exactly that, over the top, but for me it perfectly fit the character and was very entertaining. 
 

Maggie Smith has a very juicy parts as Aunt Augusta, and she nails her eccentric behavior bravely. A performance to be messed up easily, but Maggie Smith gives an entertaining performance that carries the film. Maybe too over the top, but again, isn't that the character?

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1972

The next year of review, will be:

1972

The Academy selected:

• Liza Minnelli in Cabaret
• Diana Ross in Lady Sings The Blues
• Maggie Smith in Travels With My Aunt
• Cicely Tyson in Sounder
• Liv Ullmann in The Emigrants

Looks like a one horse race...but stranger things have happened...

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1949: My Ranking

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5. Jeanne Crain in Pinky

- Not only was she terribly miscast, Jeanne Crain also isn't able to show any believable acting as the mysterious "colored" woman. Constantly on one note, never trying to make her brutal miscasting seem believable.

4. Deborah Kerr in Edward, My Son

- Deborah Kerr doesn't have alot to do with her character, always in the background observing, and when she does get to speak up or be drunk, Kerr ruins it with unbelievable, obvious acting. Her moments as a drunk are embarrassingly obvious.

3. Loretta Young in Come To The Stable

- A flat performance in a flat movie. Loretta Young adds charm to the character, but never any depth or reason, most likely she wanted to fit in with her film. How could judge a performance where the actress seems to be sleepwalking, or more appropriately, just going on her charm?

2. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart

- Susan Hayward knew how to be over the top and make it work, here the role requires her to be a fallen drunk girl, and she succeeds in many, many ways, adding shadings and personality to her character.

1. Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress

- A true tour-de-force. Olivia de Havilland is able to successfully show her character arc from shy girl to bitter woman. The emotions, the rejection, the love, Olivia is simply terrific as Catharine. Her final scenes are a masterclass in acting.

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Honorable Omissions: Gene Tierney in "Whirlpool"

Susan Hayward in "My Foolish Heart"

Susan Hayward received her second Oscar nomination for playing Eloise Winters in My Foolish Heart.

My Foolish Heart is a bit muddled, but for the most part, it's enjoyable melodrama from the 40s. The story is about hard drinking Eloise, who looks back on her life when she falls asleep. It's such a showcase for Susan Hayward, everything else sort of stays average and falls with her.

Eloise is stuck in a loveless marriage, and it's very clear from the beginning she loves to get a drink, or two, or three, a quality Susan Hayward became famous for doing, alcoholics. But, Eloise is a completely unique character then just a depressed drunk. She is bitter, as we find out in her dream, she had a crush during the war that still haunts her to this day. She also shows how Eloise was a kind, vulnerable young woman in her dream, showing how much her first love really effected her.

Susan Hayward really is at her best in the scenes where she is drunk or manipulating her husband with some sarcastic line reading that are fantastic. Her vulnerable, young woman scenes may not be as good, but she's eccentrically tries her best and still is able to impress me. Yes, this performance will not be for everyone, as Susan Hayward isn't an actress that is liked by everyone, but I find her strange, forceful acting to be entertaining and when she wants to do it, she brings alot of depth to her roles. She fearlessly tackles this performance, with a rugged hardness in the beginning, and a sweet innocence in her "dream" scenes. A real winner from Susan Hayward.

Jeanne Crain in "Pinky"

Jeanne Crain received her only Oscar nomination for playing Patricia Johnson a.k.a. Pinky.

Pinky is a ridiculously awful film about a light skinned, young black woman, who returns home from college to help out her grandmother. This movie is wanting to say something so bad, it all ends coming out like vomit. And most of the problems can be traced to one person in particular...

Jeanne Crain plays Pinky, a smart, poor girl who finally got to get away from the swamp and make something out of life. Now, let's start with the obvious: Jeanne Crain, a pale white woman, is no light skinned black woman. It's as simple and offensive as that. Where there no black actresses around to play Pinky, at least, it would have some sort of creditability.

Now, the not so obvious: Jeanne Crain's inability to act. The ridiculousness of the story is there, and Crain seems to regale in it. Watching her get nearly molested and look like she's enjoying it, yet say "stop it", does this make sense for anyone. Or seeing her scream "I'm a Negro!!!" in the least convincing way possible, not to mention it looks silly since here's a white, very white actress scream these lines about being a black person. The best way to put it, she's on one singular note, if she's being warm with her grandmother or trying to defend herself in court, she stays the same. No emotion, no technique, and most importantly, no critique.

Jeanne Crain certainly could never overcome the ludicrous miscasting of being a white actress playing a black woman, but certainly she could have had more then one emotion in this movie, that didn't involve scrawling her face for 2 hours. She more or less does nothing in connecting Pinky's real feelings with the audience, instead relying on the audience to figure them out for themselves. In the end, Jeanne Crain gives a ridiculously bad performance, that shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as an Academy Award.