Claudette Colbert in "Since You Went Away"

Claudette Colbert received her last Oscar nomination for playing Mrs. Anne Hilton in Since You Went Away.

Since You Went Away wants to be something prophetic and timeless, unfortunately this was 1944 (different ways of storytelling) and the 3 hour, slow pace doesn't help it either. I will admit the film is well handled and does have some fantastic moments, but it mostly could be fast forwarded. The story is about the war - but instead of fighting, it shows a soldier's wife and how she is coping with the circumstances of her life. She goes through many, many experiences while her husband is away, and must keep herself strong for her children and her husband, when he comes home.

Claudette Colbert doesn't seem like an actress who would take such a challenging role - not to say she wasn't a wonderful and great actress, but this role was hard to handle, and there was nothing glamorous about Anne, yet she took it and was able to make something worthwhile of the performance. She plays up the tough side of Anne very well - she shows she is determined to make it without her husband. Colbert shows her motherly love very nicely too, she even handles Anne's more emotional moments well. But, there is something that turns me off of the performance.

In a way, I think Colbert is trying to imitate Greer Garson in Mrs. Miniver. All the emotion, fear, and toughness Garson was able to convey in Miniver, Colbert tries to convey in Since You Went Away, and it doesn't work as well. But, comparing the two performances is pretty pointless, because one is not the other, and Colbert manages to do well on her own, giving an alright performance that is fine in it's own right. She manages to create a character, though not interesting, is still a great character to root for. Not sure what rating I should go for...

Ingrid Bergman in "Gaslight"

Ingrid Bergman won her first Oscar for playing Paula Alquist in Gaslight.


Even though some people find Gaslight to be nothing more then a melodramatic caution tale, I actually find it to be very engaging and entertaining. It's both suspenseful and well made drama. The very good story follows a young woman who has witnessed something very grisly that has stayed with her for most of her life. Soon she begins to think her husband is out to kill her, and most fight to save her life. Or maybe she's going crazy...?

Ingrid Bergman is an actress who, I feel, was always too aware of herself within her acting - in Gaslight, I think it sometimes works. When Paula beings to feel she is in danger, Ingrid finds a good balance between overwhelming suspicion and fear with a mix of helplessness that makes us root for her. It's obvious Paula has been horribly affected by the incident that happened to her when she was younger, and being in the house where it took place, maybe she is just going crazy. Her husband doesn't always seem like the monster she thinks he is.

Bergman is okay at showing Paula's fear in her face and eyes - it's an extremely showy role, that Bergman does overact. The moments where Paula starts screaming hysterically and often end with a nice, touchy moment are hilarious and it's mostly because Bergman's range can only go from A to B. She does have some great moments, especially at the end but of course, it's still Ingrid Bergman, so I will have problems at moments, but it's an alright achievement nonetheless.

Bette Davis in "Mr. Skeffington"

Bette Davis received her seventh Oscar nomination for playing Fanny Trellis in Mr. Skeffington.

Mr. Skeffington is about as ghastly as Mrs. Parkington (no relation). Everything is so gorgeously over the top, that only a ghastly leading performance could fit in with the mess. The story is all over the place, but from what I gather from it, a selfish, sexy vixen is proposed to on a regular basis and only marries when she finds someone rich enough to benefit from. From there, the plot goes spastic and for anyone that could figure everything out, you deserve some kind of award.

Bette Davis was a perfect choice to play a selfish, vain, scheming vixen with some underlying, hidden emotion going on inside her. She taunts men with her beauty and what seems to be a very black charm that attracts usually every man she comes in contact with. Davis is able to plays this aspects of her performance fine, it's how she goes about doing it that is unbelievably bombastic. The way she reacts when she finds something terrible out, either way you look at it, it's over the top. Maybe it fits the lying character, maybe it doesn't, but for me, it verges on bad.

At every turn, Bette is bulging out her eyes, stretching out every word, it even leans towards campy. But, this is meant to be serious, and it simply doesn't work. Every actress has their unflattering hour, and this is probably Bette's. It's too bombastic to praise and it's too meant to be serious to be taken in it's campy manner. For what it's worth, it depends on how you view it, and I viewed as a fatal mistake on Bette's part. Yes, the movie is awful, but she could have saved it...unfortunately, she didn't.

Greer Garson in "Mrs. Parkington"

Greer Garson received her fourth Oscar nomination for playing Susie "Sparrow" Parkington.

Mrs. Parkington is a terrible, boring excuse for a movie. It has no depth whatsoever, and when it's over, it couldn't have came any sooner. A story, about a old widow woman who recounts her life in vivid detail to her family amidst a scandal. Too bad the story and the old woman weren't that interesting.

Greer Garson plays Susie Parkington, in the beginning, we see her as a baffling looking older woman. It's obvious, this was not the age of makeup, and one perhaps cannot blame Garson that she looks nothing like an older woman. Once the story begins, we see her as a teenager, even less convincing. Greer overplays the "youthful" spirit and it doesn't help that she doesn't look anything like a young youth. But, soon, her performance finally takes off when we get to see her usual spirit shine on screen.

Susie starts out as a maid in the old west when a fast talking, rich Mr. Parkington, strolls in and sweeps her off her feet. He takes her off to New York and tries to make a socialite out of her - through the old woman's flashbacks, we see how the Parkingtons managed to go from happy to very discontented. Greer Garson is able to play the normalcy of Susie perfectly, as she was a pro at playing this kind of woman - a woman who is strong, yet extremely kind. Susie could be compared to Kay Minivier, but instead of a family, she tries to stay strong with her values against Mr. Parkington's.

It's not that she's bad constantly, but more or less, stiff. Like when she finds out about a death, her face couldn't be more of a stone face. Some of it works, some of it doesn't, and Greer is always a lovely presence to watch on screen.

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1944

Moving along to another year:

1944

And the Academy selected:

• Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight
• Claudette Colbert in Since You Went Away
• Bette Davis in Mr. Skeffington
• Greer Garson in Mrs. Parkington
• Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1995: My Ranking

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5. Emma Thompson in "Sense and Sensibility"

- Emma Thompson uses her prime and pristine acting style to a hilt here, unfortunately I'm not one to be easily swayed by it. She skips around the performance, not necessarily knowing what step to make next - funny, considering she herself wrote the script.

4. Sharon Stone in "Casino"

- Sharon Stone has probably never been better then she was here; she can give a loud, over the top performance that never feels overdone or terrible. It's entertaining and a huge burst of lightening for the film.

3. Meryl Streep in "The Bridges Of Madison County"

- Meryl is ethereal, realistic, and earthy in a turn that is startling. With every turn, she creates a vast amount of creativity that is truly beautiful.

2. Elisabeth Shue in "Leaving Las Vegas"

- Much more in your face then Sharon Stone's performance, but done with a more subdued, insecure style. Shue is heart-wrenching without tugging at the heartstrings too much, always grasping the material with terrific results.

1. Susan Sarandon in "Dead Man Walking"

- Susan Sarandon is incredible in a quiet tour-de-force that leaves me as a viewer impressed, haunted, and ultimately touched. She creates the perfect combination for her character: dignity, faithfully proud, yet never knowing what would be the 'right' thing to do in her situation.

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Honorable Omissions: Alicia Silverstone in "Clueless", Chole Sevingy in "Kids", Kathy Bates in "Delores Claiborne", Jennifer Jason Leigh in "Georgia".

Elisabeth Shue in "Leaving Las Vegas"

Elisabeth Shue received her first Oscar nomination for playing Sera, a prostitute, in Leaving Las Vegas.

Leaving Las Vegas is a somber, depressing tale that is only watchable in the right mood. A film about a suicidal alcoholic and an abused hooker who live a miserable existence isn't exactly a film you want to just sit down and watch, but it's not to say Leaving Las Vegas is not a great death aria. It's predictable yet entertaining and watchable, even though again, it's incredibly depressing.

Elisabeth Shue plays Sera, a beautiful, jaded, high class prostitute who befriends the protagonist Ben, once he picks her up. Sera is not an average, stereotypical prostitute; for one thing, she is very caring and kind, longing for the acceptance of a man who doesn't want her for just sex. Sera is not like any hooker seen on screen, because of this. She doesn't have the stereotypical attitude, instead she injects Sera with a careful personality, she is not tough, but she's not as vulnerable as we think. In some ways, Sera is also a plot device for the character of Ben, through her, we see his tenderness even though he is far gone.

I have to say I'm not completely moved by Shue's performance however. She has epic moments of emotional intensity, but there were also moments where I think she didn't fulfill the full potential of Sera. But, again, that is a very small compliant because Elisabeth Shue makes a huge mark on me, as the viewer. I felt the loneliness, desperation, and unconventional love she feels for Ben. Shue doesn't rely on the viewer's sympathy, she struggles to show the viewer she is a normal person caught in a bad situation.

Epic moments or unfulfilled momentum, whatever the case may be, Elisabeth Shue is still near breathtaking as Sera.

Meryl Streep in "The Bridges Of Madison County"

Meryl Streep received her tenth Oscar nomination for playing Francesca Johnson in The Bridges Of Madison County.

The Bridges Of Madison County is a thoughtful, caring look at the novel. The film has this aura around it, full of love and wonderment. Clint Eastwood really knows how to make a film interesting and entertaining without, say, "dumbing down" the audience to a point of sentimentality. The story follows a photographer from National Geographic who happens upon a sleepy town to take a picture of their famous covered bridge. On his way there, he meets a sleepy housewife who shows him the way there. What results from that is a 4 day love affair that leaves your heart tugging.

Meryl Streep plays Francesca, the Italian housewife who has became very bored with her life. She wakes up in the morning and tends to her husband and children, without any hesitation. Meryl immediately establishes these qualities fabulously, she looks tired, bored, and ready to bust at her seams. Streep also has the Italian mannerisms perfect, although she wisely doesn't make them showy, that's what we call subtle acting. :)

Watching Francesca, there's always something mysterious about her, another plus from Streep. Like the photographer, we never get to fully know her, but Streep tells us everything we need to know about this woman. Every scene feels perfectly realized, she is playful at times, sad in others, or a combination of both. Here's a new exciting woman who could take her away from her boring life, and yet, something keeps telling her that she must go back to normal when her husband and kids get back in town. We feel her pain and desperation in a less showy way that would make it unbelievable.

Francesca and her "choice" left me haunted for days when I first saw it, but I had my reservations about the performance overall. Well, I'll finally give in and say Meryl Streep gives a fantastic, once in a lifetime performance in The Bridges Of Madison County.

Emma Thompson in "Sense and Sensibility"

Emma Thompson received her third Oscar nomination for playing Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility.


I have never read the novel of Sense and Sensibility, so I can't comment on how well the film was a faithful adaptation. So, my own personal thought would be the story is interesting, but the film is nothing special. Well, maybe that is going too hard on it - it has it moments, but Sense and Sensibility is the kind of movie that gives period pieces bad names. It's dreadfully slow, but again it's interesting. It follows two sisters who are basically betrayed by their father who leaves most of his estate to his son. As they are now nearly poor, it makes their chances of being married less and less possible. Through different ways, both sisters find men who they grow to care about.

Emma Thompson plays the more practical sister Elinor. Thompson makes it obvious from the beginning Elinor is a woman who is hiding behind a facade. She is not a icy, cold woman, she seems completely emotionally distant, not wanting any emotions to overcome her at all. The problem with the performance is I didn't find her unemotional strokes convincing. Whether it is be a small sad look or a "sensible" thought by Elinor, it always rings false to me.


Emma Thompson also has the disadvantage of Kate Winslet having the far more interesting character and performance. Her character has to go through a range of emotions while making it all believable (which she does) while Elinor's biggest challenge is keeping her facade. She's almost reduced to a secondary character in some parts. Frankly, Emma failed to interest me in Elinor. And that crying scene near the end...wow, was that supposed to be so unintentionally funny? It's a moment that I'm sure was supposed to be serious yet is so badly handled by Thompson that I ended up laughing. Again, not sure what to make of it all.

Emma Thompson does have some great moments, her chemistry with Kate Winslet especially. It's just a performance I have very high mixed feelings about.

Susan Sarandon in "Dead Man Walking"

Susan Sarandon won the Oscar for playing nun Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking.

Dead Man Walking could have easily been a high grade TV movie, but thanks to the extraordinary talents of its two lead actors, it becomes much more then that. It doesn't judge the death penalty as being a horrible punishment, it shows how people who get there, specifically Sean Penn's murderer, Matthew. He committed murder, Dead Man Walking makes that perfectly clear, but through Sister Helen's eyes, we get to see how these murderers are still people.

How wonderful to see Sister Helen's inexperience explored with precision and thought by Susan Sarandon - through her eyes, we see both the pain & consequences of a murder. Of course everyone knows a murder is wrong and we must put those who did it in jail, but to see such a naive and kind person like Helen go and visit Matthew without judging him is an amazing feat by Sarandon. Alot of her performance relies on how much Susan can convince the audience she's not sympathizing with Matthew, but she's not condemning him either. The scene where one of the victims parents describe her horrible death is a heartbreaking sequence, not just because of the graphic details, but because of Sister Helen's reaction. She's is both mortified and unsure of what her actual intentions are.

Is she supposed to keep her job as a spiritual adviser or leave him to rot in jail? Sarandon shows her inner struggle beautifully and brilliantly. It's almost a very easy role to play, it's the fact Susan Sarandon choose to show the details and exterior turmoil going on inside this woman that makes the performance so realistic and powerful. Every moment, whether it be discussing the situation with her mother or the ending where it's up to Susan Sarandon to make this moment moving, she exudes righteousness and dignity. While the victims parents look on in disgust, Sister Helen sits there with her hand out, letting him know she's there for him.

Simple, yet effective. Quiet, yet powerful. Susan Sarandon pushes the limits of acting with small, yet strong, delicate strokes of art. She is terrific at showing realism and pushing understanding. A perfect, uncompromising performance that relies on how much you can identify with Sister Helen.

Sharon Stone in "Casino"

Sharon Stone received her first Oscar nomination for playing Ginger McKenna in Casino.

Casino is typical Martin Scorsese - However, while the much compared Goodfellas took a long, interesting storyline and Scorsese invested so much detail into it, Casino feels like the complete opposite. For one thing, the story is not that interesting, and it drags on too long with alot of pointless scenes involving people that aren't interesting. Everyone acts together wonderfully in the film, especially Joe Pesci, but the material brings them down without any hesitation. The only entertaining parts of the film are the ones that focus on mobster Ace Rothstein's money hungry girlfriend, Ginger.

Sharon Stone plays Ginger - and she enters the film fabulously, by acting like a brat. Ace falls hard for Ginger almost immediately, and obviously, she is going to be the downfall of this gangster. She is loud, selfish, slutty, and addicted to drugs. So, it's only obvious that Sharon Stone will be giving an over the top performance of a very loud character. As an audience, we are almost drawn to hate her - she messes up the story with her mouth and she is constantly being a pain or a problem. But, as a viewer, she is the best & most entertaining aspect of Casino.

Her bombastic behavior, sexy attitude, yet loving unflattering personality is really a fantastic performance that takes awhile to completely respect it. Sharon Stone is one limited actress, and I would go as far as saying this was her shining hour. She is both natural and realistic in her performance that is really a huge feat - as I said before, Ginger is such an over the top character that it could be played exactly like that: over the top and unbelievable. Instead Stone plays her with the right amount of humanity and fascination that keeps the audience engaged and enthralled in not only her performance, but the movie all together.

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1995

Moving along to another year:

1995

The Academy selected:

• Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking
• Elisabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas
• Sharon Stone in Casino
• Meryl Streep in The Bridges Of Madison County
• Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility

I can only imagine how many actresses went "damn!" when Susan Sarandon was the first nominee announced :)

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1964: My Ranking

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5. Julie Andrews in "Mary Poppins"

- Non-existent of any supreme acting qualities, Julie Andrews isn't exactly horrendous in Mary Poppins, but her performance should be nowhere near an Oscar conversation.

4. Debbie Reynolds in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"

- Instantly forgettable, Debbie Reynolds nearly suffers from the exact same problems Andrews does - she always pushes her part to far, from beginning to end. She has potential, but doesn't use it.

3. Sophia Loren in "Marriage Italian Style"

- She coasts on her sex appeal, but Sophia Loren often is surprising and wonderfully pleasant in her part. Often ranging from funny to touching, her performance truly has a spark to it.

2. Anne Bancroft in "The Pumpkin Eater"

- It's nice to see such a quietly powerful performance that packs a big punch and finally swings it out in the end. Bancroft has such control over the material that she brings it to life in a larger then life way.

1. Kim Stanley in "Seance On A Wet Afternoon"

- One of the most fascinating performance I've ever seen, Kim Stanley is just magnificent. She displays so many unpredictable acting choices that it becomes thoroughly enjoyable and brilliant.

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Honorable Omissions: Joan Crawford in "Strait-Jacket"

Anne Bancroft in "The Pumpkin Eater"

Anne Bancroft received her second Oscar nomination for playing Jo Armitage in The Pumpkin Eater.

The Pumpkin Eater is a fabulous film. This could have easily have been a stagy melodrama, but in the hands of Jack Clayton, Anne Bancroft, Peter Finch, and even Maggie Smith, the film becomes a wonderfully depressing drama. The story follows Jo, a twice married, mother of five. She meets Jake (Peter Finch) and she leaves her second husband to marry him. One child later, she is severely depressed with her life and Jake's cheating ways and once she becomes pregnant for the seventh time, he decides it's time she had an abortion.

Anne Bancroft was so well at underplaying that her performance as Jo, is absolutely sublime. She paints Jo as a woman who is confusingly lost in the world, not knowing how her life has turned out the way it has. She finds comfort when she's being a mother and having children, she's almost sympathetically pathetic. You can tell Anne put alot of effort into this performance, like the scene where she has a nervous breakdown, it's all breathtaking, stunning work.

It's always been thought that playing depressed is very easy, since after all, you don't have to do much besides looking mopey. It's up to the performer to show the various shades of the character's depression, and Anne Bancroft succeeds in many, many ways with this. Jo becomes a vivid, real person with Anne Bancroft's fabulous luminosity she brought to the part.

Anne doesn't wallow in the character's misery, but she doesn't shy away from the fact, Jo is a confused, sad woman, and she's still able to turn it into complete magic. A terrific, magical performance.

Kim Stanley in "Seance On A Wet Afternoon"

Kim Stanley received her first Oscar nomination for playing Myra Savage in Seance On A Wet Afternoon.

Seance On A Wet Afternoon is a fantastic film - it seems like a supernatural horror film, but that's not the case. The film follows a down on their luck couple who concoct a scheme to kidnap a child of wealthy parents, in order to gain celebrity. The wife, Myra, is a self titled psychic who claims she can conduct with the spirit world, and thinks that kidnapping the girl will make them instantly rich if they are able to convince everyone that Myra can tell where she is. But, it soon becomes clear, Myra is not mentally stable...

Seance feels like a dream all the way through, with lots of Gothic moodiness and dream like cinematography, and the mad, luminous performance from Kim Stanley fits right in. We see Myra as a determined woman, a woman who wants her "powers" to be recognized by everyone, and yet it's all a facade for her overcoming madness that we see hints of throughout the film.

The best thing about Kim Stanley's performance is how unpredictable it is. During her seances, moving her hands and fluttering her eyes without any reason, it's just incredible to watch, as Myra is basically making it up as she goes...or is she? Stanley is constantly on the edge of her sanity...or so it seems. Again, this is such a chilling, entertaining, unpredictable piece of work that delivers all the aspects of what it's like to be insane. Kim Stanley invests so much acting and nuance into Myra, that even though she's a manipulative, awful person, we still want to see more of her and her story.

A chilling performance that Kim Stanley wallows in, perfectly. Every line reading, every physical movement is a piece of brilliance.

Sophia Loren in "Marriage Italian-Style"

Sophia Loren received her last Oscar nomination for playing Filumena Marturano in Marriage Italian-Style.

Marriage Italian-Style is amusing, but it's way too long, which in other words means boring. Yes, these types of stories of secret love are always entertaining, but Marriage is somewhat hard to appreciate. There's lots of confusing dialogue, with hidden secrets behind most of the little sexy conversations Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren.

She plays Filumena, and we first see her at the age of 17. These scenes are particularly awkward, since Sophia Loren isn't convincing as a girl of just 17. Anyways, after meeting a successful businessman (Marcello) she becomes a prostitute and his mistress. The two share a long, sexy affair that only ends when the man decides he wants to marry someone else.

Sophia has a flare for comedy here, and that's good. What the role requires is how much she can be funny and sexy at the same time. She also has to be convincing as a dedicated mother, and even though she overdoes it, just a bit, she still comes off very warm and loving to her sons. Sophia Loren takes a few missteps in her performance, but she always keeps you engaged in the story. Her sexy, flamboyant style combined with an intelligence that is always prevalent is simply fantastic.

Overall, I was impressed with Sophia's Filumena. Yes, those early scenes of her as a 17 year old are not very good, but luckily they only last a short while, and we get to see a whole other side of the woman

Debbie Reynolds in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"

Debbie Reynolds received her only Oscar nomination for playing Molly Brown in The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

The Unsinkable Molly Brown is an endless, listless film about the life of Molly Brown. We follow her from young country bumpkin to rich legend after she survives the Titanic. Oh this film...the songs are not memorable or even good (can anyone remember one song from the score?) and no one comes off as liking their jobs.

Debbie Reynolds plays the survivor Molly and right from the beginning she makes a mistake. We see Molly first as a young hillbilly, and Reynolds is dreadfully over the top. Overdoing her accent and her country mannerism she could think of. When Molly starts to be more refined in the world, Debbie takes the easy way out, playing up the fact Molly was basically a money grubber. She isn't up for the musical numbers, relying on slapstick for most of them, and it simply doesn't work.

To put it simply, Debbie Reynolds turns Molly Brown into one big endless cartoon. She's overdoing it every aspect of her character. But, once you look at the rest of the cast, you'll realize no one was taking any of this seriously. Debbie is the only one putting any effort into The Unsinkable, even if it's nothing more then a cartoon.

There's nothing to write amazingly about in the performance of Debbie Reynolds. Yes, maybe she was trying, but she didn't take the right steps with the role of Molly Brown. Her Oscar nomination must have been some kind of popularity vote.

Julie Andrews in "Mary Poppins"

Julie Andrews won the Oscar for playing Mary Poppins.

I do not like Mary Poppins...it's as simple as that. I think the concept of the film and the idea of the story are ludicrous, not to mention boring. Yes, I know this is a childrens film that was made almost 50 years ago, but we are talking about the Academy Awards, the highest award a thespian can receive, and I simply don't think Mary Poppins is a place where incredible acting can be seen.

Julie Andrews plays Mary Poppins, the flying nanny. She comes to London to take care of two wealthy, bratty kids and show them the imagination of life. Julie Andrews' biggest highpoint? Singing and acting with cartoons. There's nothing to the character of Mary, besides having a slightly sassy attitude and dominating complex that the parents object too but the kids love.

There is no depth, no emotion, nothing. She comes off like she's having alot of fun with Mary Poppins, never taking it seriously, but that's nothing to praise, since like I said, Mary Poppins is no place to find amazing acting. The chemistry with the children, the dancing and singing, the "flying", it's all mediocre. I don't really find Julie Andrews charming either. Her performance is much more one note then it is charming. I do give her credit for being the only one however who adds the life of Mary Poppins. The kids are limited, Dick Van Dyke is horrible, and there's nothing to write about the stereotypical parents and unfunny cartoons.

In all the wins of Oscar, Julie Andrews' win stands out in my mind, for the sheer curious fact that how could a singing nanny who acts with children and cartoons win the Oscar, not to mention for her first film. It doesn't much help either the performance is simply not good.

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1964

And now another year of leading actresses:

1964

And the Academy selected:

• Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins
• Anne Bancroft in The Pumpkin Eater
• Sophia Loren in Marriage Italian Style
• Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown
• Kim Stanley in Seance On A Wet Afternoon

"Actress In A Leading Role" 1939: My Ranking

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5. Irene Dunne in "Love Affair"

- Irene Dunne is certainly enjoyable and gets alot out of her thin character, but it's hardly a great creation. Lots of bland moments and sentimental acting choices hold her back terribly.

4. Greer Garson in "Goodbye Mr. Chips"

- She has short screentime, but Garson is arguably the fresh air the movie needs. As many have said before, she is as charming as one can get, but like Dunne, the material often lets her down and it's not like she screams 'stand out'.

3. Greta Garbo in "Ninotchka"

- Garbo has murky water lurking around her performance too, but it has many wonderful hilarious moments where her acting talents excel.

2. Bette Davis in "Dark Victory"

- Bette is irresistible in a part she made all her own. She can play anything and when she's on-screen the screen pops with electricity and true star power; her heartbreaking turn is as powerful as anything she's done.

1. Vivien Leigh in "Gone With The Wind"

- In the end, not many performances can compare to the epic, magical, enchanting power of Scarlett O'Hara. It's truly one of the few performances that lives up to it's legendary title, with Leigh going through the gamut of emotions easily, wonderfully, and amazingly. Absolutely flawless, beautiful, and incredible.

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Honorable Omissions: Judy Garland in "The Wizard Of Oz"

Vivien Leigh in "Gone With The Wind"

Vivien Leigh won her first Oscar for playing the monumental role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind.


Gone With The Wind is simply a masterpiece. From the moment the words of the titles scroll across the screen, this film has a right being called the most iconic movie ever made. And Vivien Leigh's interpretation of the character Scarlett O'Hara, arguably, is the reason the movie is so fantastic.

From the moment we meet her, we know Scarlett O'Hara is the becoming the toast of the little Southern town the O'Haras reside in. She's a seemingly sweet, popular girl who loves her father, and likes being fussed over. But, as the movie soon progresses, we learn Scarlett must have things her way. She knows how to get her way through manipulation and charm. Vivien Leigh carefully handles the personality of Scarlett, never overdoing the Southern charm or under-doing the manipulation and fascinating qualities of Scarlett.


There are many complexities and facets to Scarlett. She's in love with Ashley, a man she'll never have, and when she's stuck with Ashley's sweetheart Melanie, she really shows a new side of Scarlett. Scarlett doesn't like Melanie, but would never let her hatred show for someone Ashley greatly admires, as she thinks this would drive Ashley away from her even more. And even in her scenes with Rhett Butler, Scarlett never changes throughout the film. Sure, she may grow older and wiser, even becoming a business woman, but Scarlett remains that spoiled girl from Tara, ready to push over anyone that comes in her way.

Vivien Leigh's portrait of Scarlett, remains modern to this day. Her knockout, yet subtle beauty, her ability to transform herself so well with every new dramatic situation that Scarlett seems to come in too, and her ability that she turned this character into a powerful, force that few, or none other performances could even be compared too.

Perhaps the best performance of it's time, simply because there are no signs of early acting here. Vivien Leigh's performance perfectly realizes all the emotions and feelings of this iconic character, and like no other could have, she gives one towering, masterpiece of a performance. There aren't enough words to describe how incredible Viven Leigh is...