The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1951

1951

So the much anticipated ranking is:

5. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story

I just don't want to bash Eleanor's work here. I found her approach to the part totally wrong and I thought that she wasted a lot of important opportunities in her character that would have made a lot of difference in the movie and her performance. However, I was still intrigued by her and her magnetic presence kept me interested in her character whose storyline was the most interesting one in the movie. I'm confused.

4. Jane Wyman in The Blue Veil

Jane Wyman gives a beautiful, touching and heartwarming performance that's really worth waiting for it. I instantly connected to the character and Jane constantly captivated my heart and soul. It really is a piece of work that doesn't seem to be a big achievement and yet it really is something special for me. Although I might be a bit too sentimental about this work of Wyman, I'm not ashamed to say I was deeply moved by Wyman's acting here. 

3. Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen

Katharine Hepburn gives a wonderful, enjoyable performance that really makes her movie an exciting, interesting and memorable experience. She uses all her charm and talent to create a character, which she makes twice as intriguing as you would expect. She fills the role of the spinster with real spirit, which makes her a welcome presence everytime you see her. And her her chemistry with Humphrey Bogart is indeed perfect.

2. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun

Shelley Winters gives a wonderful, heartwrenching performance as Alice in A Place in the Sun. She took a very simple character and made her an intriguing personality, with whom you can easily sympathise. You feel for her from the beginning to the shocking end and the way Shelley develops this character is just extraordinary. Truly memorable, haunting piece of work that really elevates and enriches its movie, one that stays with you long after the credits roll.

1. Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire

Vivien Leigh's performance as Blanche DuBois is indescribable. No matter how much I'm sweating and trying to point out parts of her brilliance, I constantly fail as you have to see Vivien's acting for yourself to feel her brilliance. Her acting in A Streetcar Named Desire is something that words cannot really describe so if I have to give a brief summary about what a brutally, unbelievably amazing performance hers is, I have to turn to Brando who said: Vivien Leigh was the best Blanche. She was Blanche DuBois.

So I can proudly announce

that the winner is...

Vivien Leigh 

in 

A Streetcar Named Desire

This stranger also loved you, Viv.

Final thoughts: What a brilliant, endlessly intriguing year! I've wanted to do it for so long and being able to finally see all the films... I'm amazed. The winner was no surprise, naturally, if it was, check into the next hospital. Yeah, it's all about Vivien (who became a two-time winner joining Jane, Great Glenn, Liz and Barbara), but the others were excellent as well. I have positive feelings even about Eleanor who's the weakest link here. Anyway, I don't want to say too much, it's been one of my favorite years so far. 

Omissions:

• Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun

About the next year: We have not one, but TWO winners of the predicting game, so congrats Marc and Nues20! Joe also found it out after the usual deadline (which has always been so), but since he wants 2007 so badly, it'll be AT LEAST the first year I'll do from now since I forgot about the deadline myself. :) So you guys pick a year and those will be the next ones! :) You'll make my life easier because I had no idea what to do next. :) It stars on Monday, I know that for sure. :) 

Available years for me that I haven't done: 1933, 1938, 1942, 1953, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1968, 1981, 1985, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008 

What do you think? Any thoughts on your mind?

Eleanor Parker in Detective Story

Eleanor Parker received her second Oscar nomination for playing Mary McLeod, the mysterious wife of a hard-nosed detective played by Kirk Douglas in William Wyler's 1951 movie, Detective Story. Now I'm 100% positive that Eleanor was fifth in 1951. Although she had just been nominated the previous year, the others had much stronger things going for them: a sweeping movie (Shelley), a Globe win (Wyman), being a huge star (Kate) or giving one of the most legendary performances ever and also being an overwhelming front-runner (Vivien). So poor Eleanor didn't even had a prayer of winning, despite her campaign and successful and acclaimed movie. 

Which was, by the way, an excellent one. I've become really fond of it while I was watching it, even despite my initial indifference. Although it's all very theatrical (after all, it was based on a stage play) and I had a feeling that I was watching a filmed play instead of a movie, I was very often taken by the tension of the story. I think the nominations for Director and Screenplay were deserved. Also, I'm kind of shocked that Douglas didn't receive a Best Actor nomination. I suppose the field was already too crowded and I see that he would have actually beaten out Monty (all the other guys had more support) so I'm not going to complain.   I was, however, a bit shocked that Lee Grant was mentioned. I never really felt that her work was outstanding enough for an Oscar nomination. She had a great presence and offered good support but that's it mainly. Nobody had a chance next to Kim Hunter, anyhow, so whatever. 

How Eleanor Parker didn't turn out to be a huge star is beyond me. She had everything what it takes: beauty, talent and a radiant, irresistable personality that all make her a magnetic presence on the screen. Simple as that, in all the films I've seen from her, I could never take my eyes off her, because even if she was not constantly amazing, her star power made up for the rest. What also impresses me about her is her versatility not only in terms of parts but also in a single performance. She could show all the layers of a character so marvelously, with such ease and subtlety that I still keep wondering why people so often forget about her. I suppose she's the only three-time Best Actress nominee who's that rarely talked about. I myself cannot even connect her three nominations to her, it always feels like I'm watching the performance of a lady who got lucky once at the Oscar (more or less deservedly, depending on the picture). 

That being said, since I'm generally more than fond of Eleanor, I was looking forward to Detective Story with an open mind and an open heart. I just refused to believe all those not-too-kind words written on her in the past and now I feel kind of confused about her. I'm kind of uncertain about my feelings towards her. First of all, I have to set the record straight about the eternal question: leading or supporting? To tell you the truth, I'm once again confused, even more so than I was with Shelley yesterday, even despite the fact that Eleanor's screentime clearly suggests supporting. My leading/supporting test just doesn't seem to work in this  case. For me everyone's leading who's pivotal to the storyline, without whom the movie is unimaginable and who has a consinstent presence on the screen and who has an impact on the film, even while not being there (that's why I consider Viola leading in The Help and Octavia supporting despite the fact that Octavia had more time). 

We all know the saying: it's quality, not quantity. But that's something that doesn't seem to apply to all lead actresses. In Patricia Neal's case where she set the screen on fire with her few minutes, quantity clearly wasn't a case, but it only works if the actress gets the right opportunities from the screenplay. In Eleanor's case, her part is a little bit too limited. Or isn't it? I believe that with slightly stronger lines, Eleanor could have knocked this performance out of the park. 

I don't know if it was Eleanor's casting or her approach to the character that was wrong in the first place. She coasts a lot on her charisma and engaging star power and it actually worked for me for the most of the time. As always, I was taken by her presence and I was kind of impressed by her and I was wondering what the others meant in holes in her performance or becoming too confused by her. While you're watching the movie, in my opinion, it's all OK, you just have to think about her to find those holes in her performance. Now I feel perfectly what's wrong with her here and I figured that she wasn't believable enough for me sometimes. In a way, she was playing a mysterious almost woman who turns out to hide some pretty dirty stuff from her husband and Eleanor didn't make Mary enough of a bad girl if you know what I mean. I believe that going a little bit more over the top would have helped a lot. 

I guess the problem is also Eleanor herself. I was looking at some pictures of Meg Mundy, the actress who originated Mary's part on Broadway and even without hearing her or watching her acting, I see that she was two times better for this part. I can see that she had more of that bad girl look, which Eleanor didn't have (or only later, but being bitchy as the Baronesse in The Sound of Music was quite different what was required from her here). IF Eleanor had made Mary less of a saint and more of a femme fatale, her work would have had the impact that would have made her a 100% leading player in this film. 

And again, this performance is all too confusing, because despite all these arguments, I just cannot feel exclusively negative about her. It's not that she becomes an insignificant, ignorable presence like Sissy Spacek in The River. I was actually looking forward to each and every scene of hers, because she gave the movie a more dramatic edge, which made her a welcome presence in my mind. I actually cared for her character and I was very much intrigued by her storyline, which was, by far, the most interesting one. Moreover, I found her chemistry with Kirk Douglas quite strong and I was actually impressed by some of Eleanor's scenes to an extent (actually, almost all of them). 

All in all, I just don't want to bash Eleanor's work here. I found her approach to the part totally wrong and I thought that she wasted a lot of important opportunities in her character that would have made a lot of difference in the movie and her performance. However, I was still intrigued by her and her magnetic presence kept me interested in her character whose storyline was the most interesting one in the movie. I'm confused.

What do you think?

The Next Year

1951

So the nominees were:

• 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 

A rarely talked about year where the (legendary) winner seems to be a very easy one with everyone else a little bit ignored (party because the movies are pretty hard to find). Let's see if I go for the very popular winner or one of the four other ladies. 

What do you think? Who's your pick? What's your prediction for my ranking? :)

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1955

1955

So the much anticipated ranking is:

5. Jennifer Jones in Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

I would be lying if I said I wasn't really moved by this performance. To some, this work of Jennifer Jones would be flat and uninteresting, but I really enjoyed every minute of it. Although it's not a grand achievement by today's standards, it's an incredibly moving and loveable piece of work. Jennifer excels at showing Suyin's humility and pure emotions. Again, this is nothing fantastic but something really lovely.

4. Katharine Hepburn in Summertime 

In a role that's the least Oscar-baiting of her category, Katharine Hepburn excels. It takes some time to fully realize her greatness as Jane Hudson, but the outcomes are simply astonishing. Kate injected an incredible amount of charm into the character that made extremely loveable. And eventually, it's Kate's charisma and fascinating personality that makes her completely irresistable here. 

3. Eleanor Parker in Interrupted Melody

Eleanor Parker's vibrant, wonderful performance as Marjorie Lawrence is a real treat to watch. She approached this character in a very odd way (for her time) and the result is something endlessly charming and impressive. She does way more than I expected her to do and gets the most out of this showy, interesting part. A really pleasant surprise coming from a hard-to-find movie.

2. Susan Hayward in I'll Cry Tomorrow

An unbelievably great performance, which I (sort of unexpectedly) loved from the very first minute. Susan is simply marvelous at showing Lillian's pain and struggle with alcohol and makes her film extremely disturbing and hard to watch. However, she also makes an unforgettable impression that hits you really hard in your guts. In her signature role and personal favorite work, Susan Hayward is fantastic. And she sings, too!

1. Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo

Anna Magnani is all around brilliant as Serafina Delle Rose. The intensity of her work is just amazing and you can't take your eyes off her. Her scene in the church alone deserved an Oscar, not to mention her whole work. She's highly emotional, over-the-top and theatrical and yet it all feels brilliant because of her extraordinary talent. Magnificent, unforgettable performance.

So I can proudly announce

that the winner is...

Anna Magnani 

in 

The Rose Tattoo

Anna has a hard time believing it... :)

Final thoughts: A great year with two amazing performances. Deciding between the two was incredibly difficult. My mind said Susan, my heart said Anna so I went with my heart. :) I was surprised by how great the others were. Yes, Jennifer is the weakest link but she was also really lovely. I've never really warmed up to Kate so after a few days my appreciation for her work cooled down a bit. Eleanor was, however, so wonderful but I need to be less generous with the grades. So the ranking was not that difficult in the last 3 places. 

About the next year: All I can say is FINALLY! A year with at least two iconic quotes, one iconic character (or even more) and at least four brilliant actresses. I've been hunting (literally, well, almost) for one film for a long time and now I have it! I almost gave it up, my mind constantly said "Snap out of it!" but then the year said to me "I'm not gonna be ignored, Dan." 

What do you think?

Eleanor Parker in Interrupted Melody

Eleanor Parker received her third Oscar nomination for playing Marjorie Lawrence, an opera singer paralyzed by polio in Interrupted Melody. You know, speculating about the 1955 Best Actress field is a really hard task. It must have been between Anna Magnani and Susan Hayward but I have no idea where to place the other ones. Eleanor Parker seems to be a fourth, though I feel she might have even been third and fifth as well. We'll never, I guess, but I tend to say she was fourth because of the part and the character but she couldn't get ahead of Katharine Hepburn, in my opinion.

Interrupted Melody is a very enjoyable movie that is quite easy to watch. Although it's a typical 50s Hollywood with Paris at MGM and lots of driving in front of a screen, there's something orginial about, maybe it's the way it tackles some serious issues. Moreover, it was much less sentimental than expected and the characters were believable and credible. I might even say that the Oscar for the Best Writing, Story and Screenplay was a deserved one. Although Glenn Ford got the top billing here, nowadays he would be campaigned as a supporting actor (he's more of a co-lead, though). His work is decent despite the fact that his character was not that interesting.

Eleanor Parker, however, gets the opportunity to shine as Marjorie Lawrence. This would be a typical Oscar role even by nowadays' standards: truth to be told, the Academy has always loved biopics. 'But who's Eleanor Parker?' ask most of the people. Film buffs quickly say 'You know, the Baroness from The Sound of Music'. Oscar fans, however, say 'She's a three-time Oscar nominated, wonderful actress having her prime at the early fifties.' Thank goodness I was able to watch her some of her excellent performances. In fact, she's a really versatile performer. For her, it's no big deal to play the innocent prisoner girl, then a paralyzed opera singer and then a bitchy Austrian baroness. I felt that Eleanor was fully up to her task in Interrupted Melody.

When I first read the synopsis of this movie, two words instantly came to my mind: Greer Garson. I wasn't surprised at all to find out that she was actually the original choice to play Marjorie. I was sure she would have been wonderful but somehow I've become a bit hesitant to say that. First of all, Greer was 51 at the time and it would have been a bit ridiculous to see her as a young girl (that was a bit embarassing even in her fourties). Second, I doubt that anyone could have played the way Marjorie had to be played - like Eleanor Parker did.

Despite my initial resistance to this character, Eleanor quickly won me over, even in her first scenes, which would seem a bit hilarious to some. However, I felt that she completely identified with the character's struggles, hopes and optimism. Although some changes in the character didn't go as smoothly as I usually like it, I loved that she made a very modern approach to this character. She avoids sentimentality (which might have been a setback for her at the time as that's what she must have been expected to be sentimental) and everything just seems to be excellently balanced about this character. She doesn't make her a usual 50s perfect person, she shows that Marjorie can be a Bitch with a capital be, though she (in my opinion) avoids being campy. Eleanor makes Marjorie a very complex and fascinating character and she wonderfully developed her.

Eleanor Parker's chemistry with Glenn Ford works miraculously: the atmosphere between them is unusually vibrant and sexy and somehow neither of them was afraid of emphasising the sexuality and sexual attraction of the characters. We get a few "hints" about their sex life and both Parker and Ford deliver them naturally without being too forced.

Eleanor does way more than she wass required to do: she excels at the most unexpected places. She shows both the divaish attitude of Marjorie and her struggles as a paralyzed, broken woman. Eleanor didn't make the scenes depressing or too soappy. Again, she found the perfect balance between the emotions and it all works so wonderfully. I admit that the scenes where she's singing to the soldiers are really cheesy but they don't go beyond a certain point.

All in all, Eleanor Parker's vibrant, wonderful performance as Marjorie Lawrence is a real treat to watch. She approached this character in a very odd way (for her time) and the result is something endlessly charming and impressive. She does way more than I expected her to do and gets the most out of this showy, interesting part. A really pleasant surprise coming from a hard-to-find movie.

What do you think?

The Next Year

1955

So the nominees were:

• Susan Hayward in I'll Cry Tomorrow
• Katharine Hepburn in Summertime
• Jennifer Jones in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
• Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo
• Eleanor Parker in Interrupted Melody

What an interesting, rarely talked about year, just the way I like it. I only saw Anna before so four performances will be completely new to me. :) I can't wait!