The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1972

1972

So the much anticipated ranking is:

5. Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues

I have very mixed feelings towards Diana Ross' performance as Billie Holiday. On the one hand, Ross is quite strong in some of the scenes and she has a lots of star power, which can be impressive, occasionally. On the other hand, I cannot overlook the fact that in some of the scenes she's very weak and she wasn't mature enough as an actress to play this part.

4. Maggie Smith in Travels with my Aunt

I keep asking myself: is this enough from the great Dame Maggie Smith? Not really. I always kept wanting more and more. I missed Maggie's usual dazzling presence and despite the fact that I was entertained quite well, I still wanted more. Still, I have to say that Dame Maggie Smith is very entertaining and amusing as Aunt Augusta Bertram.

3. Cicely Tyson in Sounder

I have to say that Cicely Tyson gives a beautiful performance as Rebecca Morgan. Tyson adds real emotional depth to this (tiny bit) standard character. Her unique, very interesting presence, her great acting choices result in truly great work. Had she been given more to work with, she would have got my vote for this year, rather easily.

2. Liv Ullmann in The Emigrants

Liv Ullmann is really great as Kristina in The Emigrants. It's not her best performance and it's true that she's the best with Bergman but it would be very unjust to deny her merits in The Emigrants. Although the movie works against her, Ullmann was able to make a lasting impression and have a great effect on me. It's very effective acting by a terrific talent.

1. Liza Minnelli in Cabaret

I could praise Liza Minnelli endlessly for this huge, unforgettable and wonderful performance as Sally Bowles. Liza Minnelli is the heart and soul of this brilliant movie and if I may say so, she gives the best performance ever in a musical. I'm not a fan of the genre but I'm crazy about this one. You can watch Liza over and over again in this movie but you'll have just as much fun and you'll be just as touched as you were for the first time. B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T.

So I can proudly announce

that my winner is...

Liza Minnelli

in

Cabaret

Everybody loves a winner... :)

Omissions: 

• Goldie Hawn in Butterflies are Free

Final thoughts: This year was not as fantastic as it seemed to be. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it because I had only seen Liza in advance and it was good to discover new performances. With me, Liza had an easy win. She was way ahead of her competition. I mean, OMG, how was it even a question who the best was? Good God. I wasn't sure about my #2, but I'm glad I went this way. Liv and Cicely were excellent but I wanted to see more of them. Diana is one of the most overrated nominees ever. I really don't see why some think she should have won over Liza. I really need to relax. Maggie is one of the most disliked nominees ever, so I was really interested in her and I can tell you, I have seen much worse. Still, I feel a bit disappointed about her.

Anyway, Anonymous gave correct predictions but after the deadline, so semi-congrats. :)

The ranking of the reviewed years:

1. 1944
2. 1969
3. 1974
4. 1989
5. 1959
6. 2006
7. 1964
8. 1939
9. 1977
10. 2010
11. 1997
12. 2009
13. 1980
14. 1941
15. 1972
16. 1963
17. 1966
18. 1973
19. 1990
20. 1978
21. 1954
22. 1948
23. 2002
24. 1957
25. 1940
26. 1998

About the next year: I will slow down until May 19th but after that everything will be fine. But until then my posts won't be very regular. Sorry about that. But I'll give you clues about the next year:

• I'm saying let's just GIVE THE SHOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTT!

What do you think?

Liza Minnelli in Cabaret

Liza Minnelli received her second Best Actress nomination and first Oscar for playing Sally Bowles, an American girl who desperately wants to become a movie star in the movie Cabaret. Liza Minnelli's role in Cabaret is something that equals Oscar and yet Liza's win wasn't as easy and obvious as it seems nowadays. Liza Minnelli had to compete against her good friend Diana Ross who had a biopic, which is a major advantage. However, Liza won, which caused a considerable amount of tears. 1972's Best Actress was a great drama itself.

Cabaret is so great that it's almost painful. I mean, OH-MY-GOD! I was totally blown away by Bob Fosse's achievement. It's such an intense and disturbing experience and tells so much about the world and people. I'm so mad that it was released in the same year as The Godfather (why did I want to write Casablanca, I never know). I think giving Best Director to Cabaret and Best Picture to The Godfather was the best decision the Academy could have made. They split the attention. Naturally, some keep bitching that Coppola didn't win and they are right but Fosse was also VERY worthy. Moreover, I think Joel Grey more than deserved his award (yes, over everyone else in the category).

Every movie has its sould somewhere. Sometimes it's hidden and you have to look for it. However, finding the sould of Cabaret is as easy as it can be. It's Liza Minnelli who keeps the movie together so thrillingly that Cabaret becomes something really special. You can rave about Joel Grey's acting, Michael York's innocence, Marisa Berenson's subtle desperation or Bob Fosse's fantastic direction. When they are compared to Liza Minnelli, who cares about them? Liza Minnelli turns in an earth-shattering performance as Sally Bowles, this young and carefree/careless girl. There's laughter, tear and amazement in Liza Minnelli's performance. Basically, she gives what acting was really made for, charming and moving the audience.

I'm not saying that I'm a big fan of Liza Minnelli but I'm an admirer of her undeniable, huge talent. She can do basically everything. She can sing, dance, act, you name it. She's got show-business in her blood. That's what she inherited from her family. People often make the huge mistake of comparing her to her mother, Judy Garland. Everybody wants to decide who's the more talented. I don't want to make this comparision but Liza as Sally Bowles has the same effect as her mother as Esther Blodgett in A Star is Born. Ironically, this is the role that (as Marlene Dietrich said) let Liza leave the shadow of her mother. She's Liza Minnelli, not Judy Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli. She's Liza Minnelli.

Sally Bowles is a fantastic character. She's very bohemian, careless and always wants to enjoy the present and everything. Yes, she sleeps around, yes, she drinks too much but she likes her life. She's desperate to become a movie star, something that she will probably never be. Liza so brilliantly showed Sally's determination to succeed. I would say that Sally had a really strong willpower and she didn't want to give up her dreams. The fire, the lust, the desire are all in Liza's big eyes. The way she looks at anyone is both hilarious and heartbreaking. You can't help but feeling ambivalent about Sally and it was so great how Liza let us feel that way. You have fun at the stupid things of Sally but you can also feel so sorry for her.

Liza brilliantly found the balance between the comedy and the drama of this character. How could you not laugh your head of when you're listening to her horrible German or when she's playing the femme fatale. The timing and the line readings are all so perfect. That English lesson with the delicate, young woman having a conversation about health and then Liza starting to talk about some rather quite unlpeasent diseases. And then there are moments when you're totally heartbroken like when Sally's father lets her down or when she reaveals the horrible truth in the end. It's really painful to watch her there. Liza got across Sally's misery so thrillingly. Moreover, I also loved when Liza made Sally a bit like Pookie Adams from The Sterile Cockoo. Don't misunderstand me, she's not repetitive at all, except for her brilliance. :)

And the songs! Those songs! From Mein Herr to Cabaret, they are all so fascinatingly performed by the fabulous Liza. Oh, my goodness. In most musicals the characters start singing spontaneously but in Cabaret there's a function for everything. The songs really help you a lot and Liza really rocks in those scenes. I mean, really. Mein Herr or Maybe This Time are fantastic even though my favorite is Cabaret. The amount of emotions that are present there are so overwhelming and gave me chills. Liza goes on acting and adds so much of Sally's pain into that song. She sings slower and slower and it becomes mindblowingly effective.

However, I have to stop at some point because I could praise Liza Minnelli endlessly for this huge, unforgettable and wonderful performance as Sally Bowles. Liza Minnelli is the heart and soul of this brilliant movie and if I may say so, she gives the best performance ever in a musical, in my humble opinion. I'm not a fan of the genre but I'm crazy about this one. You can watch Liza over and over again in this movie but you'll have just as much fun and you'll be just as touched as you were for the first time. B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T.

What do you think?

The Next Year

1972

So the nominees were:

• 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

Wow, a fantastic looking year once again, I'm so excited.

What do you think? How do you pick? What are your predictions for my ranking (the contest is on)?

EGOT Alert: could Robin WIlliams join the club?

I'm not someone who likes to hype things up. This is true mostly because I've seen so much amped-up hype fizzle miserably.  This is very true for awards season, most specifically the Oscars and the Tonys (mind you, this isn't going to be a Tony or a theatre blog, I'm just making an observation).  But I must cave into my hype on this one for a few reasons, but mostly because of a potential new EGOT champ.

On March 31st, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo staring Robin Williams opened on Broadway at the Richard Rogers Theatre.  Williams received mostly positive reviews, though many single out the play for its excellence more than Williams himself, who plays the titular caged beast.  The most glowing review comes from Charles McNulty over at the LA Times, saying :

Williams submits himself wholly to the play's utterly natural surrealism. Concerns that the actor might turn this into a vehicle for his signature shtick are dispelled right way: Williams is in complete sync with the blasted tragicomic vision of the playwright, whose ample humor is far too sneaky for stand-up showboating...He's put himself at the drama's service.

An EGOT--invented my infamous non-EGOTer Philip Michael Thomas--represents the the Grand Slam of industry awards   an Emmy (TV), Grammy (music), Oscar (film), and Tony (stage).  Someone who EGOTs receives one of each, an impressive feat since few actors ever nab even one.  Williams is nearly there, having an Oscar (as the Best Supporting Actor of 1997 for Good Will Hunting), two Emmys, and four Grammys on his mantle.  This leaves only the Tony.

In the over 80 years the oldest award (the Oscar) has existed, only 10 artists have completed this daunting task.  They range from actors (Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn, Whoopi Goldberg) to musicians (Richard Rogers, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick) to writers and directors (Mike Nichols, Mel Brooks).  Note that Bengal Tiger just opened at the Richard Rogers Theatre...a sign?

the face of an EGOTer?

Of course, though, Williams will have to survive the very unpredictable Tony season.  In the past, the Tonys used to turn a cold shoulder to celebrities-turned-Broadway-stars, but at last year's ceremony, Denzel Washington, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Scarlett Johanson all took home highly-competitive acting Tonys over more unknown stage stars.  So a potential Tony victory isn't out of the question, but when it comes to the Tonys, the voters typically hold staunchly to their guns and vote for what they actually consider the best, never giving into media hype or overdue status.

Currently, Williams stands alongside greats John Williams, Barbra Streisand, Randy Newman, Cher, Julie Andrews, and Michael Giacchino as Tony-less potential EGOTers.  

Also, it should be noted that I'm not trying to make news out of nothing.  I bring this up only because the potential for witnessing a complete EGOT is rare.  The last chance we had, by my calculation, was in 2009 when Liza Minnelli lost the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.  Before that was in 2002, when John Kander and Fred Ebb lost the Best Original Song Oscar to Eminem.  The most recent member to the club is Whoopi Goldberg, who became a member in 10 years ago in 2001.  Chances to see it are few and far between.  I tend to keep my eyes peeled.  Here's wishing luck to Williams to complete and EGOT...and become the first EGOTer (and Tony winner?) to be awarded for playing an animal.


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The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1969

About the field: This was a great year with four brilliant performances and one forgettable one. If we count the number of Meryls, this was the strongest year so far and yet I preferred 1989 a bit. Another great thing is that now I was able to write a profile of marvelous Maggie and that was one of my greatest pleasures. However, when you have such a strong year, the ranking is so damn difficult and you just cannot decide. I was so perplexed and I couldn't make up my mind. I had to wait and think. I mean #1, #2 and #3 are all worthy of the award (I would say even #4), they are all brilliant, unforgettable performances. I am biased in the cases of all of them. I love all three of them. I'm going to feel guilty (Oh #3 please forgive me, you're the greatest!) because I ignored two of them despite the fact they ALL deserve my vote. Still, it's #1 who gave the best performance and I had to choose her in the end.

So the much anticipated ranking:

5. Geneviève Bujold in Anne of the Thousand Days

Geneviève Bujold suffers from a bad movie, an overacting lead actor and a boring screenplay. I give her some credit for the excellence of her last monologue, but I could live without watching the rest. A very mixed performance

4. Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending

I saw a fantastic performance, one that was a really pleasant surprise. It impressed me, had a big effect on me and most importantly I felt connection to the character. Simmons understood the character extremely well and handled her emotions perfectly.

3. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

I can safely say that Maggie gives one of her best performances as Miss Jean Brodie, a woman who has to face with the fact that her cherished prime is over. Dame Maggie created an exciting, beautiful character on the screen and you just cannot take your eyes off her.

2. Liza Minnelli in The Sterile Cuckoo

This is one of those cases when I got way more than I expected. Liza Minnelli's performance is not a surprise, it's fulfillment. I was moved, I laughed, I was heartbroken and went through the emotional states of Pookie. You will just never forget this unbelievable performance.

1. Jane Fonda in The Shoot Horses, Don't They?

I can say that Jane Fonda gives a gritty, tough and incredible performance as Gloria, who's full of layers and secrets and Fonda slowly, but firmly reveals the mind of this desperate woman. It's really no wonder that she became the #1 actress of the seventies after this one. Terrific job.

So I can proudly announce

that my winner is...

Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

One of the best performances ever.

Omissions:

• Ingrid Bergman in Cactus Flower

The ranking of the already reviewed years:

1. 1969
2. 1974
3. 1989
4. 1959
5. 1939
6. 2009
7. 1963
8. 1966
9. 1990
10. 1978
11. 1954
12. 1948
13. 2002
14. 1940
15. 1998

About the next year: I guess it's not difficult for you to find out that 1973 won. So it's your decision. 2011's first reviewed year is 1973!

Gosh, this was a bit traumatic. You know how I feel about Maggie, right? I feel as if I harmed her. :-(

So what do you think? What's on your mind? Any thoughts, observations?

Liza Minnelli in The Sterile Cuckoo

Liza Minnelli received her first Best Actress nomination for playing Pookie Adams, a sad young girl in The Sterile Cuckoo, a movie that is EXTREMELY hard to find. I have read on some of the imdb message boards (some time ago) that this was only a sympathy nomination for her because of the recent death of her mother (back to that later). I think that she really did not have that much chance to win, I think she might have been fifth in the voting after all.

The Sterile Cuckoo is a very good movie, which is sometimes a bit boring, but it has so much heart and it really has some very important things to say. Wendell Burton gives a proper performance as Jerry, but he does not really reach the stars with his acting. Everything is fine, but his role is almost just a supporting one if we observe it's importance and impact. Pookie is the main character and although Jerry has more scenes, this movie is about Pookie. I must also add that Come Saturday Night is a really touching song, which easily could have won the Oscar, but I'm OK with Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head too.

Now to Liza Minnelli: whoever told on those imdb boards that Liza only got the nomination because of the death of her mother and guilt is either stupid as hell or hasn't seen the movie. These are the only reasonable explanations. Liza gives quite probably the most heartbreaking performance I have ever seen, plain and simple. Not necessarily the best or the most effective, but the most heartbreaking on for sure. She takes an ordinary character full of pain and vulnerablity and she just did magic with it: Pookie is so alive and loveable.

First of all, the character of Pookie is one of the most dangerous ones ever: there's much more chance of becoming annoying while playing it than being this effective. If she had gone too much over-the-top with Pookie's weird personality, her whole performance would have failed. She is always on the edge of failing actually, but her enormous talent just does not let it. Instead, we get an extremely beautiful and charming performance from the very beginning.

Actually, the fact that The Sterile Cuckoo became a very effective and moving movie is all due to Liza Minnelli. She's so towering and gets so much more out of it than anyone. I wouldn't say that this is a role that is tailor-made for her (I think that is Sally Bowles), but nobody else could have played Pookie better. Unlike Sally Bowles, Pookie is not a woman who is morally ruined but they are both extremely vulnerable. Liza always underlines this aspect of the character: Pookie is an extremely lonely, miserable girl, who is so thrilled by a little happiness in her life. However, Pookie also has much fear that it will not last forever. Liza is unforgettable in the scene, where Pookie tells her feelings to Jerry. She's just sitting alone, her eyes are teary and we just feel so sorry for her.

Even from the very first moment, Liza lets us know that Pookie is an extremely tragic character and nothing great is going to happen in the end. Liza always suggests this and yet we hope that Pookie makes it after all and it's so damn devastating to find out things with her. Pookie's whole world collapses because of the selfishness of Jerry (but is he really that selfish) and Pookie is hurt once again.

This performance is full of amazing, unforgettable scenes like the one when Pookie and Jerry are looking at some tombstones and Pookie lies down in front of one. You would imagine that it is bizarre, but it's actually beautiful. Just like when she lies down on the leaves. It's just wonderful.

And yet this scenes are nothing compared to her long monologue (I think that it's without editing, but I'm not sure) on the telephone with Jerry. Boy, that's one of the best acted scenes in history. So many emotions come to the surface: disappointment, sadness, desperation and so on. When she reveals the truth about her previous vacation is just... I am speechless. It's just something I will never forget.

This is one of those cases when I got way more than I expected. Liza Minnelli's performance is not a surprise, it's fulfillment. I was moved, I laughed, I was heartbroken and went through the emtional states of Pookie. Liza Minelli gently catches you, impresses you and you will just never forget this unbelievable performance, which is one of the best ones ever.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? (Vote on the next year too!)

The Next Year

I really did not expect to do this year, but finally I found The Sterile Cuckoo, so I thought that this should be the next one that's it. It's not very often talked about, but I only heard good things, so I just cannot wait. Plus this is going to be the first profile for marvellous Maggie. Gosh, it's great.

1969

So the nominees were:

• Geneviève Bujold in Anne of the Thousand Days
• Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
• Liza Minnelli in The Sterile Cuckoo
• Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending
• Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

So what do you think about this year? Who's your pick, what's your ranking? The predicting contest is on. Oh, I really can't wait, I might start reviewing tomorrow. I'm sick again, so I have time.

NOTE: This is going to be the last year I am going to do in 2010. Probably.