161. (19 Aug) The Dollmaker (1984, Daniel Petrie) 60
Her accent prevents Jane Fonda from being immediately credible as a Kentucky sharecropper's wife, but her physicality is a reminder of just what an exceptional talent she is. When the location shifts from Kentucky to Detroit, Fonda seems so world-weary as to set the whole tone of the rest of the film. She's unerring from then on, channeling so much into the performance it at times feels as if it's taking an emotional toll on her that transcends the performance. She's rarely been in better form than when playing depression and grief following the death of a child. Though this tends to get episodic, it has more than enough gut-wrenching stuff to truly make an impact.
Dear Heart(1964). Romantic/Comedy. Cast: Glenn Ford, Geraldine Page and Angela Lansbury. Directed by Delbert Mann. The movie received an Oscar nomination for best song "Dear Heart". Music: Henry Mancini• Lyrics: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.
Quirky postmistress Evie Jackson, arrives in New York City, to attend a postmasters' convention where she meets playboy Harry Mork, a greeting card salesman who is engaged to Phyllis.
He, like most men is put off by Evie's personality, but after his failed date with June, he decides to take up Evie's invitation to a party. They have a wonderful time together and she falls in love with him. Evie, soon learns and is brokenhearted that Harry is engaged to another woman named Phyllis. After, Harry takes her to see the apartment he has rented she decides to return home.
Phyllis, who really does not love Harry arrives in New York, where Harry shows her the apartment. They find Phyllis' teenaged son, Patrick, living there with his bohemian girl friend. Phyllis, tells him that she prefers to live in hotels because she likes to be waited on and Harry realizes that she is only using him.Will Harry, leave her and make Pennsylvania Station in time to find Evie?
Glen Ford and Geraldine Page, are wonderful together, in this believable, sentimental movie. Page, as Evie gives one of her best performances, as she gives a speech about how women "give up" as they grow older waiting to find a husband.
Geraldine Page (November 22, 1924 – June 13, 1987). Her film debut was in, Out of the Night (1947). Her role in Hondo, opposite John Wayne, won her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Page received eight Academy Award nominations.
She finally won the Oscar in 1986 for a performance in The Trip to Bountiful. When she won (F. Murray Abraham, upon opening the envelope, exclaimed "I consider this woman the greatest actress in the English language"), she received a standing ovation from the audience. She was surprised by her win and took a while to get to the stage to accept the award because she had taken off her shoes while sitting in the audience.
Her other notable screen roles included Academy Award-nominated performances in Tennessee Williams': Summer and Smoke (1961), Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), You're a Big Boy Now (1966), Pete 'n' Tillie (1972), Woody Allen's Interiors (1978), and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984).
She also appeared in such roles as a psychotic, mass killer in What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969); a repressed schoolmistress in the Clint Eastwood film, The Beguiled (1971); a charismatic evangelist in, The Day of the Locust (1975); a nun, Sister Walburga, in Nasty Habits (1977); and as 'Aunt' Beverly in Harry's War (1981).
She did many television shows in the 1950s through the 1980s, including movies and series, such as Hawaii Five-O, Kojak, and several episodes of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, including "The Sins of the Fathers" and "Something in the Woodwork". She also was a voice actress and voiced the villainous Madame Medusa in the Disney animated film The Rescuers. Page has also appeared in television productions and won two Emmy Awards as Outstanding Single Performance By an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama for her roles in the classic Truman Capote stories, A Christmas Memory (1967) and The Thanksgiving Visitor (1969). Her final film was the 1987 Mary Stuart Masterson film My Little Girl.
Although Lee Remick is overshadowed in many ways, she's just excellent as Kirsten, a pathetic woman, a real victim. Her story is very heartbreaking and you don't get any fun out of it but Remick's realism in this part is really impressive. A great performance that should be much more frequently talked about.
I would kill to see this performance on the stage but instead I have to make do with a great motion picture performance that's nothing short of excellent. Geraldine Page makes Alexandra a very fascinating character and she single-handedly makes the movie worthy of watching. This work is a real treat. Truly-truly memorable effort by a great actress.
I must say that I was thouroughly impressed by the performance of Katharine Hepburn. Although there's something in me that prevented me from totally embrace it, I still find her truly amazing in her part. As Mary Tyrone, she's just chilling and really disturbing but she never overplays Mary's broken personality. Fantastic work.
This is an iconic performance and rightfully so. It's both delicious and shocking, funny and disgusting. Bette's brilliance is at (another) peak here and she's really unforgettable. No matter what she does on the screen, it's going to be something that you'll never ever forget. She nails each and every nuance of Baby Jane and the result is a fantastic, dazzling and intense work by a brilliant actress.
I was totally amazed by Anne Bancroft's star-making turn as Annie Sullivan, the determined and tough teacher. Anne Bancroft created a multi-layered fascinating character that is a real joy to watch. Her beauty shines through the screen and it's effect is just astonishing. I was taken by this work and I can only praise her for this. It's kind of cheesy to say it's a miracle but for me, it is.
So I can proudly announce
the winner is...
Anne Bandroft
in
The Miracle Worker
That was a nailbiter.
Final thoughts: A really great year (the highest grades overall) but somehow I wasn't that blown away. All of these ladies were great but somehow I didn't enjoy this year as much as I expected to. Still, a wonderful year with great performances. The ranking was very difficult for me but I hopw to have made the right decision. I wasn't very sure but eventually, this seemed like the best alternative.
Omissions: Jeanne Moreau in Jules et Jim; Anna Magnani in Mamma Roma; Shelley Winters in Lolita
The ranking of the reviewed years:
1969
1944
1974
1961
1989
1962
2001
1959
2006
1978
2010
1996
1964
1939
1977
1992
1997
2009
1980
1941
1972
1963
1966
1973
1983
1986
1937
1990
1954
1958
1948
2002
1957
2003
1940
1998
1975
About the next year: It's no secret that it will be 1943. :)
Geraldine Page received her third Oscar nomination for playing Alexandra Del Largo, a depressed, movie star in the movie Sweet Bird of Youth. Geraldine Page won the Golden Globe for this performance of hers so I suspect she received many votes from the members of the Academy, too. I think she was third behind Anne Bancroft and Bette Davis. The fact that she had lost the previous year for Summer and Smoke must have helped her a lot, too. Poor Geraldine, I think she was always either second or third or at least fourth and that's why she had to wait so much for the win.
Although Sweet Bird of Youth is not a masterpiece, it's quite a decent movie. It doesn't have the tension of Richard Brooks' earlier Tennessee Williams adaptation, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. One can easily observe that in Paul Newman's performance. His work here was just uninspired and bored (unlike in Cat... where the character's inner pain almost burned the screen) though never really bad. He just didn't stand out. Ed Begley's nomination and eventual Oscar win is a mystery unsolved. I guess... no I don't. He just won. Same goes for Shirley Knight's nomination.
The only reason why people still remember this movie is Geraldine Page's performance as Alexandra, the mentally unstable actress. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't watch a movie like this twice. She's the only reason to watch this movie and it's so strong. Geraldine Page was born to play Tennessee Williams' heroines. Her neurotic persona and the unique, radiant presence of hers makes her the ideal choice for such roles. All of my greatest memories of Geraldine Page are in connection with her famous nervous ticks. When I think about Geraldine Page, I see the hysterical Eve in Interiors crying theatrically next to the window or the hopeful old lady from A Trip to Bountiful who's desperate to go home once. In short, I love this woman and I would be stupid not to love her most delicious performance as Alexandra.
Alexandra (as I said) a typical Tennesse Williams heroine: she's broken down, mentally unstable and yet she's hoping for a better future. She has a lover that she never takes really seriously. Somehow, things work out for her in the end. She's a diva in the best sense of the word. Despite all this (or because of this), I felt so sorry for her. Geraldine was not afraid of making Alexandra (or as she likes to be called "Princess") a miserable creature. Her breakdown at the cinema, the tragic falshbacks all add to the dramatic effects of this performance and Page uses the opportunities that she's given. From the first minute to the last, you just cannot take your eyes off her and she has a very magnetic presence.
However, something is working against Geraldine: her movie. In all fairness, she's not given enough time to shine and therefore she's less brilliant than she could have been. I mean, the story of Chance and the Finleys take away so much time from her and as a result, she never becomes the leading character that she deserves to be. This is not Geraldine's fault but it's a setback for her, unfortunately. If I'm really honest, I just don't see why she was needed in this movie. Just for the sake of a great female character? I really don't want to criticise Geraldine with this, I'm just angry about this thing.
Still, denying Geraldine's greatness here is totally useless as she stil owns her movie. She offers many unforgettable scenes. For example, her big exit where she frankly tells Chance what to do :D and when things work out for Alexandra. Geraldine plays masterfully with Alexandra's emotions and she leaves a really strong impression. You know, I'm a sucker for great theatrical acting. I imagine I would have orgasmed over Geraldine's last scene had I seen it on the stage. This way it's just a brilliant experience.
I would kill to see this performance on the stage but instead I have to make do with a great motion picture performance that's nothing short of excellent. Geraldine Page makes Alexandra a very fascinating character and she single-handedly makes the movie worthy of watching. This work is a real treat. Truly-truly memorable effort by a great actress.
This is not a performance for the ages but Piper Laurie is very good as Sarah in The Hustler. Although sometimes she's too overshadowed by Paul Newman, her work never loses its strength and occasionally, we see truly brilliant, unforgettable scenes. Her achievement is very evenly great and therefore she deserves some praise.
I don't think that this performance of Geraldine Page is all that special. I mean, she's great and she has a lots of great moments but altogether, she's not that brilliant. Apart from the beginning, she played Alma just like she had to and she put on very decent work that could be expected from an actress of her calibre. However, she's not as amazing as some say.
Natalie Wood took on a very difficult role and despite some early mistake, she put on a wonderful performance as Deanie Loomis. She portrayed all the fears and the tension so realistically and exceptionally that she became a truly luminous presence on the screen. She develops the character excellently, avoiding all the traps and obviousness that could have ruined her work.
It really must be my sentimental side that came to surface while I was watching this movie but I couldn't care less. I understand why some could criticise it but for me, Audrey Hepburn's work as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's is deservedly one of the most iconic performances of all time. Not only has Audrey Hepburn created an unforgettable character, but also some marvellous acting.
I know I should sum up his performance somehow but I feel that my whole review was the shortened version of how I feel about her. Nothing can come close to this wonderful emotionality, the radiant, brilliant personality of Sophia Loren (none of the Hollywood stars of her time can come close to her). This watch of the movie and my review was the ultimate test of my love for this performance and it passed. With distinction. :)
So I can proudly announce
the winner is...
Sophia Loren
in
Two Women
Easy win.
Congratulations to Fritz and Louis on the correct predictions! :) You got a prize but since you got it right only after 4 reviews you can both pick only from these 10 possibilities: 1943, 1953, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1976, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1999.
Final thoughts: BRILLIANT year! I so loved this year. All of them interesting, strong performances. Two very good ones, one really great and two legendary ones. I'm happy that I had to opportunity to do this wonderful year. I feel bad about not picking Audrey (so far, she's my best one not to win, I refuse to say loser) as that performance was worthy of an Oscar. However, no tie was possible. This award belonged to Sophia alone and the Academy somehow (what a miracle) realised that. So I've agreed with the Academy 3 years in a row. :)
Omissions: Jeanne Moreau in La Notte
The ranking of the reviewed years:
1969
1944
1974
1961
1989
2001
1959
2006
1978
2010
1996
1964
1939
1977
1997
2009
1980
1941
1972
1963
1966
1973
1983
1986
1937
1990
1954
1958
1948
2002
1957
2003
1940
1998
1975
About the next year: It's no secret that it will be 1992. :)
Geraldine Page received her second Oscar nomination for playing Alma Winemiller, the shy, sexually frustrated daughter of a minister in Summer and Smoke. Although Page won the Golden Globe for Best Actress (drama), I don't think that she had much of a chance of winning the Oscar that year. Too many stars were competing in that category and they all starred in very succesful movies that are now considered classic. Still, I feel that Page was ahead of Piper Laurie.
Summer and Smoke is a very entertaining movie. I mean Tennessee Williams was such an excellent writer and he created some of the best stories ever. This is not one of his best, though but that doesn't say much as even his weakest is among the best and this is not his weakest effort. Summer and Smoke (apart from the great story) is very well directed, acted, in short it's a really quality piece. Laurence Harvey is not an actor who's admired by many (my beloved Jane Fonda was not one of his fans, either as it seemed) but I think he was able to be really great and this performance of his is the best I've seen from him (besides Room at the Top). I really believe that he should have been nominated. Una Merkel did receive a nomination but she was quite unworthy of it, I think.
Geraldine Page seems to be dividing people much more than I used to think. Some are crazy about her skills and her immense talent (F. Murray Abraham is one of her biggest fans) and some are criticising her for being too over-the-top and self-aware. Personally, I admire her very much. Yes, she can be a little bit theatrical but I so love stage actresses in movies because of the energy that they give to the motion picture roles. Interesting enough, what I saw in Summer and Smoke justified both the love and the hate for Ms. Page.
She plays the neurotic preacher's daughter, a shy spinster who's terrified even by a touch of a man. However, she falls badly for Laurence Harvey's character and we get to see how their "relationship" goes. I really liked their chemistry on the screen and I was surprised how believable their "romance" was. I mean, I've seen actresses portraying spinster who are desperately in love with a man but this relationship was so different from them. Alma is neither too shy nor possessive. There's a bit of this and a bit of that.
As I said, this performance can be a justification for the both the admirers and the haters of Geraldine Page. In the beginning, Page is obnoxious and unbearable. She played Alma in such way too theatrically. I just felt so confused about her and I had trouble warming up to her work. It felt like watching a menstruating Deborah Kerr. In short, I didn't like her at all. That lasted for about 15 minutes and after that there seemed to be a wonderful change in either me or the performance.
In this movie, we can see many of Geraldine Page's famous nervous ticks and she excellently uses them when she needs to. I really loved her mentally unstable character in Interiors and her breakdowns there were so delicious and enjoyable so I hoped I would see something like that here. And I did, in fact. Whenever Page looked at Laurence Harvey, I felt that Alma's character is actually more controlling and manipulative than one would think and deep she tries to corner him emotionally with her breakdowns. Although John is also fooling around with Alma, Alma is not that different from him.
After all, Page got the shy personality of Alma right and she played that aspect of the character very well, despite the fact that the huge emotional scenes were the real highlights. Her big breakdown towards the end when she realizes the truth about her love is just excellently played by her. I really felt the character's pain and that scene was really intense.
Still, I don't think that this performance of Geraldine Page is all that special. I mean, she's great and she has a lots of great moments but altogether, she's not that brilliant. Apart from the beginning, she played Alma just like she had to and she put on very decent work that could be expected from an actress of her calibre. However, she's not as amazing as some say.
What do you think? (I forgot to grade Piper last time but she'll also get a 4.)
Sophia Loren made history in 1961 by becoming the first actress to win for an entirely foreign language-speaking performance. Will she be my winner, too or will I pick one of the other incredible ladies?
What do you think? What's your ranking? What's your prediction for my ranking?
About the field: Wow, not as strong as I expected. My #1 and 2 were so obvious, as both of them gave towering performances. I feel soooooo extremely bad about not picking #2 as she's so Oscar-worthy and by not picking her, I feel like harming her or something. She was BRILLIANT and I would never-ever take anything from her so this win was just brilliant (I wish a tie was an option!)! So I decided to give her a special award. I think I'm entitled to that! :D The third and fourth ones are also brilliant and they really grew on me in the last three weeks. I actually regret saying some bad things about her, but my grade is just fine I think (still). My biggest disappointment came #5. I love that actress very-very much and I wanted to be so amazed by her.
So, I can say that Ellen Burstyn gives quite a good, entertaining, but surprisingly uneven performance, which is quite far from her best works, but for an actress with less talent it would be a huge feat. But we're talking about Ellen Burstyn who's quite far from mediocre.
It's mainly Clayburgh's achievement that this whole thing works. She's the engine, the power, she has so much screentime (she's practically always on-screen) and a very baity role, which is much more layered than you would think. She gets into your mind and leaves there a seed which becomes a beautiful tree if you think about it.
This is fantastic, brilliant and unforgettable acting for the ages and I'm really hoping that more people will discover Page's brilliance. Although I could have arguments that she's supporting, the impact of this performance is so strong that it truly stays with you. Terrific work by a terrific actress.
This is a fantastic, brilliant and unforgettable performance for the ages. I'm feeling so guilty about not giving her a win. In any other year, she would be a shoo-in for the award. Unfortunately, I have to go with Ingrid but my dear Jane is just wonderful and really heart-breaking as Sally Hyde. Excellent, unforgettable and thought-provoking work that grows with each view. She'll get special mention from me. Such an amazing performance cannot go unrewarded. 1. Ingrid Bergman in Autumn Sonata This is, and now I'm not overly enthusiastic, one of the best and most true performances I have ever seen from an actor, male or female.She does not only haunt you for days, she remains with you for the rest of your life. I wish Bergman had the opportunity to say farewell to her film career with a last, glorious Oscar win for this once-in-a-lifetime performance. So I can proudly announce that my winner is...Ingrid Bergman in Autumn Sonata One of the best performances ever.
And here I give a very special award to
Jane Fonda
in
Coming Home
Another astonishing performance.
So the ranking of the already reviewed years:
1974
1959
2009
1963
1978
1948
2002
1940
1998
Omissions:
Liv Ullmann in Autumn Sonata
Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween
And now it's time to give the clues to the next year, which was a very legendary year. If there's only ONE legendary year in motion picture history, this is it. No other clues and I helped you more than enough. :)
Geraldine Page received her sixth Best Actress nomination for playing Eve, an interior decorator having mental problems in Woody Allen's bergmanesque drama, Interiors. Well, poor Geraldine Page. In my opinion she had the least chance of winning as she was campaigned in the wrong category. I'm more than sure that had she been nominated supporting she would have won the Oscar (just like she did at the Baftas). I'm not certain though if I would pick her over the great Dame Maggie, but I may give her the win in a tie.
Interiors is a pretty much love-or-hate movie and your attitude and reaction really depends on your own mood. When I first saw it I couldn't stand a minute of it as at the time I was a bit anxious. But now when I was totally relaxed looking forward to the weekend, I really was crazy about it. In fact, it was so good sometimes that I got creeps. It really is a grabbing piece with excellent performances by Maureen Stapleton, Diane Keaton and mostly by Mary Beth Hurt and Geraldine Page. I especially loved Hurt in the last scenes. It's interesting that for the first time I hated the movie mostly because of her.
And Geraldine Page. What can I say about this masterful actress? She was so unique and versatile that whenever I see a movie with her I am really not surprised at all how brilliant she is. For her it wasn't a problem to play a forgotten movie star after a shy spinster, or a suicidal, theatrical interior decorator before a lovely old lady desperate to see her home. She had so many faces and really never could be stuck in a typical character.
You might think that when I said in the beginning that I would give her the Supporting Actress win, I really wanted to suggest that she belongs to the supporting category. But if I really think about it, SHE is the lead. Despite not having much screentime, everything is about her and the effects of her actions on her family. It's tricky that she is even on-screen when is not (if you know what I mean), because her impact in this small (at least in terms of time) role is probably the most significant one.
When we first see Eve, Page makes it very clear that she's a very controlling, ultra-sensitive woman with over-the-top reactions, mood swings, huge screams and breakdowns, but also that she's a very intelligent and gifted person, who's probably way too perfect for her family and even herself. She loves being worshiped and pampered, but she always makes sure that it's the decision of the other person. Actually I can think of her profession (decorator) as a symbol of her role in the family. She always sets the stage for everyone, guides, helps, but also mercilessly controls them.
It's also fatanstic to witness how carefully Page built the relationship between Eve and Joey. In one of the first scenes they are chatting, but all the tension between these two women come to the surface. Eve really corners everyone emotionally and almost kills them with her mood swings. She always refers to the other one and has problems and she causes so much pain.
My favorite scene comes at the beginning during the birthday party. Eve is having a usual conversation with her daughter, when she suddenly (after a brief sentence about her husband) suffers a theatrical and almost laughable breakdown in front of everybody. Right there, Page was really on the edge of being too over-the-top, but she solved this very hard sequence with such dexterity and ease that it's amazing.
Her suicide attempt is really chilling. It shows, how theatrical and over-the-top Eve is, lying down gracefully in a beautiful dress. She's really madness in person.
People mostly praise her (well sort of) last scene in the church, when she has another breakdown as she finds out about the marriage plans of her ex-husband. I cannot really say enough times how well page shows Eve's personality. She screams "It's humiliating" with such passion and I even dare say, pleasure. Actually there and in the birthday party I became quite sure that Eve actually enjoys being in the centre of attention. Not to mention how incredibly haunting she is even when she's silent.
So to sum up, I saw once again fantastic, brilliant and unforgettable acting for the ages and I'm really hoping that more people will discover Page's brilliance. Although I could have arguments that she's supporting, the impact of this performance is so strong that it truly stays with you. Terrific work by a terrific actress, which gets
So, what do you think? I haven't decided about who should be the next, but you will know in time.
So right now, I'm moving along with my next year, which is said to be one of the strongest ones ever in this category. We'll see. There are supporters of all the nominated performances and you will find out my ranking of these five great ladies. I really wanted to do this year, so I'm quite excited. There are more performances here I am very fond of, so I will really like this year I think.
The nominees were:
Ingrid Bergman in Autumn Sonata
Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year
Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman
Jane Fonda in Coming Home*
Geraldine Page in Interiors
I really don't know what my ranking will look like (well, I have an idea about a certain place, but no rush) but we will see. Any predictions anyone? Who are YOU rooting for?
