Sunday, August 8, 2010

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1948

About the field: Well, this year turned out to be way better than I expected. However I must say that my ranking looks much different than I thought it would be. I'm most shocked at my #5 as I expected her to become my pick. Nevertheless I can say that I saw two mindblowing, one great and two very good performances, so I can conclude that this was a rich and versatile year, which I really enjoyed. My ranking wasn't that easy, because there was some competition for #1, but in the end my pick was obvious. So now it's time to see the ranking

Irene Dunne gave a heartwarming, lovable performance which definitely had it's flaws but it did not bother me for her strong presence attracted my attention all the way. Great work, which had amazing moments in it.

4. Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc
Another unpopular and not talked about performance that I was impressed by. Her last huge scene left a huge impact on me and I simply loved her You can hate Ingrid in this, you can hate me for this, but it doesn't change anything.

3. Olivia de Havilland in The Snake Pit
She's courageous, charming and yet far from amazing or very memorable. I think that this performance might grow on me, but now I'm disappointed. Had I not heard that much about her, I would have been satisfied, but this way I'm feeling a bit awkward.

2. Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda
I saw a great performance, which aged well and was much better for the second time. My admiration has dropped a bit in time but I still have to admit how great she is in this movie. Very good and memorable work.

I can honestly say that I was very-very impressed and that I saw one of Stanwyck's finest works, which completely grabbed my attention from start to finish mainly caused by Stanwyck's dexterity with emotions. A really intriguing character study.


So my winner for this year is...
Barbara Stanwyck in
Sorry, Wrong Number
Barbara has just found out. :D


So now I've finished this very exciting year. So now it's time to move on. Unfortunately I can only start it in a week (precisely on Monday, 16th August). But naturally, I give you clues as usual, which will be TOO easy this time.
  • Adultery, a guilty pleasure
  • Being an artist is never easy
  • Did you like The Green Mile?
So what do you think?

3 comments:

Louis Morgan said...

Unpredictable as I thought. Although I must disagree this time even if I have only see two of them, but I found De Havilland much better than Bergman.

Sounds like 2002 with Unfaithful for the adultery, and Frida for the artist. I am not sure about the Green Mile clue.

joe burns said...

I was almost right! Dunne got fourth instead. Ah well.


Yeah, I'm going to say 2002 too, though it could be 2001 too.

willingmike2 said...

My God ..... amazing. All these years I've thought Barbara Stanwyck's performance in "Sorry, Wrong Number" was the worst of her entire career. That the movie itself was the most grating on the nerves, so full of phony melodrama and Stanwyck's shrill screaming ... and screaming ... and SCREAMING! And you ranked the obvious fifth in FIRST place!!! Well, the #1 spot that year was truly meant for the winner, Jane Wyman. And perhaps after hearing Stanwyck SCREAM for 2 hours or whatever time it was, Wyman's total lack of dialogue and her ability to easily convey every emotion known to exist with just her beautiful eyes, facial expressions, and natural body movements proved even MORE Oscar worthy! My own #2 would go to Irene Dunne (despite your demotion of her to the bottom as #5)for the genuine warmth and poignancy she brought to "I Remember Mama." In fact, I can sincerely say that ONLY Dunne could have been victorious over Wyman without leaving me in complete shock! We would then agree on our #3 choice, Olivia DeHavilland, admitting that over-acting is almost a necessity when playing a mental patient in "The Snake Pit." And will concede a mutual #4 to Ingrid Bergman, who was painfully saddled with attempting reality in any historical epic ... maybe ESPECIALLY "Joan of Arc."