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:
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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?
7 comments:
As I said almost impossible to determine I felt the same way with a few years I have done with the top performances are so good it is really hard to choose one over another. And yes it feels sometimes like your cheating second place when it is that close, which is why I did the Olivier Douglas tie.
Wow, I really didn't expect that.
To me, Maggie is the clear winner here, though all of them, except for Simmons, would have made worthy winners to me. But it's your opinion and I can't wait till 73!
It was very unpredictable. As a huge Maggie fan (and I love her performance, though it was a bit underwhelming) I thought that she would be my pick hands down. She's still my choice for California Suite and Gosford Park, plus I would give her a win for her unnominated performances in A Private Function (definitely) and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hyrne (tied with Glenn Close). I don't think that I should explain that Fonda's breakdown scene over her stocking was so shocking for me, and that single scene was the reason I picked her. For a while Liza was my pick, but I changed to Fonda in the end and I'm glad with the decision.
Joe: I'm happy that you look forward to it. I'm really happy to see people interested. It's basically why I am writing these reviews.
I am also surprised but this one time I won't deny that Jane was great.
I am really looking forward to 1973 and your thoughts on Glenda!
I somehow knew Jane would win :)
Yay! :-)
I'm really glad you said Ingrid Bergman should've been nominated for Cactus Flower. I think it's a shame that no one remembers that movie, since I like a lot and I liked Goldie Hawn.
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