1996
So the much anticipated ranking is:
I have a bit mixed feelings about Kristin Scott Thomas in The English Patient. I loved the beginning and the way she showed Katharine's behaviour but from the middle, this performance becomes a bit insignificant. Yes, it's 100% the movie's fault and yet the performance suffers from it unfortunately. Too bad as Kristin had the potential of becoming fantastic here. Still, her talent and beauty really shines through.
Diane Keaton is quite proper in a mediocre movie and she really stands out. But here comes the question: is this really a great achievement? It's really good and I don't have any bad feelings about her and she actually has grown on me in time. Watching Keaton act is always a delight and this one is no exception.
It's really an OMG that she's only third with this achievement but the performances of the Top 3 are all so fantastic and I have to rank them somehow. Frances McDormand is a real moral compass in Fargo and she gives a beautiful, wonderful performance that is a shining light in the darkness of Fargo. An absolutely astonishing work by a wonderful character actress. I wish I could give out a three way tie.
It causes me physical pain not to pick Brenda but between her and Emily, my pick is obvious, no matter how much I love Brenda's amazing, brilliant, wonderful performance as Cynthia Rose Purley. Yes, that telephone scene itself should have landed the Oscar in her hands and yes, the improvisative skills of Brenda are brilliant but I just can't make her my pick over Emily. I'm really sad.
A spiritual revelation. Emily Watson gives one of the best performances of all time as Bess McNeill. She's so painful, so true and so brilliant as Bess, showing her feelings so incredibly. The purity, the clarity, all the wonders in this role all justify the amount of love that Emily receives from everyone who watches the movie. This is really something for the ages and I'm grateful I could experience such brilliance.
So I can proudly announce
that my winner is...
Emily Watson
in
Breaking the Waves
Easy win.
Final thoughts: Oh my GOOOOD (in a very Janice way)! Three such brilliant performances that they would have made very worthy winners in any year. The thing is that both Frances and Brenda are extremely worthy of an Oscar and it's splendid that Frances won but still... it was Emily's Oscar without any contest. It's such a haunting, harrowing and wonderful performance for the ages. Brilliant, no other good word for her. And truth to be told, I really wanted to resist her. However, this is a strangely bipolar year as Diane and Kristin (two actresses I love more than the others generally) didn't give their best performances despite being very good, occasionally. Making Kristin #5 must be quite surprising but I felt it was Diane who grew on me the most. And at last I finished this year. It took a long-long time, I know but I was very-very busy in the past month. I can't wait to get to more years in the summer.
About the next year: Finally, a year from a very ignored decade of mine (I can't do anything about it as the movies are so hard to find) . But I'm SOOOOO looking forward to it. There will be romance, comedy, drama, peasants, mothers, courtesans, soon-to-be ex-wives and a real star will be born, I think. OK, it's incredibly easy to find out but I'm very-very excited about it. :)
Seems Watson is gaining quite the consensus for this year, almost as I expected but not quite. Great job as usual, and the next year is quite obviously 1937.
ReplyDeleteReally a great job! And yay for Emily, I am so happy that you picked her!
ReplyDeleteKristin 5th? Andrew would die. :)
ReplyDeleteAlex: Well, that's my opinion. :)
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