Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1976

1976

So the much anticipated ranking is:

I didn't exactly hate Talia Shire in Rocky, I was just never impressed by her work. She doesn't do much except for standing and being silent and she doesn't even do that in an expressive way. Apart from the nice, moving ending, there's nothing in her performance that's really memorable.

I still ask myself the question: was this performance much of a strech? Probably not. Marthe's not a very complicated character but Marie-Christine Barrault did a great job playing her. Although she's far from amazing, there are no flaws in this performance and it serves its purpuse perfectly. It's very enjoyable work that I would love to rewatch any time.

Faye Dunaway is just fantastic as Diana Christensen, in my opinion. Although I would be a little bit hesitant to call her amazing, her greatness is undeniable. She nailed all the aspects of Diana, she turned this incredibly difficult character into gold. Truly memorable work by a great actress at her peak.

Liv Ullmann, in short, is astonishing as Jenny Isaksson in Face to Face. Liv shows such depths of this character that it becomes a very disturbing, frightening experience for the viewer. Although it might be too much for some, nothing can stop me from saying that Liv is just unbelievable as Jenny. Truly unforgettable work by a brilliant actress.
 

I can confidently say that Sissy Spacek's performance as Carrie White is worthy of its iconic status. Not only is it creepy horror acting but something much more frightening. We get to experience so much frustration and fear and Sissy displays these emotions perfectly. Chilling, wonderful, beautiful performance.

So I can proudly announce
the winner is...
Sissy Spacek
in
Carrie
What's the problem?
 
Final thoughts: A very enjoyable year. I'm not saying it's the best ever but it offered some really great performances. The Top 3 is masterclass, Barrault is very good, Shire is the weakest link for me. She just didn't belong to this category. Choosing between the fantastic Liv and the wonderful Sissy was just so difficult. I noticed a certain pattern: whenever Sissy is close to being my pick, she fights a fierce battle with another actress (that was with 1980 and 2001) for my vote. I mean does it count that a performance is more iconic and popular than the other? Does screentime matter? In the end it came down to which performance I liked more and who sticks in my memory more (what a surprise).

Congrats to Fritz and Anonymous (who said good things about my design, next time please leave a name :D)! You can pick an available year both (or any other where you can give me access to all of the movies): 1933, 1953, 1956, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008

Omission: Mari Törőcsik in Mrs. Dery, Where Are You? *My pick*

About the next year: Since this one is going to be my 40th year, I want to make it special so it's going to be a total surprise. After that it's 1995 as Louis requested.

What do you think? Any thoughts on your mind?
date:

8 comments:

  1. FritzAugust 30, 2011 at 3:51 PM

    Great work!

    Oh my God, it's your 40th year already? Wow!

    Okay, my pick for another year is 2007.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JosepAugust 30, 2011 at 4:14 PM

    I'm the Anonymous who said good things about your design =)

    I'm glad I guess your ranking! Ullmann definitely deserves the Oscar this year.

    My pick for another year is 1933, I think you should do more 30's

    ReplyDelete
  3. dinasztieAugust 30, 2011 at 6:51 PM

    Fritz: Then we'll see how Marion does. :D

    Josep: OK, then 1933.

    ReplyDelete
  4. joe burnsAugust 30, 2011 at 8:26 PM

    YAY! Liv is hands down the best, though I love Faye and Sissy too, though my enthuasism for Sissy has gone down a little.

    ReplyDelete
  5. mrripleyAugust 30, 2011 at 10:28 PM

    I want to know how you got hold of face to face i can't complete 76 till i see it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. dinasztieAugust 30, 2011 at 10:34 PM

    It was on television here (in Swedish with subtitles). It used to be on youtube but the channel got removed.

    ReplyDelete
  7. EllOctober 14, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    You have to be kidding. Did you see one tear fall from Liv's eyes? All she does is scream hysterically with her dry eyes. She's completely mechanical and unconvincing. Look at her face instead of reading the subtitles and you'll see the utter mediocrity. She is lifeless in every performance and Face to Face is an especially embarrassing example of her inadequacy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JLSUGGSMay 19, 2022 at 12:59 AM

    Liv Ullman was powerful & deserving, but as you said her performance & the film itself may have been a bit much for the voters! Sissy Spacek would suffer the same fate with In the Bedroom! It was a proud historic moment when Halle Berry was announced Best Actress, although all were Oscar worthy. Sissy Spacek was gut wrenching

    ReplyDelete