Faye Dunaway in Chinatown

Faye Dunaway received her second Oscar nomination for playing her signature role of Evelyn Cross Mulwray, a mysterious femme fatale in Roman Polanski's masterpiece, Chinatown. In 1974, Faye was still at the height of her fame, which could have helped in securing that Oscar win for her, but I believe she could only be the dark horse of the race, considering the overdue Ellen Burstyn and art house favorite Gena Rowlands playing more showy roles and grabbing all the attention, despite the fact that Faye's performance as Mrs. Mulwray turned out to be the most remembered of the insanely exciting Best Actress race of 1974. 

Chinatown, for me, is one of the greatest masterpieces of cinema, with absolutely no flawed elements about it. Roman Polanski's overwhelming, sinister and eventually devastating vision is probably his strongest (along with his work on The Pianist), which, in my opinion, would have deserved the Best Director Oscar. Equally brilliant is Jack Nicholson's charismatic turn as Jake Gittes though I would be more hesitant to give my vote to him in that very tight Best Actor race (he'd narrowly edge out Art Carney for me).

One of the numerous things that I find fascinating about Chinatown is that everybody is equally important in turning this movie into an absolute masterpiece and yet remaining outstanding on their own. The vision of Polanski probably would have worked with lesser actors or a less perfect score by Jerry Goldsmith and the music would have been just as awesome in a standard film noir. You can say the same about Faye Dunaway's performance: even when I didn't consider it marvelous achievement, I still found Chinatown a masterpiece (but enjoyed her worked a lot). However, as I embraced her more, her rich, stunning character only added to the overwhelming experience of Chinatown. 

If we look at the character of Evelyn Mulwray, we can immediately spot the mystery about her and the screenplay provided so much freedom to the actress playing her. People like to wonder about how Jane Fonda would have played this woman had she not turned down the part (note: she never turned it down, actually, she was never offered the part, but it makes a good line in I'll Eat You Last), because it takes so much imagination to picture the hard-edged, tough Jane Fonda of the seventies as Evelyn, playing the fragile Mrs. Mulwray. However, if we take a closer look, it can be easily seen that Faye Dunaway made this role her own so much that it's almost impossible to think about anyone else attempting to play Evelyn. We cannot imagine her any other way, then this fragile, deeply tragic character with a spot on her iris. It's like Faye has become this spot on Evelyn's iris, leaving her mark on this woman forever.

Faye turns virtually everything about this character to her favor: she uses the lack of screentime to strengthen the mysteriousness of this woman, making a lasting, dazzling impression and she also establishes everything about Evelyn that the (perfect) screenplay simply didn't have the opportunity to do. As a result, Evelyn never becomes a character whose mystery and iciness is actually covering up emptiness and one-dimensional personalities. Faye created one of the most human and relatable portrayals of a femme fatale. Although nowadays many would refer to Kim Basinger's performance in L.A. Confidential as the example of creating such a character with a background and more dimensions, Faye's performance goes beyond that: as I stated earlier, Dunaway left her mark on her character, not simply giving a great performance that any talented actress can give. Evelyn Cross Mulwray belongs to Faye Dunaway.

For me, Faye Dunaway has always been the most effective, where she can display her distinct acting style in more quietly tragic characters, like Bonnie Parker and Evelyn. She's also impressive in her more "out there" performances like Network and Mommie Dearest (I actually think that her work in Network goes over the top much more), where she can sell scenes that other actresses simply would have overacted, but Faye's unique persona shines through everything. Joan Crawford famously said that only Faye had "the talent and the class and the courage it takes to make a real star" and all that is best displayed in Chinatown. That was essential to make Evelyn the iconic character that she is.

Faye's chemistry with Jack Nicholson is one-of-a-kind and it's not hard to believe that the smart, no-nonsense character of Jake Gittes can be fooled by this fragile woman with pencil-thin eyebrows who's actually way stronger and more determined than one would initially believe. The only way to beat this woman is physical violence, because all your senses are confused by her beauty and personality (just see how Jake forces the truth out of her). It's not only Jake (and everyone else in Chinatown) who's confused by all her actions and what she's hiding, but also the audience: although Faye plays with our emotions like little puppets, we are constantly sympathising with her character. Faye fabulously uses the symbol the spot on Evelyn's iris to reveal the darkness and the burden of a terrible secrets on Evelyn.

Many would say that the daughter/sister scene is the highlight of Faye Dunaway's performance, where all the layers of mystery are forcefully removed from her and yet she's not beaten until (SPOILER) she's killed . The obsessed shouting of "She's my sister. She's my daughter." is devastating, equal to the effect of Barbara Stanwyck crying "I'm rotten" in Double Indemnity (SPOILER OFF). That being said, my personal favorite of Faye here is the scene in bed with Jack Nicholson and especially the way she delivers the line "Cherchez la femme.", which is so evocative and bitterly ironic from Evelyn's mouth. It's a tiring cliché to say that Faye tells more about her character in that sentence than other actresses could with long monologues, but sometimes you have to turn to clichés to express your awe.

In the end, Faye Dunaway's performance is one of the key elements in making Chinatown the chilling, harrowing masterpiece that it really is. With one look or a sentence, she evokes the tragedy and sadness behind the mysteriousness and the iciness of Evelyn Cross Mulwray, gradually removing all these layers and revealing what a terribly human and flawed person that she really is behind the surface of the femme fatale. She brilliantly plays this old-fashioned character with her fresh modern approach that reminds us of the greatness of the real golden age of American cinema. Faye's talent has never been used better than here and even if it was working with Polanski difficult proccess for both of them it was worth it.

What do you think?

As you see, I'm back. Later, I will do a post on the changes that will take place on this blog. I really took my time to figure out what to do next but it's done. :) 

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1974

1974

5. Valerie Perrine in Lenny
I can say that I saw a very-very good performance, which might be more of supporting, but has such a huge effect on you with it's emotional honesty and naturality that you are certainly amazed. Memorable work, worthy of a nomination and deserving of a good rating.

4. Diahann Carroll in Claudine
Although the heavy drama was missing and her material was not the best one ever, Diahann was fantastically real as a struggling woman in Harlem. This nomination was richly deserved and in a weaker year, it could have earned Carroll a deserved Oscar win.


3. Faye Dunaway in Chinatown
Faye Dunaway's performance is one of the key elements in making Chinatown the chilling, harrowing masterpiece that it really is. She brilliantly plays this old-fashioned character with her fresh modern approach that reminds us of the greatness of the real golden age of American cinema. Faye's talent has never been used better than here and even if it was working with Polanski difficult proccess for both of them it was worth it.

2. Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence
Gena Rowlands gave a breathtaking, gutwrenching performance, which is not for entertainment purpuses, but it's thought-provoking, stunning and sometimes unbearable to watch. Rowland's courage and talent really paid off here as she was able to give an amazing performance. Haunting and terrifying job.


1. Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
She totally grew on me in these few days. I can honestly say that I saw a very-very fantastic performance by an actress I love and I was quite impressed by her. It's not her greatest performance, but it's still an unforgettable and excellent portrayal of an ordinary woman.


So I can proudly announce 
that my winner is...  
Ellen Burstyn
in
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

What a surprise!!!

About the field: One of the category's finest - I wasn't as impressed by this year initially, but seriously, having Diahann Carroll's performance as #4 when in a year later she would be an easy pick of mine? Putting Faye Dunaway's harrowing, iconic Mrs. Mulwray at #3? Just crazy. As much as I love and appreciate Gena (and I probably appreciate her more than anyone here), I simply cannot not choose Ellen's beautiful, poetic performance, which (for me) is among her finest. I'd like to sing (hehe) praises about her work that works right inside your soul. It's sort of like Megan's experience with the dolphin in Bridesmaids for me. :) 

Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence

Art movie queen Gena Rolands received her first Best Actress nomination for playing Mabel Longhetti, a mentally ill housewife who has an ugly nervous breakdown in John Cassavetes' movie A Woman Under the Influence. Now, I'm sure that Gena Rowlands was the Edith Evans type of frontrunner that year. She got the Globe, several critics awards, but I don't think that she got enough votes as the Academy might have thought that her movie and performance was too depressing. I think the race was between Faye and Ellen.

A Woman Under the Influence is a truly-truly depressing and quite weird art movie about the troubles of a marriage. John Cassavetes was an excellent director, but I prefer Ingmar Bergman's type of art movies. Nevertheless, this film totally upset me and it was very uncomfortable to watch even for the second time (I don't think that there will be a third time). The directing nom is more than deserved and a Best Actor nom for Peter Falk would have been just as justified (I mean Albert Finney got a nomination but Falk and Gene Hackman didn't? Come on).

But, the most essential thing to this movie is a highly talented actress, who's far from being a typical Hollywood beauty queen. Gena Rowlands, in my opinion, was the perfect choice for this part. She's extremely credible as a simple housewife and actually I could not have imagined anyone else being as good as her. Nobody would have had as much courage throughout the movie as Gena.

The role of Mabel is an incredibly hard role to play. Originally Cassavetes intended to write a play, but Rowlands convinced him that it would be too hard to play every night. This was a wise thought. It's very difficult to perfectly catch Mabel and play her and it's good if she succeeds once. The screenplay gives so many layers and faces to this character, that it's almost impossible to show them all. But Rowlands was able to give a tour-de-force performance.

First of all she really makes sure that you will NOT enjoy her acting. She's not afraid to show the real nature of mental illness: it's ugly, disgusting and horrifying. It's nearly scary how fearless Gena Rowlands was when she created this performance. I can only think of Liv Ullmann in Face to Face as someone who was so brave. However, I must tell the they chose very different ways to show the isolation of these character.

There are many memorable scenes, but I must definitely mention her 15-minute-long breakdown in the middle. In that long scene, she such a dizzing combination of emotions: fear, anger, disgust, devastation, shock, hate, love, care and this makes it extremely hard to watch. Personally, I almost got sick of it. When she starts screaming while Peter Falk is hugging her or when the doctor is trying to approach her is very creepy and shocking. Such depth of that character is revealed to the audience that it makes those minutes very difficult to sit through for anyone.

In my opinion it's much more difficult when somebody has to create a character of a real world than out of fantasy (that's why I don't adore Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves). There are so many traps which can ruin the whole performance: first of all, Gena has to be on the edge of being unbearably over-the-top and hysterical to show this woman.

However, in the end this character goes through a big change: she becomes quiet, almost cathatonic, but she's just as confused as she used to be. Rowlands breathtakingly developed this character. She knew perfectly well how to handle the disease and Mabel's mannerisms. Again there's a horrifying scene, where she tries to commit suicide while her husband and children always run after her. It's totally heartwrenching.

So to sum up, I can say that Gena Rowlands gave a breathtaking, gutwrenching performance, which is not for entertainment purpuses, but it's thought-provoking, stunning and sometimes unbearable to watch. Rowland's courage and talent really payed off here as she was able to give one of the greatest performances ever put on film. Haunting and terrifying job.


So what do you think? The final conclusion comes in a couple of hours.

To watch A Woman Under the Influence click here.

Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Ellen Burstyn received her third Oscar nomination and won her only Oscar to date for playing Alice Hyatt, a widow, who tries to support her child while also wanting to become a singer in Martin Scorsese's fogotten little movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. She wasn't much of a front-runner that year (I guess they must have thought it was Faye's time), but I think it helped her a great deal that she was expected to win the previous year and yet lost (What a surprise!!!!LOL).

This movie has such a long title that I don't want to type it. It's DEFINITELY not Scorsese's biggest masterpiece, but it's not that bad, despite the fact that it's boring and a bit annoying. The supporting actors give solid performances at best, personally I don't think that Diane Ladd was that good, but I agree that she shined in some scenes. And boy that kid annoyed the HELL out of me, I mean he was such an utterly stupid little bastard that I'm not surprised that the guy beat him (totally deserved if you ask me).

However, Ellen Burstyn whom I admire very much (Gosh, how did she lose for Requiem for a Dream? OUTRAGE! SCANDAL!) gives an excellent perfomance as Alice Hyatt and she's even able to hold the movie together with her great acting. The role of Alice is partly interesting: it's not a very baity role, but it has some big opportunities for Burstyn, who's always able to shine. Probably the best word to describe this performance is charismatic. Burstyn has a kind of magnetic presence which always attracts your eyes and therefore steals the whole movie (as she's in almost every scene).

When we get to know Alice, she's just a houswife having a rough husband and a stupid, annoying smart-ass child. It's so heartbreaking when she's crying while she sleeps on the bed and after that has a tender moment with her husband. However, her world turns upside down when she unexpectedly becomes a widow. The scene where she receives the phone call about her husband's death is simply terrific: it's so heartbreakingly real the way she screams. Yes, it's a bit over-the-top scene, however I think that Burstyn was as subtle with that scene as possible.

It's marvellous how effortlessly Burstyn goes to point B from point A with this character. We're entertained so well that we do not really notice how well Alice develops. Burstyn totally lived this character and became one with her. Actually I think that Ellen Burstyn is a perfect chameleon: she always disappears in her roles and becomes one with them (let's face it: real method actors are simply brilliant). I always saw Alice Hyatt in the movie and never Ellen Burstyn.

Probably the greatest scenes of her performance come along when she's struggling to become a singer and meets Harvey Keitel. Her quiet desperation in the scene where's literally begging for a job is simply hearbreaking: there's such a huge reality and experience behind it. Burstyn was completely able to catch the thoughts of this character. Her big scene with Harvey Keitel when he attacks her is also magnificent: the terror and fear in her eyes makes it very hard to watch and yet it keeps you very interested.

Her so-called "chemistry" with Kris Kristofferson is also OK, though a bit more romance could have been useful to that storyline. Actually it's more of the director's fault that he almost ignored it. Ellen is great in those scenes too, but I wished for a bit more fire in it, if you know what I mean.

Her initial feud with Flo (and then friendship) is also very well-acted by Burstyn (and also Diane Ladd). She perfectly showed the rivalries, but also the fellowship between women. I love their dialogues very much and I found them very clever and credible. I liked the scene where they were relasing while sunbathing and chatting, it was a very naturally and flawlessly solved sequence.

It was also a great achievement that she was able to make her scenes with her son very loveable and not as annoying as the kid himself. But I must also tell that I missed something from this performance. I don't know what, but something seemed a bit off. I guess that she never had such a huge breakdown scene which could have made it even more impressive.

Nevertheless, I can honestly say that I saw a very-very fantastic performance by an actress I love and I was quite impressed by her. It's not her greatest performance (hello Requiem for a Dream and The Exorcist), but it's still an unforgettable and excellent portrayal of an ordinary woman.
So what do you think? I'm looking forward to reading your predictions. Who should be the next reviewed lady?

Diahann Carroll in Claudine

Diahann Carroll received her only Best Actress nomination for playing Claudine, a single black woman raising six children while balancing between work and her love life with Roop (James Earl Jones) in the movie Claudine. I'm quite sure that Carroll did not have much chance to win that award, she was probably the fourth in the voting or maybe fifth. The race was probably between Faye and Gena, while Ellen emerged victorious.

Claudine is a fairly enjoyable, but bit boring movie about a struggling black family. It's a kind of dramedy, but that does not really describe its genre. It's a kind of mix of optimistic comedy and some heavy drama. Some really hate it, but I did not have any serious problems with it. The same goes for the performance of James Earl Jones: I'm not mad about it, however I certainly enjoyed it to a degree.

But that doesn't apply for Diahann Carroll's excellent, even fantastic performance. OK, I confess I only know her from her guest spot on Grey's Anatomy, but she's not that famous, is she. Nevertheless she rocks in this part giving a very strangely loveable and absolutely believable performance. She perfectly caught the simple problems of this woman: she's struggling in her life, tries to get welfare and find someone she can rely on. The part is very ordinary is far from being an Oscar role and yet she was able to get much more out of her material than she was supposed to be. Although Claudine is a very standard character, she gave a surprisingly layered performance. We get to know so many faces of this woman: she's angry, desperate, romantic, loveable, self-sacrificing, devastated, sad and happy. She shows so many feelings with which we are all too familiar.

I salute Carroll's courage that sometimes she dared make Claudine unlikable. Like all of us, she's not a perfect person, she has her own flaws and fears. Carroll knows the emotions of this character very well and she handles them perfectly. She gently and subtly lets us close to this very ordinary woman with painfully real problems: children, work, family. I also loved how effortlessly she does this: I never felt for a single moment that she was forced or not credible. I just saw Claudine living her life on screen.

Carroll has many very memorable scenes in which she certainly shows how much strength she has as a performer. For example she was unforgettable when her daughter comes home and vomits while Claudine supports her and tries to help, but she's also furious. Carroll's so heartbreakingly natural and real in that short scene: she shows how strong a mother's love and protective instinct can be when her child is in trouble. I was certainly very moved by that scene and it cannot be erased from my memory.

She has many confrontation scenes with everyone in that movie and yet her character never really becomes overbearing or hysterical. She just dealing with her problems and that's it. There's nothing bad about that, she's just acting as a normal person would/should.

I also loved that her character never really became the "suffering single woman", even though she Carroll could easily have played her that way. She just made the best decision: she made her a living, breathing everyday woman you can easily relate to and feel some kind of sympathy for her.

So to sum up, I saw an excellent and very strong performance full of memorable scenes. Although the heavy drama was missing and her material was not the best one ever, Diahann was fantastically real as a struggling woman in Harlem. This nomination was richly deserved and in a weaker year, it could have earned Carroll an Oscar win. Originally I was thinking about giving her a four, but I say whatsoever and give her more as I think she perfectly deserves this.

So what do you think? What are your predictions for my ranking?

Valerie Perrine in Lenny

Valerie Perrine received her only Best Actress nomination for playing Honey Bruce, the wife of the tragic comedian Lenny Bruce in the movie Lenny. Perrine also won many critics' awards that year, but she got them for her supporting work. I'm quite certain that had she been nominated in the supporting category, she would have won as it was a lousy year there. This is again a good example of bad campaigning, which probably made her the fourth runner-up.

Lenny is a very great, but depressing movie about the scandalous and tragic life of the outspoken comedian Lenny Bruce. I certainly got a lot out of it and enjoyed it (as much as you can enjoy a depressing movie. All the nominations are justified in my humble opinion. Bob Fosse was a great filmmaker and even though this movie is not even close to Cabaret or All that Jazz, it's still a work of great quality with exceptional performances. Especially Dustin Hoffman, whom I consider the greatest actor of his generation. He plays Lenny with such passion. Many people think that he did not identify with Lenny enough, but I thought that he was fascinatingly disappeared in his role.

And yes, there's Valerie Perrine. There's a very tricky question about her which is very-very arguable: is she leading or supporting? At the beginning of the movie, she totally controls it and has even more to do than Dustin Hoffman, however towards the end she totally disappears and after she's out of jail, she's there for about 10 minutes. I still believe that the supporting campaign would have made more sense (I definitely would have voted for her there). In a way she's the definition of the supporting role of the wife of a genious. I loved that unlike, say, Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind, Perrine gave a very layered and complex performance of such a character. These wife roles are always very tricky (they work very well with the Academy either way), but Perrine was able to avoid all the traps.

First of all, I loved the kind of emotional honesty with which she approached this character. Many say it and it's certainly true: she's the heart of the movie. Personally, I preferred Hoffman to her, however I could never really deny her emotional impact on me. She's not using many tools, she never goes technical, she always relies strictly on the emotions. I certainly appreciated her rawness and remarkable naturality. She totally became this woman without seeming forced and unreal.

She's unbelievably credible in the interview scenes, showing how simple this woman really is. I loved when she was talking about I'll Cry Tomorrow and corrects the interviewer that it's Susan Hayward while breaking down on-screen. That's one of the most unforgettable moments that I've ever seen.

However, I also must say that sometimes she paled a bit as the movie really put her into the background. This is definitely not her fault and yet it affected the whole of her performance and that's probably why most people feel that it's a supporting performance. She has the heart and impact of a supporting player and she does that quite beautifully.

Probably her greatest scene is a long and desperate telephone call when she's arrested while on drugs. She shows so many emotions with her face and is totally hearbreaking to watch. There's a woman humiliating herself to another person while showing desperation, anger, fear and devastation. As I said Perrine masterfully deals with the emotions of this character.

So to sum up, I can say that I saw a very-very good performance, which might be more of supporting, but has such a huge effect on you with it's emotional honesty and naturality that you are certainly amazed. Memorable work, worthy of a nomination, and deserving of a good rating.
So what do you think? What place do you think she will have in my ranking?

The next year...

Until I'm able to start 2002 (which will be next week and thanks for offering help, it's a bit of scheduling problem I have) I do a very much talked about and strong year, whose line-up includes five very famous and loved performances, two of them might be even legendary. This time I did not give you clues, but I hope this year will be as exciting as people say. So right now you might have found out that it's 1974.

The nominees were:

• Ellen Burstyn in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
• Diahann Carroll in Claudine
• Faye Dunaway in Chinatown
• Valerie Perrine in Lenny
• Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence

So what do you predict for my ranking? What's yours and who's your pick? The predicting contest is on.