The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1972

1972

So the much anticipated ranking is:

5. Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues

I have very mixed feelings towards Diana Ross' performance as Billie Holiday. On the one hand, Ross is quite strong in some of the scenes and she has a lots of star power, which can be impressive, occasionally. On the other hand, I cannot overlook the fact that in some of the scenes she's very weak and she wasn't mature enough as an actress to play this part.

4. Maggie Smith in Travels with my Aunt

I keep asking myself: is this enough from the great Dame Maggie Smith? Not really. I always kept wanting more and more. I missed Maggie's usual dazzling presence and despite the fact that I was entertained quite well, I still wanted more. Still, I have to say that Dame Maggie Smith is entertaining and amusing as Aunt Augusta Bertram.

3. Cicely Tyson in Sounder

I have to say that Cicely Tyson gives a beautiful performance as Rebecca Morgan. Tyson adds real emotional depth to this (tiny bit) standard character. Her unique, very interesting presence, her great acting choices result in truly great work. Had she been given more to work with, she would have got my vote for this year, rather easily.

2. Liv Ullmann in The Emigrants

Liv Ullmann is really great as Kristina in The Emigrants. It's not her best performance and it's true that she's the best with Bergman but it would be very unjust to deny her merits in The Emigrants. Although the movie works against her, Ullmann was able to make a lasting impression and have a great effect on me. It's very effective acting by a terrific talent.

1. Liza Minnelli in Cabaret

I could praise Liza Minnelli endlessly for this huge, unforgettable and wonderful performance as Sally Bowles. Liza Minnelli is the heart and soul of this brilliant movie and if I may say so, she gives the best performance ever in a musical. I'm not a fan of the genre but I'm crazy about this one. You can watch Liza over and over again in this movie but you'll have just as much fun and you'll be just as touched as you were for the first time.

So I can proudly announce

that my winner is...

Liza Minnelli

in

Cabaret

Everybody loves a winner... :)

Omissions: 

• Goldie Hawn in Butterflies are Free

Final thoughts: This year was not as fantastic as it seemed to be. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it because I had only seen Liza in advance and it was good to discover new performances. With me, Liza had an easy win. She was way ahead of her competition. I mean, OMG, how was it even a question who the best was? Good God. I wasn't sure about my #2, but I'm glad I went this way. Liv and Cicely were excellent but I wanted to see more of them. Diana is one of the most overrated nominees ever. I really don't see why some think she should have won over Liza. I really need to relax. Maggie is one of the most disliked nominees ever, so I was really interested in her and I can tell you, I have seen much worse. Still, I feel a bit disappointed about her.

Anyway, Anonymous gave correct predictions but after the deadline, so semi-congrats. :)

The ranking of the reviewed years:

1. 1944
2. 1969
3. 1974
4. 1989
5. 1959
6. 2006
7. 1964
8. 1939
9. 1977
10. 2010
11. 1997
12. 2009
13. 1980
14. 1941
15. 1972
16. 1963
17. 1966
18. 1973
19. 1990
20. 1978
21. 1954
22. 1948
23. 2002
24. 1957
25. 1940
26. 1998

About the next year: I will slow down until May 19th but after that everything will be fine. But until then my posts won't be very regular. Sorry about that. But I'll give you clues about the next year:

• I'm saying let's just GIVE THE SHOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTT!

What do you think?

Maggie Smith in Travels with my Aunt

Maggie Smith received her third Oscar nomination for playing Augusta Bertram, an extremely eccentric woman in George Cukor's movie. Poor Maggie didn't have any chance of winning in 1972. She was the only previous winner, the reviews of Travels with my Aunt were quite mixed and I guess everyone was mad or at least disappointed that it wasn't Katharine Hepburn that they saw on the screen. So, I guess Maggie Smith was fifth just like in (I think) 2001. Maggie didn't even attend the ceremony in 1972.

Travels with My Aunt is a movie that I wouldn't recommend even for George Cukor's most dedicated fans. His directing style seems so dated compared to the innovative, exciting movies of the seventies. Had this movie been made a couple of years earlier, it would have been a bigger hit. Or not. This story fits a novel much more than a movie, I think. I don't see how this movie beat Cabaret for Best Costume Design. I really don't. The score is quite good, though. The ending is, however, incredibly predictable. At least, I found it out in the first ten minutes. But that's more of the fault of the writing, I guess.

I so love Dame Maggie Smith. I'm not afraid to say that she's probably the greatest British actress. She's always so utterly brilliant in both comedy and drama. She could play over-the-top, snobbish characters like no one else in this world. This women are reluctant to give up luxury or things they got used to. In Private Function (her greatest performance ever), her character says something like 'I want a future that at least lives up to my past'. In Gosford Park, she's a woman who has to almost beg for some money. All of Maggie's characters have a very dramatic side and it's always so great to see her reveal this side. She does it like flower blossoms. First, you wonder how the ending is possible and then it comes unexpectedly and it's all so beautiful.

In Travels with My Aunt, she plays a somewhat similar character, Aunt Augusta. This time, however, her character feels quite out of place on the screen. Everything is so modern and she wears these gigantic hats, furs and so on. Naturally, this character is ver over-the-top, so it needs a bit exaggerated performing by the actress who plays her. Maggie did so and was very over-the-top and by this she gained quite an amount of haters. This nomination is one of the least liked ones in history? It's true that it's one of Maggie's lesser effort but one of the worst nominations ever? Oh no.

I kept wondering what Maggie thinks of this performance of hers. For me, one word sums up the whole thing: entertaining but nothing much more. I guess that was the intention of Dame Maggie with it. To entertain and not harm anyone. And she did it perfectly. Her performance starts hilariously. Her out-of-tune (and rhytm), horrible singing is just wonderfully funny and amusing.

Kill me, but I felt that Maggie's exaggerated mannerisms worked for this character. I mean, how do play Aunt Augusta subtly? You just can't and shouldn't. All the decisions of Maggie worked quite well. I mean all she had to do was be funny and amusing and she was indeed. Aunt Augusta is very artificial but Maggie wasn't. Her eccentric behaviour is excellently played by the brilliant Dame Maggie.

But I keep asking myself: is this enough from the great Dame Maggie Smith? Not really. I always kept wanting more and more. And not because it's so great that I couldn't get enough. I missed Maggie's usual dazzling presence and despite the fact that I was entertained quite well, I still wanted more. Still, I have to say that Dame Maggie Smith is very entertaining and amusing as Aunt Augusta Bertram. I may have wanted more but she was quite good anyhow.

What do you think?

The Next Year

1972

So the nominees were:

• Liza Minnelli in Cabaret
• Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues
• Maggie Smith in Travels with my Aunt
• Cicely Tyson in Sounder
• Liv Ullmann in The Emigrants

Wow, a fantastic looking year once again, I'm so excited.

What do you think? How do you pick? What are your predictions for my ranking (the contest is on)?

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1969

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:

5. Geneviève Bujold in Anne of the Thousand Days

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

4. Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending

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.

3. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

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.

2. Liza Minnelli in The Sterile Cuckoo

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.

1. Jane Fonda in The Shoot Horses, Don't They?

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?

Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Magnificent Dame Maggie Smith received her first Best Actress nomination and first Oscar for playing Miss Jean Brodie, a dedicated teacher in Ronald Neame's movie, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. 1969 is one of the most wide open races ever. I think that all of the ladies had some chance of winning that night and strangely, Maggie Smith did not have the most. She became triumphant after all, and went on to receive another Oscar (a supporting one) and yet she did not have as many great movies as she deserved to have.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a good movie. It's a very traditional, conservative, decent piece of work that might be a bit slow and boring sometimes, but it's enjoyable. Although the story is very interesting (it is based on a very acclaimed novel), the direction is so simple that the story becomes simple along with it. It features some strong supporting performances especially the ones by Celia Johnson and Pamela Franklin. I'm not saying that they deserved nominations though. They serve the movie quite well and that's about it.

Thank God for Dame Maggie! OK, I know, I know, I know. Along with the wonderful Jane Fonda, she's definitely the greatest living actress (NOT Meryl Streep, sorry), who has such a unique presence and talent, which can turn even the most simple material into an exciting, sizzling performance, which leaves you speechless. Maggie is always very over-the-top in her performances (probably The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, which is a MUST SEE if you want to find out who gave the best performance of 1987) and yet it's never distracting since she makes it so enjoyable and loveable and she fantastically feels how much is enough.

Maggie (who seems to be modest from what I saw of her) is the best at playing characters with huge egos. It can be an Oscar loser in California Suite, a snobbish, unhappy wife in Private Function and a radical, egoistic teacher in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Her performances walk a fine line between enjoyable and deep. Jean Brodie is certainly not loveable, but she is indeed very enjoyable. She has an inner beauty that Maggie so amazingly showed and by this she created another unforgettable performance.

Even the looks of Maggie in this movie shows Miss Brodie brilliantly. She always stands up straight, looking up, firmly, with much dignity. Miss Brodie's views are rather interesting: she's not a liberal teacher in a conseravtive school. She is a radical teacher in a conservative school. She has her confusing, overly romantic political views, she admires dictators and conquerors just as much as her beloved artists.

Miss Brodie likes to think about herself as a very emotional and passionate woman, but Maggie shows it thrillingly how repressed she is and how much she's afraid of relationships. She expresses love through poetry and art, and that's what gives her (almost sexual) pleasure. She's extremely self-centered, but she also cares deeply about her girls who mean her real life. She considers them her children (almost) and wants to make them heroines, poets, painters, actresses: in short, things she could never be.

Maggie so firmly underlines the credo of this woman: "I'm a teacher. First, always, last." Above all, Jean is a teacher, a leader to the girls and she's a real leading role that demands an actress of Maggie's calibre. Others would have failed with her mannerisms and over-the-top nature, but Maggie doesn't let us down for a moment. She gives a truly deep, dramatic performance, while also being enjoyable. She almost reaches perfection with Jean. My only complaint can be that sometimes the screentime is working against her.

So, 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. She's just beautiful as she is. Excellent.

The Final Conclusion is soon to come, though I REALLY have to think it over. I'm not sure about anything, so I will take my time.

What do you think?

The Next Year

I really did not expect to do this year, but finally I found The Sterile Cuckoo, so I thought that this should be the next one that's it. It's not very often talked about, but I only heard good things, so I just cannot wait. Plus this is going to be the first profile for marvellous Maggie. Gosh, it's great.

1969

So the nominees were:

• Geneviève Bujold in Anne of the Thousand Days
• Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
• Liza Minnelli in The Sterile Cuckoo
• Jean Simmons in The Happy Ending
• Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

So what do you think about this year? Who's your pick, what's your ranking? The predicting contest is on. Oh, I really can't wait, I might start reviewing tomorrow. I'm sick again, so I have time.

NOTE: This is going to be the last year I am going to do in 2010. Probably.