A year with at least 3 excellent performances must count for a good year. And it's a good lineup, no doubt about it. Though, as I said months back when I started 1977, a spot should have been kept vacant for Gena Rowlands fabulous performance in Opening Night (probably kicking Bancroft or MacLaine off the list).
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Again, there are nominees who dominated their films appearing in almost every scene (Jane Fonda in Julia) and others that could have somehow been consider more leaning towards supporting (like Anne Bancroft in The Turning Point or Diane in Annie Hall).
Anyway, a memorable year. And here's how I scored these ladies (based on the analysis made in previous posts) and a small recap:
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She’s the heart of the most romantic film of all times. You just wanna go there and hug her. Her portrayal of a normal woman struggling to raise her daughter is one of the best you’ll ever see. Her character arc is wonderful; the writing is magnificent, offering Marsha a nice mixture of drama and comedy. It’s a fabulous underrated performance.
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It’s fascinating to watch an actress at the top of her game, who knows exactly when to look, when to smile, when to hold back or when to cry. Jane plays various aspects of the character with incredible restraint and talent: she’s the writer, the lover and the friend and she has different acting perspectives for each of them. I love her shyness when she’s near Julia, her delicate side; and the ending… oh… heartbreaking.
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It’s her obligation to take Annie’s suffocating joy and transform it into a lovely charismatic delicious girl that represents the center of the film. Her smile is contagious; she’s quirky, fun, a singer and an undeniable fashion icon. A performance as natural as it gets.
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She knows when to bring fierce in the game and how to build up the frustration of the character. Deedee is a rather trite woman, and although uncomfortable in character at first, Shirley manages to adequately show us the internal battle that has troubled Deedee for years.
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Her aging ballerina is played with a quiet despair. It’s better for the performance, and for most of it it’s Bancroft expressive face that does all the work. I liked her arrogance as an artist and we all know she has the chops for big & loud scenes. It’s good work, but not excellent and probably not even leading.
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1 comment:
These were all fine performances this year. Great post.
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