Alex in Movieland

The conclusions - Best Actress 1992

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Ok, so maybe this wasn’t the best Best Actress category ever. :p … to put it delicately. But to me all performances are interesting. It’s often more fun to criticize than to comment on brilliant performances. My #1 was one of the easiest picks I’ll ever get, even though the ratings tie at the top might suggest otherwise. Emma ruled it! and a weaker competition helped her shine even brighter.

None of the performances sucks and I respect all 5 actresses. With the exception of Michelle, all of them portrayed strong, intelligent women; this is not something you see that often in this category. There was no super glam, but also no deglam. And I’m glad I got to do Emma & Susan, two of the 90s divas.

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In the end I can say it was a very interesting lineup and a pleasure to watch these ladies again. So here they are; you can click on the name to get to that certain performance:

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1. Emma Thompson, Howards End

She gets the advantage of an excellent film and a juicy intelligent role. Emma is so subtle that you almost don’t notice the acting until the breakdown scene. But she’s so energetic, so natural in creating one of the most strangely original performances of her decade. Her work on the character’s arc is delicate, subtle and ultimately flawless.

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2. Susan Sarandon, Lorenzo's Oil

With just two scenes she breaks the cliché of the strong, devoted mother. She brings maturity to the part and her total honesty and acting with balls make this a memorable, often heartbreaking performance. Her “baby Jesus” moment is as touching as you’ll ever see.

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3. Mary McDonnell, Passion Fish

This is what happens when the alcoholic paralyzed bitch meets the sarcastic, intelligent woman, all in one character. It’s a lot for Mary to deal with, but for most part she does a very fine job. And most of all: she’s believable. The film might look TV, but the performance is Oscar calibre.

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4. Michelle Pfeiffer, Love Field

Let’s try to forget the shaky, overused Texan accent. What you get is a frail, but also irritating character. Michelle tries her best to make her acceptable to the viewer and also staying faithful to the role. Her best acting moments come in the second part, when she shifts towards the maturity and honesty of her character.

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5. Catherine Deneuve, Indochine

She plays the frigid card too hard in the beginning and it affects the mood of the performance. Even though she lacks passion in her acting, she still gets one or two scenes impressive through the power of her emotions. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too late, but at least we knew she had it in her.

***EDIT: As stated at the 100th profile celebration (HERE), Catherine's performance has been upgraded to  . ;)

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So I agree with the Academy on Emma. I always like to guess who was the runner-up for the Oscar: for sure, Susan was 2nd. I think Michelle was 3rd, based on popularity, Mary 4th and Deneuve 5th.

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Other Best Actress years discussed so far:

1965

1977

2000

2007

2008

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What’s next?

It’s gonna be lottery style again and I’m going really vintage this time. The options will be from the 30s, 40s and 50s (the years where I have all the movies):
3 possibilities for the 1930s (33, 37, 39)
4 possibilities for the 1940s (40, 41, 44, 48)
6 possibilities for the 1950s (50, 53, 54, 56, 57, 59)
Some of them are historical years for this category (1939, 1950), some are much lesser known (1933, 1944, etc). I’m very excited and curios. Soon.