Final Conclusions - Best Actress 1950

What a strong Best Actress year, probably one of the best Oscar’s ever had and definitely one of the most talked about and best known (1939 is another one). I was lucky to get 1950 in the draw and I was definitely happy to revisit some old & alltime favorites. At least 3 of them are historical performances that influenced generations of actors either through comedy, power-acting or crazy divaness. The other two are definitely worth to be in line. What I did notice and loved about all 5 is how they take the roles beyond what might’ve been expected. They all give strong performances and are driving-forces for their movies, beautifully or brilliantly acting such challenging roles.

My number one was rather clear to me. From there on, I wasn’t sure, even though I suspected Judy would surely be in top 3. I wasn’t disappointed by any of them and they were all a pleasure to watch. At one point, I wasn’t sure about #3, but then it came to me that it couldn’t be any other way.

Here is how I’ve appreciated them. If you want to go back and read more, just click on their names:

1. Bette Davis, All About Eve

To say that I love the performance and the character is an understatement. I have dedicated more space that I usually do to my divine Bette and her fantastic performance. I love the energy of it all, her undeniable screen presence, her capacity of doing far more with the character than another would’ve. Her performance IS fire and music, an iconic one & a fascinating display of talent and acting experience.

The highlight: the first part of fire and music.

2. Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday

So rarely does a leading female performance combine so efficiently screwball comedy acting and touching dramatic moments. I like the drama side of the performance and I adore the funny one. Judy’s comedic timing is flawless and I can never get enough of watching her onscreen. She is sweet, silly, adorable and creates such a powerful connection with the audience that I just kept wanting more.

The highlight: the gin rummy game.

3. Gloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd.

Everybody’s heard of Norma Desmond and Gloria definitely has something to do with that. To really play the character, you need to go deep into Norma’s delusion; sometimes, she goes too far but it’s for the sake of the film. But when she shows us the vulnerable, human side of this truly sick and heartbroken woman, I’m fully buying it and ready to accept the crazy on the side. It’s a terribly difficult role and Gloria sure does justice to it.

The highlight: her first scene, the Fairbankses, the Gilberts, the Valentinos!

4. Eleanor Parker, Caged

The character arc is a difficult one, and unlike her fellow nominees she doesn’t benefit from the same fantastic writing. But this doesn’t stop Eleanor from giving a fantastic performance: she’s believable as a vulnerable innocent teen, as a desperate woman losing her son, as a traumatized prisoner and as a toughened soon-to-be con artist. She has a firm hard on the character and rises above the material.

The highlight: her final talk with the head of the prison.

5. Anne Baxter, All About Eve

It’s hard to get noticed in such a strong ensemble. I wasn’t convinced at first, and that’s because she got some dialogue and camera focus but not the interesting storyline… however (!), those last 20 minutes really were all about Eve and the small hints of wickedness and drama blossomed into a couple of scenes in which Anne blew me away. It took a 3rd or 4th viewing to fully appreciate the hotel room scene, but from now I’ll never forget it.

The highlight: the moment of truth in the hotel room.

If I would’ve been there, I would’ve bet that Gloria would win the Oscar, as Sunset is such a Hollywood-strong film. But I guess those New York votes went for Judy, whose charming feel-good performance is hardly an undeserving Oscar winner (if we were to talk outside the competition). So I think Gloria was a sure runner-up, Bette an easy 3rd, Eleanor 4th and Anne last, because of her previous win and inside competition. Even so, I suspect the win came with less than 40% of the votes, considering the 3-way race.

Other Best Actress years discussed so far:

1937
1947

1957
1965
1977

1978
1980
1992
2000
2007
2008

2009




What’s next: there won’t be a draw, because I’m out of the country and I brought limited options with me. I’ll announce in a couple of days my very weird unexpected choice from the 80s and 90s. After all this 1950’s greatness, there’s a need for some criticizing.

Gloria Swanson, in Sunset Blvd.

approximately 41 minutes and 40 seconds
39.6% of the film

The film

A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

You can read my short review of the film just by clicking HERE.

What an impressive film, really. It’s done so well and with such a great directorial technique that it feels fresh and fascinating even today. Some might find it too cuckoo, but I think of it to be a delicious look inside Hollywood and a fascinating portrait of an aging crazy diva.

Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond

There are some iconic characters that would represent the world for any movie fan and Oscar fan in particular. There’s Scarlett, there’s Blanche and there’s definitely Norma Desmond. Unlike the previous two characters showing up in Oscar’s archive, Miss Desmond has the distinction of being an original character. It’s very possible that this legendary name wouldn’t have entered American culture with the same undying force had it not been for Gloria Swanson. She made it possible, also with the help of some terrific material.

Gloria Swanson plays Norma Desmond, a rich ex-silent-movie star, living an isolated life in a fantasy world. Her delusion borders insanity, as she strongly imagines her return to the screen in the leading role of Salome. She finds love interest in a screenplay writer with an agenda of his own and becomes his sponsor as she slowly continues to sink into madness. It’s a juicy role, yet difficult to play.

Do notice the limited screentime, which kind of surprised me. Truth is the film is more about the struggling writer, but she makes such a strong impression that you would hardly associate Sunset Blvd. with anyone other than Gloria Swanson/Norma Desmond. I will just limit myself in presenting what I liked where I think there were some issues or difficulties for me to fully digest the performance.

I think Gloria’s best acted scenes are, hands down, the ones in which she acts most normal; eccentric, but not crazy. Her first scene, with the chimp burial and the Gilberts! the Valentinos!, is the best. She is fascinating to look at, but normal enough for me to understand the character and the human side of it.

Same with her scene visiting Paramount studios or her falling in love with this younger man. Even in her scenes of jealousy I could sense the sickness of this woman, how she was trying to fight it, but ultimately had to surrender. In all the scenes showing vulnerability, she stops being a caricature and becomes a relatable human being. I loved that about her and those scenes filled with weakness, arrogance were the most fun scenes for me.

But the screenplay demanded more from her and here’s where the crazy came in. At first, I didn’t react that entirely great to it: it seemed the-mother-of-all-theatrical and overacting. It looked like overcooked schizophrenia that makes a good film, but not a great performance. However, revisiting scenes over and over, I understand how truly unselfish Gloria is when playing Norma. She is sacrificing some credibility to get that extra-bump of memorable and history-making that the film demands.

Gloria is being pushed into overplaying it for the sake of the show and I have to get used to the idea that Gloria delivered exactly what the film required. Did I fully love her sacrifice? No. But she was carefully, memorably, precisely acting the script.

It’s a performance people will still be talking about 100 years from now. It shows modern audiences the 1950s perception of a 1920s movie star. Gloria Swanson is very good, but due to reasons mentioned here, I couldn’t fully love the performance. Strangely, it’s most recognized for the weird crazy scenes, but I loved the human, vulnerable moments. It was hard for me to choose between 4 and 5, but I’m going with , as I’m trying not to get influenced by the fact that people always expect you to worship this performance.

Anne Baxter, in All About Eve

approximately 51 minutes and 13 seconds
37.6% of the film

The film

An ingenue insinuates herself in to the company of an established but aging stage actress and her circle of theater friends.

You can read my short review of the film just by clicking HERE.

It’s an alltime favorite and in my opinion one of the best Best Picture winners you’ll find out there. Some dislike it because they prefer Sunset Blvd., but I say: love them both, just like I do. All About Eve is all about celebrating: actors, theatre, women and their strong personalities and it’s a film that succeeds in all aspects.

Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington

When you are about to break tradition, you are definitely gonna make a bit of noise and there’s gonna be a bit of drama. This is what happened when the Oscar finally greeted 2 actresses from the same film, both receiving Best Actress nominations. It was a first for the leading category and it’s still up for debate if Anne Baxter indeed deserved to sneak in and steal some of Bette’s Oscar support. If you’d ask me this old question, I’ll say yes: Anne Baxter is co-lead in All About Eve, so the category placement is correct. The last 20-30 minutes really are ALL about Eve.

Anne Baxter plays Eve Harrington, an apparently innocent young woman with an undying passion for theatre and especially for theatre legend Margo Channing. When the actress welcomes her into her life, Eve subtly and almost efficiently attempts to take over her man, her writer and her next role. This is the character that inspired so many similar ones in the last 6 decades: the plotting & deceiving bitch stealing the spotlight from the aging actress.

And Anne does a good job, considering the responsibility. I would actually dare to say that she might actually have the most difficult lines of the screenplay, especially in the first part of the film, when she’s pretending to be the good girl and has a long cheesy melodramatic monologue. We are not talking bad writing, but the uncomfortable, clichéd material than Anne needs to go through in order to create the impression that Eve is delivering the perfect lie.

To explain: Anne Baxter is playing Eve who goes through most of the film pretending to be someone she isn’t. Eve is not the innocent girl, but we believe that she is because Anne perfectly manages to joggle between perfectly-calculated acting and letting herself loose at times. Eve’s innocence and good intentions are all believable due to Anne’s well-thought grip on the character.

However, the innocent Eve is so confident as a character, that I found myself often bored by her especially when she’s interacting with the other characters. She is not meant to be star of the film, at least in the first half, and guess what: she’s not. Yes, there are signs of wicked Eve early on and they’re fun to watch, but for 75% of the film I almost didn’t care about Eve. Despite the title, it’s mostly the Bette Davis show and it affects my capacity of seeing Anne’s performance as more than a regular good performance lost in the handful of terrific acting that All About Eve has to deliver.

And then there’s time for her to stand out. And I’ll hand to Anne: the hotel room scene in which Eve is forced by Addison to admit the truth is dynamite (!!!) and that scene itself justifies the nomination. As the real Eve comes to light, there’s finally time for best in show. She is so precise, so mean, so natural, so straight-forward, so different and ultimately so vulnerable. The hotel moment and her diva boredom in the last scene completely turn around the performance in a good way.

But even so: to me it’s an uneven performance because I wasn’t cheering for most of the film. For the biggest part, she is overshadowed by her co-stars, but when she is finally unleashed in the last 20-30 minutes of the film, I learn to love the performance and the precision that Anne Baxter brings to the performance. And how could I rate it? The hotel moment is a 5, but the overall performance from start to finish is a very strong .

Eleanor Parker, in Caged

approximately 51 minutes and 33 seconds
54.1% of the film

The film

A naive nineteen year old widow is sent to a woman's prison and is exposed to hardened criminals and sadistic guards.

You can read my short review of the film just by clicking HERE.

It’s a nice prison drama, but not really a film to love. I found it to be very moralizing, but also relaxing and easy to watch. The acting was good all around, with a strong female ensemble and I can see why some might give it credit as a road-opener.

Eleanor Parker as Marie Allen

In a Best Actress year filled with superstars, legendary roles, backstage drama and fascinating trivia, there was a nominee many had forgotten about or never heard of. A young actress named Eleanor Parker received her first out of 3 leading actress nominations for her performance in Caged. Those who’ve seen the film know that the nomination was no accident and it’s quite possible that in any other year, Miss Parker might’ve had a shot to win.

Eleanor Parker plays Marie, a young naive woman sent to jail for being an accomplice to a robbery. She is pregnant, defenceless and the hard life in prison will manage to toughen her up and create a new Marie, cold-blooded and calculated. The role is a blast and a wonderful opportunity for any starting actress. Though she overplays it a bit at times, Eleanor Parker knows what she’s doing and she’s delivering a very memorable centre performance.

What gets to you right from the beginning is how well she plays the fear: there wasn’t a second I didn’t believe that she was this poor scared caged girl and this is also to the credit of the director, because we’re experiencing everything new just like Marie does. Considering Marie’s our guide for most of the film, she’s sensational, immediately creating a connection with the audience.

It’s worth mentioning however that the fear factor and also the desperation coming from it blocks the performance a bit at times: in her scene with her mother and maybe also in the parole hearing scene she is overacting it and pushing it too far. As a viewer I didn’t mind, but had she toned it down a bit, like she does towards the end, she would’ve perfectly hit the right-right notes. Of course, one might say she was just creating a character arc, which brings me to the small controversy on this performance.

Some have said the change in the character’s attitude is too sudden and it feels a bit forced. Marie goes too fast from innocence to future-villain, but I say: blame it on the screenplay for not suggesting properly the passing of time. While I admit it could seem sudden, I’m buying it because Eleanor makes it sooo believable. I actually love what she does with the character towards the end, the wittiness that Marie gets, the fact that she IS becoming a woman, a tough one of which I would’ve liked to see more.

Yet, it’s worth mentioning and underlining that she always keeps the humanity of the character, even to the last second of the film. The vulnerability is why we sympathized with Marie in the first place and Eleanor never fully loses that. She’s so constantly good throughout (minus those small slips mentioned) that it would be too challenging to pick one favorite scene. But of course, the scene with the cutting of the hair is iconic and fabulously played.

The performance is overlooked, even though I suspect it did gain more fans in recent years. It is a very solid performance from a talented young actress and while this is an ensemble film, it’s Eleanor who’s doing all the heavy acting. Small elements stop me from giving it a 5, even though I’ve considered it. I’m going with a very strong, deserving .

Before going for the usual Best Actress profile, I need to say a few words about my favorite actress and my favorite performance of hers. It’s not really a tribute, maybe a confession.

I was seriously going for Once Upon a Time There Was a Boy… But a more mature and short perspective is required. I loved Bette Davis from the start; don’t ask me why, who knows, I was just a kid. I don’t remember the first film, it might’ve been Dead Ringers and I definitely haven’t hunt down all of her movies. But for some reason when I was about 12-13 I think, I bought the one VHS tape that would change me forever: All About Eve. I don’t remember the reasons for buying it, I suspect I was just fascinated by the subject. And I dare to say it certainly influenced my way of being and acting and thinking.

Scarlett O’Hara and Margo Channing and Blanche DuBois (through the play) have been characters to influence me in different and fascinating ways. I will not go into details, because I risk getting too personal, but I was so fascinated by the character and the actress that played them, that I involuntarily stole some of their ways of thinking. From Margo Channing, I got the creative, the bitchiness, the witty perspective on everything; the sarcasm, the fire and music. Don’t imagine that I walk around quoting or imitating Bette Davis, it’s just ideas, way of acting, perspective on life, men, women, everything that I borrowed and got stuck into my mind. I got dignity from Margo Channing, the courage to say whatever the f*ck I want and the power that comes from self-belief.

Thank you, Bette Davis, and thank you Mr. Mankievicz for ending up casting Bette.




Bette Davis, in All About Eve

approximately 58 minutes and 27 seconds
42.9% of the film

The film

An ingenue insinuates herself in to the company of an established but aging stage actress and her circle of theater friends.

You can read my short review of the film just by clicking HERE.

It’s an alltime favorite and in my opinion one of the best Best Picture winners you’ll find out there. Some dislike it because they prefer Sunset Blvd., but I say: love them both, just like I do. All About Eve is all about celebrating: actors, theatre, women and their strong personalities and it’s a film that succeeds in all aspects.

Bette Davis as Margo Channing

I have written a lot about my subjective love for this performance and others have written more, decades in a row, about what is rightfully considered Bette Davis’s best performance. Of course, with some many (other) incredible performances of hers (my favorites Baby Jane, Little Foxes, The Letter…) it’s hard to choose the most deserving. But what Bette Davis does is to take a well-written character and manage the dialogue, keep the theatricality, bring enough believability and create a diva-like performance that perfectly fits her career and star status.

Bette plays Margo Channing, an aging, but very successful theatre actress, with a good man and great friends on her side, who welcomes Eve Harrington into her life, an innocent devoted fan who starts working as her assistant. As Eve makes her way to the top, Margo starts doubting her lover, her friends and her career, but manages to find a balance in the end. It’s a wonderfully written role, with an interesting character arc and lots of juicy scenes for the actress.

It’s always harder to talk about your favorites. But I think Bette’s greatest moments as Margo are when she’s most relaxed and confident of her strengths. You can read arrogance on her face that it’s unmatchable, but it seems so justified: you look at her and you can fully believe the greatness of Margo the actress and the fascination that the others have for her. From this point of view, Bette makes Margo 100% believable. Could you have imagined Claudette Colbert in this role?! She was way too soft to pull the domineering side of Margo! Say what you want, Bette Davis was born to play this role.

From there on it’s all greatness. I would never dare to call the performance perfection, there’s no such thing, but you can’t help loving the flaws too. Drunkenness is never easy to act and Bette is great at it, always staying in character. She is always comfortable in the skin of Margo, no matter the situation. She is jealous and she is brave and she is not ever afraid of deglam: no, not in the first scene when she is taking the makeup off, but in the night call scene, where Bette’s lack of vanity creates a great, memorable, believable acting moment. What other actress of that era would’ve dared to film that scene the way she did?

She is always touching in the moments of vulnerability of the character, like in the car scene, when Margo finally lets her guard down. She’s sweet and humble and different than what we’re used to see. Her two big scenes are equally great: the party scene, with Fasten your seatbelts… (read impeccably) and the scene in the theatre, when she confronts all with Eve being her understudy: no other scene can prove the power of this performance, the strength and the intelligence that Margo displays and the steady hand that Bette has on her character.

While it’s probably not the best performance ever, it’s definitely my favorite one. When a great actress finds a great character and a great director, there is no way for the performance to be less that fabulous. Bette Davis rises to the challenge and those who will have an eye for detail will always notice how she obviously elevates the performance from good (what any good actress could’ve accomplished) to unforgettable, career-best, magic, deliciously diva-like. .

Judy Holliday, in Born Yesterday

approximately 70 minutes and 47 seconds
72.9% of the film

The film

A million dollar tycoon hires a tutor to teach his lover proper etiquette.

You can read my thoughts on the film just by clicking HERE.

I see Born Yesterday as a film driven by one powerful force called Judy Holliday. Her performance is so memorable and fully responsible for the fun that the movie has to offer. It’s not a well balanced film, but the first 30-40 minutes are pure gold and filled with comedy talent.

Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn

If you were to listen to what people have to say about Best Actress 1950, Judy’s is one of the 3 performances that made this race so historical. Her Oscar win was quite infamous for many decades and a surprise at that time: didn’t Gloria Swanson say at one point that she was sure to win?! Even a hand of existing critic groups were going for drama: Gloria had won the Golden Globe and the National Board of Review and Bette Davis had the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle Award…

But Oscar voters ignored the catfight and went for a performance half dramatic half legendary comedy. Judy’s work has continuously influenced comedy acting for decades! Let’s not forget Jean Hagen’s delicious copycat performance in Singin’ in the Rain, how it was clearly inspired by Judy.

Judy Holliday reprises her Broadway role as Billie Dawn, the mistress of a rich half-gangster businessman, who travels to Washington with him and finds herself tutored by an honest, charming journalist. It’s partly a pygmalion story, as the two of them fall in love. Billie is uneducated, doesn’t know how to properly behave, but you can tell she has a kind heart and is a good person. The transformation of the character is charming, but it shifts the film from silly comedy to more dramatic, morally important scenes.

There are two sides to the performance: the entertaining one and the heart-warming side. Billie is beautiful and pleasantly vulgar in her way of talking. The first line of the character is WHAAAAAT??? screamed with that annoying voice that just keeps making me laugh. But Judy’s performance is a winner even outside language tricks: her way of walking, her silly dance, the bit of arrogance in her eyes… The first 30 minutes make for a performance that needs to be seen to be believed.

So many good scenes, but I have to go back to one of my alltime favourites: the gin rummy game! She is hilarious and spots every comedy moment and every opportunity to shine and give even more boost to the character’s funny persona. Those who’ve seen the film will never forget it, especially the dialogue like: - 41!!! - 41??? - 41!!!! :)) Her chemistry with Broderick Crawford is incredibly affective all throughout the film and their sarcastic dialogues are simply brilliant.

Then there’s the more dramatic side of the character. As I said, Judy is beautiful, but just look into those expressive eyes and you’ll feel the kindness and also the unfulfillment of Billie, who truly wants to be smarter and more respected, but for some reason is unable to see it for herself or to take a step in that direction.

You can feel she’s hurt everytime he talks down to her and offends her and Judy is perfectly capable to also deliver this side of the character – it may not be as fun for us, the audience, but it definitely shows even more range in her acting. And I shouldn’t even mention the slapping scene and how (thankfully) she deliberately makes it uncomfortable and challenging for the audience.

I’m sure the Oscar voters were charmed by this performance, found it both incredibly funny and heartbreaking, as did I and truth is: just looking at Judy puts a smile on your face! I have no more to write that the rating itself .