I chose to do 1970’s Best Actress race because I had no
clear winner selected for it (as I had seen only 2 of the 5 films prior), and I
wanted to see Love Story again
:P and because it just seemed like a
strange race. And a strange race it was, with quite a weak line-up. I don’t
recall ever NOT giving at least one “4 stars” to a performance.
Which doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy seeing them. I do these
rankings for the pleasure of the discovery, of knowledge and having an informed
opinion. J
So happy I cleared this up for me.
Glenda Jackson won for one of the most unusual performances
to ever conquer this category. She had the critics behind her and some weak
competition.
Here’s my ranking:
1. Carrie Snodgress
in Diary of a Mad Housewife
The role: Carrie plays Tina, a housewife married to an
emotionally abusive man, who falls in the arms of an equally abusive lover; all
on a funnier note.
The film: It doesn’t live up to its potential, to say the
least. Not as funny as it should be, not as dramatic as it could be.
The performance: My tendency is to describe this performance
as very low energy, which it is, but it’s also in the spirit of the film. So
when she has a real shouting match with her husband prior to the party scene, I
got really excited. I don’t feel like Carrie brings a lot of charisma to the
role (I basically don’t care too much for this character), but I recognise her
and she feels authentic. It’s just nothing that would move me too much
emotionally. She carries the dramedy well, gets the dialogue right, is loyal to
what the film tries to do, but she’s captivating only in a few selected scenes.
2. Glenda Jackson
in Women in Love
The role: Glenda plays Gudrun, an independent and
complicated woman who, along with her sister, gets involved in the life of the
British elite in the 1920s.
The film: Great from the start, then gradually crashes. It’s
beautiful to look at, very stylish and erotic, but ultimately unfulfilling.
The performance: I get it why this performance was very cool
and quite fresh back in 1970. Glenda’s intelligence and strong personality are
deeply felt in this performance which is special to say the least. The line
readings are either witty or strong or punchy, she is a presence and hard not
to like or to admire. But where is the character? Who is this
woman? Such is the power of the style over the substance that I found it hard
to even sum up who Gudrun is or what she does. By the end of the film I got
little idea on what motivated her or what justified her actions, or where her heart
was. This is not precisely Glenda’s fault (I did wish for a bit more humanity),
but probably the director’s choice, and the character remains too much of a
mystery.
3. Jane Alexander
in The Great White Hope
The role: Jane plays Eleanor, the love interest of a
professional, but troubled boxer, who stays by him during the hard times.
The film: Boring, dull, boring, dull. A strange male lead performance
in a film that tries to send a lot of messages, but few that are approachable
or interesting.
The performance: I will not be too influenced by the fact
that she gets the juiciest acting scene of all these 5 nominees. Because that
is one single scene that, while it pulls Jane’s performance from an abyss of
dullness, is not enough to create and lift an entire character. This is a
supporting performance that starts in a boring manner with a couple of
unconvincing scenes. She plays the supporting
wife kind of role and there is almost no personal touch to it. Her big
nervous breakdown comes almost out of nowhere (the film is really bad!), she
acts it well in terms of tears and dramatics but it’s so unexpected in the
context of what her character offered so far, that I went like what was that?! even though I fairly
enjoyed those couple of minutes.
4. Sarah Miles in
Ryan’s Daughter
The role: Sarah plays Rosy, a naïve young Irish lady who
marries and older teacher, but ends up falling for an English officer dealing
with trauma.
The film: It’s a David Lean film, so the direction is
present and kind of saves the film from one boring screenplay. The
cinematography is beyond gorgeous.
The performance: This is another performance that I thought
I’d end up giving 1 star. The screenplay asks her to play a girly schoolgirl early in the film and I
was afraid that’s all I’d be getting throughout this never ending epic. But there is an arc to the
character (not a very well developed arc, mind you) and there is conflict and
there is some drama and while these transitions don’t always make sense – the
love story is not properly sold – I like the way she approaches the visible
new-found maturity of the character. There are scenes that don’t blow my mind
(even underplayed at times; too bad), but she gives Rosy such respectability
and some humanity that I felt a bit for both the character and for what Sarah
was trying to do. It’s a modest performance, but I liked the relatability and
the lack of vanity.
5. Ali MacGraw in
Love Story
The role: Ali plays Jenny, a college graduate who shares a beautiful
love story with Oliver, but tragedy is waiting right around the corner.
The film: I really like it for its simplicity. It doesn’t
pretend to be what it’s not, it’s very well edited and surprisingly well
directed. Dated, but in a memorable way.
The performance: The fact that I like the film doesn’t stop
me from admitting Ali brings very little to it; in fact, it’s Ryan who does all
the heavy lifting here. One could argue she doesn’t need to do much, since it’s
his perspective and she’s just the dying girl / projection of his love, but
there were a couple of scenes where ACTING was required and not much was coming
from her. The lack of experience is visible throughout and all is played just a
bit too precious, despite what the dialogue would try to suggest (modern
woman!). I have only warm feelings for the film and the performances, but I
must call it like it is.
Conclusion: In the end, the choice was quite easy, given the
issues I have with the other 4 performances. Beyond Carrie, it’s quite an even
field. Ali gets the best film by far, but she is the least committed to her
film and to the performance.
How the Oscar voting went: I blame the critics for Glenda’s
win, since there is little else to it. They had very little to choose from and
not just from the 5 nominees, but also from the overall performances of 1970
(hard to find a 6th performance that barely missed a nomination; it
seems more like a hunt for a 4th of 5th nominee; so much
so they nominated Jane Alexander who is supporting). The runner-up to Glenda
must have been... Ali. Simply because of Love
Story’s massive success. Carrie Snodgress was probably a close 3rd,
but I don’t think they liked the film.
Interesting to note this is quite a young field of nominees.
None past the age of 35, I think. Two of them (Alexander and Snodgress) were
nominated for their first feature films and the others had appeared in only a
handful of films up to that point.
For previous Best Actress years/rankings, just look over on
the right, for a column with various years.
The journey continues. :)
