Final conclusions - Best Actress 1980

Best Actress 1980 really looked like a weak category, right? I thought of that myself, but going into it again: 3 of the performances really made me happy! In the end: it’s a really interesting line-up, with very different performances! The uneducated biopic singer, the funny sweet blonde, the arrogant intellectual woman, the simple woman with super powers, the gangster’s tough ex-mistress! :D fantastic!

The ranking was difficult for me! #1 is a coin toss between the first 3 ladies (if that would be possible)! I have been a bit too generous with the other 2, but they still make for interesting Oscar cases. In a year with not so good reputation for women (leading AND supporting), Sissy & Goldie & Mary gave career-defining performances, becoming some of the worthiest nominees this category’s ever had.

Here is how I’ve appreciated them (again: just my opinion, not the universal truth). If you want to read more, just click on the name:

1. Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner's Daughter

Forget the singing, even though she’s great at it! Biopic performances rarely get this honest. Sissy refuses to do a glamorized, idealized version of this country legend and creates a down-to-earth character that you might not love, but definitely understand. She’s always in character and at the top of her game!
The highlight: break-down scene on stage!

2. Goldie Hawn, Private Benjamin

You rarely see pure wacky comedy getting recognition here! Goldie is unique: with unmatched charm and terrific comedy timing, she seduces us everytime she’s on screen. The line delivery is so delicious, but she keeps it real and grounded and despite the easiness of the film, we can really feel the journey of this woman.
The highlight: [After being issued with an Army uniform] Excuse me, sir, is green the only color these come in?

3. Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary PeopleA haunting performance, even though the screentime is not on her side! She firmly controls a very calculated character and subtly underlines the hidden emotional tragedy of this woman! Her incapacity of real emotional connection is very believable and intelligently presented!

The highlight: the uncomfortable garden scene with her son.

4. Ellen Burstyn, Resurrection

Her presence in any film is always reassuring! It’s not easy when you get some kind of a paranormal storyline and a back-stabbing screenplay and manage to create a believable, balanced character! Her shining moments are the suffering ones, but Ellen does a fine job in making us believe in the healing power!
The highlight: The goodbye scene between her and the grandmother.

***EDIT: As stated at the 100th profile celebration (HERE), Ellen's performance has been downgraded to  . :( Mostly for that terrible acting at the ending.

5. Gena Rowlands, Gloria
Gena Rowlands is an exceptional, intelligent, talented actress, but NOT a miracle worker. With the worst child actor as a screen partner and a screenplay that makes no sense, she barely survives this sinking ship. There are moments of terrific acting and kindness, but very often she drowns in the cliché of the-yelling-woman-with-a-gun.
The highlight: literally standing between the gangsters in the car and the kid; and pleading for his life.

The Academy's choice was pretty obvious. I'm sure they loved Mary Tyler Moore, who also had the Best Picture winner, but Sissy had the screentime; plus an excellent performance and an already established interesting movie career. The runner-up was for sure Mary; Gena Rowlands must've been 3rd because she was Oscar-less, Goldie 4th and Ellen Burstyn with the least chance of winning.

Other Best Actress years discussed so far:

1947
1957
1965
1977
1992
2000
2007
2008

What's next?

Tomorrow I'll post my profiles for Stinkylulu's Supporting Actress Blogathon, a bit earlier but I have to finish all by Saturday when I move back to Bucharest. Next Best Actress year? 2009 of course, and I'll start with that hopefully as soon as the nominees are announced February 2nd! Until then: possibly various other comments! :)

Goldie Hawn, in Private Benjamin

approximately 77 minutes and 15 seconds
71.4% of the film

The film

A sheltered young high society woman joins the army on a whim and finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected.

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

A fun movie that I’ve always liked! Seen by many as superficial, indeed the film doesn’t set too many challenges. But I think it’s nicely balanced and the second, more serious part is necessary to define the trajectory of the leading character.

Goldie Hawn as Judy Benjamin

A leading comedy performance usually needs a weak category to make it to the final 5. It almost doesn’t even have to do with the quality of the performance. We know voters look at Drama actresses first and then, depending on their soft side or how competitive the field is or how famous the actress is, they might consider Comedy. Goldie Hawn was one of those lucky gals! With Private Benjamin, she had weak competition, charming personality, a well-settled comedic career AND a very worthy performance.

Goldie stars as Judy Benjamin, a very unlucky recent-widow, a lazy spoiled woman who is confronted with a life-changing experience: being in the army! Just like the movie itself, the role isn’t too complicated. The changes in the character are presented in a very unsubtle way, so what the screenplay doesn’t offer is MOSTLY demanded from the actress. The big word: charisma! For the movie to work, you need someone who knows comedy timing and is sweet enough not to get bored looking at her! And Goldie has what it takes!

The first half of the movie is pure silliness and a lot of situation comedy! Goldie is perfect at that and I subjectively admit I could never get enough looking at her! She’s pretty, she’s sweet, and likeable and adorable! And this helps! There’s no one who could hold a comedy scene like she does and, watching her acting the silly lines, I could only imagine how fascinating she would’ve been in a 1930s screwball comedy era! She takes a scene like looking up and cursing her dead husband and she makes it the funniest thing ever! :)

Her constant complaining is so deliciously funny, you can’t help but liking Judy! Even when she’s crying, it’s presented in a funny light, so the comedy isn’t thrown off balance. Goldie somehow manages to add more to the character and there’s often a look or a small gesture that hints the occasional drama of the character; fortunately, that supports the movie, without replacing the lightness of it.

When things go romantic in the second part, she doesn’t get more serious in the standard way! What Goldie does is to move the comedy from the situational army wackiness to the fool in love perspective. She is more grounded, but at the same time lost in this romance which feels uncomfortable even from the beginning. Goldie is fun as the cheated fiancé, with crazy red hair and a bit washed-up, but again manages to show a human side as she feels her life slowly becomes pointless.

I love Goldie! And I think this is one of her best performances! She gets to do lots of situation comedy and she’s perfect at it! She’s sweet and very natural and represents at least 90% of the film’s success! It’s all based on her unquestionable charisma! And she also gets to be a romantic lead, to slowly underline the woman who gives up her career and then finds little purpose in her new existence! And at the end of it all, it looks so effortless! .

Mary Tyler Moore, in Ordinary People

approximately 30 minutes and 28 seconds
25.3% of the film

The film

The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father, and the guilt-ridden younger son.

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

It’s a very well structured family drama, with high-class acting and a smart feel to it. It’s about human relationships and the feelings displayed are faithful to reality. For the most of it, it’s a successful Best Picture winner.

Mary Tyler Moore as Beth Jarrett


There’s a scene towards the end of Ordinary People when Calvin is coming home from the psychiatrist and confronts his wife Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) about a forgotten aspect from their son’s funeral. Why did she care what shoes he wore that day? Their son had just died, but she still cared about matching shoes… To me, it’s the strongest moment of the film and it says so much about Beth. I understand Beth; and, very often, I act just like she does. Her incapacity of displaying any (love) emotion is defining for the character.

But did you check her time on-screen (it’s mentioned under the main photo)? At 30 minutes, she’s 3rd to last from all the years I’ve counted so far. We can see her for just 25% of the film, which makes it a 2nd leading performance, how I’d call it. Mary plays Beth, a cold intelligent woman, subtly dealing with her favorite son’s death and her dislike for the surviving one. We discover Beth as a mother, a wife and most of all: a strong opinioned woman who cares a great deal for appearances.

What is mostly required of the actress is to make Beth look like she’s always on the edge of her sit. Beth is kind to her husband, loving and slightly manipulative, but she feels terribly uncomfortable in the presence of her son. I do believe she doesn’t hate him; it’s just that hard to explain lack of human connection. They just don’t click. And Mary Tyler Moore is perfect for the part, because she can inspire both intelligence and class, and also the stiffness much needed for this role.

But Beth is no cold monster and Mary understands that. Instead of creating a frigid bitch, she underlines her incapacity of displaying emotion and her preference for image, and not substance. There are one or two scenes in which she tries to get close to her son or is plainly forced by the situation. Mary allows us to see the good nature of the character and relate to her. It’s emotional and tragic and she’s much aware of this, but it’s hard for her to change when there is so much regret and anger and untold words behind her relationship with her son.

When accused for her coldness and cornered for being the way she really is, Beth shows her vulnerability. I don’t know what anyone wants with me anymore. It’s her wish to continue living behind a wall of silence and not deal with all the problems. And who could blame her? Her final scene, after her husband’s confession is heartbreaking and, while she’s being forced into the truth of everything around her, we soon realize that in the end Beth is the real victim of the story, not her son. It’s Beth who lost everything. [Does all this sound confusing for someone who hasn’t seen the film?]

Mary Tyler Moore is responsible for all the character analysis mentioned above. She allows us to see Beth in a way other actresses might have not allowed us to. Her performance is so smart and balanced and empathetic that in the end you HAVE to understand her and feel sorry for her. Mary’s only weakness: the competition in her own film. It’s Timothy Hutton who has most screentime and in an excellent performance he manages to steal the show. His final scene in the psychiatrist office is greatly acted beyond words. Conclusion: I thought of giving Mary 3 stars, but it’s a deep performance and subtle like none other from this 1980 line-up. For that itself, it deserves .

Gena Rowlands, in Gloriaapproximately 78 minutes and 32 seconds
67.4% of the film

The film

A gangster's girlfriend goes on the run with a young boy who is being hunted by the mob for information he may or may not have.

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

By far one of the messiest films I’ve seen in a very long time. The idea is good: but that’s all there is to it. For 40-50 minutes the film just goes in circles. Gena Rowlands can’t save it because she has nothing to work with. The dialogue is horrible and I think I was watching the worst child performance EVER. A mess.

Gena Rowlands as Gloria Swenson

I haven’t seen A Woman under the Influence (yes, I know I need to), but I have seen Opening Night and Gena Rowlands is spectacular in that Oscar-snubbed performance. And I don’t know… just by looking at her you can tell how cool & fabulous she is. She inspires a smart diva actress feeling! I’m sure that in a studio era she would’ve given Bette Davis a run for her money.

But this movie called Gloria is pure non-sense. She is incredibly above the material, but even so: there’s too much of a mess going on. Gena plays Gloria, a mobster’s ex-mistress, who due to some special circumstances ends up taking care of an annoying kid with a target on his head while her former gangster friends are hunting both of them. We don’t know much about Gloria, except that she did some time and that she’s an insider. There is nothing too deep about the character and for the most of it she just runs in circles from one NY location to another…

I need to underline yet again how stupid the screenplay is: it’s hardly believable and there is no character justification. People stupidly waiting to die, characters changing their minds every 5 minutes, a kid with lines a kid would never say, a mob guy on every bus & street corner in New York & an ocean of brainless screenplay solutions… And Gena is the middle of it all. Her screen partner is frustratingly incapable (that Razzie win for the kid is the most justified ever) and all that’s left for her to do it to take little and exploit it so much by trying to give a mood to the scene.

There are a couple of moments when she’s terrific; of course she is, because she’s frikkin Gena Rowlands. Caught up on the streets by the mob (all of them in a car), she is requested by old friends to hand over the kid. It’s a tough call for her: keeping him near is a death threat for her, but she knows that if she gives him up he’ll be dead. Gena helps us understand that, so her You wouldn’t shoot a kid, would you? (quoting from memory) is humble, begging and terribly effective. That’s a 5 star delivery!

As I said, she exploits the little material she’s given. Unfortunately, she sometimes takes it too far: pointing the gun at some gangsters and making crazy faces – that’s overacting to say the least. It’s not completely bad, but you can feel the desperation of the actress who is aware she’s doing a shitty role in a shitty movie. [Cassavetes actually had no intention of directing his screenplay, he just wanted to sell it. But when his wife got attached to the project, he was forced to step in]. Talking between her teeth, almost barking at the screen!

I imagined her final scene with the big Mafia boss is gonna give us some huge Oscar moment. It didn’t happen, as the dialogue itself was a boring cliché, with no real meat on it. Gena danced around it and did the best she could, just like she did the hour and a half before that.

This performance has one or two great moments and she was the only one who got me through this movie. I get sad when a wonderful actor doesn’t get the proper material. It could’ve been a great performance of a strong, tough, experienced woman. But it wasn’t; the worse of the film takes over the spotlight. How can I rate this?! It could’ve easily been a 3 or 4, but because I don’t know who Gloria is and I barely believe the information given to me: it’s a . With spots of 5. :)

Ellen Burstyn, in Resurrection

approximately 77 minutes and 1 second
79.8% of the film

The film

It tells the story of a woman who survives the car accident which kills her husband, but discovers that she has the power to heal other people.

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

The movie starts well, as a mixture of drama and spirituality and after life, but after 1 hour it goes downhill, especially the screenplay. It’s a pity. The best thing about it: Maurice Jarre’s music which would’ve deserved Oscar recognition.

Ellen Burstyn as Edna

It’s not very often that a performance coming from a fantasy/sci-fi/horror movie gets recognition here. I actually didn’t keep track, but it’s easy to tell. Sigourney Weaver got it for Aliens, Ellen Burstyn for The Exorcist… and again for this little movie called Resurrection. It’s not really a fantasy, but it deals with afterlife, so there’s a paranormal thing going on. However, the easiest explanation for the nom is the dramatic requirement of the role, the personal experience of a normal woman dealing with change.

Ellen plays Edna, a 40-something married woman who after a sudden accident becomes a widow and a paraplegic. While almost experiencing death, she wakes up with a strange (energy) power of healing, both herself and others. It’s a good idea of a role, with the potential of a good performance, at it demands a lot: going through the real dramatic part, making the healing look believable and not overdoing the dialogue. And I can say that Burstyn does a very fine job, at least in the first 2/3rds of it.

Her most solid moments come in portraying the suffering Edna; she had lost her husband and she’s now in a wheelchair. The hospital scenes are good and there’s a great one at the cemetery with her saying goodbye to him. Ellen can see the truth in this simple woman, so the daily-life scenes are among the best.

The healing part doesn’t require big, flashy reactions from Ellen. She just closes her eyes and uses, through her hands, a power which is invisible to us. However, she does make it believable and it’s also because of her generally calming presence. She is very reassuring and although she represents the paranormal element of the film, she’s at the same time the person/actress who keeps it grounded. It’s all because we trust Burstyn and the character she’s creating.

That’s a plus for the understanding of the film, because it becomes pretty obvious early on that she’s the one carrying the whole picture on her back. By creating a relatable character, she sells Resurrection to us, the first part of it, that is. Her flashiest scene is the big healing one, a difficult case where we practically see Burstyn taking upon herself the sickness of the patient. It’s a well-planned acting moment, which doesn’t seem fake at all.

However, my favourite acting scene of hers is while saying goodbye to her grandmother towards the ending of the movie. A great scene partner helps and Burstyn is able to take us back to Edna’s daily-life emotions from the first part; her teary eyes seem so genuine and her honest acting creates a loving, natural, relatable scene: saying goodbye to someone you love and acknowledging you’ll probably never see them again.

And then there’s the downfall: the final 10 minutes make for an almost ridiculous ending. The old Edna looks like a witch. Beyond the unconvincing makeup, Burstyn fails in making us believe that decades have passed. It’s an incredibly bad and uninspired take which kills any side of believability. Just because you put on a wig (but no wrinkles) doesn’t mean 20-30 years have passed; it really was an unfortunate soap-opera move.

Burstyn does a fine job in creating a simple woman, dealing with too many new elements in her life. There IS a character arc and her presence throughout the film makes the whole power thing seem believable. It’s a relatable character and she’s nicely selling the film, except for the last part, where she really drops the ball. I give her , being more of a 2.5. I could totally understand why someone would see this more like a 2, but because she puts soul into it and I enjoyed the first part, I thought about being a bit generous.

***EDIT: As stated at the 100th profile celebration (HERE), Ellen's performance has been downgraded to  . :( Mostly for that terrible acting at the ending. 

Sissy Spacek, in Coal Miner's Daughter

approximately 84 minutes and 43 seconds*
70.7% of the film

The film

Biography of Loretta Lynn, a country and western singer that came from poverty to fame.

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

A decent movie, for a biopic. Of course it could’ve been better in exploiting the leading character, but in the end you know what to expect: it’s mostly about the music. An easy to watch film, lifted by the leading performance and the direction.

Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn

What can you say about a performance that won the Oscar, the Golden Globe, the NBR, the National Society, the New York, the Los Angeles and the Kansas City awards for Best Actress? Well, unless it’s Meryl Streep (Sophie’s Choice) or Emma Thompson (Howards End), you criticize it. But that’s just me joking; partly. Because Sissy Spacek easily manages to act above other biopic performances.

It’s good to know that I am not familiar with the real Loretta Lynn, so I’m not influenced by the real-life artist. Also, even though I admire that Sissy sang her own songs (and did a great Grammy-nominated job for that), it won’t affect my judging. So Sissy plays Loretta, a coal farmer’s daughter who (foolishly) marries very young and accidentally becomes a country music sensation!

For the role to work, they needed someone who could play Loretta from 13 years old to her mid 30s. Sissy seems to be the perfect casting, as she always kept a girlish look and has the technique and experience (Carrie) to pull off a teenager performance. By doing that, she proves lots of talent: she makes the character believable and doesn’t bother to hide Loretta’s flawed decisions or redneck attitude. She gets lost into the character and that’s what makes the movie work.

I’m not sure how accurate her Southern accent is, but it sounded good enough for me. I’m not sure if Loretta was a fierce personality, loud and big-mouthed, but by choosing to go there, Sissy invests in creating a full character. To her credit, she manages to show us Loretta’s journey in a believable way and you can definitely feel the character arc, the evolution from a shy teenager to a loud housewife to a straight-forward, proud woman.

Her singing moments seem to be perfectly acted; she feels the emotion of the lyrics and it’s definitely a breath of fresh air from the loudness of the normal-life Loretta. It’s Sissy Spacek who makes this film enjoyable and gives it credibility (Beverly D’Angelo also contributes a lot in her scenes); even though she sometimes goes a bit too far on the hillbilly aspect of it (the first radio scene), Sissy really knows the character, manoeuvring it most correctly.

The scene that seduced me is of course her breakdown on stage. Though disappointing screenplay-wise, Sissy saves the scene and makes it so believable that you can’t help but be moved by it. The tears, the speech, knowing exactly when to say the lines and always keeping the accent: you can feel the emotion and the dedication to the character.

Sissy Spacek makes the right choices: she doesn’t create a glamorized, idealized character, but a flawed person whose journey we can understand and truly believe in. The singing aspect of the performance is admirable mostly due to the emotion displayed while hitting the lyrics. It’s not the best performance ever, nor a favourite one for me, but I really admire the work that went into offering us an enjoyable, yet difficult to portray, character. Nice work: . And I can’t honestly say that I don’t know if this will be my 1st choice for 1980, my 2nd or 3rd. We’ll see!

*the screen-time never includes photos, but does include voice (and considering that Sissy did her own singing, her voice was counted even when she wasn’t on screen)