Best Actress 1980

[Big Magilla]

I don't recall any buzz surrounding Danner's performance which was shamefully overlooked. Duvall's perfomance was acclaimed and Michael O'Keefe made a major impression, but Danner was pretty much taken for granted, which was a shame.

Although she would fit in either category, she would probably have had better luck in support, had she mounted an Oscar campaign, but those things weren;t done then to the extent they are now.

[mayukh]

Rowlands is merely OK and I would have preferred to see Blythe Danner nominated for The Great Santini instead of Goldie Hawn.

This reminds me – was Danner campaigned in lead or support that year? She was just exquisite in The Great Santini (as usual – she was one of those great stage actresses, like Kate Nelligan a year later with Eye of the Needle, I desperately wish was nominated). A nod would've been nice, to say the least.

[mayukh]

I love Sissy Spacek but I never found her particularly interesting or charismatic in Coal Miner's Daughter. Moore is funny in the worst way possible – subtle as a sledgehammer. Just terrible.

I voted for Hawn, who delivered a performance of great intelligence and spontaneity, though I now think Burstyn's even better. Her most salient characteristic as an actress is warmth – genuine warmth – and she uses it beautifully here. She is incredibly touching, it's a wonderful performance.


Edited By mayukh on 1304815904

[Hustler]

I am one of the supporters of Moore´s performance. She is subtle. She is cold. She captivates the audience from her distance.
Burstyn is always fine and correct but I´ve seen better works coming form her.
As for Spacek, country music doesn´t represent for me a vital factor, so, In spite of recognizing her talent, in this ocasion my vote goes to Moore.

[Reza]

Voted for Rowlands.

My top 5 of the year:

Gena Rowlands, Gloria
Judy Davis, My Brilliant Career
Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner's Daughter
Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People
Ellen Burstyn, Resurrection

[kaytodd]

The Shining is a film whose reputation has improved to a maybe even greater degree than Raging Bull's. In 1980 it was largely panned by the name critics, as either beneath Kubrick's stature, or too dull to be much of a horror film. (I believe Stephen King was vociferously in the second camp) The fact that it fell between stools -- was sort of a contemplative horror film -- is what makes it seem distinctive today.

My understanding is that King was very upset with almost every creative decision Kubrick made regarding changes in the story and, especially, with Nicholson's performance. Overall, I liked the film. Like all of Kubrick's films, the technical aspects are very well done and the film looks great. And the supporting performances are strong. The actors who played the hotel manager and the butler Grady made quite an impression with little screen time. And I thought Shelly Duvall and Scatman Crothers were outside the box choices that worked out well.

But I have to side with King on the changes Kubrick made from the novel. I was a big fan of the novel and I was very disappointed. The only reason I can think of to change the fate of Crothers' character was that Kubrick wanted to make people scream. But what happens with Crothers' character in the novel is exciting and cinematic and rather profound.

And King had to be horrified and appalled, as I was, with what Kubrick allowed Nicholson to do with his character. It is a lot of fun, and it is certainly one of Nicholson's most memorable performances. But Jack (the name of Nicholson's character) in the novel was an ordinary guy who had alcohol and anger issues. He loses his job and makes the tragically wrong decision to isolate himself and his family for several months in the worst possible place. Gradually, the demons in the hotel aggravated Jack's personal demons. On the other hand, Nicholson's character acted like a nutjob from the beginning of the film. This made his descent into madness far less dramatic than it was in the novel. It was like Kubrick decided to not direct Nicholson at all. Nicholson's mugging and silly behavior detracted from the story and makes me think that Kubrick decided to focus on making what he hoped would be a crowd pleaser rather than the story of the novel (I think this explains what he did with Crothers' character as well). That had to upset King.



Edited By kaytodd on 1258418102

[Damien]

My favorite Le Gallienne story is the one Aidan Quinn relates in his commentary on An Early Frost.

Le Gallienne was supposed to play his grandmother in the groundbreaking TV movie about AIDS but came down with something. Her "friend" and neighbor (Damien's "favorite" Connecticut resident), Sylvia Sidney, called the producers to advise them that Le Gallienne was either dead or dying but she (Sidney) was available.

Sidney got the role and went on to win a Golden Globe for it. Le Gallienne, who was neither dead nor dying, lived another six years before succumbing at the ripe old age of 92.

What a lovely lady. (And Big, you have an excellent memory! )



Edited By Damien on 1258406059

[Big Magilla]

And, Italiano, I have to agree completely about LaGallienne in Resurrection -- as Pauline Kael said, she spoke every line as if she'd spent her entire life onstage.

Screw Pauline Kael. Le Gallienne was wonderful even if she was projecting to the third balcony.

My favorite Le Gallienne story is the one Aidan Quinn relates in his commentary on An Early Frost.

Le Gallienne was supposed to play his grandmother in the groundbreaking TV movie about AIDS but came down with something. Her "friend" and neighbor (Damien's "favorite" Connecticut resident), Sylvia Sidney, called the producers to advise them that Le Gallienne was either dead or dying but she (Sidney) was available.

Sidney got the role and went on to win a Golden Globe for it. Le Gallienne, who was neither dead nor dying, lived another six years before succumbing at the ripe old age of 92.



Edited By Big Magilla on 1258398146

[Mister Tee]

Being a fan of horror movies both official and unofficial, 1980 has always seemed to me a pretty outstanding year. The Shining, Inferno, The Fog, Altered States, and the NYC distop-tych of Dressed to Kill, Maniac and Cruising. Throw in a few great grindhouse treasures I won't bother mentioning by title here, and you have a movie year that least someone like me with a lot to chew on.

Obviously what you describe is further from my ideal movie year, but, for what it's worth, I had both Dressed to Kill and Altered States in my private top ten at the time.

The Shining is a film whose reputation has improved to a maybe even greater degree than Raging Bull's. In 1980 it was largely panned by the name critics, as either beneath Kubrick's stature, or too dull to be much of a horror film. (I believe Stephen King was vociferously in the second camp) The fact that it fell between stools -- was sort of a contemplative horror film -- is what makes it seem distinctive today.

[Eric]

Being a fan of horror movies both official and unofficial, 1980 has always seemed to me a pretty outstanding year. The Shining, Inferno, The Fog, Altered States, and the NYC distop-tych of Dressed to Kill, Maniac and Cruising. Throw in a few great grindhouse treasures I won't bother mentioning by title here, and you have a movie year that least someone like me with a lot to chew on.

[Big Magilla]

You didn't like her in the Dick Van Dyke show?

Never saw it.

Seriously? NEVER saw it? I know you're a tad older than me, but I wouldn't have expected that wide a cultural gap. I watched the show devotedly enough I have a good many episodes half-memorized.

According to the IMDB The Dick Van Dyke Show ran from October, 1961 through 1966 during which time I did not watch a lot of TV. I was busy working, going to college (night school) and then got drafted into the Army (1965-1967).

It was either spend my leisure time going to the movies or watching TV. I chose the former and have never regretted it. :;):

[Mister Tee]

. . . Mary Tyler Moore, an actress I could take or leave in everything she did prior including her famous TV show.

You didn't like her in the Dick Van Dyke show?

Never saw it.

Seriously? NEVER saw it? I know you're a tad older than me, but I wouldn't have expected that wide a cultural gap. I watched the show devotedly enough I have a good many episodes half-memorized.

Since this has become a sort of free-form comment thread on 1980, I'll toss in a few opinions:

This was the year we knew the 70s boom was really past. '77-'78 had shown signs of decline, but the bounty of 1979 renewed hope just a bit. Not to be. When Magilla says his favorite films that year were little, he's speaking for most everyone, because there basically were no big films, save maybe Ordinary People, that were much admired. (Of course back then the Academy was lauded for singling out so many small efforts, as opposed to present day, when they'd be excoriated for being so out of touch)

My favorite film of the year by far was The Tin Drum -- the only film I felt had the scope and ambition of the great films of the 70s. I put myself through many a Schlondorf stinker in the years after, hoping against hope he'd recapture the magic.

David Lynch was a new flavor to me in 1980, and I loved what he did with The Elephant Man. Scenes like the one where the sideshow freaks release John Merrick were eerily wonderfully. Again, the film was not up to the level of movies from just-recent years, but in a deadly year, it was probably my favorite Engislh-speaking effort.

The Stunt Man had some pretentious metaphysics in its script, but it was executed with such glee and aplomb that it was more pleasurable than most anything else I saw that year.

I'm neither lover nor hater of Raging Bull. I saw it opening day, with a friend of mine who worshipped Scorsese, and his reaction upon leaving the theatre was, Well, overall, fairly good, right?, which matched my mood -- I think some of the film's argument scenes go on way too long, and LaMotta is just too vile a character to much care about, but the film's visual are amazing and worthy of note.

Of course, as I've mentioned here earlier, I'm rather amazed at how the film transformed from "one of the few decent movies in a crap year", to, nine years on, "the best movie of the decade". Having followed films for the better part of a lifetime, I'm as suspicious of revisionist history as I am of contemporary consensus. I've watched films' reputations both decline (Terms of Endearment, The English Patient) and vastly appreciate (Apocalypse Now, Raging Bull). It seems to me it's not so much that overall responses to films change as that those who held contrary opinions originally (see esp. Roger Ebert) were persistent and loud about seeing their views prevail. Bottom line: I still think about Raging Bull about what I did on that opening day.

The other little films didn't really move me much. Ordinary People struck me as a Playhouse 90 script that seemed puny by 1980, elevated only by some good performances. As I've said here before, I'd love to have loved Melvin and Howard as much as most folks do -- it SEEMS like my kind of movie -- but I can only report my honestly underwhelmed response. The Great Santini was even hokier than Ordinary People, but Duvall was wonderful. And, Italiano, I have to agree completely about LaGallienne in Resurrection -- as Pauline Kael said, she spoke every line as if she'd spent her entire life onstage.

Oh, and I could easily live without country music, as well.

[Big Magilla]

. . . Mary Tyler Moore, an actress I could take or leave in everything she did prior including her famous TV show.

You didn't like her in the Dick Van Dyke show?

Never saw it.

[Greg]

. . . Mary Tyler Moore, an actress I could take or leave in everything she did prior including her famous TV show.

You didn't like her in the Dick Van Dyke show?

[Big Magilla]

A few notes on the recent comments here.

My favorite films of the year were the "little" ones, the domestic dramas, Ordinary Peope; The Great Santini and Melvin and Howard, followed by Raging Bull and The Elephant Man more for their look and feel than for what they accomplished dramatically. I preferred the Broadway version of The Elephant Man to the film version, which was more subtly handled, though I admired John Hurt's performance in the film.

Rounding out my top ten were The Tin Drum; The Stunt Man; Resurrection; Coal Miner's Daughter and Fame.

I have never been a big fan of country music though I do like Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton as well as the country rock of Emmy Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and others of the era. Loretta Lynn's music holds no particular interest for me though her quintessential rags to riches story is certainly one of interest.

A lot was written at the time of Coal Miner's Daughter how Beverly D'Angelo as Patsy Cline all but stole the movie from Sissy Spacek, so much so that Spacek had her scenes cut to their bare essentials. Even so, D'Angelo rocks in the role and is truer to my picture of the real Patsy than Jessica Lange was in Sweet Dreams a few years later.

Glad to see Moore is almost as appreciated as Spacek in the voting currently at 5 to Spacek's 7.

It's also nice to see that someone voted for Burstyn.