It might not have been the best category placement at the time (and I'm not even averse to moving her up to the lead now in hindsight), but there was, at least, some form of an argument serving as the basis for that placement -- that Bankhead was part of a large ensemble. What's your argument for placing Tatum O'Neal in support? Because that's what the Academy chose to do?
Edited By flipp525 on 1256157105
Best Actress 1973
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Big Magilla
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A different one than that in which Tallulah Bankhead is a supporting player in Lifeboat.flipp525 wrote:She is the LEAD OF THE FILM (and even the title character of the book on which it's based). In what universe is she a supporting player in that movie? The same one where Timothy Hutton gives a supporting performance in Ordinary People?Big Magilla wrote:I was never bothered by Tatum O'Neal's categorization.
I think Mason, Burstyn and Jackson were competent but not particularly memorable in their far-less-than-memorable movies.
Woodward is so cold and unpleasant in her one-note Summer Wishes performance that she borders on the self-parodistic. Many reviews at the time in those early feminist days referred to her character as "frigid" or "an ice queen." A ridiculous performance in a dreadful movie (I like Martin Balsam in it very much, though.)
The Way We Are is a mess, and reportedly there was a much better movie on the cutting room floor. But Streisand brings a marvelous melding of steeliness and vulnerability to the role, and both her longing for Redford and her disillusionment are palpable. I'm generally not a fan of hers(though I adore her political commitment), but she really nails it here and she easily gets my vote.
The Old Guard in Hollywood were undoubtedly tittilated by it (it was produced by Brut, a company with which Cary Grant was associated, but we of the Younger Generation (I was 18) knew it was phoney reactionary crap.
Edited By Damien on 1256160169
Woodward is so cold and unpleasant in her one-note Summer Wishes performance that she borders on the self-parodistic. Many reviews at the time in those early feminist days referred to her character as "frigid" or "an ice queen." A ridiculous performance in a dreadful movie (I like Martin Balsam in it very much, though.)
The Way We Are is a mess, and reportedly there was a much better movie on the cutting room floor. But Streisand brings a marvelous melding of steeliness and vulnerability to the role, and both her longing for Redford and her disillusionment are palpable. I'm generally not a fan of hers(though I adore her political commitment), but she really nails it here and she easily gets my vote.
flipp525 wrote:The dour, stiff upper-lipped Jackson, lets her hair down in this 70's comedic romp that, while seeming tame by today's standards, must've been fairly scandalous at the time (I'm sure Mister Tee and others will pipe in with their 18-year-old, or 22-year-old perspectives).
The Old Guard in Hollywood were undoubtedly tittilated by it (it was produced by Brut, a company with which Cary Grant was associated, but we of the Younger Generation (I was 18) knew it was phoney reactionary crap.
Edited By Damien on 1256160169
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
She is the LEAD OF THE FILM (and even the title character of the book on which it's based). In what universe is she a supporting player in that movie? The same one where Timothy Hutton gives a supporting performance in Ordinary People?Big Magilla wrote:I was never bothered by Tatum O'Neal's categorization.
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
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Big Magilla
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I was never bothered by Tatum O'Neal's categorization. I was more bemused by Linda Blair's nomination for The Exorcist, which half belonged to Mercedes McCambridge for her terrifying voice of the devil. Blair, speaking in her own voice, came across as a bit too demure.
Burstyn is letter perfect as the mother, a role patterned after Shirley MacLaine who allegedly went through seomething in real life akin to what William Peter Blatty, who knew her, wrote in his novel, though less bizarre and scary. The evetns chronicled in the book and film were patterned after another case of demonic possession. Jack MacGowran's character of the supercilious director was a takeoff on J. Lee Thompson.
When I first saw Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, I was moved by the performances of Woodward, Balsam and Sidney, though having watched it recently it really does seem phony and very much intended for the blue-haired ladies of the day who who mirrored Sidney's, not Woodward's, character.
I didn't like Cinderella Liberty very much when I first saw it, but I came to like Mason and James Caan's performances over time. Still, it's no work of art especially compared with The Last Detail from the same writer.
A Touch of Class was a horrid, utter piece of crap that bore no reality to the times even if it pretended to be hip and titillating. The morons who thought Jackson and Segal were the new Hepburn and Tracy, and there were several, should have had their critics' licenses taken away from them. I actually felt sorry for Jackson while watching this tripe in the theater. Here was quite possibly the greatest actress of her generation forced to utter ridiculous lines while wearing the most atrocious wig since Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity while maintaining her dignity albeit barely.
What really bothers me about A Touch of Class is that today's audiences, seeing it for the first time, actually think it was symptomatic of the times. It wasn't. It was more in line with early sixties sensibilities than the liberal, liberated ones of a decade later.
The Way We Were actually received worse reviews than A Touch of Class at the time, but the hit theme song and that ever so sweet ending endeared it to many. It has certainly worn better than A Touch of Class.
So, even if we move O'Neal to lead in place of Jackson, there are two performances that could easily replace Mason: Julie Christie in Don't Look Now and Liv Ullmann in The New Land.
Edited By Big Magilla on 1287144775
Burstyn is letter perfect as the mother, a role patterned after Shirley MacLaine who allegedly went through seomething in real life akin to what William Peter Blatty, who knew her, wrote in his novel, though less bizarre and scary. The evetns chronicled in the book and film were patterned after another case of demonic possession. Jack MacGowran's character of the supercilious director was a takeoff on J. Lee Thompson.
When I first saw Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, I was moved by the performances of Woodward, Balsam and Sidney, though having watched it recently it really does seem phony and very much intended for the blue-haired ladies of the day who who mirrored Sidney's, not Woodward's, character.
I didn't like Cinderella Liberty very much when I first saw it, but I came to like Mason and James Caan's performances over time. Still, it's no work of art especially compared with The Last Detail from the same writer.
A Touch of Class was a horrid, utter piece of crap that bore no reality to the times even if it pretended to be hip and titillating. The morons who thought Jackson and Segal were the new Hepburn and Tracy, and there were several, should have had their critics' licenses taken away from them. I actually felt sorry for Jackson while watching this tripe in the theater. Here was quite possibly the greatest actress of her generation forced to utter ridiculous lines while wearing the most atrocious wig since Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity while maintaining her dignity albeit barely.
What really bothers me about A Touch of Class is that today's audiences, seeing it for the first time, actually think it was symptomatic of the times. It wasn't. It was more in line with early sixties sensibilities than the liberal, liberated ones of a decade later.
The Way We Were actually received worse reviews than A Touch of Class at the time, but the hit theme song and that ever so sweet ending endeared it to many. It has certainly worn better than A Touch of Class.
So, even if we move O'Neal to lead in place of Jackson, there are two performances that could easily replace Mason: Julie Christie in Don't Look Now and Liv Ullmann in The New Land.
Edited By Big Magilla on 1287144775
As we all seem to agree – not the most inspired list. I haven't seen Woodward, and although she's an actress I like a lot, it looks like this is the nomination she should have received the year before for her very strong turn in Gamma Rays. I saw Mason many years ago and I don't remember the movie, but I'm sure I wasn't blown away by her and yes, her subsequent work surly didn't convince me she should be an award winning thespian.
Jackson is/was an amazing actress. On my personal list she's a three time winner – for '70, '75 (for The Romantic Englishwoman, not Hedda) and '78 (Stevie). Ok, it has a lot to do with the extremely poor showings by actresses on those years, still she deserves this amount of accolades. But not this year. I read someplace, when I was still in school, that Jackson and Segal were the new Tracy and Hepburn. By the time I saw ToC, in the late '70s or early '80s, I was already a little familiar with the work of T&H and thought – no, they are not the real deal. But Jackson was fun, certainly next to Segal.
I haven't seen The Exorcist until about 15 years ago since I was too young to see when it was first shown here, so for a long time I was under the impression Burstin was kind of a seat filler – a respected actress being nominated for just being in a successful film which may have a lot of things going for it, but not necessarily a plum role for a woman. I was wrong. Not only she IS the protagonist, the character she created is a complex, rounded and relevant representation of contemporary (especially in the early '70s) woman. Objectively she was the best of this group and probably the best (English speaking) overall that year. If I didn't know I'd vote for her the next year she'd be my choice.
But I voted for La Streisand. I like her, or rather I like her early, pre afro self, and certainly my chronologically corresponding self liked her a lot. One of the earliest movies I saw in a real, big movie theatre in town, not in the community hall in my village, was Hello Dolly and it made a huge impact on me. And I liked What's Up Doc and even more so, I loved For Pete's Sake which I found hilarious (Doc was probably a little bit too sophisticated for me). And while I first became aware of the Oscars back in '72, when Topol was nominated so it was all over the media here, the first time I was really involved in the race, or at least part of it was two years later. I was 11 and under the influence of my 16 year old cousin Tammy who was a huge Streisand fan. And I remember how crashed she was when Jackson won. I haven't seen any of their movies, by I totally identified with her claim that it was a major travesty. And then I actually saw TWWW, and while I can see its flaws, on its own terms it does work, as does Streisand in it – it's a personal, committed performance. So, on behalf of myself, Tammy and all Jews all over the world, she's the winner.
Edited By Uri on 1256148554
Jackson is/was an amazing actress. On my personal list she's a three time winner – for '70, '75 (for The Romantic Englishwoman, not Hedda) and '78 (Stevie). Ok, it has a lot to do with the extremely poor showings by actresses on those years, still she deserves this amount of accolades. But not this year. I read someplace, when I was still in school, that Jackson and Segal were the new Tracy and Hepburn. By the time I saw ToC, in the late '70s or early '80s, I was already a little familiar with the work of T&H and thought – no, they are not the real deal. But Jackson was fun, certainly next to Segal.
I haven't seen The Exorcist until about 15 years ago since I was too young to see when it was first shown here, so for a long time I was under the impression Burstin was kind of a seat filler – a respected actress being nominated for just being in a successful film which may have a lot of things going for it, but not necessarily a plum role for a woman. I was wrong. Not only she IS the protagonist, the character she created is a complex, rounded and relevant representation of contemporary (especially in the early '70s) woman. Objectively she was the best of this group and probably the best (English speaking) overall that year. If I didn't know I'd vote for her the next year she'd be my choice.
But I voted for La Streisand. I like her, or rather I like her early, pre afro self, and certainly my chronologically corresponding self liked her a lot. One of the earliest movies I saw in a real, big movie theatre in town, not in the community hall in my village, was Hello Dolly and it made a huge impact on me. And I liked What's Up Doc and even more so, I loved For Pete's Sake which I found hilarious (Doc was probably a little bit too sophisticated for me). And while I first became aware of the Oscars back in '72, when Topol was nominated so it was all over the media here, the first time I was really involved in the race, or at least part of it was two years later. I was 11 and under the influence of my 16 year old cousin Tammy who was a huge Streisand fan. And I remember how crashed she was when Jackson won. I haven't seen any of their movies, by I totally identified with her claim that it was a major travesty. And then I actually saw TWWW, and while I can see its flaws, on its own terms it does work, as does Streisand in it – it's a personal, committed performance. So, on behalf of myself, Tammy and all Jews all over the world, she's the winner.
Edited By Uri on 1256148554
One of the most ghastly lineups in Oscar history. I like Jackson well-enough in A Touch of Class--a film I actually enjoy despite much counter argument here and elsewhere--but it's certainly nothing Oscar-worthy.
I tried watching Cinderella Liberty just last week. Only managed an hour of the horrible flick. Mason was good in what I did see, but, again, not Oscar-worthy.
Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams--which I forced myself to sit all the way through years ago--is a simply vile piece of filmmaking, and Woodward is bleak and bland.
I have a soft spot for The Way We Were, a romance that really works. But, for me, the Oscar-caliber performance in the film is Robert Redford, not Streisand, who, as usual, is just playing Streisand. She's enjoyable, and her final scene very effective, but I can't give her the Oscar.
So Burstyn wins by default: The Exorcist isn't a great piece of filmmaking, but as well-crafted piece of horror, it's marvelous, and much of that has to do with a terrific cast, led by a wonderful Burstyn.
I tried watching Cinderella Liberty just last week. Only managed an hour of the horrible flick. Mason was good in what I did see, but, again, not Oscar-worthy.
Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams--which I forced myself to sit all the way through years ago--is a simply vile piece of filmmaking, and Woodward is bleak and bland.
I have a soft spot for The Way We Were, a romance that really works. But, for me, the Oscar-caliber performance in the film is Robert Redford, not Streisand, who, as usual, is just playing Streisand. She's enjoyable, and her final scene very effective, but I can't give her the Oscar.
So Burstyn wins by default: The Exorcist isn't a great piece of filmmaking, but as well-crafted piece of horror, it's marvelous, and much of that has to do with a terrific cast, led by a wonderful Burstyn.
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
I guess it must have been difficult to choose back then, as it is now. The Academy went for the safest choice, an actress who was both popular and respected, whose movie for some reason was up for Best Picture, and for whom a second Oscar wouldnt seem undeserved. Yet it WAS undeserved, at least for this movie, which treats some admittedly important issues of the 70s in the softest possible way and with sitcom level sense of humor. Jackson isnt bad in it, and at first it's nice to see her playing romantic comedy, but the material, especially seen today, isnt worthy of her talent.
The first thing I thought as I was watching the terminally boring Summer Wishes Winter Dreams was, did they really give Woodward a nomination for THIS? Now I must admit that Woodward probably isnt dreadful, but I'm sure that the the movie is, with all its art house, Antonioni like pretensions, and some ridiculous (at least by today's standards) flashbacks about Woodward's gay son and his affair with, of course, a ballet dancer. Cliche after cliche, with an actress who was certainly competent, but not charismatic enough to provide interest, and at the same time too serious to provide trashy fun.
Marsha Mason was, back then, young and still reasonably fresh. Soon she would start playing all those mechanical comedies written by her husband and getting nomination after nomination. There MUST be a reason why, of the big American stars of the 70s, she's probably the most forgotten now; she wasnt a bad actress but all those one liners would have made even Duse seem artificial. Yet she probably deserved to be nominated for Cinderella Liberty.
But for the Oscar itself, it should be between Streisand and Burstyn. And I cant vote for Streisand, who was a great singer and a bearable actress even, but whose narcissism (yes, she was ugly etc, but you know what I mean) is too evident for my tastes. Burstyn was something else; even in the context of a big, commercial (but not bad) horror movie her unshowy, honest portrayal of a real woman cant be easily forgotten. It's a very good performance, and the one I will vote for here (though I will be in trouble later, because I cant vote for Burstyn three times).
The first thing I thought as I was watching the terminally boring Summer Wishes Winter Dreams was, did they really give Woodward a nomination for THIS? Now I must admit that Woodward probably isnt dreadful, but I'm sure that the the movie is, with all its art house, Antonioni like pretensions, and some ridiculous (at least by today's standards) flashbacks about Woodward's gay son and his affair with, of course, a ballet dancer. Cliche after cliche, with an actress who was certainly competent, but not charismatic enough to provide interest, and at the same time too serious to provide trashy fun.
Marsha Mason was, back then, young and still reasonably fresh. Soon she would start playing all those mechanical comedies written by her husband and getting nomination after nomination. There MUST be a reason why, of the big American stars of the 70s, she's probably the most forgotten now; she wasnt a bad actress but all those one liners would have made even Duse seem artificial. Yet she probably deserved to be nominated for Cinderella Liberty.
But for the Oscar itself, it should be between Streisand and Burstyn. And I cant vote for Streisand, who was a great singer and a bearable actress even, but whose narcissism (yes, she was ugly etc, but you know what I mean) is too evident for my tastes. Burstyn was something else; even in the context of a big, commercial (but not bad) horror movie her unshowy, honest portrayal of a real woman cant be easily forgotten. It's a very good performance, and the one I will vote for here (though I will be in trouble later, because I cant vote for Burstyn three times).
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Mister Tee
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Actually, this year's best actress race can't be honestly covered without considering Tatum O'Neal. Those who weren't around at the time may not be able to understand the level of acclaim she received for her performance, and not just in comparison to her stick-figure father -- she got by far the most enthusiastic raves of any actress that year. In the year-end summaries, any number of critics noted she was the leading contender for the best actress award (and what an embarrassment that was for Hollywood; what an indictment of the just-emerging ghastly period for lead actresses).
There was a problem with O'Neal's child-ness, of course, but also something beyond that. People wondered just how responsible she was for her performance. Stories emerged of Bogdanovich doing 40-50 takes to get what he needed out of her, which led to the suspicion he had merely pulled the right strings, making her less deserving of top honors. (Of course, Bogdanovich was never able to accomplish the same with Cybill Shepherd) This may explain why the NY Critics voted for Woodward and, in second place, Jackson, though neither had received near the praise O'Neal had. And then of course the Academy pulled category fraud (a tactic universally mocked), designating her supporting, which eased everyone's doubts and gave the tyke a slam-dunk Oscar (depriving, in my view, Madeline Kahn).
It also created a dreary contest among the not very interesting remaining performances. I'm with Magilla that Ullmann -- NBR and National Society winner -- rated a nod over most of the rest.
I'll always be baffled by Jackson's nomination, let alone her win. I loved her in Women in Love and Sunday Bloody Sunday, but I found A Touch of Class so loathsome I couldn't consider nominating anything that touched it.
I'm middling on The Exorcist in general -- I think it's brutally effective, but a really ragged piece of film-making. On one aspect, though, I'm clear: none of the performances (except borderline Jason Miller) were anything to get excited about. I like alot of Burstyn's work (I was thrilled by her win a year later), but I think what she does here is utterly undistinguished.
Cinderlla Liberty was the one time I liked Marsha Mason, even though I thought her movie was crap (another Ponicsan novel, The Last Detail, had its movie version released at the same time, and the difference between the two films was between the real navy -- Detail -- and the movie navy -- Liberty). flipp, to answer your question of why Marsha Mason never gets mentioned as overdue for Oscar...I know I couldn't stand her in The Goodbye Girl, and was irritated her husband kept casting her and getting her more nominations that others deserved. As I say, I sort of liked her here, but the vehicle was so weak I could easily pass on her.
Has anyone noted Joanne Woodward's singular Oscar profile? She's been nominated four times, and for each had a genuine shot at winning. She only took the trophy the first time out, but her NY victories in all three succeeding years made her formidable competition in every contest.
As for Summer Wishes...I'd, like most, expected her to win, and was shocked by the Jackson upset. But I didn't actually see the film till about a month after the Oscars that year. It's 35 years now, and my memory is hazy (I almost watched it on TCM a month or so back; didn't quite get around to it); my general take is it's one of those alienation-of-the-American-wife stories to which I don't much respond (especially when ploddingly staged by Gil Cates). Woodward had some bite, and wouldn't have been a dreadful choice, but I can't say it breaks my heart she lost.
Because she was just coming off a young-in-life win 5 years earlier, Streisand wasn't taken remotely seriously as a contender for the win, but The way We Were may be her quintessential screen performance. The movie is a mess, but a fairly consistently interesting one (Pauline Kael called it a much-bombed battleship that somehow made it to port in the end), and, though Streisand's certainly playing within her general persona, she does it with more fullness than at any other point in her career.
My vote preference goes like so: Tatum O'Neal were she not gerrymandered; Liv Ullmann were she not excluded; but Streisand among those listed (with Woodward runner-up).
There was a problem with O'Neal's child-ness, of course, but also something beyond that. People wondered just how responsible she was for her performance. Stories emerged of Bogdanovich doing 40-50 takes to get what he needed out of her, which led to the suspicion he had merely pulled the right strings, making her less deserving of top honors. (Of course, Bogdanovich was never able to accomplish the same with Cybill Shepherd) This may explain why the NY Critics voted for Woodward and, in second place, Jackson, though neither had received near the praise O'Neal had. And then of course the Academy pulled category fraud (a tactic universally mocked), designating her supporting, which eased everyone's doubts and gave the tyke a slam-dunk Oscar (depriving, in my view, Madeline Kahn).
It also created a dreary contest among the not very interesting remaining performances. I'm with Magilla that Ullmann -- NBR and National Society winner -- rated a nod over most of the rest.
I'll always be baffled by Jackson's nomination, let alone her win. I loved her in Women in Love and Sunday Bloody Sunday, but I found A Touch of Class so loathsome I couldn't consider nominating anything that touched it.
I'm middling on The Exorcist in general -- I think it's brutally effective, but a really ragged piece of film-making. On one aspect, though, I'm clear: none of the performances (except borderline Jason Miller) were anything to get excited about. I like alot of Burstyn's work (I was thrilled by her win a year later), but I think what she does here is utterly undistinguished.
Cinderlla Liberty was the one time I liked Marsha Mason, even though I thought her movie was crap (another Ponicsan novel, The Last Detail, had its movie version released at the same time, and the difference between the two films was between the real navy -- Detail -- and the movie navy -- Liberty). flipp, to answer your question of why Marsha Mason never gets mentioned as overdue for Oscar...I know I couldn't stand her in The Goodbye Girl, and was irritated her husband kept casting her and getting her more nominations that others deserved. As I say, I sort of liked her here, but the vehicle was so weak I could easily pass on her.
Has anyone noted Joanne Woodward's singular Oscar profile? She's been nominated four times, and for each had a genuine shot at winning. She only took the trophy the first time out, but her NY victories in all three succeeding years made her formidable competition in every contest.
As for Summer Wishes...I'd, like most, expected her to win, and was shocked by the Jackson upset. But I didn't actually see the film till about a month after the Oscars that year. It's 35 years now, and my memory is hazy (I almost watched it on TCM a month or so back; didn't quite get around to it); my general take is it's one of those alienation-of-the-American-wife stories to which I don't much respond (especially when ploddingly staged by Gil Cates). Woodward had some bite, and wouldn't have been a dreadful choice, but I can't say it breaks my heart she lost.
Because she was just coming off a young-in-life win 5 years earlier, Streisand wasn't taken remotely seriously as a contender for the win, but The way We Were may be her quintessential screen performance. The movie is a mess, but a fairly consistently interesting one (Pauline Kael called it a much-bombed battleship that somehow made it to port in the end), and, though Streisand's certainly playing within her general persona, she does it with more fullness than at any other point in her career.
My vote preference goes like so: Tatum O'Neal were she not gerrymandered; Liv Ullmann were she not excluded; but Streisand among those listed (with Woodward runner-up).
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jowy_jillia
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I feel like it's a bit lazy to write this year off completely. There are some great, non-traditional performances in the mix.
Marsha Mason was a party girl, a prostitute, a girl in a bar with a child in Cinderella Liberty? Honestly, I don't remember. She started off one way in the film and by the end, she was someone else. And, to answer the question of whether the movie is good or not -- the answer is a resounding no. I think I much preferred the desperation she portrayed in her other James Caan pairing in Chapter Two, a role for which she was also nominated in 1979. By the way, where are the outcries that Mason deserves an Oscar? Doesn't she have more lead actress nods than almost any actress alive? I suppose she was more of a certain period of acting and that period is now over. Several of her roles were simply variations of the same character, a character she admittedly did well, but was it ever any different?
Barbra Streisand is going to get absolutely hammered on this board, so I'll pipe in with some initial support. I like the idea of the "ugly girl" going after the beautiful, blonde WASP boy and getting him...for awhile. It's a story people can get behind because of its underdog quality. And the Redford/Streisand chemistry is really wonderful (Redford, of course, was also nominated this year for his role in The Sting -- his only acting nod to date). Streisand's nomination seems more like the Academy's way of recognizing the success of The Way We Were and performing the double duty of re-affirming Streisand's previous win (there have been doubts that the extra vote "tying" her with Hepburn, undoubtedly cast by Streisand herself, was not earned). Also, that last scene, that "Sex and the City" famously paid homage to, is a classic.
The Exorcist was one of those "movies that shook the world" and anyone and everyone associated with it was going to find some awards recognition, earned, unearned or even unacknowledged (Mercedes McCambridge). Burstyn's portrayal of Chris, her slow steady sense of escalating horror at her daughter's demonic transformation is something to behold. I run the "Exorcist steps" at least twice a week when I do my Georgetown run and I'm often reminded anew just how successfully chilling the film truly is.
As kaytodd stated down-thread, Glenda Jackson should be listed for her performance in A Touch of Class, not Sunday, Bloody Sunday which we've already dispositioned in 1971. On her second win, as she watched it from home, Jackson remarked: "I felt disgusted with myself, as though I were attending a public hanging...No one should have a chance to see so much desire, so much need for a prize, and so much pain when it is not given." So, clearly, she had little interest in winning the thing. Which isn't to say it's not a great performance. The dour, stiff upper-lipped Jackson, lets her hair down in this 70's comedic romp that, while seeming tame by today's standards, must've been fairly scandalous at the time (I'm sure Mister Tee and others will pipe in with their 18-year-old, or 22-year-old perspectives).
I give the Oscar to Joanne Woodward for her rich performance as Rita, the Ice Queen of Park Avenue in Gil Cates' Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, a film I own and admire, moreso for the performances than the actual film itself. This was a very vibrant period in Woodward's career with some of her best work of the period (Rachel, Rachel, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, "Sybil", etc.) While the film doesn't know what to do with its "gay storyline" (and neither does Rita), there are moments in this film that are ridiculously, almost painfully human, especially the interplay between Rita and her mother (played by Sylvia Sydney). **SPOILER** The moment when Sydney is dying on the street after seeing Wild Strawberries with her daughter, and asks her to just hold her for godssake, and Rita waffles, there is nothing more heartbreaking.
I also find Rita's nightmare of people punching their way out of the windows of an airborne flight in order to escape to be terrifying, as someone who has experienced heart-dropping in-flight turbulence in the past.
It would be interesting to see how this race might've fared had Tatum O'Neal been rightfully considered in the lead category for her classic performance in Paper Moon.
Edited By flipp525 on 1256143074
Marsha Mason was a party girl, a prostitute, a girl in a bar with a child in Cinderella Liberty? Honestly, I don't remember. She started off one way in the film and by the end, she was someone else. And, to answer the question of whether the movie is good or not -- the answer is a resounding no. I think I much preferred the desperation she portrayed in her other James Caan pairing in Chapter Two, a role for which she was also nominated in 1979. By the way, where are the outcries that Mason deserves an Oscar? Doesn't she have more lead actress nods than almost any actress alive? I suppose she was more of a certain period of acting and that period is now over. Several of her roles were simply variations of the same character, a character she admittedly did well, but was it ever any different?
Barbra Streisand is going to get absolutely hammered on this board, so I'll pipe in with some initial support. I like the idea of the "ugly girl" going after the beautiful, blonde WASP boy and getting him...for awhile. It's a story people can get behind because of its underdog quality. And the Redford/Streisand chemistry is really wonderful (Redford, of course, was also nominated this year for his role in The Sting -- his only acting nod to date). Streisand's nomination seems more like the Academy's way of recognizing the success of The Way We Were and performing the double duty of re-affirming Streisand's previous win (there have been doubts that the extra vote "tying" her with Hepburn, undoubtedly cast by Streisand herself, was not earned). Also, that last scene, that "Sex and the City" famously paid homage to, is a classic.
The Exorcist was one of those "movies that shook the world" and anyone and everyone associated with it was going to find some awards recognition, earned, unearned or even unacknowledged (Mercedes McCambridge). Burstyn's portrayal of Chris, her slow steady sense of escalating horror at her daughter's demonic transformation is something to behold. I run the "Exorcist steps" at least twice a week when I do my Georgetown run and I'm often reminded anew just how successfully chilling the film truly is.
As kaytodd stated down-thread, Glenda Jackson should be listed for her performance in A Touch of Class, not Sunday, Bloody Sunday which we've already dispositioned in 1971. On her second win, as she watched it from home, Jackson remarked: "I felt disgusted with myself, as though I were attending a public hanging...No one should have a chance to see so much desire, so much need for a prize, and so much pain when it is not given." So, clearly, she had little interest in winning the thing. Which isn't to say it's not a great performance. The dour, stiff upper-lipped Jackson, lets her hair down in this 70's comedic romp that, while seeming tame by today's standards, must've been fairly scandalous at the time (I'm sure Mister Tee and others will pipe in with their 18-year-old, or 22-year-old perspectives).
I give the Oscar to Joanne Woodward for her rich performance as Rita, the Ice Queen of Park Avenue in Gil Cates' Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, a film I own and admire, moreso for the performances than the actual film itself. This was a very vibrant period in Woodward's career with some of her best work of the period (Rachel, Rachel, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, "Sybil", etc.) While the film doesn't know what to do with its "gay storyline" (and neither does Rita), there are moments in this film that are ridiculously, almost painfully human, especially the interplay between Rita and her mother (played by Sylvia Sydney). **SPOILER** The moment when Sydney is dying on the street after seeing Wild Strawberries with her daughter, and asks her to just hold her for godssake, and Rita waffles, there is nothing more heartbreaking.
I also find Rita's nightmare of people punching their way out of the windows of an airborne flight in order to escape to be terrifying, as someone who has experienced heart-dropping in-flight turbulence in the past.
It would be interesting to see how this race might've fared had Tatum O'Neal been rightfully considered in the lead category for her classic performance in Paper Moon.
Edited By flipp525 on 1256143074
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell