After having watched and reviewed all five nominated performances, it's time to pick the winner!
Ava Gardener makes her Eloise very earthy and immediately likeable and she basically meets all the challenges of the script but it can’t be denied that these challenges are set very low. Ava Gardener’s personality fits the part just right but this soap opera never demands of her to stretch her talents but always seems like a warm-up for more to come.
Leslie Caron effectively portrays the sweetness and naivety of the character and is that way much more believable than expected but if the highlight of a performance are the scenes when the character is talking to four puppets, then it becomes clear that this is a role that, even with a serious and dedicated performance, doesn’t offer a real challenge and makes it hard to be taken fully seriously.
It’s an overall very unsatisfying movie and leading character – Maggie McNamara tries her best but unfortunately both her performance and her part don’t develop and that way loses the interest of the viewer very soon. Still, it’s a charming and interesting piece of work that unfortunately couldn’t really rise above the material but the lively presence of Maggie McNamara is still the only reason that The Moon is Blue doesn’t fail completely.
2. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity
Deborah Kerr had wonderful material and an intriguing character to work with but it seems that in her performance, she relied too much on the strength of this material and let the writing dominate her performance. Still, her Karen is a strong creation, a woman who is as common as mysterious and as repellent as appealing.
1. Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday
4 comments:
Wow, I wasn't expecting this at all - but its always nice being surprised. :)
I didn't expect that either when I began watching all the nominees but at the same time I am rather happy that this was such a weak year since it allowed me to give a win to Audrey. I don't know about her chances in 54 or 61...
Certainly a weak year, and almost all the nominees are similar in terms of the strength of the material. Kerr does have the best writing behind her, but I agree that her performance is not amazing. I am not sure who I would pick, I would have to re-watch them I guess, since there is not a clear winner.
I was kind of expecting this. :-)
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