Best Actress Ranking - Update

Here is a new update. The newly added performance is highlighted in bold. 

If five performances from the same year are included, the winning performance is higlighted in red.

1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Jessica Lange in Frances (1982)
3. Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
4. Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949)
5. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
6. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
7. Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven (1927-1928)   
8. Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
9. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
10. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)

11. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
12. Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
13. Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
14. Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
15. Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
16. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
17. Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004)
18. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
19. Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! (2001)
20. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

21. Simone Signoret in Room at the Top (1959)
22. Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941)
23. Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
24. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)
25. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970)
26. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
27. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
28. Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
29. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
30. Sissy Spacek in In the Bedroom (2001)

31. Halle Berry in Monster's Ball (2001)
32. Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
33. Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999)
34. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie (1998)
35. Judi Dench in Iris (2001)
36. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)
37. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)
38. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
39. Meryl Streep in The Devil wears Prada (2006)
40. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)

41. Julie Walters in Educating Rita (1983)
42. Anne Baxter in All about Eve (1950)
43. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)
44. Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
45. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
46. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
47. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)
48. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
49. Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
50. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)

51. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)
52. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
53. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
54. Martha Scott in Our Town (1940)
55. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
56. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)
57. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)
58. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)
59. Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949)
60. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story (1951)

61. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
62. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
63. Louise Dresser in A Ship comes in (1927-1928)
64. Dorothy McGuire in Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
65. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
66. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
67. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)
68. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
69. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)
70. Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1928-29)

71. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)
72. Bette Davis in The Star (1952)

Dorothy McGuire as Kathy Lacy in Gentleman's Agreement

As I have already written about Dorothy’s performance before and my opinion on her has not really changed overall, I will keep my thoughts brief.

Overall, this is a very peculiar nomination because rarely has the presence of a Best Actress nominee felt so…unnecessary. As I stated in my original review, Dorothy McGuire has the bad luck of being part of the least interesting storyline of Gentleman’s Agreement and that is still correct. The movie is about Phil’s story and how he pretends to be Jewish for an article and the reaction of the people around him. The reaction of Dorothy McGuire’s Kathy is certainly an interesting one as she is the kind of person who considers herself to be as open-minded and liberal as possible but slowly shows the hypocrisy of her character when faced with anti-Semitism (or as she calls it, “that thing”) directly. But it is only one reaction and the love story itself simply feels too strongly forced into the picture and it simply doesn’t deserve the kind of attention it gets (even having the movie end with Phil and Kacy embracing each other) because it never becomes part of the true story. And therefore it is very difficult for Dorothy McGuire to make any kind of impression – she is not a supporting actress, her screen time justifies her leading status but, as mentioned in the beginning, she never feels like a integral part of the movie.

Besides the problems of the part itself, Dorothy McGuire adds to these as well. I admit, I have only seen a few movies with her but usually she is a charming and welcome screen presence but she is strangely stiff and lifeless in Gentleman’s Agreement. Most of her scenes feel very awkward and her chemistry with Gregory Peck is rather non-existent – which is obviously a big problem since the love story is the main reason for her presence in the picture. In most of her scenes with Gregory Peck, she whispers her lines in a strangely affected manner – take the scene when Gregory’s Phil arrives to pick her up and she surprises him by already coming down in the elevator. Both are so…bored in their reaction to one another, it’s hard not to imagine co-star Celeste Holm expressing honest joy in a situation like this.

This is actually another problem for Dorothy McGuire – the presence of Celeste Holm. This Oscar winner crafts an entire character with maybe 15 minutes of screen time, she steals every scene she appears in without even trying and is such a living and breathing creation that it’s not hard to actually be mad at the movie makers for forcing Phil to be together with Kathy at the end when Celeste Holm’s Ann is right there – the only reason to be happy for Phil and Ann not to end up together is thinking that Ann can do much better…of course the goal here is not to compare Celeste Holm and Dorothy McGuire but to judge Dorothy on her own but Celeste Holm’s work makes the shortcomings in Dorothy McGuire’s acting style even more obvious and it again doesn’t help that a supporting player basically makes you wish the leading lady would just go away…

So, on the one hand, Dorothy McGuire faced an already lost battle as the love story in Gentleman’s Agreement and the relationship between Kathy and Phil never feels as relevant in the context of the story as the movie makes want the viewers to believe and she didn’t do herself any favour by adding to this with a too lifeless and stiff acting style that makes Kathy an even less interesting character in the process. But strangely enough, there are still some upsides to her work.

The most surprising aspect of her work is that, unlike most other unsatisfying performances in this category, she somehow completely ruins the rather simple parts of her performance but shines in the more complex situations. All her romantic scenes with Gregory Peck, telling about her past with her husband, talking about her little house in the country or accepting his marriage proposal, should be rather easy to realize but unfortunately never come alive. On the other hand, she shines in the moments when her character's hypocrisy becomes noticeable and she has to justify her thinking to Phil and herself. Her best scenes is undoubtedly when Phil tells her of his plan to tell everyone that he is Jewish and she reacts with a stunned “Jewish…but you’re not, Phil, are you? Not that it would make any difference to me.” It’s a reaction that is both surprising but also very familiar and her way of quickly trying to cover her initial shock with smiles and putting her behaviour into perspective is extremely intriguing. Also her other fight scenes with Gregory Peck, when she constantly expresses her desire to fight “this thing” while also never willing to risk anything for it, work much better than their romantic moments. Also the break-up scene between Phil and Kathy works very well because Kathy truly owns her feelings and thinking and yes, her hypocrisy, in this moment, and Dorothy McGuire makes this truly believable – she really nails the attitude of a person who considers herself extremely tolerant and liberal but also finds all sorts of excuses and explanations for never going against those people who aren’t.

But unfortunately these aspects of Kathy’s character are not developed any deeper by the movie makers. Her hypocrisy is never explored in relation to her character but only how it affects her relationship to Phil. And since the movie is determined to bring those two back together in the end, it threw in a short scene of Kathy realising her own faults. But this moment never feels earned in the context of the story and is unfortunately both clumsily written and acted – it’s hard to believe that a woman that is presented as sophisticated and intelligent throughout the picture is unable to realise that just “sitting there and feeling ashamed” when she witnesses anti-Semitism is not a way to fight it and Dorothy McGuire’s acting style becomes far too melodramatic in this moment and again feels much less believable than her moments of anger or hidden prejudice.

So, it is a performance that didn’t really have a lot of chances but one that still could have been far more interesting and engaging if the actress had been more alive and natural on the screen. Dorothy McGuire shines in the more complex scenes but those moments unfortunately never develop any further and she lacks too much energy outside of these scenes to make a lasting impression or to even justify her importance to the plot and to Phil. 

Best Actress Ranking - Update

Here is a new update. The newly added performance is highlighted in bold. 

If five performances from the same year are included, the winning performance is higlighted in red.

1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Jessica Lange in Frances (1982)
3. Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
4. Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949)
5. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
6. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
7. Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven (1927-1928)   
8. Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
9. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
10. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)

11. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
12. Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
13. Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
14. Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
15. Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
16. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
17. Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004)
18. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
19. Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! (2001)
20. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

21. Simone Signoret in Room at the Top (1959)
22. Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941)
23. Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
24. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)
25. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970)
26. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
27. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
28. Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
29. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
30. Sissy Spacek in In the Bedroom (2001)

31. Halle Berry in Monster's Ball (2001)
32. Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
33. Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999)
34. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie (1998)
35. Judi Dench in Iris (2001)
36. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)
37. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)
38. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
39. Meryl Streep in The Devil wears Prada (2006)
40. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)

41. Julie Walters in Educating Rita (1983)
42. Anne Baxter in All about Eve (1950)
43. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)
44. Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
45. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
46. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
47. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)
48. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
49. Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
50. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)

51. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)
52. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
53. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
54. Martha Scott in Our Town (1940)
55. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
56. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)
57. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)
58. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)
59. Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949)
60. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story (1951)

61. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
62. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
63. Louise Dresser in A Ship comes in (1927-1928)
64. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
65. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
66. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)
67. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
68. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)
69. Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1928-29)
70. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)

71. Bette Davis in The Star (1952)

Julie Walters as Susan "Rita" White in Educating Rita

Julie Walters’s performance in Educating Rita does have its fair share of admirers and I have seen many Oscar bloggers who actually give her the win for 1983. I cannot say yet where she will be placed in my 1983 ranking since she’s the first from that line-up to be included, but you can already see from the position now that I am not totally convinced here. I get why people are so charmed by her – she is a completely natural and lovely screen presence and her character development is the kind of personal journey you just love to watch and are happy to see triumph in the end. I personally see some shortcomings which more result from the script than from her performance but she sometimes added to them, too.

I have not read the play Educating Rita but from what I learned on the Internet, it is actually a two-person-play that takes places entirely within Frank’s office. The movie version opened the play up, introducing various secondary characters and letting different scenes take place in other locations. This concept was both successful and harmed the movie – because on the one hand it gave the movie an interesting flow and made the plot better suited to the big screen (a play can easily take place in one location with two people but a movie usually needs to include a bigger vision) but on the other hand, it made the plot rather repetitious (as we now see certain scenes with secondary characters and then have Frank and Rita talk about it again) and also took away the focus from the movie’s greatest strength – having Frank and Rita simply sitting together in his office, talking.

So let me start with saying where Julie Walters fails in her work or rather, where her material fails her. The introduction of her character is probably the best example – Rita (actually Susan) cannot open the door to Frank’s office and pushes against it from the outside before flying in his office and starting to talk with him with her unique voice and distinct accent, starting a stream of consciousness that immediately displays her personality and her goals for Frank and the viewer. As written, she resembles the pixie manic dream girl, but without the “dream” and without any romantic attachment but with the obligatory ever-changing conversations, the unconventional behaviour and the strong determination but sometimes written too on-the-nose (when her husband re-builds their living-room and Rita takes the hammer, is anyone surprised that she will cause the whole wall to collapse?).

That introductory scene probably works well on the stage and is the kind of introduction you expect for a character like hers but in the movie, we have already seen Rita coming to Frank’s office and see her pushing against the door from outside and it simply lessens the impact of this first, quick moment. Again, this is not the fault of Julie Walters but the movie constantly seems to hold her back. This failure is repeated later when Rita, after having gotten a new bohemian friend, comes into his office with a new wardrobe and a new behaviour – it’s a scene that is similar to Ellen Burstyn suddenly turning into a hippie in Same Time, Next Year but again, in the movie version we have seen Rita’s new friend and therefore the effect of Rita adapting to this lifestyle is no surprise (and since Maureen Lipman playing this bohemian friend gives an out-of-this-world awful performance – shockingly BAFTA-nominated –, it also doesn’t make any sense for Rita to be so completely in awe of her).

Furthermore, the script of Educating Rita often doesn’t allow Julie Walters to play any notes beyond a very small template – the first half of the movie basically consists of the same scene, in some slight variation, over and over again: Rita complains about her situation as it is and wants to “discover meself”, to achieve something beyond what society has determined her life to be, she argues with Frank about books and her essays and is determined to go on and learn. It doesn’t matter if Rita is still curious to meet Frank, angry about feeling humiliated or upset because of her broken marriage, the pattern is always the same and begins to feel repetitious very soon. Educating Rita is a movie that is clearly very proud of every word it contains but doesn’t allow its character to grow by themselves – every step, every decision, every thought that has to be over-explained again and again, leaving Julie Walters little room to explore her character and add any dimensions. Also, once Rita has “discovered meself” in the second half, the movie seems rather lost about what to do with her – when Rita and Frank grow momentarily apart, it becomes obvious how strongly her performance depends on her relationship with Michael Caine and how both Rita and Julie Walters suffer when he is not around.

These are aspects of her movie that lessen the impact of Julie Walter’s work but she also adds to some missteps in the characterization. The main problem is that, while Julie Walters perfectly embodies Rita in a completely authentic and natural way, she never truly answers the question what exactly drives her – why is she so eager to learn and why literature specifically? Of course the movie doesn’t answer this questions either but it would have been nice to see Julie Walters concerning herself more with the reasons for Rita’s decisions instead of simply presenting them. Furthermore, Julie Walters clearly knows Rita and her relationship to Frank based on her experience in the stage production – but not the backstory of Rita that was added in the movie. I can imagine Julie Walters on the stage, talking effectively about her family and her husband, but the scenes in the movie, that show her with these people, never truly work – Julie Walters has no chemistry with the actor playing her husband or other members of her “former” life and she also seems rather helpless in the scene when Danny is burning her books, again being significantly better in the next scene when she talks about the experience, again underlining that her stage experience helped her to create in the part in a way that reflects on her life instead of experiencing it (something that is again repeated when Rita doesn’t dare to enter Frank’s party and later tells him about it). It does make sense that Rita feels lost around her family as she is moving on but she gives no reason why she was ever involved with a man like Danny in the first place and again doesn’t answer the question why she feels the need to develop in a different direction.

Ok, this was a lot of negativity for a performance that, even though not perfect, still offers a lot to admire. First of foremost, Julie Walters has to be applauded for being the single reason why Rita, even within her limits, succeeds at all. As stated above, the character’s writing is very flawed but Julie Walters so completely embodies this role in a good-natured spirit that you can’t help but be won over – she seems to be a performer who really enjoys her work, who loves being Rita and who clearly thought about her characterization and line-reading but never seems to over-think them. Comedy and drama both come extremely easy to her, neither her bright smile nor her sad eyes ever seem forced. She also believably shows all the steps in Rita’s transformation – her character at the end is still the same woman as she was in the beginning, simply with a different look on life and a new understanding of herself. Rita is a character that is clearly written to be liked but she also has her flaws and edges and Julie Walters isn’t afraid to point them out – but she never loses her charm and likeable personality while doing so.

And beyond that, Julie Walters has impeccable chemistry with Michael Caine – which is the key to the whole movie. Their relationship never feels sexual but is one of mutual respect and friendship and both actors work very hard to establish these feelings – without ever making it seem hard. Both Michael Caine and Julie Walters are very natural in their behaviour towards each other and Julie Walters also shows the steps in this friendship – while her personality makes it clear right away that Rita is a perfect match for Frank, Julie Walters still shows a certain level of uncertainty around him but never lets Rita feel inferior. Julie Walters beautifully shows how Rita slowly develops herself, how she experiments and gets lost and how she finally becomes more satisfied with life and herself - and how this affects her relationship with Frank. 

So, I have overall mixed feelings about this performance but it’s hard to deny the unique charm that Julie Walters brought to this clichéd role.

Best Actress Ranking - Update

Here is a new update - the class of 2001. The newly added performances are highlighted in bold. 

If five performances from the same year are included, the winning performance is higlighted in red.

1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Jessica Lange in Frances (1982)
3. Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
4. Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949)
5. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
6. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
7. Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven (1927-1928)   
8. Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
9. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
10. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)

11. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
12. Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
13. Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
14. Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
15. Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
16. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
17. Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004)
18. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
19. Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! (2001)
20. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

21. Simone Signoret in Room at the Top (1959)
22. Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941)
23. Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
24. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)
25. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970)
26. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
27. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
28. Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
29. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
30. Sissy Spacek in In the Bedroom (2001)

31. Halle Berry in Monster's Ball (2001)
32. Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
33. Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999)
34. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie (1998)
35. Judi Dench in Iris (2001)
36. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)
37. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)
38. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
39. Meryl Streep in The Devil wears Prada (2006)
40. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)

41. Anne Baxter in All about Eve (1950)
42. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)
43. Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
44. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
45. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
46. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)
47. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
48. Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
49. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)
50. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)

51. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
52. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
53. Martha Scott in Our Town (1940)
54. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
55. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)
56. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)
57. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)
58. Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949)
59. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story (1951)
60. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

61. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
62. Louise Dresser in A Ship comes in (1927-1928)
63. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
64. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
65. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)
66. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
67. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)
68. Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1928-29)
69. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)
70. Bette Davis in The Star (1952)

Best Actress Ranking - Update

Here is a new update. The newly added performance is highlighted in bold. 

If five performances from the same year are included, the winning performance is higlighted in red.

1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Jessica Lange in Frances (1982)
3. Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
4. Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949)
5. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
6. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
7. Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven (1927-1928)   
8. Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
9. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
10. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)

11. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
12. Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
13. Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
14. Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
15. Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
16. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
17. Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004)
18. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
19. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
20. Simone Signoret in Room at the Top (1959)

21. Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941)
22. Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
23. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)
24. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970)
25. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
26. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
27. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
28. Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
29. Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999)
30. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie (1998)

31. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)
32. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)
33. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
34. Meryl Streep in The Devil wears Prada (2006)
35. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
36. Anne Baxter in All about Eve (1950)
37. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)
38. Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
39. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
40. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

41. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)
42. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
43. Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
44. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)
45. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)
46. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
47. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
48. Martha Scott in Our Town (1940)
49. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
50. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)

51. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)
52. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)
53. Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949)
54. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story (1951)
55. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
56. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
57. Louise Dresser in A Ship comes in (1927-1928)
58. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
59. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
60. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)

61. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
62. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)
63. Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1928-29)
64. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)
65. Bette Davis in The Star (1952)

Hilary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby

Another performance that has been reviewed before. As my opinion did not really change, I refer you to my old review.

Best Actress Ranking - Update

Here is a new update. The newly added performance is highlighted in bold. 

If five performances from the same year are included, the winning performance is higlighted in red.

1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Jessica Lange in Frances (1982)
3. Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
4. Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949)
5. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
6. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
7. Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven (1927-1928)   
8. Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
9. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
10. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)

11. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
12. Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
13. Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
14. Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
15. Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
16. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
17. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
18. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
19. Simone Signoret in Room at the Top (1959)
20. Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941)

21. Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
22. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)
23. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970)
24. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
25. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
26. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
27. Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
28. Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999)
29. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie (1998)
30. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)

31. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)
32. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
33. Meryl Streep in The Devil wears Prada (2006)
34. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
35. Anne Baxter in All about Eve (1950)
36. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)
37. Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
38. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
39. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
40. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)

41. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
42. Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
43. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)
44. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)
45. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
46. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
47. Martha Scott in Our Town (1940)
48. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
49. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)
50. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)

51. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)
52. Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949)
53. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story (1951)
54. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
55. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
56. Louise Dresser in A Ship comes in (1927-1928)
57. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
58. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
59. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)
60. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)

61. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)
62. Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1928-29)
63. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)
64. Bette Davis in The Star (1952)

Louise Dresser as Mrs. Pleznik in A Ship comes in

Another performance that has been reviewed before. As my opinion did not really change, I refer you to my old review.

Best Actress Ranking - Update

Here is a new update. The newly added performance is highlighted in bold. 

If five performances from the same year are included, the winning performance is higlighted in red.

1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Jessica Lange in Frances (1982)
3. Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
4. Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949)
5. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
6. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
7. Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven (1927-1928)   
8. Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
9. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
10. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)

11. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
12. Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
13. Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
14. Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
15. Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
16. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
17. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
18. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
19. Simone Signoret in Room at the Top (1959)
20. Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941)

21. Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
22. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)
23. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970)
24. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
25. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
26. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
27. Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
28. Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999)
29. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie (1998)
30. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)

31. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)
32. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
33. Meryl Streep in The Devil wears Prada (2006)
34. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
35. Anne Baxter in All about Eve (1950)
36. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)
37. Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
38. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
39. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
40. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)

41. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
42. Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
43. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)
44. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)
45. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
46. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
47. Martha Scott in Our Town (1940)
48. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
49. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)
50. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)

51. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)
52. Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949)
53. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story (1951)
54. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
55. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
56. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
57. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
58. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)
59. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
60. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)

61. Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1928-29)
62. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)
63. Bette Davis in The Star (1952)

Annette Bening as Carolyn Burnham in American Beauty

If I had done this ranking 20 years ago, there is a good chance that Annette Bening might simply have been my Number 1. I was absolutely crazy about American Beauty when it first came out – and if you ever click on my Best PictureRanking, you can see that I actually still am. This love covered every aspect of the movie, obviously Kevin Spacey’s central role as Lester Burnham, but back in 1999, Annette Bening was probably the part of the movie I loved the most (I guess the Actress lover in me has always been very strong). There was just something so unusual about her, despite the conservative character she is playing, and her energy on the screen was just out-of-this world and gave a totally different balance to the central relationship. And I still do admire many parts of this performance, but as you can see from my ranking, my appreciation no longer knows no boundaries and I came to realize that the writing does affect her work.

Even though I still am crazy about American Beauty, I am not blind to its many flaws – many, many flaws. I can basically watch the movie and tell you every minute a new thing that is wrong with it – but American Beauty is one of the few movies that somehow totally escapes this criticism and, at least for me, comes out at the end, despite all its flaws, as a pure masterpiece. I don’t know what it is about it that keeps me so completely fascinated but I just cannot deny its power and perfection despite all its actual imperfection.

But even if the movie as a whole is perfect for me, I don’t automatically transfer this impression to every one of its aspects anymore. I still think that Kevin Spacey is perfection in the central role – again, despite the flaws because in a lot of ways, he actually seems miscast as his screen persona never truly embodies the average guy he is supposed to be. And Annette Bening is also incredibly strong as I said in the beginning, I still appreciate many aspects of her work, but I cannot overlook the fact that in her case, the limits of the part are too strong to fully embrace her work.

The first thing I have to say is: it is still true that Annette Bening brings an unexpected amount of energy and dedication to the part that makes her seem like the only possible choice for Carolyn. She attacks this role so completely, making every single moment of her appearance count and she balances drama and comedy flawlessly, making Carolyn a much stronger focus than it would have been otherwise. Because her status as a leading lady is actually debatable – American Beauty always circles around Kevin Spacey and Carolyn is not a bigger part of the film than their daughter Jane, they are aspects of Lester’s life that come and go but are never as developed as he is. Or rather, Jane actually is a layered character – Carolyn unfortunately feels too limited in the way the scrip presents her but also the way that Annette Bening plays her. It’s admirable that she so completely embraced the shrewish nature of the character and that she managed to gain sympathy by adding humur and pathos to her role but the part is not as deep as the movie would like you to believe and her characterization doesn’t always widen Carolyn as a person.

As I just said, the energy and dedication of her acting is astounding. From her first close-up, she treats Carolyn as a force of nature – the way she laughs nervously when Lester introduces himself, the way she snaps at her husband and her daughter, the way she drunkenly flirts with the “Real Estate King” or slaps herself after failing to sell a house are all moments that didn’t need to be as great as they are and that all benefit from Annette Bening’s way of being both seriousness and a caricature. Even though Kevin Spacey’s has the best character and also gives the best performance in the movie, Annette Bening absorbs every bit of attention whenever she is on-screen. She also manages to create Carolyn as a logical flow within the movie – as long as you don’t think too much about the flaws in her character, everything in her work fits right into the style of American Beauty. Who can forget her fight with Lester at the dining room table or her complete breakdown at the end of the movie? She creates an unforgettable character and really does this all by herself.

The reasons why I am not placing her higher lie in both the script but also Annette Bening’s performance – because even if she creates something unforgettable, this is only in relation to the fact that American Beauty is not interested in her and takes the same view of her character as Lester does: that she is a mostly shrill, humourless shrew and Lester is more than right to start treating her like crap. American Beauty is never truly interested in her point of view – Lester gives us all his reasoning and thinking in Voice Over, Annette Bening’s Carolyn doesn’t have this luxury and so many of her motives and decisions remain unclear. Annette Bening’s performance works in the contact of satire and caricature but it doesn’t really elevate Carolyn to a human being – it is fun to see her having an affair, but neither the movie nor her performance ever explain the reasons why Carolyn, so careful about her image of perfection, makes this step, in total contrast to Lester who’s lusting after his daughter’s highschool friend is given much more room. Neither Annette Bening nor the script explain why Carolyn turned into the woman she is today and Annette Bening’s performance also doesn’t take benefit of the scenes when Carolyn is not with Lester – here, Annette Bening might have deepened the character of Carolyn but instead she continues to play Carolyn the way Lester sees her. She is a good sport about many things but I wish she had fought a bit more to give Carolyn her point of view - for example when Carolyn sees Lester working out in the garage; that scene could have been played with a bit of humor and curiousity but Annette Bening too quickly and willingly presents herself as the opposite of Kevin Spacey's Lester, only there to make him look more appealing to the audience. There is unfortunately no element of surprise in her work and again – it benefits the movie and is still thrilling to watch but like a lot of other elements of American Beauty, it doesn’t totally hold up to a “closer look”.

So, this is a performance that does have a special meaning for me as it might have been the first best actress performance I was completely crazy about (and I was devastated for weeks when she lost the Oscar) but a more subjective look has shown me that what I love about this performance (the total dedication, the willingness to so strongly go along) are also the reasons why Carolyn doesn’t reach the potential she might have had if the movie had asked her to be a real human instead of a concept. Still, Annette Bening does excellent work that, within its limits, stood the test of time and is thrilling to watch.

Best Actress Ranking - Update

Here is a new update. The newly added performance is highlighted in bold. 

If five performances from the same year are included, the winning performance is higlighted in red.

1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Jessica Lange in Frances (1982)
3. Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
4. Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949)
5. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
6. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
7. Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven (1927-1928)   
8. Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
9. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
10. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)

11. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
12. Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
13. Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
14. Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
15. Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
16. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
17. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
18. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
19. Simone Signoret in Room at the Top (1959)
20. Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941)

21. Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
22. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)
23. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970)
24. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
25. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
26. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
27. Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
28. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie (1998)
29. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)
30. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)

31. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
32. Meryl Streep in The Devil wears Prada (2006)
33. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
34. Anne Baxter in All about Eve (1950)
35. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)
36. Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
37. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
38. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
39. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)
40. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)

41. Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
42. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)
43. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)
44. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
45. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
46. Martha Scott in Our Town (1940)
47. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
48. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)
49. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)
50. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)

51. Jeanne Crain in Pinky (1949)
52. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story (1951)
53. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
54. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
55. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
56. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
57. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)
58. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
59. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)
60. Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1928-29)

61. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)
62. Bette Davis in The Star (1952)

Jeanne Crain as Patricia 'Pinky' Johnson in Pinky

Jeanne Crain's performance is another one I already covered in detail, so I just refer you to my old review.

Best Actress Ranking - Update

Here is a new update. The newly added performance is highlighted in bold. 

If five performances from the same year are included, the winning performance is higlighted in red.

1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)
2. Jessica Lange in Frances (1982)
3. Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
4. Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949)
5. Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
6. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
7. Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven (1927-1928)   
8. Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
9. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
10. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)

11. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
12. Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
13. Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)
14. Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
15. Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
16. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
17. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
18. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
19. Simone Signoret in Room at the Top (1959)
20. Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941)

21. Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
22. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)
23. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970)
24. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
25. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
26. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
27. Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
28. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie (1998)
29. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)
30. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)

31. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
32. Meryl Streep in The Devil wears Prada (2006)
33. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
34. Anne Baxter in All about Eve (1950)
35. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)
36. Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
37. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
38. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
39. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)
40. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)

41. Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
42. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)
43. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)
44. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
45. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
46. Martha Scott in Our Town (1940)
47. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
48. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)
49. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)
50. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)

51. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story (1951)
52. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
53. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
54. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
55. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
56. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)
57. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
58. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)
59. Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1928-29)
60. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)

61. Bette Davis in The Star (1952)

Lee Remick as Kirsten Clay in Days of Wine and Roses

Lee Remick seems very often to be the typical „fifth“ nominee – an actor or actress who often gets lost in the competition of four more well-known performers and performances (other examples that come to my mind are Martha Scott in Our Town or Eleanor Parker in Caged). 1962 saw Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Geraldine Page and Anne Bancroft battle it out in the Best Actress category, with signature work from nearly everyone involved and Lee Remick often seems to just be along for the ride…But very often, the “fifth nominee” does in no way need to hide between more famous co-nominees (Luise Rainer is basically the “fifth nominee” in 1937 and she deservedly won), as great performances don’t only come in movies that are more remembered today and are not only given by well-known performers. But even if Lee Remick might be the fifth nominee from today’s point of view, I actually think that she had a much better chance at the gold than most think today. Apparently, Bette Davis herself found Lee Remick’s performance astonishing and thought that if anyone would stop her from getting that third Oscar, it would be her. Personally, I could easily imagine that, even if most people today seem to narrow the race down to her more well-known co-nominees, she was an important part of the race.

Katharine Hepburn was the sole nomination for her movie that is not the kind of movie that many Academy members were likely to watch in the first place (similar to Rosalind Russell and Mourning Becomes Electra) and there was not yet a strong desire to award her with a second Oscar. And let’s be honest: no matter what Bette Davis said in all those talk-shows later or what Feud might imply, I just don’t see Academy members embracing her work in Whatever happened to Baby Jane? and awarding her with a third Oscar. Yes, Whatever happened to Baby Jane? did receive multiple nominations and even won an Oscar for Costume Design, but the Academy is less afraid to award movies like this on a technical level (for comparisons, see many of the winners for Best Make-Up) – giving it an acting award however, especially when the performer in question already has 2 Oscars at home, is an entirely different matter. Not even Agnes Mooreheard could win a Supporting Oscar two years later for a similar movie and she was considered overdue for her first win at this point. So, I personally think that Bette was rather fourth in this race and not as close to the win as she often liked to say and should have been happy that the Academy actually nominated her. In my eyes, the race actually came down to Anne Bancroft, Geraldine Page – and Lee Remick. Anne Bancroft’s win is not really that surprising – she plays the only nominee in this line-up who is not addicted to alcohol or drugs and instead feels rather heroic in her determination to teach blind and deaf Helen Keller to understand the world around her. Of course, besides this, she also delivered a top-notch performance and the physicality of her role was surely considered a revelation at its time (both Anne Bancroft and Bette Davis appeared on What’s my Line? before the Oscars and while you can see that everyone loves Bette for who she is, everyone is clearly in awe of Anne Bancroft’s performance). I also think that Geraldine Page was a strong factor in the race – she had the Broadway prestige, the Tennessee Williams prestige, the loss a year before and Sweet Bird of Youth was probably also seen as a strong movie adaptation (that also won an award for Supporting Actor). And Lee Remick? I think that hers might have been a popular performance with voters as well because she was the only “addict” nominee whose downfall was presented as a heart-breaking development – her addicted co-nominees also suffer, but they are also sometimes appalling and are suffering from their addictions right from the start. In the case of Lee Remick, the viewer feels much more sympathy for her suffering as she starts the movie as a young, innocent woman and she also never actively decided to become an alcoholic but rather is pushed along this ride by her husband. All this makes it very easy to feel for her and I can see a lot of Academy voters reacting positively to this transformation. Of course, in the end, it’s all pure speculation…so what about Lee Remick’s actual performance?

Thankfully I can say that this performance already shows the strength of the 1962 line-up since even the least talked-about nominee of this group delivers a very strong and beautiful performance. But this shouldn’t come as a surprise – Lee Remick was a very unaffected and instinctive screen actress to whom a lot of often difficult acting jobs came very naturally, something that is especially important in many key scenes of Days of Wine and Roses. As I said above, this is also a very heart-breaking performance of a very innocent character – something that provides Lee Remick with her strongest moments but also prevents her from going further up in my ranking as the part often holds her back or puts her in a too passive role as she too rarely gets to shape her own fate.

Days of Wine and Roses is famously based on a TV movie starring Cliff Robertson (whose anger over being rejected for the movie version caused him to make sure that the same thing wouldn’t happen again with his role in The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon which would be turned into Charly and win him an Oscar later) and Piper Laurie, a much more aggressive and dominant actress than Lee Remick. The casting of Jack Lemmon obviously caused some changes in the production – apparently, many audience members walked out of Days of Wine and Roses in 1962 as they expected a typical Jack Lemmon comedy. And for a while, they would be right – the movie builds its tragedy step by step. The beginning appears like a typical “Will they, won’t they?” romantic comedy where Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick meet, encounter an error of identities, dislike each other before they inevitable fall in love and get married. Jack Lemmon also uses the beginning of the story for some of his trademark goofy humour and it’s easy to see why audience might have been shocked when the story suddenly turns from what seems like a funny drinking game into a tale of two people losing control of their very existence.  

It has to be said that the changes coming with the casting of Jack Lemmon actually make the story more devastating than before – the TV version starts right away at a very low level for both Joe and Kirsten while the movie takes it time and shows them first as a happy couple, making their downfall even more disturbing. But the biggest change between TV and movie version of Days of Wine and Roses actually came in regards to the character of Kirsten – and these changes made her both more memorable and less interesting at the same time. In the TV version, Kirsten is already the same kind of drunk as Joe – they meet at an office party and form a tragic bond while they accompany their growing alcoholism, each one constantly taking the other one step further. In the movie version, Kirsten is anything but an alcoholic – she actually makes it a point that she dislikes alcohol and doesn’t see the point in it. The movie (clumsily) explains that Kirsten suffers from an addictive personality (apparently shown by her “addiction” to chocolate) that later causes her to become an alcoholic once she tasted a sweet Brandy Alexander. This downfall and contrast obviously benefits Lee Remick – she has a very “All American Girl” personality that makes her an innocent and fresh-faced young woman that contrasts very sharply with her later scenes of drunken despair. But this change from TV to movie screen also caused Kirsten to become a person that is too easily pushed around by others and lacks too much energy – she doesn’t like alcohol until Joe makes her taste it, she likes it then but stops after she had a baby until Joe gets upset with her and wants her to drink with him again which she does until he wants to stop, so she stops with him until he has a relapse and starts drinking again which she then does as well…until at the end when he again wants to stop, only this time she will not join him anymore. This constant “following” makes Kirsten the classic supportive wife (only in this case in the worst of meanings) and again, it does make her downfall very memorable but also provides her from being a stronger or more interesting presence – Piper Laurie obviously took every chance to step into the foreground and the fact that Kirsten was constantly her own person helped her to achieve a different kind of impact than Lee Remick. Today, the actress playing Kirsten would most likely enter the Supporting category – don’t get me wrong, this would surely be category fraud but it is still a limited co-lead part that also suffers from the fact that Jack Lemmon gets the clear central role with much more dramatic opportunities.

But the limits of the part itself are thankfully the only problems that Lee Remick faces as her performance within these limits is a beautiful, strong and disturbing portrayal that certainly gets everything out the role. What’s surprising right from the start is how strong her Kirsten rejects Joe at the beginning. He meets her first when he thinks she is one of the party girls he hired for a party when she is actually his bosses secretary and she immediately takes a strong disliking to him – Lee Remick plays this without any softening of her character and when she later slaps him, it again feels surprisingly serious, considering the rather light touch that the movie and Jack Lemmon had built up to that point. However, this seriousness also does harm her performance in a way when Kirsten suddenly has a change of mind and decides to go out with Joe – so far, their dislike of one another had been so convincing that this change does not feel entirely true; however, after that scene, their chemistry much improves and lays the basis for the story to follow.

Lee Remick possesses a very expressive face and eyes that can easily tell very precise stories – when she mentions her father, he eyes show for a short moment the panic in her, the desire to be accepted, the pretending that she does to herself, before she goes back to being a sweet conversation partner. She also has a very melancholic personality that shimmers just underneath that sweetness and innocence that helps to make scenes such as Joe and Kirsten sharing an evening by the waterfront, talking about her parents or a dream about her own death, very noteworthy and in wonderful harmony with the goal of her personal journey. As I said earlier, Lee Remick is also a very natural actress who can express a vast area of different emotions– she can have a totally believable laughing fit when her neighbours come by to complain about the fact that she is spraying poison against the roaches in her apartment or when she is drunk and has to hide it from her father, she can show the sadness from her father’s disapproval or the pain from Joe telling her that she will ruin her shape by breast-feeding her child and of course the drunken helplessness without any artificiality.  

In a certain way, another criticism that one might have of this performance is that Lee Remick doesn’t do anything with the part that most other actresses couldn’t do as well. This is true to a certain extent – Lee Remick doesn’t surprise with her performance but she does add her own personality and she does get out of it what’s humanly possible. Because it might not be possible to do exactly more with this role – but a look at the TV version shows that it’s definitely possible to do less. Piper Laurie was obviously a talented stage actress but her tics and method approach to this part often makes her performance, especially in her drunk scenes, too forced and affected. Her delivery of the line “Can’t you hear a woman calling you?” is done far too aggressive while Lee Remick captures all of the anger, exhaustion and desperation that Kirsten is feeling. Her big drunk scene in a shabby hotel room is clearly Lee Remick’s big “Oscar scene” – and it’s impossible to not feel for Kirsten in this moment as Lee Remick manages to be completely believable as a drunk, never overdoing it but also not ignoring any of the effects that alcohol has on Kirsten. It’s a deeply disturbing scene that might be her “big” moment but, for my money, Lee Remick is even better in her final scene when a sober Kirsten begs Joe to let her come back and live with him and their daughter again while being unable to promise that she will stop drinking. Her face feels so different from the woman at the beginning of the movie and she wonderfully shows how Kirsten is unwilling to stop drinking while refusing to be called an “alcoholic” and finally admits that she rather continues to drink than be with her family. It’s the only time in the movie that Kirsten makes a decision for herself...

So, this is certainly a heart-breaking and beautifully executed performance that worked wonderfully within the movie and in relation to Jack Lemmon. Lee Remick unfortunately too often had to step back as Jack Lemmon dominated the story but she nonetheless left a lasting impression, thanks to her natural and memorable personality that made the journey of Kirsten equally devastating and upsetting.