Best Actress Ranking - Update

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

My winning performances are 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. Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
6. Janet Gaynor in Seventh Heaven (1927-1928)   
7. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
8. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)
9. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)
10. Edith Evans in The Whisperers (1967)

11. Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
12. Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939)
13. Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
14. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
15. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
16. Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941)
17. Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)
18. Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)
19. Glenda Jackson in Women in Love (1970)
20. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)

21. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
22. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
23. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)
24. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)
25. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
26. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
27. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)
28. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
29. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
30. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)

31. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
32. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)
33. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)
34. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
35. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
36. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
37. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)
38. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)
39. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)
40. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

41. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
42. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
43. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
44. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)
45. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
46. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)
47. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)

Kate Winslet as Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Finding a position for Kate Winslet’s performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was difficult for two reasons: One because my opinion on her performance did not really change as you can see from her position (and somehow when you re-rank something you always expect everything to turn out completely new) and second because it’s a performance that is held in such high regard that it just becomes extremely difficult to remain objective about it. It’s easy to judge performances that won Oscars or critics awards because everyone has different opinions – but Kate’s turn as Clementine is so many times mentioned as one of the greatest performances of all time, one that constantly turns up on ‘All-time best’ lists and one that is in general so beloved by everyone that you start feeling guilty when you not join 100%.

As you can see from her position, I do admire her work very much, however. I might not join the “best of all time” group but it’s definitely a performance that sparkles with creativity and originality. And this might even be the biggest achievement of Kate Winslet: the “manic pixie dream girl” has by now become such a cliché that it might appear to be just another addition to this group. But Kate Winslet always makes it clear that her Clementine doesn’t behave out the way she does out of the screenplay’s intentions but by her character’s own choosing. Her work is as natural as it can get – considering the type of role she plays, certainly not an easy task.

As I don’t really have a lot of new things to say about this performance, I will keep this review short. I just want to highlight what I admire most about this performance is Kate Winslet’s ability to add so many different sides to her character while never changing her nature. You can clearly see the unlikable sides of Clementine in Joe’s early memories, how she can begin to repel everyone around her with her behavior. But the further Joe goes back, the more relaxed and sympathetic Clementine becomes even though she never actively tries to win the audience’s or any other characters sympathies.

While I would personally say that Jim Carrey gives the best performance of the movie, I have no problems admiring Kate Winslet’s performance of a stereotype that rises above any clichés and creates an unforgettable character (pun intended).  

And a hint to the next performance that will be ranked: