Best Actress 1974
Re: Best Actress 1974
Yeah, maybe these movies go best with alcohol and I don't do the mimosa/Bloody Mary thing (or any alcohol before dinner time).
Re: Best Actress 1974
Cassavettes before 8? Whoa.
Re: Best Actress 1974
Great thing about summers off and being an early riser is that by 8:00 I've usually watched a movie already. This morning's was A Woman Under the Influence, and I find myself on Tee's side of this. I started going through Cassavetes during 2020 or 2021 (those years blend together), and stopped with Minnie and Moskowitz which I actually liked, jumped to Gloria which I found pretty ridiculous but was on the Criterion Channel and about to leave, and never bothered with the rest. At that point I was very mixed on Shadows and Faces, and had liked Husbands and Minnie and Moskowitz and generally found that true independence was not a good thing for Cassavetes who indulges himself much more than he did with a studio watching over him. (Terrence Malick is somewhat analogous in a way, in that he needs a studio to give him deadlines, because as we have seen with A Hidden Life--which I think is maybe the best movie of the last half-decade--without that, he will edit so long that principal actors will die before the movie is finished. His last movie has been editing for four years now with no end in sight.) This is true indulgence, way too much for my taste, from A to Z and Z to A again. It lost me in that early spaghetti dinner scene, and not even anything that Rowlands did, but by going on and on having that guy sing for what seemed like an eternity. David Thomson said that Rowlands sometimes seems like a prisoner in Cassavetes' films, and that, along with Kael's quote, is apt. I think that Woody Allen takes the concept of the woman-in-crisis to a much more interesting (and moving) place with Rowlands in Another Woman, which doesn't really share much at all with this film other than the leading lady and the general idea of a protagonist in crisis.Mister Tee wrote: ↑Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:52 am
I'll have to take the contrarian role here and say that, on a lot of levels, I can't stand Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence. Part of it is, I was starting to sour on Cassavettes at the time I saw the film (I'd been disposed toward rooting for him after Husbands, but, with this film, I came to realize the self-indulgence I'd hoped he'd transcend was apparently the element of which he was most proud). But I have problems with Rowlands that go beyond that. No one who raves about her performance should ever be allowed to use the word "Oscar-baity" disparagingly again, because if ever a role/performance begged for prizes this was it. And, up to a point, I can even accept such an effort...but, for me, that point came about a half-hour into the film, and Rowlands just went on and on from there. As Pauline Kael said at the time, "Nothing she does is memorable because she does too much..enough for a whole row of Oscars". I have to say I took it as a great relief when she didn't win that year.
At one point I was thinking, "God that woman who plays Falk's mom is awful", and looking her up, the actress was Cassavetes' mom, which to me is another example of Cassavetes indulging an impulse that really should've been checked. He gives her free reign to go way too far with that character even with just a few scenes.
Care to elaborate upon this? Personally, I tend to see a more generational split than a gay/straight split, especially as we move into those eras where some were around to experience the films/performances first hand.Eric wrote:This is going to sound a bit curt, but the most interesting residue of this series, for me, is discovering just how differently straight and gay men view/process/appraise female performances. I haven't agreed with the people I usually agree with on movies in their totality less often than I have running through these particular contests.
"...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
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Big Magilla
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Mmm... I dont understand the logic of this.Big Magilla wrote:while I may begrudgingly consider her worthy of a nomination for it I would rather declare no winner that year than give her the actual award for it.
And whoever said that Gena Rowlands's performance belongs to camp should see a doctor soon.
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Big Magilla
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I do remember the totally unjustified Variety pan, which is one of the reasons I was so thrilled to see Burstyn triumph at the Oscars. Another was the fact that it stopped Rowlands from winning an undeserved award.
I have to agree with Tee's assessment of Cassavetes and Rowlands. I didn't particularly like Faces, their most most acclaimed work together, but I did agree that Seymour Cassel and Lynn Carlin (who was Cassavetes' secretary) gave award worthy performances. I thought the Cassavetes reached their artistic heights with Minnie & Moskowitz, Cassavetes' least indulgent film. A Woman Under the Influence was the one with both Cassavetes and Rowlands' mothers which was overkill even for him. Rolwands' performance while technically good was more than a bit indulgent and while I may begrudgingly consider her worthy of a nomination for it I would rather declare no winner that year than give her the actual award for it.
I have to agree with Tee's assessment of Cassavetes and Rowlands. I didn't particularly like Faces, their most most acclaimed work together, but I did agree that Seymour Cassel and Lynn Carlin (who was Cassavetes' secretary) gave award worthy performances. I thought the Cassavetes reached their artistic heights with Minnie & Moskowitz, Cassavetes' least indulgent film. A Woman Under the Influence was the one with both Cassavetes and Rowlands' mothers which was overkill even for him. Rolwands' performance while technically good was more than a bit indulgent and while I may begrudgingly consider her worthy of a nomination for it I would rather declare no winner that year than give her the actual award for it.
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Eric
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This is going to sound a bit curt, but the most interesting residue of this series, for me, is discovering just how differently straight and gay men view/process/appraise female performances. I haven't agreed with the people I usually agree with on movies in their totality less often than I have running through these particular contests.
It might simply be a case of, as Tee put it in the '62 thread, some having an enlarged camp gland, but I guess it wouldn't occur to me to put Rowlands in the genre of camp.
It might simply be a case of, as Tee put it in the '62 thread, some having an enlarged camp gland, but I guess it wouldn't occur to me to put Rowlands in the genre of camp.
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Mister Tee
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Let me start by saying the best performance by an actress in 1974 was that given by the disqualified Liv Ullmann in Scenes from a Marriage.. No debate for me.
However, to play by the rules...
It's nice that Diahann Carroll got noted for a solid performance in a pleasing if ragged film.
Perrine capped a solid three-year run (following up Slaughterhouse Five and The Last American Hero) with a performance that would easily have won my suppotring actress prize, but was not dominant enough for lead.
As much as I revere Chinatown, I've never been that high on either of the leads purely as performances. I remember one critic at the time referring to Dunaway's work as "carry-out Blanche Dubois", and I have to admit that resonated with me just a little -- not enough to denigrate the work, but to keep me from judging it the year's best.
I'll have to take the contrarian role here and say that, on a lot of levels, I can't stand Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence. Part of it is, I was starting to sour on Cassavettes at the time I saw the film (I'd been disposed toward rooting for him after Husbands, but, with this film, I came to realize the self-indulgence I'd hoped he'd transcend was apparently the element of which he was most proud). But I have problems with Rowlands that go beyond that. No one who raves about her performance should ever be allowed to use the word "Oscar-baity" disparagingly again, because if ever a role/performance begged for prizes this was it. And, up to a point, I can even accept such an effort...but, for me, that point came about a half-hour into the film, and Rowlands just went on and on from there. As Pauline Kael said at the time, "Nothing she does is memorable because she does too much..enough for a whole row of Oscars". I have to say I took it as a great relief when she didn't win that year.
Burstyn really came from left field in this contest. Damien and Magilla might recall that the first review of the film, in Variety, was a dismissive pan. The film didn't even open in NY till after New Years; it was one of those "one week in LA" engagements that rarely yielded much Oscar success. And even when it hit NY, though it was praised, it didn't have any big deal surrounding it. But somehow -- because it was pretty entertaining, and maybe because it was one of the few films to deal with what was happening with greater frequency to women -- the film caught on to a surprising degree, and Burstyn benefitted. Her performance had an experimental, "let's get out there and see what we discover" feel to it -- and she wasn't afraid to make Alice unlikable if that was what the moment called for. A really fine performance, and my pick.
However, to play by the rules...
It's nice that Diahann Carroll got noted for a solid performance in a pleasing if ragged film.
Perrine capped a solid three-year run (following up Slaughterhouse Five and The Last American Hero) with a performance that would easily have won my suppotring actress prize, but was not dominant enough for lead.
As much as I revere Chinatown, I've never been that high on either of the leads purely as performances. I remember one critic at the time referring to Dunaway's work as "carry-out Blanche Dubois", and I have to admit that resonated with me just a little -- not enough to denigrate the work, but to keep me from judging it the year's best.
I'll have to take the contrarian role here and say that, on a lot of levels, I can't stand Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence. Part of it is, I was starting to sour on Cassavettes at the time I saw the film (I'd been disposed toward rooting for him after Husbands, but, with this film, I came to realize the self-indulgence I'd hoped he'd transcend was apparently the element of which he was most proud). But I have problems with Rowlands that go beyond that. No one who raves about her performance should ever be allowed to use the word "Oscar-baity" disparagingly again, because if ever a role/performance begged for prizes this was it. And, up to a point, I can even accept such an effort...but, for me, that point came about a half-hour into the film, and Rowlands just went on and on from there. As Pauline Kael said at the time, "Nothing she does is memorable because she does too much..enough for a whole row of Oscars". I have to say I took it as a great relief when she didn't win that year.
Burstyn really came from left field in this contest. Damien and Magilla might recall that the first review of the film, in Variety, was a dismissive pan. The film didn't even open in NY till after New Years; it was one of those "one week in LA" engagements that rarely yielded much Oscar success. And even when it hit NY, though it was praised, it didn't have any big deal surrounding it. But somehow -- because it was pretty entertaining, and maybe because it was one of the few films to deal with what was happening with greater frequency to women -- the film caught on to a surprising degree, and Burstyn benefitted. Her performance had an experimental, "let's get out there and see what we discover" feel to it -- and she wasn't afraid to make Alice unlikable if that was what the moment called for. A really fine performance, and my pick.
A complete, no-hesitation, no-brainer for me. First off, Ellen Burstyn is great in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. A fine, even charming, performance in a mother-son road trip movie that no one really watches anymore. And frankly, I cheesily admit that I enjoyed the TV sitcom inspired by the film, featuring the wonderful Linda Lavin in the title role (and singing the theme song) and Polly Holliday as Flo (vastly superior to Diane Ladd's nominated work in the film version as the same character). Besides, I'll be able to bequeath La Burstyn with a well-deserved Oscar for her shattering performance in Requiem for a Dream somewhere down the line.
Diahann Carroll in Claudine gives a noble performance, but it's just too dated and TV-movie-ish for me. Faye Dunaway is precise and haunting in Chinatown and her character's revelation towards the film's end gives us one of the most memorable scenes of 1970's cinema, but I'd also award her elsewhere. Valerie Perrine as Lenny Bruce's long-suffering, ex-stripper drug-abusing lover gives the kind of performance in Lenny that should be studied by today's film actresses. It is a superb, supporting performance.
Gena Rowlands' tour-de-force performance in A Woman Under the Influence is just beyond all description. I haven't seen it in awhile because it's such a hard film to watch, but what Rowlands does in that film is, quite simply, astounding -- it's a performance which reveals its brilliance to the viewer in small, peeled onion shavings until it has grabbed ahold of you like a dynamo, daring you to let go. The lunch scene where the husband and the workers are fed while Mabel slowly breaks down into a dithering mess is one of the most uncomfortable film scenes I've ever experienced. The film's whole documentary (almost home movie)-style look and rejection of all Hollywood conventions adds another layer of realism to an already courageous and unflinching performance. Truly devastating.
This ranks up with her work in Opening Night and Another Woman, my favorite Rowlands performances.
Among the non-nominees, I'd cite Charlotte Rampling's performance in The Night Porter. The look on her face when she first encounters Dirk Bogarde's character at the front desk of the hotel after all those years is an abslutely arresting moment. A devastating performance that explores the allure of sado-masochism more fully than any film I've encountered.
Edited By flipp525 on 1256578153
Diahann Carroll in Claudine gives a noble performance, but it's just too dated and TV-movie-ish for me. Faye Dunaway is precise and haunting in Chinatown and her character's revelation towards the film's end gives us one of the most memorable scenes of 1970's cinema, but I'd also award her elsewhere. Valerie Perrine as Lenny Bruce's long-suffering, ex-stripper drug-abusing lover gives the kind of performance in Lenny that should be studied by today's film actresses. It is a superb, supporting performance.
Gena Rowlands' tour-de-force performance in A Woman Under the Influence is just beyond all description. I haven't seen it in awhile because it's such a hard film to watch, but what Rowlands does in that film is, quite simply, astounding -- it's a performance which reveals its brilliance to the viewer in small, peeled onion shavings until it has grabbed ahold of you like a dynamo, daring you to let go. The lunch scene where the husband and the workers are fed while Mabel slowly breaks down into a dithering mess is one of the most uncomfortable film scenes I've ever experienced. The film's whole documentary (almost home movie)-style look and rejection of all Hollywood conventions adds another layer of realism to an already courageous and unflinching performance. Truly devastating.
This ranks up with her work in Opening Night and Another Woman, my favorite Rowlands performances.
Among the non-nominees, I'd cite Charlotte Rampling's performance in The Night Porter. The look on her face when she first encounters Dirk Bogarde's character at the front desk of the hotel after all those years is an abslutely arresting moment. A devastating performance that explores the allure of sado-masochism more fully than any film I've encountered.
Edited By flipp525 on 1256578153
"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
I guess nobody could honestly object to the Academy's choice. Alice is a good, very pleasant movie, and Burstyn's performance is one of those beautiful, unshowy portrayal of "a woman of her times" which nowadays one sees only rarely in films.
Yet those who voted for her already, like me, or who will vote for her in another year, like I could do, have a chance to pick another great American actress this year, Gena Rowlands, whose realistic, at times wonderfully improvised performance in A Woman Under the Influence (and more generally in her experimental work with her husband; too bad she wasnt nominated for Opening Night) is, I think, a daring exploration in the art of acting, almost unique especially by conventional Hollywood standards.
Yet those who voted for her already, like me, or who will vote for her in another year, like I could do, have a chance to pick another great American actress this year, Gena Rowlands, whose realistic, at times wonderfully improvised performance in A Woman Under the Influence (and more generally in her experimental work with her husband; too bad she wasnt nominated for Opening Night) is, I think, a daring exploration in the art of acting, almost unique especially by conventional Hollywood standards.