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. 

YOUR Best Actress of 1947

Here are the results of the poll:

1. Rosalind Russell - Mournng Becomes Electra (19 votes)

2. Susan Hayward - Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman (7 votes)

3. Joan Crawford - Possessed (4 votes)

4. Loretta Young - The Farmer's Daughter (2 votes)

5. Dorothy McGuire - Gentleman's Agreement (0 votes)


Thanks to everyone for voting!

Best Actress 1947 - The resolution!

After having watched and reviewed all five nominated performances, it's time to pick the winner!

5. Dorothy McGuire in Gentleman's Agreement

Dorothy McGuire gives the most uninteresting performance of the most uninteresting character in the most uninteresting part of the movie. She obviously tries to make Cathy an open and relaxed character but her performance always remains a bit too stiff to ever become really memorable.

4. Loretta Young in The Farmer's Daughter

                     

Loretta Young obviously tries to add some depth and complexity to the character with several unexpectedly serious line-deliveries or other small gestures but a lot of times she decided to be serious even when a scene could have used some comedy. But even though her performance may not be very humorous, the characterization of Katrin as a dependable, intelligent, good-hearted and loyal woman is consistent and played well.

3. Joan Crawford in Possessed

Joan Crawford’s performance is a constant up and down of nice underplaying and mad overacting, mixed with her obligatory melodramatic acting that becomes dominant whenever any emotional scenes are involved. It’s obvious from the first moment that Joan Crawford doesn’t intend to show realism but she is able to use her theatrical acting style to give a compelling performance that carries an equally theatrical movie.

2. Rosalind Russell in Mourning Becomes Electra

Rosalind Russell’s acting choices more than once seem rather unnatural and dated but the way she slipped into the character always impresses. Her arrogant, domineering, manipulative and slightly insane Lavinia never feels forced or calculated. Instead, Rosalind Russell slides through the movie in a way that makes it look easy but at the same she constantly tries to make sure that every viewer is aware that it’s in fact very difficult. She impressively towers above the entire cast and helps to make Mourning Becomes Electra worth seeing despite its length and dark subject.                       

1. Susan Hayward in Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman

Susan Hayward plays all the parts of her role with beautiful subtlety and even in her most desperate or drunken situations she never overdoes it. She believably demonstrates what effect alcohol has on her life and her behavior and she is also able to make this behavior understandable. She clearly shows what causes her irrational actions and how Angelica is always torn between knowing that she is destroying everything she loves and not being able to stop it.

Best Actress 1947: Dorothy McGuire in "Gentleman's Agreement"

Gentleman’s Agreement, the Best Picture winner of 1947, is a movie about anti-Semitism and prejudice in America after the Second World War. Philip Green, played by Gregory Peck, writes a story about anti-Semitism for a magazine and to get a full insight into the aspect, he pretends to be Jewish for 6 weeks. The movie follows the various reactions his new religion causes and it also shows how his believes and his job harm his relationship with his fiancée. This fiancée was played by Dorothy McGuire who received her only Oscar nomination for this performance.

Dorothy McGuire plays Cathy Lacy, the niece of Phil’s supervisor at the magazine. They meet at a party and it’s clear from the first moment that these two are meant for each other.

Gentleman’s Agreement is a movie that hits one over the head with its message of tolerance and respect and this also includes the fact that it is mentioned in the first two seconds of Cathy’s first appearance that she is divorced and nobody cares. It is also never really mentioned again in the movie and from Dorothy McGuire’s acting it also seems that Cathy does not think about her old life anymore.

Dorothy McGuire immediately establishes Cathy as a woman of sophistication, charm and intelligence. She quickly takes the lead in her first conversation with Phil and we learn that she was the one who had the idea to run a series on anti-Semitism and she seems to be just as free of prejudice as Phil. From there on, things go very quickly and Phil and Cathy get engaged and immediately start to plan the wedding.

The role of Cathy is mostly a very passive one. She is basically Phil’s love interest but very soon she also becomes an important part in his research about anti-Semitism in the American society.

The main problem about the love story between Cathy and Phil is the fact that there is a visible lack of chemistry between Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire. Both unfortunately give rather wooden and lifeless performances and this results in an equally wooden and lifeless love story. Dorothy McGuire obviously tries to make Cathy and open and relaxed character but her performance always remains a bit too stiff to ever become really memorable.

In fact, out of all the characters and actors in the movie, Dorothy McGuire’s Cathy is the one who feels the most incomplete and who never really steps into the foreground. When one thinks of Gentleman’s Agreement, then Gregory Peck, Dean Stockwell, Celeste Holm, Anne Revere and the story itself come to one’s mind but the leading lady vanishes pretty quickly because she is mainly involved in the obligatory love story which doesn’t work in the movie because of the aforementioned lack of chemistry between Peck and McGuire and because of the fact that the love story is the most uninteresting aspect of this film.

So, Dorothy McGuire gives the most uninteresting performance of the most uninteresting character in the most uninteresting part of the movie. For long parts of the movie she disappears from the storyline and is never really missed. It saddens me to say that but whenever McGuire enters the picture, the tempo of the movie slows down and the story loses interest.

Even though Dorothy McGuire never steps out of the love story aspect, her character becomes more interesting during the run of the movie because it is the most easily recognizable one in this movie. Philip’s new life as a Jew evokes all kind of reactions in the people around him, from open hate to total acceptance. Cathy is a woman who would never think of herself as anti-Semitic and she is probably right about that – it’s hard to imagine that she ever had a negative thought about Jews in her whole life. But this was only because for her the topic of anti-Semitism has always been reduced to maybe a conversation at a dinner party – now, with Phil’s masquerade, it has entered her own life. Suddenly, her own believes are put to test. When Phil tells her about his plans to say he is Jewish, her reaction is “But you’re not Jewish, are you?…Not that it would make any difference.” It’s the typical reaction of a person who is desperate to be tolerant and open-minded but has more problems with it than she is aware of. But as I said, Cathy is not intolerant in the sense that she wouldn’t want anything to do with a Jewish person – it’s the reaction of her friends and family that she fears. In her little world, everyone is alike and people who are different never enter it because that would only make trouble and would make everyone uncomfortable. Cathy does not want to be confronted with the possibilities of trouble and change in her own world and so she is eager to tell her sister that Phil is not really Jewish. She is not a hateful person but she also doesn’t want to have anything to do with the topic of anti-Semitism either.

All this would make Cathy a very interesting character but the script mostly reduces her to a few angry, worried or teary-eyed reaction shots and Dorothy McGuire’s stiff interpretation doesn’t help much either. When Cathy tells Phil a little bit about her former marriage, it might have opened her character up but somehow the backstory never really connects with Cathy today. It doesn’t deepen her in any way, it seems that these scenes are only there to give McGuire at least something to do.

Still, what she does succeed in is adding a lot of grace and inner trouble to Cathy. She mostly makes an impression in her dramatic scenes because her acting style works well in these while it doesn’t in all scenes of romance or love. But even though the chemistry between Peck and McGuire is disappointing, their scenes together still work because both use the same, rather lifeless acting style which somehow brings these characters closer together.

The only time that McGuire really steps into the foreground is when she and Phil break up. This scene works so well because both characters have a good point in their argument. It’s easy to sympathize with Phil because Cathy obviously does have problems with Jews but it’s also easy to understand Cathy since Phil’s attitude of moral superiority is really hard to take. So when she finally breaks up with him and tells him that, yes, she is happy not to be Jewish just as everyone would be happy to be rich instead of poor or beautiful instead of ugly. McGuire underplays this scene very effectively and her acting choices also make this scene very interesting.

Unfotunately, this is followed by maybe the worst scene of the movie when Cathy meets Dave, a Jewish friend of Phil. In this scene, Cathy finally recognizes her own faults but it is done in such a heavy-handed way and it’s simply hard to believe that a woman like Cathy is so completely disabled of any self-reflection when she tells a story about an unpleasant incident at a party.

Overall, it’s a wooden and lifeless performance of an uninteresting character and even though Dorothy McGuire is able to add some light to the part, I can’t give more than

Best Actress 1947

The next year will be 1947 and the nominees were

Joan Crawford in Possessed

Susan Hayward in Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman

Dorothy McGuire in Gentleman's Agreement

Roaslind Russell in Mourning Becomes Electra

Loretta Young in The Farmer's Daughter