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. Jill Clayburgh in An Unmarried Woman (1978)
8. Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
9. Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful (1985)
10. Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)

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

21. Joanne Woodward in The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
22. Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
23. Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
24. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie (1998)
25. Julie Christie in Away from Her (2007)
26. Shelley Winters in A Place in the Sun (1951)
27. Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark (1967)
28. Ingrid Bergman in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
29. Anne Baxter in All about Eve (1950)
30. Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown (1997)

31. Helen Hayes in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1932)
32. Jane Fonda in Coming Home (1978)
33. Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
34. Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959)
35. Meryl Streep in One True Thing (1998)
36. Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity (1953)
37. Katharine Hepburn in Guess who’s coming to dinner (1967)
38. Marsha Mason in Chapter Two (1979)
39. Jane Wyman in The Yearling (1946)
40. Martha Scott in Our Town (1940)

41. Teresa Wright in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) 
42. Jennifer Jones in Love Letters (1945)
43. Ellen Burstyn in Same Time, Next Year (1978)
44. Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart (1949)
45. Eleanor Parker in Detective Story (1951)
46. Vanessa Redgrave in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
47. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room (1996)
48. Loretta Young in Come to the Stable (1949)  
49. Mary Pickford in Coquette (1928-29)
50. Sissy Spacek in The River (1984)

51. Shirley MacLaine in The Turning Point (1977)
52. Irene Dunne in Cimarron (1930-1931)
53. Ruth Chatterton in Madame X (1928-29)
54. Diana Wynyard in Cavalcade (1932-1933)

Emily Watson as Jacqueline du Pré in Hilary and Jackie  

Since I am lazy and my initial opinion of Emily Watson's performance did not change, I just refer you to my original review here.

YOUR Best Actress of 1998

Because the blogs have a lot of problems with polls, I couldn't get the final vote number but I looked at the poll yesterday and can at least give you the ranking:

1. Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth

2. Fernanda Montenegro - Central do Brasil

3. Gwyneth Paltrow - Shakespeare in Love

4. Meryl Streep - One True Thing

5. Emily Watson - Hilary and Jackie


Thanks to everyone for voting!

Best Actress 1998 - The resolution!

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

5. Meryl Streep in One True Thing

Meryl Streep gives a memorable and moving performance that unfortunately doesn’t give her more chances to create her character apart from the guidelines of the average script as she never gets to show how her illness and the thought of death really affect her. One True Thing spends more time letting people talk about Kate than letting Kate talk for herself but Meryl Streep’s qualities as an actress surely add to the overall impact of the story.

4. Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love

                     

Seldom has an actress ever been so radiant and full of light as Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love. It’s a typical star performance that rests on the actress’s own personality but she is smart enough to see the part’s depth and possibilities and how her character is the beginning and the end of the movie. In creating a character as romantic and charming as the movie she stars in, Gwyneth Paltrow makes an unforgettable impression and creates a wonderfully passionate heroine.

3. Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie

In the part of Jacqueline, Emily Watson never tries to get the audience’s sympathy. Instead, she more than once shows the unlikable, ugly, manipulative and temperamental sides of her character and gives a difficult and hard-to-understand performance that seems to pose more questions than give answers but it’s a fascinating and unique characterization that dominates and controls the movie.

2. Fernanda Montenegro in Central do Brasil

Fernanda Montenegro has a very distinctive, unique face that is perfectly able to communicate anger, frustration and bitterness without becoming too appalling and maybe distance the character from the viewer. Instead, she is able to combine almost grandmother-like qualities with a strong and unfriendly exterior. In playing Dora, Fernanda Montenegro never tries to manipulate the audience but makes her character’s actions and intentions constantly believable and is always in control of what she wants Dora to communicate to the audience without playing ‘for the audience’.      

1. Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth

In the showy and thankful part of Queen Elizabeth I, Cate Blanchett is always a very dominant and controlling power, a woman who is constantly aware of her acts and deeds, a woman who is both strong and weak and learns about the dangers, schemes and possibilities of her life as a Queen. All this is done in a performance that never seems forced but is constantly extremly natural and believable as it combines the typical domineering gestures and movements one would expect of a Queen with various modern and refreshing acting choices. A truly royal performance!

Best Actress 1998: Emily Watson in "Hilary and Jackie"

After having received her first Oscar nomination for her stunning film debut in Breaking the Waves, Emily Watson was again nominated two years later for her performance as world-famous cellist Jacqueline du Pré who died from multiple sclerosis in Hilary and Jackie.

The fact that Emily Watson received a Best Actress nomination for her work while Rachel Griffiths entered the Supporting race for her performance as Jacqueline’s sister Hilary does not reflect the structure of the movie but is a simple case of category fraud committed by Rachel Griffiths who is undoubtedly the co-lead in this story. Hilary and Jackie, as the title already suggests, is not the story of Jacqueline du Pré, but the story of both sisters, their relationship as children and grown-ups and how they depend on each other, as difficult as the times may be.

The movie begins with the two sisters as children – both are already very well trained in music. Jacqueline plays the cello while Hilary plays the flute. They are egged on to play these instruments by their over ambitious mother and it seems to be clear that Hilary is the one who combines both the talent and the discipline to make it far in the world. Since Hilary’s success means that she will spend a lot of time without her sister, Jacqueline is anxious to become just as good as Hilary so that she can be with her constantly. But very soon, Jacqueline’s virtuous playing begins to enthuse the critics and she gets the kind of career that seemed to have been destined for Hilary.

When Emily Watson takes over the role of Jacqueline, she quickly establishes the most important characteristics in her: her love for music and her love for her sister. This love is not a typically sisterly love – especially on Jacqueline’s side. It seems to be an obsession for her to be near Hilary. She is willing to almost destroy her closeness only to get even closer which goes so far that she asks Hilary to share her husband.

In the part of Jacqueline, Emily Watson never tries to get the audience’s sympathy. Instead, she more than once shows the unlikable, ugly, manipulative and temperamental sides of her character but her performance is so honest and believable that she always stays a fascinating person. Emily Watson never answers the question if Jacqueline’s sometimes impossible behavior is simply a part of her character or something that she does to get attention. When she suddenly talks with a strange accent and pretends not to realize it or when she is stealing the show in her last concert, in which she isn’t playing the cello anymore because she is too sick, by missing her cue – is she really this bubbly, charming woman or is this all part of a more scheming character? Does she really want to be in the center of attention when at the same time it seems that she doesn’t care the slightest bit about what others think of her?

The movie spends its first half concentrating almost exclusively on Hilary. It shows how she got married and lead a quiet life in the countryside but from time to time, Jacqueline drops by and changes the tone and rhythm of her life just as Emily Watson changes the tone and rhythm of the movie. She is a very domineering presence, a woman who knows that she is a star and has the talent to justify it. But Jacqueline also shows constant signs of mood swings, a love and hate for her life, a love and hate for her work and a love and hate for her sister with whom she wants to be as close as possible even if it means ruining their lives.

The second part of the story focuses on Emily Watson’s Jacqueline and she is given more chances now to deepen her character and show the sadness and loneliness in Jacqueline as she tours the world. It’s never clear who much her music means to her. Sometimes it seems that she only started it because she wanted to please her mother and be close to her sisters, sometimes it seems that it is her whole life. Emily Watson never turns Jacqueline into a diva when she portrays the difficult side of this woman but her delicate features that are so different from her fierce determination as an actress create a woman who seems more like a little girl who wants all the things her sister has while at the same time she wants to have even more. It always remains a very intimate portrayal that could have gone extremely over-the-top but Emily Watson is wise enough to focus on the inner trouble and conflicts in Jacqueline and not go for grand gestures or larger-than-life emotions.

Emily Watson also deserves some credit for the performances she gives on the stage. Her way of playing the cello, her body movements, the look on her face all suggest a real and determined artist who has grown up with music, who lives music. And the final parts of her performance when the illness takes over Jacqueline’s life, surely give Emily Watson the chance for a real tour-de-force as she combines technical brilliance with heartbreaking emotions.

It’s a difficult and hard-to-understand performance by Emily Watson that seems to pose more questions than give answers but it’s a fascinating and unique characterization that dominates and controls the movie for which she gets

Best Actress 1998

The next year will be 1998 and the nominees were

Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth

Fernanda Montenegro in Central do Brasil

Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love

Meryl Streep in One True Thing

Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie

YOUR Best Actress of 1996

The polls results are:

1. Frances McDormand - Fargo (13 votes)

2. Brenda Blethyn - Secrets and Lies (12 votes)

3. Emily Watson - Breaking the Waves (9 votes)

4. Kristin Scott Thomas - The English Patient (2 votes)

5. Diane Keaton - Marvin's Room (1 vote)

Best Actress 1996 - The resolution!

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

5. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room

In the role of Bessie, Diane Keaton suffers very nobly but neither the script nor her performance give any real depth to the character. It’s a simple and beautiful presentation of hope and fear that unfortunately never defies the sentiment of the story but rather intensifies it with a constant smile even in the most serious situations. That way, Diane Keaton serves the film well but never adds any complexity to her character.

4. Kristin Scott Thomas in The English Patient

                     

The part of Katharine may only be a love interest, but Kristin Scott Thomas never lets her be reduced to this and instead adds a lot of layers and nuances to create a fascinating woman who is not afraid to be unlikable in her adultery and for whom men would betray their allies and their best friends. In combining British arrogance and iciness with warmth and passion, Kristin Scott Thomas’s presence is felt in every second of the movie.

3. Brenda Blethyn in Secrets and Lies

Brenda Blethyn wonderfully demonstrates that Cynthia is a lonely and needy character, full of self-pity and sorrow about her life and her past and probably her future, too. The loneliness and sadness that she displays in almost every second of her life is heartbreaking in it’s simplicity and effectiveness and results in an extremely moving and perfectly executed performance.

2. Frances McDormand in Fargo

In creating Marge Gunderson, Frances McDormand gives a performance that is real, unique, hilarious, intelligent, memorable and touching. She is able to demonstrate a lot of layers and nuances behind the stereotypical exterior and with brilliant acting choices, Frances McDormand shows that Marge is the only sane character in a world full of violence and that her niceness and naivety does not prevent her from solving a gruesome murder case.

1. Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves

In the role of the religious and backward Bess, Emily Watson gives a performance that is a masterpiece in rawness, honesty and uncompromising dedication. She conveys the self-humiliation of Bess without any reservation but instead expressed every emotion with total frankness and, as a result, gave a devastating tour-de-force that is rarely seen on the screen.

 

Best Actress 1996: Emily Watson in "Breaking the Waves"

The movies by Lars van Trier are certainly not for everybody and I will be the first one to admit that Breaking the Waves is a less than perfect film. But Lars van Trier is always able to get astonishingly raw and unaffected performances from the women he is working with.

I have to say that Breaking the Waves is a movie that’s doubtless far above my head and I probably did not even understand 1% of what van Trier wanted to say but I try the best I can.

It was probably a good thing that Breaking the Waves was the first time for Emily Watson in front of the camera. Her inexperience and van Trier’s direction helped her to give a performance that is a masterpiece in honesty and uncompromising dedication. She completely allowed herself to disappear into the character of Bess and did so without any reservation but instead expressed every emotion with total frankness and, as a result, gave a tour-de-force that is rarely seen on the screen.

With Breaking the Waves, Lars van Trier handles various themes that dominate Bess’s life: religion, love and sex. She is a deeply religious woman, dominated by a deeply religious village community. And with the same dedication that she follows God, she also falls in love with Jan, her future husband. She loves him unconditionally and bases her whole existence on her love to him. With him, she also begins to experience sexual love and for her, this love is a gift of God.

Bess is a very naïve, insecure and probably backward girl. We soon learn that she had already been to a hospital. She is a woman who is pure and good and her best friend says of her that she is someone who would give anything to anyone. But this feature of her will also be her destruction.

Bess is caught in a world of religious intolerance and fanaticism which has formed her all her life. When she goes to church, she literally talks to God – she talks to him with that quiet, always insecure voice and then answers with sudden conviction. Her God is not a loving God – he warns her, he threatens her and she tries the best she can to please him but the love that has entered her life makes it more and more difficult for her to do this. In the world of Bess, it seems that love and religion cannot co-exist.

When Jan has to leave her to work on an oil-rig, it almost breaks her apart. She prays for him to come again earlier even so “God” warns her to do that. In her eyes, God then answers her prayers but in the worst ways: Jan has a terrible accident that leaves him paralyzed and results in his earlier arrival. From now on, Bess blames herself and is willing to do anything that could make Jan be better again. Finally, Jan asks her to have sex with other men and then tell him about it. While she is reluctant at first, she starts to believe that by doing this she can help him to become better again and what follows is probably the most devastating process of self-humiliation that was ever put on the screen.

There are few performances that makes one feel so completely helpless. To watch how Bess, a character so pure and innocent, degrades herself is already as painful as possible but it’s even more disturbing to see how Bess continues to believe that she is doing the best thing for Jan. Bess realizes how she removes herself from God and the religious community – when she prays and suddenly, God doesn’t answer anymore, it’s a shocking and heartbreaking moment. But when she is willing to go back on a ship to have sex with a group of violent men, God is there again because Bess is sacrificing herself for Jan.

Bess is such a simple and at the same time immensely complex character and Emily Watson was able to show all sides or her flawlessly and combines this with matching facial work that shows Bess naivety, her pain and her joy gloriously. Few actresses have ever so totally let go in their performances – Bess’s screams of pain when Jan leaves her, her desperate tears when her mother won’t open the door for her and the heartbreaking final moments in the hospital are among the most shattering moments ever seen.

Emily Watson’s portrayal of Bess’s thinking and logic, her love and feelings, it as flawless as it is devastating. The moments when Bess becomes an outcast in her village are almost impossible to watch. Bess is a woman who never acts out of any dubious motives – she always tries to do the right thing for Jan. When she tells her mother that she is sorry that she couldn’t be a good girl, it sums up all that Bess is. She is always worried about the feelings of others, she tries to act the way she should but her way of loving Jan is too grand and private to be understandable for anyone else.

The way Emily Watson was able to bring Bess to life without ever making it seem unrealistic and the way she was able to connect to the viewer is astonishing. Bess lives in her own world and has her own points-of-views that make it hard to understand her, but Emily Watson perfectly builds a relationship between herself and the viewer that makes it possible to follow her without ever looking down on her. Emily Watson never tries to use Bess’s tragic life as a way to make her more likeable. She makes Bess such a fragile character who actively runs into her own deterioration.

Emily Watson creates one of the most tragic characters in movie history and gives a performance that is monumental in its honesty, rawness and dedication. For this, she gets

Best Actress 1996

The next year will be 1996 and the nominees were

Brenda Blethyn in Secrets and Lies

Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room

Frances McDormand in Fargo

Kristin Scott Thomas in The English Patient

Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves