This months installment is very near and dear to my heart: 1982. Why so dear? Well, it's the first year in which I noticed that these golden thingamajigs called Oscars existed. I was staring at a TV Guide in March and there was this photo of an Oscar and behind it, pics from all five best picture nominees (Gandhi, ET, Tootsie, The Verdict, and Missing) --three of which I had seen and had "feelings" about. I had to watch. The rest is history. Oscar night immediately became my favorite holiday. Here's the 'NatReel'...
That's five clippy minutes with a high-spirited crop of Oscar Contenders, three of whom are in movies I never tire of (Tootsie & Victor/Victoria) so head on over and join in the discussion over at the "Supporting Actress Smackdown"
tags: Jessica Lange, Glenn Close, Terri Garr,Oscars, Academy Awards, celebrities, movies, cinema, films
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24 comments:
my ranking is
1. Lesley 2. Jessica 3. Terri 4. Kim 5. Glenn
Film wise I'm
1. Tootsie 2. Victor/Victoria 3. Garp and 4. Frances (which I just... I just have huge issues with it as a film. ugh)
i haven't seen enough 82 entries to say who got robbed but I did also like Carol Burnett in Annie and Sandhal Bergman in Conan the Barbarian as least when I was 12.
For me, it's Lesley all the way. It is difficult to imagine any other actress in her role; and she brings so much to the movie Victor/Victoria.
Yeah I haven't seen Glenn and Kim, but Lesley Ann Warren was fantastic. Over-the-top in all the right ways.
That said, I love Jessica Lange in Tootsie a lot (moreso with each viewing). When I first saw it, I thought Garr was better and Lange was kinda bland, but the more I see it, the more I see how much heart and uniqueness she brought to her "girlfriend" role. And perfect comedic timing as well.
And given the double nom AND many critics' awards AND status as Tootsie's only actual statue, her win was inevitable. Though they really should've given it best screenplay as well. And best actor, but that's been discussed a thousand times.
As I'd be attesting on my own site if I could get it to work (@%$#!), I'm about even on Garr and Lange, and about even on the other three. All of them are good nominees, but at the same time, I also want just a tiny bit more from all of them... in many respects because I wish there were more to the roles.
If I sit and meditate and force myself into an out-of-body experience, I can sort of imagine why Frances doesn't work for a lot of people. Some of its flaws are obvious even to me. But I just. frigging. love it.
hee. i love how much effort it requires ;) that's me with West Side Story I suppose. Or other childhood favorites. I can see the flaws but i just don't care. they don't matter to me. I'm like SHUT. UP. if someone doesn't love.
so i'm sorry about my Frances hate.
great clip. I'll try to watch all five films the next time around.
When I finally saw Frances a couple of years ago, I was DEVASTATED. I love a good cry at the movies (though I'm more and more impatient at being shamelessly manipulated for it), but something about Frances really got to me and I was racked with sobs. Needed hugs and about 5 minutes of consoling from the boyf!
VERY unusual for someone like me who sees so many movies, often heavygoing dramas. So hard for me to think back on this one objectively.
Frances is really a case of the filmmaking and screenplay spoiling it for me. I loved what I think it was saying politically and with a still progressive feminism, and certainly Kim and Jessica were fine...
But I think it was poorly judged as a film outside of its ideas.
if that makes sense.
I heartily applaud the Terri Garr love. Her Sandy is one of those creations I always assume no one remembers, until I bump into people, we discuss how great Tootsie is, and they say, "And Garr is GREAT!"
I really can't stand Victor/Victoria (Pauline Kael's review nailed it for me), so I'll give Lesley Ann Warren credit for being the film's only light-footed element.
Frances is an ugly movie that I rescrened recently and disliked it even more; a friend always uses it as a classic example of a great performance trapped in an execrable film. Lange is too intelligent and forthright than the film is willing to be.
*er, Lange is MORE intelligent, etc.
Yes, Frances reduced me to tears too. Tears of tedium, boredom and annoyance. Sorry Nick, you know that normally I'd totally defer to you in anything cinematic (second only to Nat, of course). But this? Well, I suppose we were all a bit high in the 80's, n'est-ce pas?
I don't see what's particularly hateable in Victor/Victoria. Yes, Julie Andrews is always prim and proper, but the character is, too, which is why it's a thrill to see her try drag and embrace the mannishness that crept up on her in middle age... all while ironically finding her sexiest inner woman.
I need to see Frances so I have an opinion.
As I mentioned at LuLu, I haven't actually seen Tootsie. Whenever I see Dustin in drag I get the creeps. But, Teri Garr was in One From the Heart that year and i love that movie, so she gets bonus points. Warren was fabo though. I prefer her in Clue, but V/V was great too.
The only person I would've liked to see nominated was Natassja Kinski for One From the Heart, but that movie is so widely detested.
As a huge Garr fan, I must throw in that her first name is spelled Teri. Sorry, but I'm a stickler for lil things like that. And, if you haven't already done so, check her out in "After Hours" (which also has wonderful little bits by Rosanna Arquette and Catherine O'Hara). So good.
I have always wanted to love Kim Stanley, but never have..."Frances" especially...yuck. (She was one of the most mannered actresses ever). In her place, I might like to have seen Lainie Kazan, Charlotte Rampling or Karen Allen...though I can understand why none of them got in.
Other than Stanley, what a lovely lineup of performances! Though I have a very soft spot for Garr, and love Lange so much, the real race for me that year has Close and Warren battling it out, with Close winning. Her Jenny Fields is still one of her best creations.
Nat,
I just watched your reel and must commend you for another wonderful job. It made me like every one of those perfs even more (including Stanley), and Garr, as usual, made me laugh out loud!
I'm:
1. Teri Garr
2. Lesley Ann Warren
3. Kim Stanley
4. Jessica Lange
5. Glenn Close
Rob
What does everyone think of Kim Staley's other nominated perf, for Actress in Seance on a Wet Afternoon? She won the NBR and NYFCC prizes that year, though was never really a threat for the Oscar (1964 was Julie Andrews' year).
I remember the movie being a lot of fun, and Stanley deliciously creepy and OTT as the unhinged psychic.
Seance is a favourite of mine and I really liked Stanley in that one.
i haven't seen it. worth rental?
Garr all the way in my opinion. I like Jessica Lange's work in 'Tootsie,' but absolutely love Teri Garr's performance and think she's an underrated talent overall. Too bad she didn't ever get a role on par with this one, but kudos to her are definitely in order.
Marco
Seance is definitely worth a look, especially if you like early B&W Brit movies of the 60s (as I do! This Sporting Life is a particular fave).
Directed by Bryan Forbes, who also directed Leslie Caron (L-Shaped Room) and Dame Edith Evans (The Whisperers) to Actress noms. As well as, ahem, The Stepford Wives. Stanley's meek husband is played by Richard Attenborough.
Seance is a must-see for the deft performances of Stanley and Richard Attenborough, and for the unusual story (thanks to Stanley it's a bit creepy, too, so it wouldn't be the worst movie for Halloween).
As for 1982, for me it's all about Lange and Warren (there's a Smackdown tie vote I can live with). Lange was justly praised in the Smackdown, but Warren was UNFAIRLY cut short. Don't expect me to be objective about this slight, as I've loved Warren in Victor since it's first release- I don't see anyone else playing her role as well, and IN NO WAY do I view Warren's playing as simple or easy- the role might be one-dimensional (which I think indicates the part was harder for Warren to make memorable, as opposed to bringing off a rich, multi-layered role- Warren contributes so much zest and talent to her work as Norma, every moment she's onscreen Victor receives a great adrenaline rush).
Vertigos---completely agreedn on Warren and if I'm recalling correctly, had Tim shown up as is usual we woulda had another Warren believer in the mix.
watching actors elevate a so-so role is just if not more thrilling for me than watching a well written role well played.
I am a Warren believer. It really is a whirlwind of a performance. SO fun. And she made me really care about her dumb bitch of a character... maybe more than any of the others in the film.And she didn't have to be that good, either. I don't think anyone was expecting it.
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