Leading Actress 1978

Yeah, yeah...I've been gone a couple months because life gets in the way of this sometimes. Also because I decided to watch all of the Arrowverse shows which is like 16 seasons of TV and that kept me busy with a ton of other stuff. Anyway, it's nice to be writing these again and I've been eager to see some of these ladies perform. Why did Fonda win another Oscar? Is Clayburgh as good as I've heard about online? Is Bergman legit or just a career nod? Burstyn and Page are in the middle of their years long Oscar runs. Lots to parse through and hopefully enjoy.

1978 Best Actress

Jane Fonda - Coming Home

Jane Fonda can be hit or miss with me. Some performances are great, some are preachy, insufferable messes, and some are just not that good to me. I was worried (as I was for all of the nominees for this film, not sure why) that this would be one of those preachy performances where Fonda is clearly advocating for something and pushing an agenda. You can say that she's pushing the veteran agenda and be right, but it's not a blatant, hit you over the head message. The film deals with the PTSD angle after coming home in a very realistic way and I was glad to see that. I was also glad to see Fonda in an almost understated performance. She can be a loud, dominating actress at times but she took a step back here and let her male stars be domineering while she played the concerned, yet confused - but fully realized - woman who wants to help. I really enjoyed her in this role and I like that she didn't make it all about her and the romance, though that is a big part of the story. It just felt like everyone, and every part of the story, was getting their due. Both of her relationships felt authentic in different ways and much of that reason is because she let's the story do the work. I like the nervousness and hesitance she has when deciding to enter Voight's room in the hospital or when he comes over to her house for dinner. These little nuances of her character are done to great effect and give us a good representation of who this woman is as a person. She has these lighter touches that I wasn't expecting and certainly wasn't used to seeing from her. I guess I haven't respected her acting ability enough but this was a pleasant surprise. I also like that when Fonda confronts the base newspaper group she is a part of, they quickly dismiss her idea of an expose on the VA hospital and tell her the paper is for gossip and whatnot. They shut her down fast and easy and Fonda doesn't get that big moment of a soapbox speech that I thought she would do. She kinda says that she's ashamed while the group ignores her and she walks off. That's why I like this performance because wasn't a stage for Fonda to spout off about the war or the government or whatever. She just played her character wonderfully and showed us a very good performance. This was her second Oscar win and I can definitely see why they voted for her. Plus, she was in three different Oscar nominated films this year (this, Comes a Horseman, and California Suite). I think in most years she wins easily. I'll have to see if Bergman or Clayburgh give her a run like I've heard about.

Ingrid Bergman - Autumn Sonata

As is customary, I went into this film and performance wondering if this was just a career nomination or if Bergman actually earned it. Thankfully, I can say that it's not just a career nod. I mean, it still is because this was her last major film role and I think the Academy was glad to be able to nominate her again so late in her career. But, Bergman also earned it by portraying the distant mother in this depressing Ingmar Bergman film (not related and their only collaboration) like the veteran actress she was. That's my big takeaway from her performance is that Bergman is solid and a strong actress and puts the work in for a difficult role. You can tell this is an actress that is still at the top of her game and knows how to get the most out of a character and a scene. She plays a concert pianist who was never really there for her daughter and family and she has come back for a visit with them and old wounds get reopened and hashed out. There is a lot of introspective speeches and dramatic back and forth between mother and daughter that is very intense and depressing and full of great acting with Liv Ullman playing the daughter. Bergman is up to the task of making her character look pitiful and scared and sorrowful and strong and hopeful and all these different emotions that is necessary to convey about this complex character. I was glad that she did a great job in her performance because, as you should know by now, the thing I hate the most is undeserved nominations especially to veterans actors. But Bergman earned this nomination and had to have been in the running to win along with Fonda and Clayburgh. She already had a couple wins so her missing out her wasn't a terrible thing. I'm excited that as I go back, I get to watch more of her films and performance, which is nice to look forward to.

Ellen Burstyn - Same Time, Next Year

One thing about Ellen Burstyn that I've enjoyed about her acting through the course of a couple nominations is that she is pretty diverse as an actress. Her six nominations have been wide ranging and I like that she isn't just getting nominated for romantic comedy drivel or the same role over and over again. This is probably going to end up as her weakest nomination (even with having not seen two of her earlier nominations) as the role isn't really all that compelling or interesting for the big screen. I say that even though she won a Tony award for playing the same role on Broadway a few years earlier. And that's why I don't really like this film or performance all that much - it's a play on film and it doesn't really translate well. It obviously has more impact if seen on the stage but it doesn't work for me. The film is essentially just Alan Alda and Burstyn on screen for two hours. The two met up one day when both were traveling and hooked up though both were married. They fell in love with each other and decided to meet every year on the same weekend at the same place. The film covers their meetups in five year increments over like thirty years and we see them get together as their other lives seep into their relationship. There are twists and turns as each person sort of changes with the times or becomes the opposite of the other (a square instead of a hippy). Alda was annoying because his character was full of guilt on cheating yet a sex maniac and just a dopey guy overall. I never really believed that Burstyn was madly in love with him that she would cheat and do it year after year, but that was more because I didn't think she and Alda had much chemistry. I thought Burstyn was fine in the role and she was obviously comfortable as the character since she won a Tony for playing this woman, but it was like watching her go through the motions. That's more of a knock on the film being so tepid and without any real passion. There isn't really anything that Burstyn could do to salvage the performance for me other than replacing Alda with someone else. Best Actress has a lot of nominees who have won or been nominated for stage roles before getting nominated for the film version and I think the Academy just loves that type of performance for whatever reason. No different for Burstyn here as they nominate a Tony winning performance that is a let down for the screen version.

Jill Clayburgh - An Unmarried Woman

Another one of those reviews where I stared at the screen forever not knowing how to start this. I had heard a lot about Clayburgh giving a brilliant performance and that she probably should have won and was robbed by Jane Fonda of an Oscar. That was why she was nominated in 79 for a lesser performance sort of as an apology by the Academy (at least, that's how it looks anyway). I was eagerly looking forward to watching Clayburgh in this film for that exact reason and I must say she didn't disappoint at all. She has the tough task of appearing in every single scene of this film and has to carry it while still giving a great performance all the way through. The film is about a woman who is married, yet having problems. Her husband eventually confesses he's having an affair and they divorce and she has to get back out in the world as a single woman. Or an unmarried woman, if you will. Clayburgh reminds me a ton of Diane Keaton, in looks as well as her quirky charm. She had me hooked from the beginning when she is doing ballet moves around her big apartment in her underwear and it actually came off not annoying or cloying. It told me a lot about her character right from the start and Clayburgh really made her performance a natural one. I liked that Clayburgh didn't devolve into cliches and give us a tired performance that we had seen before. Instead, it was inspired and fun and felt thoroughly modern. Her and her friends are talking frankly about sex and they say some cuss words that don't feel forced into the script and she deals with her new issues in a realistic way. I just like that it didn't feel like a 70s performance. It could have been done in the 80s or 90s without skipping a beat and Clayburgh brought that timeless quality to her acting. She is vibrant throughout the whole film and watching this performance was refreshing in that she's not just playing a love interest, or a mother, or some basic female role. She gets to portray a real woman and makes it compelling and interesting and a must watch. And when you look at the other women nominated and who they played, this one just stands out as memorable and different than the usual role. I really liked Clayburgh here and can see why people say she was robbed. With one more performance to watch, this might be my front runner over Fonda. I'd recommend this one easily.

Geraldine Page - Interiors

I did not like this Woody Allen film very much. It's a Bergman imitation (which, hey, we get an actual Bergman film nomination in this very category!) that I guess lives up to the original master but it doesn't make for very interesting viewing. Page, who I have liked in some of her other nominated roles, plays the matriarch of an upper class family. She is an interior designer/decorator and has been sick. When we meet her she is estranged from her husband and the two eventually get divorced. What strikes you about the performance right off the bat is that she has a very soft, tired voice that betrays the authority she speaks with. She manipulates and commands her three daughters in a passive aggressive way and that sort of defines the film as a whole. The whole family is a dour, depressing, negative bunch led by Page as the mother. Page is good in the role for what is asked of her but I don't like her character at all which I can't really hold against Page because that's the point of her character. She is very moody and manipulative and has the family trying to placate her as she acts dramatic. Page has certainly been better and if I didn't know it was Page, I never would have guessed it was her. I think she has done better work than this and feel like the role was pretty limited in it's aspects. I think I was just expecting more out of Page from what I've already seen and this didn't deliver. She's good in the role but it's not anything revelatory or amazing. Just a decent Woody Allen female nomination.


Obviously this was a much better group than 1979 and therefore I'm not as angry in my writing this wrap up. All things considered, this was a pretty good group. Even though I have Burstyn and Page bringing up the rear, they are still decent enough performances. I just felt Burstyn was played out and the film was too boring for her to save. Page has to combat and unlikeable character with a not so great Allen film and does okay but not anything memorable. Fonda is my middle pick because I don't think she really deserved the win. I know she campaigned hard for her film and there was a huge anti The Deer Hunter sentiment because it dehumanized the Vietnamese, which Fonda was very against. I'm thinking all that coupled with maybe a split of the serious vote for Clayburgh and Bergman allowed her to win? We'll never know but I thought she was very good but overshadowed by the men in her film and not as strong as my top two. Bergman just puts out a strong international performance that is essential viewing for any of her fans. But Clayburgh just wowed me almost from the start. The performance is so modern and enjoyable and such a tour de force (and I hate that fucking term) that she can't be ignored. I think she deserved to win and it's a shame she didn't. Fonda certainly didn't need another win and it would have probably kept her film talked about instead of being forgotten like it is today. Anyway, a very good year and I'm always grateful for good Best Actress years.

Oscar Winner: Jane Fonda - Coming Home
My Winner: Jill Clayburgh - An Unmarried Woman
Ingrid Bergman
Jane Fonda
Geraldine Page
Ellen Burstyn