This is an exciting group of women. I have seen none of these performances but have heard great things about almost all of them, so I want to see what they have to offer. I'm starting to get back into my Oscar groove, so leet's go!
1974 Best Actress
Ellen Burstyn - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
I feel like I should let this one sink in a bit more but after watching it, I'm not completely won over that this performance got the Oscar. I like Burstyn as an actress, but I've never been wowed by her. Lots of people felt that she should have also won for Requiem for a Dream, but I wasn't into that performance as much. So maybe I'm just not a huge fan of Burstyn's style. The win could also be because she was in the midst of a good run having been nominated for The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist the year before and was in Harry and Tonto for which Art Carney won Best Actor in this year. She was an It Girl and well thought of by the Academy so maybe it was just her time to win. I say this like she is truly awful in this film but she is definitely not. Burstyn plays a woman with a son whose husband dies unexpectedly and has to move and tries to become a lounge singer but ends up as a waitress at a diner. It's a very independent woman type of film (directed oddly enough by Martin Scorsese) that fits Burstyn's style very well. Burstyn has such an effortless acting style that makes it seem very improvisational and unscripted, which is something I like about her work. But it can often lead to an inconsistent tone like she is searching for the character within herself and trying out different ways to reach the final one. Burstyn's Alice is definitely a very emotional person who at times tries to play confident and independent but the reality is she's a mix of timid and afraid and unsure of who she is and wants to be. Like I said, Burstyn's style fits that kind of character but I dunno, it just seems slightly off to me. Like this film is more of a showcase for Burstyn rather than being about the character and the story. I just constantly found myself think well, what if some other actress had played this, how would that scene have gone? So when I'm actively thinking things like that while watching the Oscar winner, how can I even think about her as my winner. I know I haven't really said much about the acting but she does do a fine enough job and she definitely holds the film together. I was just wanting a lot more out of an Oscar winning performance than what I got. I also realize that Burstyn just simply may not be my cup of tea. I say watch the film and see whether or not I make any sense about Burstyn or if my opinion is off.
Diahann Carroll - Claudine
The more I read up on Diahann Carroll, the more excited I was to watch her performance. She was the first black female actress to win a Tony Award and had other award nominations and was a Jill of all trades. Also the fact that as I go back in time, black actors are going to become even more scarce so when they pop up, it must mean they give a great performance. After watching, I see why Carroll was nominated and why she was a heavily awarded actress in various mediums. She is stunningly beautiful, but also a very gifted actress. In this film, she is able to play many different roles with the same character. She can be sexy and sensuous when alone with James Earl Jones. She can be the sassy, independent woman who has to raise six kids alone. She can be stern, yet tender and loving with her kids as they all have different personalities that tests her patience. She can be vulnerable and emotional that the man she loves doesn't show up to a party or when they have to look good for the state welfare rep. She can be serious and determined like when dealing with Jones or the welfare rep or anyone else in the film really. She goes through all these emotions seamlessly and is able to craft a fully fleshed out character that you immediate get drawn to. The only issue for me is that the film is only an hour and a half and I feel like Carroll works wonderfully with what she is given, but she could have been better served with more time to inhabit her character. We are left wanting more not because Carroll leaves something out of the performance, but because the film leaves Carroll out of more scenes. There's always the worry that this could just be a token nomination for whatever reason, but Carroll solidifies in my mind that she was nominated here for her own merits. I'm surprised Carroll didn't have continued success since she was pioneering in TV and the stage for her roles and award wins. I really wish this film offered up more of Carroll and let her stretch her legs and show us what she was absolutely capable of, even though what we got was impressive to me still.
Faye Dunaway - Chinatown
I am again going to be honest, I was expecting much more from this performance because of everything I've heard about the film and Dunaway in it. She plays the femme fatale role of a noir without really being overly seductive or dangerous. So in a way, just a slightly romantic lead with Nicholson and a reserved character overall. Dunaway is the wife of the man who is murdered and thus is wrapped tightly within the fabric of the story. She initially wants to sue Nicholson for treading into her private life but then hires him and eventually sleeps with him, as you do. She is there through much of the film and is pivotal to the ending. Yet with being so involved with the plot, Dunaway plays her character in such a subdued, quiet manner. Maybe I was expecting it to be much more flashy and confident like a true femme fatale character but she never really overtakes any scene she's in. She still holds her own against Nicholson and is strong in her actions and revelations in service to the story. And I think that might be where I'm landing with this performance is that it is very much something memorable because of the script and direction and the acting of Nicholson. As I said, Dunaway holds her own but she allows everything else to work around her. I mean that in a good way. She can be the glue that holds her scenes together or the light everyone else buzzes around. I think it's a good performance in a really well made film that I feel could have been stronger and more assertive in tone. Dunaway had a kind of re-emergence this year and was in three Oscar nominated films from 1974 (this, The Towering Inferno, and The Four Musketeers) so she was very much in the spotlight and public conscious so her getting nominated for a classic film seems deserved.
Valerie Perrine - Lenny
I went into this performance not knowing anything about the actress or the character or really what the film was about besides a comic who got into trouble for pushing what obscenity really is. It's a hell of a film, one that you should see as soon as you get the chance. Perrine plays Lenny's wife/ex-wife/baby mama and a lot of her scenes are set up as documentary-like interviews. She gets asked questions about life with Lenny so she's in close up a lot of the time and reacting to barely heard questions. It's a tough role because she's mainly there to talk about Lenny and be an almost supporting player to him. I did read some talk online about how this could have gone in the Supporting category (where it would have easily been my winner) but I feel it's fine in Lead because she's really the only female presence in the film, save Lenny's mom. There are times where she can disappear from the film but it's understandable given the film's title is Lenny. Anyway, Perrine meets Lenny as a showgirl/stripper (which I guess Perrine was early in her career) and her personality is one where she laughs a lot and seems a bit precocious as the two hit it off. That is the antitheses of what we see in the interview portions where Perrine is this older, tired, clearly gone through hard times and hard substances kind of woman. The laughter still shines through at times but you can see how hard life has been to her. Credit to Perrine for being able to play both sides of the same coin in very different ways. Unfortunately, Perrine does play second fiddle to Hoffman and doesn't really get to stand out on her own, though her performance is much better than being a simple love interest. A decent little performance probably carried into this category on the back of the film but worth a spot on its own.
Gena Rowlands - A Woman Under the Influence
Not gonna lie, this nomination took me like a week of starting and stopping watching it to finally sit my butt down and watch Gena Rowlands do her work. Sometimes I want to give all of my attention plus some for certain performances and this was one of those. A lot of people consider this to be the greatest female acting performance on film and other merely consider it one of the greatest. I've heard this through the years and was excited to finally watch it to see for myself. It's a John Cassevetes (her husband) film and it's a very intense and intimate look at woman who is having/will have/has had a mental breakdown. She's a damaged woman trying to hold on to the thinnest piece of her sanity. I can understand why people see it as one of the best ever, I'm just not sure I agree. I do think Rowlands is very good in the role and totally commits herself to the woman on the verge performance. She has all these mannerisms and tics and the acting is very involved. It can feel labored to me and can become slightly annoying only because those mannerisms feel like deliberate choices made by an actress and not the reactions of a mentally ill person. I don't want to denigrate this performance too much because it is strong acting, and acting I haven't seen much of during this time period. So it's a unique performance in that regard and Rowlands has such an expressive face and huge eyes that do at least show the torment in her mind, body, and soul. And Rowlands is not grating through the entire film, just in short pieces where she breaks down. I actually do like the way she can run through a bunch of different emotions in a matter of seconds without getting too wild with the transitions. I like how in the beginning of the film she is fretting about in her home worried about the children leaving so that she can have a nice night with her husband (Peter Falk) but he doesn't show up because something comes up at work. So she gets drunk and goes out and is this fluttering, little wisp of herself almost like a manic pixie dream girl type and she picks up a guy. The acting in those scenes are very good and seem a lot less constructed than the breakdown scenes. To me, anyway. It's a good performance that I don't think resonated with me as much as I wished and wanted it to after everything I'd heard about it. But Rowlands does deliver something memorable and worth checking out to see if you agree with others that it's one of the best female performances ever. Maybe it needs to marinate more in my mind or I should revisit it later. Rowlands is strong and unique, but ultimately something feels off to me.
This year is pretty decent and actually pretty hard to figure out who goes where on the list. They each have their merits and they each have their reasons why I'm not as into them as I could be. I really don't even know where to start. I think I'd put Dunaway last because while she's interesting to watch and all over the film, she is a little too subdued in the character. Next I'd have Perrine. She plays two sides of the same woman to great effect but also takes a backseat to Hoffman in the film. I wanted to see her shine more. Which seems to be the them for this year for some reason. Next would be Burstyn. I honestly am not all that big on Burstyn in everything I've seen her in. I appreciate what she brings but it's not always my style. I kinda dig how carefree and natural she is in the role that gave her an Oscar. It's a different look from say Rowlands, but also not just super straight forward acting. Then I'd put Carroll. She was really fantastic. She kinda blew me away with how she took on the role. I'm sad there's not much in her filmography to really see more of her. Only real knock is that the film is so short and it doesn't let Carroll build up an even better portrayal. My winner would then be Rowlands. I know I was kinda wishy washy above on her performance but she is doing something that I haven't seen any other actress do during this time period so far. It was an intimate and intense look into a damaged woman and I think that there are some missteps in my eyes but I can see others loving. I understand why it's so beloved and respected and I, too, can respect it. That's why it wins for me. I feel like I'll grow to enjoy it even more over time. So a really interesting year where I liked everything in different ways. I'll take that.
Oscar Winner: Ellen Burstyn - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
My Winner: Gena Rowlands - A Woman Under the Influence
Diahann Carroll
Ellen Burstyn
Valerie Perrine
Faye Dunaway
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