Leading Actress 1965

Some names I know, some names I don't Looking forward to finding out about some of these I have been wondering about. Really starting to get antsy about getting out of the 60s but I've only got myself to blame. This project just seems never ending! But I'm getting there, so let's go.

1965 Best Actress

Julie Christie - Darling

Probably not the Julie you thought would be the winner if you had to think about it. But Andrews had won the previous year for her first film and so Christie gets the win here. I honestly can't say that I like the film all that much. I was mostly bored, although not directly because of Christie. She is a young, beautiful woman who gets noticed on the street and then begins modelling. She makes her way to the top of society by sleeping with a bunch of different guys and ends up a Princess in Italy, but unfortunately is miserable inside despite that. I couldn't connect with the film and Christie being so pretty that she just easily sleeps her way forward in society, that kind of story doesn't resonate with me. Christie is perfectly fine in the role. She is gorgeous and does all that is asked of her. She has to show off a few different emotions at times and I think the Academy took note of that. Like when she's in Italy and her new husband leaves her she goes through this big empty mansion getting more and more worked up before she strips naked after having tossed some items around. She also has a breakdown when she flies back to London and one of her ex boy toys has sex with her out of revenge and tells her to leave when she wants to spend her life with him now because she's lonely. She ended up a Princess yet is wholly unhappy and tries to escape that life before returning and facing it, despite being so melancholy. Christie does the heavy lifting in the film and she's totally fine. I didn't think it was amazing work, but the performance does work for the film. I just don't really care for the film and that's a tall hurdle to get over. Christie may end up being the best choice for the win, but see it for yourself and figure out if you like her and the film more than I do. I actually forgot that Christie was in Doctor Zhivago this year as well, so the win makes sense in that regard. She gets nominated because she was in two Best Picture nominated films and gets a win out of it.

Julie Andrews - The Sound of Music

I am a fan of Andrews since I saw her in Victor/Victoria. I've seen her in many other films since because of the project, but she has only had three nominations in her career. This was her second consecutive nomination after she won for her film debut playing Mary Poppins. I honestly think that if she had not had that win already, she probably would have won for this film. It was a huge smash hit and Andrews plays a role very similar to Poppins. She's trying to become a nun but they don't really want her and send her to be a governess to the Von Trapp family. She teaches the children how to sing and is super upbeat and positive and just a wholesome person over that she eventually wins over the stern Christopher Plummer who plays the father. What is interesting is that Plummer kinda hated Andrews and definitely loathed the film while making it and I feel it works for the film and for Andrews. His annoyance and dissatisfaction feels more real because of that but also makes Andrews winning him over, as she did in real life, all the more poignant. And it just feels so much more true to life and makes the performance better. Even not knowing that background between the actors, the performance is still one that is pretty solid. Andrews is charming and a great singer and dancer and easily wins you over with her wonderful personality. Same for her Oscar win and for her third nomination. This is what you get with an Andrews performance. In her other films I've seen that have been nominated in other categories, she is identical to this and I see that as a plus. She is the reason this film (and the others) are so successful. Without her, this film does not do as well. And I love that I can see Julie Andrews' name and know exactly what I'm getting out of her performance wise. It might change a bit, but it will always have the same dedication and personality we've come to expect and know. I really enjoyed her in this film.

Samantha Eggar - The Collector

This is a super interesting film, honestly. It's about a guy, played by Terence Stamp, who sees Eggar out and about and then kidnaps her and holds her in like a basement area on a farm. He tries to get her to love him while she tries to escape. It's a psychological thriller film that doesn't seem like it would be something you'd find in the mid-60's. Oh, and it's a William Wyler film, too, which shows how varied his works were. Eggar's character is a young woman who enjoys art and painting and reading and is pretty modern in her appearance and views. Her character does everything she can to get away from her incel captor. She plays a submissive role, she tries to flirt and seduce him, she tries to escape multiple times, she even gets violent. Her attempts are clever and speak to her intelligence and will to survive. One time she is tied up in the bathroom after someone knocks on the door and uses her foot to turn the bath on and overflow the tub and get the attention of her captor and the man who came knocking. It doesn't work but we see how strong she is inside to risk her life to try and get attention to her being there. When she has an opportunity to attack Stamp and hit him in the head with a shovel, she feels compassion for the man after seeing his bloody, dazed face. This allows him to overtake her but also speaks to just how good of a person she is and how terrible the circumstances are that she finds herself in. The story is mostly just her trying different ways to escape, so she runs the gamut of emotions from angry and sad to defeated to determined to happy to cunning and so on. Unfortunately the ending isn't very satisfactory no matter how realistic it is. Eggar gives a good performance in a film that I wasn't expecting to have such dark tones to it. Maybe not the most impressive performance, but certainly one to point to as a strong female character.

Elizabeth Hartman - A Patch of Blue

I feel like I'm not gonna do this review and performance justice. Not because it's so great or so bad that I can't quite articulate my thoughts on it, but because I kinda forgot about this when writing my reviews. I wrote the one for Shelley Winters and then moved on. This was Hartman's debut performance and I think that is an advantage for her performance. Hartman plays a young blind woman living in poverty with her abusive prostitute mother and drunken grandpa. As much as her mother rails on her both physically and verbally, Hartman's character keeps a positive outlook on life and is as happy as she can be given the circumstances. She is a very naive and innocent young girl and that's where I think this being Hartman's debut performance comes into play. She plays this young woman as almost child like and that's where the aw gee whiz and hokey nature of the character can shine without it looking terrible for Hartman as an actress. Her personality is a bit infectious and you start rooting for her to strike back at her mother and to break out of there. The film is about how Hartman goes out to the park, which itself is a struggle, and meets Sidney Poitier's character. She obviously has no idea he is black, but is just so delighted to meet someone and gain a new friend. It's very wholesome and obviously speaks to the films message that color and class don't or shouldn't matter, just be a good person. Hartman's performance at times can seem like she is playing a lost puppy who has been found and just has all this boundless love and energy to give. Poitier wants to help her out especially as he learns of her situation and she falls in love with him. This part is handled deftly as Poitier encourages her to go to a blind school to learn and interact with others and sort of lets her down easy. Hartman takes it in stride and is a better person for it. It's a wonderful little film that is made in part due to Hartman's believable performance. We believe wholeheartedly that she is this innocent young blind woman who finally has a chance to breakout in her dark world. It's a great debut performance and it's a shame we didn't get all that much more from Hartman in her career as this was a great tone setter.

Simone Signoret - Ship of Fools

This is an interesting pick for Best Actress because this film had an ensemble cast and Signoret could have easily been in Supporting or someone else from the film in this spot if the Academy was so inclined. Signoret already had a win in this category in 1958 for Room at the Top, so maybe that's why she gets the nomination here. Signoret plays a countess from Cuba who is being sent to a prison on Tenerife in the Canary Islands who is also an opiate addict. Most of that information is lightly touched on in her story with Oskar Werner's character who is the doctor of the ship. They meet when she asks for sleeping pills and the two develop a bond. As we see later, it's because the two are hopelessly bound to their future. She is going to prison and the doctor has a heart condition that is worsening. They bond, but also start to fall for each other and as the days go by, the pressure of the mounting realities hits especially hard. Signoret has this warmth and charm to her that belies her desperation and inner turmoil. The chemistry between she and Werner are evident and the story does seem to become the main effort of the film. This is a very understated performance and Signoret has to convey a lot while doing a little and it works out well for her. It's one last yearning and human interaction for both of them before the inevitable and is somewhat romantic and sentimental. It's a good performance and I'm eager to see what Signoret can do for her Oscar win in a few years.



Honestly, a pretty solid group! There isn't one in this group that I don't like and that's rare. I'm gonna role with the Academy here on the strength of Doctor Zhivago and her win. I like her as an actress and those two definitely show her range. Not the best win ever but I'll leave it as is. Andrews had just won for Mary Poppins the year before so she wasn't winning here, though you could argue that she is better in this film. Would be a pretty fun debate, not gonna lie. Eggar has such an interesting film. It doesn't feel mid-60s at all and is that kinda psychological thriller genre and she's pretty solid. Middle is where she should be. Would recommend the film. Hartman is very strong in her naive young woman role and just has this raw energy to her that I liked. Wish she had done more, but I liked what we got here. And Signoret had already won an Oscar. Sometimes this is just the Academy going we like you previous winner friend, have another nomination. But she is again solid here and has great rapport with Oskar Werner. They elevate the film for sure. So this is a very solid group and if I can't have amazing, I'll take solid any time.

Oscar Winner: Julie Christie - Darling
My Winner:  Julie Christie - Darling
Julie Andrews
Samantha Eggar
Elizabeth Hartman
Simone Signoret