Supporting Actress 1965

Slowly but surely I am getting there. Glad to be halfway done with the 60s and happy to dive into these performances based on names I recognize and some big time films.

1965 Best Supporting Actress

Shelley Winters - A Patch of Blue

This was Winters' second Oscar win after her first for The Diary of Anne Frank. These are definitely two very different performances. I was wondering how to really explain my thoughts on this win and it basically boiled down to it being one note. Usually a bad thing as an actor doesn't change much or grow or budge from their comfortability level. It works for the character Winters plays even though it doesn't really leave me hyped up about the performance. Winters plays the abusive, ratchet mother of a blind woman. She's an awful person, a racist, an abuser, and a schemer. There are times where you'd say you want to see growth from a character. You want them to have an arc where they find redemption or learn or become better; but that isn't always true. It works for Winters here because her mother character is a true piece of shit and sometimes that is the reality of people. They are irredeemable. Winters didn't like this character as she was a huge ally of the Civil Rights movement at the time and worried that she couldn't do this role. So it's a testament to her acting abilities that she makes this woman into a truly hateable person. She plays it exactly how it needs to be done to not only show the racist, hateful attitudes of the day but also highlight how pure and innocent her daughter is. It just seems to lack some kinda oomph quality to it. Hard to explain but she is a shitty person but I needed a bit more to grab onto. I'm saying this without having seen all the rest of the nominees but I needed something more from this. It may end up winning for me, who knows, but it is a bit one note even though that's the point. I did like one moment where her daughter was happy and excited and Winters gives this look like oh I'll knock you back down to earth for even daring to be happy. It's a subtle thing and is what I was looking for, just wanted more of it. Winters is good, no doubt about it. Great actress who I am excited to watch two more performances of.

Ruth Gordon - Inside Daisy Clover

This was Gordon's 4th nomination, but her first for acting. She had 3 writing nominations before this and of course won her only Oscar for playing a crazy old neighbor in Rosemary's Baby in 1968. This feels like the typical veteran nomination to me. The film is one that I don't care much for. It stars Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, and Christopher Plummer. It should be a hidden gem, but it was not enjoyable to me. Daisy is Wood and she is an almost 30 years old playing a 15 year old, so right off the bat it's unbelievable. She overacts and the film is about how she finds her way into Hollywood who then chews her up and we see a rough life from there. It's a drama that has some black comedy tinges, but yeah, I didn't care for it. Gordon plays Wood's mother and has a couple scenes in the beginning where we see her playing cards and drinking and being a loud, quirky mother. It's a small role but you realize she's way more entertaining than Wood. Gordon eventually gets put into a mental institute once Wood hits it big in Hollywood so the studio can sell her as a tragic orphan. We see a bit more of her here and there but it never amounts to anything coherent or interesting to me. There's a promise of a great character who maybe should have been the focus of the film along with Wood and Redford, but we don't get that. This is the Academy trying to reward someone they loved after she made the switch to acting. It's a cool story for Gordon and she would reap that reward eventually. This one just ain't it.

Joyce Redman - Othello

So this was Redman's second nomination in three years, which tells me what I want to know about this nomination. The Academy liked her enough to include her in two ensemble heavy films as a nominee. But was that simply because of the well liked films she was in? Most likely. I'll have to wait and see on Tom Jones in two years, but I feel like it applies to this one. Redman plays Emilia, Desdemona's attendant or maid. She doesn't factor into the story all that much until the very end. Though she does have a pivotal scene where she gives Desdemona's handkerchief to Iago. The saving grace of Redman's performance is she is the most grounded performer in this film. Her performance feels most natural and underplayed while everyone else is going all out. I appreciate Redman for this reason and understand she's a good actress. She's like the calm in the story, the rational person doing her thing. But it really doesn't stand out to me. Anyone else could have done this. Maybe worse, possibly better. Redman is not bad at all, but she is mostly an extra character there like Roderigo is. Not sure this should have been rewarded and seems to have rode the wave of support for the film to a nomination -  and that's okay. Would rather have a great performance here, but it is what it is. The Academy liked her and of course liked Shakespeare even more.

Maggie Smith - Othello

What I have found out about during this project is that I am not much of Maggie Smith fan. I do like her Harry Potter work, but that seems to fit her more than beautiful young woman roles that she was in a ton, because I don't think she is pretty at all. That sounds pretty messed up, but if she is in those roles, I gotta believe in them. And her eyes are expressionless which I don't like. I've been open to everything I have seen of hers, but nothing has stuck with me in a good way. I am completely underwhelmed by her Desdemona, which to me should be beautiful and worth being jealous over. Also, her performance is rather tepid to me. I don't think she gets much of a chance to shine opposite of Laurence Olivier hamming it up in black face, but I wish she could have been more assertive. I don't know where that blame lies and I'm probably missing the point of Desdemona, but she just seems like something to act with like a prop and not act with like a person to balance a performance. That sounds extremely harsh reading it back but I feel that way. Of course, the film isn't that great having not had a lot money to shoot and it being a very austere stage shooting. Olivier acts in his own world and Smith is there to try to do her part. I'm not really a fan of either of the Othello nominations and feel like these could have been better served going to anyone else. As toxic as it is to say, I am glad I have no more Smith nominations to come. I'm just simply not a fan and this is certainly not a performance or film that could have changed that.

Peggy Wood - The Sound of Music

Yep, this is one of those short, easy reviews for the reasons you already know. Wood was obviously an older woman and from what I read, a TV regular. This is one of those nominations that is both purely here because the film was such a smashing success and because I think the Academy was rewarding her for her career for whatever reason. It absolutely does not deserve a nomination. At all. Wood plays the Mother Abbess nun. In the beginning, she doesn't think Julie Andrews' character belongs in the abbey and Wood helps convince her to move on. We then later see her towards the end as she "sings" Climb Ev-ry Mountain. In quotes because she was dubbed over by request and she couldn't match up the lip synching so the scenes are in shadows and her back turned at times. That's bad acting and it got rewarded with a nomination. I mean, it really doesn't add much to the film for me especially knowing she isn't actually singing. Yes, Christopher Plummer was dubbed over, but took the time to learn to play guitar and to sing for the role but producers decided to dub it over. There's a difference than an actor saying they can't do it like Wood did. It also probably took away a nomination from Eleanor Parker who was the Baroness and who would have been a better recipient from the film. Clearly you can tell I don't like these kinds of token nominees and we should always be rewarding the performances and not the career.


Yikes. None of these are stand out performances and it's easy to see why Winters won her second Oscar since no one else was even competitive this year. Winters is the only choice and that kinda sucks because she was okay, but would rather have a more deserving winner in this spot. Gordon is interesting due to the whole getting nominated a bunch for writing and then finally breaking through in acting. Her performance has some intriguing elements but it never really coalesces into anything worth voting for. Smith is the middle because she has way more to do in her role than the remaining two. I still don't really care for her and wanted someone with way more depth and energy in the role. Redman is along for the ride and is fine, but anyone could do that role. Wood clearly should not have ever been nominated and allowed someone more deserving the chance to be nominated. Really dislike performances and nominations like this one. All in all, an extremely weak year. One of the wrost I can remember in some time. Really hoping 64 can redeem this category for me.

Oscar Winner: Shelley Winters - A Touch of Blue
My Winner:  Shelley Winters - A Touch of Blue
Ruth Gordon
Maggie Smith
Joyce Redman
Peggy Wood