Supporting Actress 1963

This will be a pretty quick category for me. One of the rare times when there has been three nominees from the same film. You always wonder if they all deserve it or if they just came along with a film that was well liked overall. I imagine the truth will be somewhere in the middle. Does the winner deserve her win or was there vote splitting between the three? These questions and more answered down below!

1963 Best Supporting Actress

Margaret Rutherford - The V.I.P.s

Well, having watched this one before the others, I am left scratching my head and asking more questions instead of getting any answers. It's a baffling decision to nominate Rutherford for this performance in this unfortunately boring film. Even more baffling to give her the damn Oscar for it. She plays a Duchess who is flying for the first time and has to get a job because her estate is out of money or something. All of these people get fogged in at an airport in London, so we jump from each of their stories. Rutherford doesn't really have much of one, she is simply the comedic relief of the film that at times is way too melodramatic for its own good. She is actually funny in her brief scenes, but that's it. She's this bumbling, pill popping, haughty, fish out of water mess. Mostly funny, but also there are times where you just want her to get on with it and do something interesting. She never does and their is no emotional payoff or character arc being completed. I wouldn't even say she's supporting to any of the big name actors in the film like Orson Welles, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor. Rutherford mostly just stays to herself and only offers up the comedic relief for the film. I am going to assume that either the vote split allowed Rutherford to win or the Academy loved her career and gave her an award for it. Or maybe I will come to find out she was the only real choice as I finish up watching these performances!

Diane Cilento - Tom Jones

I would guess this is the surprise of the film and the category. I don't know her history other than she had recently married Sean Connery at the time, but she seems to have come along for the ride with the film. I fully believe that she just was a choice because the film did so well. She plays Molly, who is like a town whore I guess, no disrespect meant. Her characterization is just that and she seems to revel in that role but it never leaves that basic characterization. She is only in the beginning of the film for a bit and I think used to highlight Tom Jones' promiscuous, playboy ways. She is the lusty wench as referenced in the film. People will search for elaborate descriptions of the performance that just aren't there. Cilento is just glad to be nominated because it's not that great and entirely forgettable.

Edith Evans - Tom Jones

There is always concern that when you get a film with multiple acting nominations, especially in the same category, that maybe one of them is not well earned. Well, I can't say that Evans didn't earn this one as I like her the most out of the Tom Jones nominations. I love the way she says Brother and honestly she adds a much needed stiff upper lip to the film. It's a period piece that doesn't feel stuffy at all yet need someone to ground the film in reality and I think Evans does that. Also, she is just charming as the aunt to Sophie who is the woman Tom Jones actually loves. She adds a certain presence to the film and just does so much more with her role than the other women nominated, no knock against them! She butts heads with her brother who is responsible for Sophie and their bickering is hilarious and her staunchiness, which I don't think is a word, is commendable. I basically mean she stands up to him and keeps her haughtiness, which is a word, to great effect. I have begun to enjoy Evans' performances that I have reviewed for the project. This is her first nomination of three, so my last time reviewing her, but I hope to see more of her in some of the films moving backwards in time. A great actress who got recognized way late in life. She is the best of the three in this film.

Joyce Redman- Tom Jones

Okay, so now the third woman from Tom Jones to be nominated. I feel like Redman, who we just saw nominated for Othello which was not that memorable, was nominated here for the food eating scene. I think this is probably an iconic scene that you may have seen already. Certainly parodied before, the scene is Albert Finney and Redman eating different foods seductively. Apparently this took over three hours to film and led to them both throwing up multiple times as they were eating the food. It's actually a great scene and I can understand that in 1963 that was probably ground breaking stuff. It was also supposed to be a bit controversial as we are led to believe their hooking up was incestuous. It's revealed at the end of the film, she is not his mother, but her little wink to the camera is pretty great and shows how good Redman is in the role. She comes in late and molds the story and has a lasting impact. Redman, as mentioned by another reviewer, had to embody the film with the beginning silent film take, the naughtiness, the fourth wall breaking. She did a lot with so little. Not a winner and probably came along for the ride with the love of the film overall, but Redman worked what she was given and I enjoyed the performance.

Lilia Skala - Lilies of the Field

Or should it be Lilias of the Field? Okay, terrible joke aside Skala really is more of a leading role. She dominates a lot of the film as Mother Maria, the head nun who convinces Sidney Poitier to stay and help build a chapel. She is a very stubborn and forceful woman who has more good intentions than anything nefarious. She believes that God has sent Poitier to help build the chapel and does what she can to keep him there. She works well with Poitier's character, but as mentioned in my review for the film itself, it's missing something. We learn that the nuns came from Germany having escaped over the Berlin Wall and Poitier calls Skala Hitler at one point because she is so demanding. There feels like she has some dark underlying emotions, but it never gets explored and the film maintains it's more positive and upbeat tone. Skala does well with talking in German and broken English and being believable as a tough, stubborn mother superior. A lot of her performance is different facial expressions which can be tough to pull off without looking too goofy, but she does. It's a fine performance, but I don't really consider it a supporting one since she squares off with Poitier. I could honestly see her getting the win over Rutherford, though, if things played out a bit different.


And the answer to the above question is yes, there probably was some vote splitting letting Rutherford get the win. I am not a fan of Rutherford because she doesn't add much more than some brief comic relief and that certainly isn't Oscar worthy. Cilento doesn't get much screen time and doesn't have much to do besides be a pretty lady. That's it, so a legit fifth spot for her. Rutherford drops down far because her performance is so spare and pointless to her film. Skala in the middle for a role that was mostly brooding, stern mother superior. Though there does feel like she has something just under the surface of the performance begging to come out but it never does. That's why the other two Tom Jones ladies come in at the top. Evans was just kinda fun and actually added a bit to the film. Redman had the most to do out of everyone nominated here and by that along is the reason she wins. Sometimes that's just how it is. She affects the film more than any other besides maybe Skala but also gets to have a bit of an arc. Not a great year at all and a reason having multiple nominees from the same film is pointless. You are always going to nominate a lesser performance because the Academy got so infatuated with the film. I am sure there are 1-2 other amazing performances from this year that we missed out on. Really bad year honestly and I just want to get on to some better Supporting women.

Oscar Winner: Margaret Rutherford - The V.I.P.s
My Winner:  Joyce Redman - Tom Jones
Edith Evans
Lilia Skala
Margaret Rutherford
Diane Cilento