This is the second of a two-part study of legendary screen actresses through the years. Click here for part one.
Diane Keaton and Sally Field emerged at the end of the 1970s with strong performances that defined them as actresses of the future. Keaton won an Oscar for her kooky “Annie Hall” and became a regular performer for Woody Allen. But she was also taking risks with other filmmakers, giving a darkly brilliant performance, for instance, in “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” as a promiscuous young teacher.
Keaton gave a sublime performance in “Shoot the Moon,” a critically acclaimed box office failure, and was excellent in “Crimes of the Heart,” “The Little Drummer Girl,” “Marvin’s Room” and most recently, “Something’s Gotta Give.” Equally at home in comedy or drama, Keaton never ceases to amaze.
Sally Field’s career is a bit more bizarre. A two-time Oscar winner for genuinely brilliant performances, she truly arrived with “Norma Rae,” claiming all major lead actress awards. Five years later she won again for a wonderful performance in “Places in the Heart,” which yielded the infamous “you like me” speech. In the years since, she should have been nominated for “Forrest Gump,” but was not, and now she’s an Emmy Award winner on television. Easily miscast, though, Field can come across as too earnest in some roles, as she was in “Murphy’s Romance.” But in the right material, she is terrific.
For a short time in the 1980s, Debra Winger was the greatest actress of her generation, offering powerful work in “An Officer and a Gentleman” and best of all in “Terms of Endearment.” Known to be difficult on set, Winger made enemies, which held up the release of her film “Mike’s Murder,” and she found it increasingly difficult to get work. A fine performance in “The Sheltering Sky” went unnoticed, but an Oscar nod came for the inferior “Shadowlands.” I am among those thrilled to see her back in movies, seen this year in “Rachel Getting Married.”
Jessica Lange had a dubious start in movies as Dwan (yep that’s correct) in the terrible remake of “King Kong,” in which she was somehow entertaining and often very funny. Bob Fosse took note and cast her as the Angel of Death in “All That Jazz,” which drew attention as a fine, haunting performance. Double Oscar nominations came in 1982, for Best Actress in “Frances” and Best Supporting Actress (which she ultimately won) in “Tootsie.” Many felt the win was payback for being ignored the previous year in the sizzling remake of “The Postman Always Rings Twice” in which Lange blew Jack Nicholson off the screen in a courageous performance of pure carnality.
Lange went through the 1980s giving one outstanding performance after another, among them: “Country,” “Sweet Dreams” and “The Music Box.” All of the garnered her Oscar nominations, as well as “Crimes of the Heart.” She won a second Oscar in 1994 for a bizarre role in “Blue Sky,” a film that sat on a shelf awaiting release for more than a year. Lange is usually seeen today in independent films and is always interesting at the very least, and while highly respected as an actress, perhaps has never gotten the attention she so richly deserved. Very few actresses were as courageous as Lange in her pirme, and no one grew so substantially as she did.
Of course, there’s Meryl Streep, simply the finest actress to ever grace the screen. To me it is inconceivable that she has won just two Academy Awards, and though often nominated, has not won since 1982. With incredible early success — a win for Best Supporting Actress in “Kramer vs. Kramer” and then three years later Best Actress for the greatest performance ever put on film in “Sophie’s Choice” — she is the most nominated actress (and actor) in the history of the Academy.
She was certainly deserving for ‘Out of Africa,” “A Cry in the Dark” and “Adaptation,” however. There seems to be nothing she cannot do. I interviewed Streep a few years ago (what a thrill) and asked her how she challenges herself in finding roles.
“That’s never been the problem, because each new part is a challenge,” she said. “I try and find something that strokes my soul. When that happens I know there is something there for me and that perhaps I can bring something to the film. And finding the truth is what it is all about,.”
No one is better at bringing that “truth.” In recent years there seems to be two schools of thought on Streep, those who revere here and those who feel she is over-appreciated (never). Her work through the 1980s and 1990s was sublime, and as she hit what Ellen Burstyn called the “darkest days of an actress’s life,” her 50s and 60s, she continued to work and create exceptional characters. I, for one, cannot wait to see her in “Doubt,” because my gut is telling me this will be Oscar number three for her.
Other fine actresses to emerge since 1980 have been Susan Sarandon — so good in “Dead Man Walking,” among other films — and the great Holly Hunter, who was luminous in “The Piano.” Both are formidable talents, more than willing to take enormous risks in their work and in their pursuit of a great performance.
I quite enjoy the work of Angela Bassett and wish she would work more. And I never tire of seeing Sissy Spacek on screen.
The young actresses of today need to know that these are the women who made their careers possible, who broke down the boundaries to allow them to create. These women have done an extraordinary job elevating the role of the actress in the business with fierce and fine performances that are every bit as truthful and powerful as their male counterparts.
This whole thing got started in one of my lectures when my male film studies students could not name more than two great female performances. It makes me crazy that such fine work is not appreciated and that women, however brilliant, often play second fiddle to the men. Times need to change.
Comments
22 responses to “The evolution of the actress, part two”
I hope in Part 3 you’ll speak of the great Annette Benning and Glenn Close. Also, Goldie Hawn.
I think John wrapped it up here, KBJr. But I ould actually like to see a follow-up addressing these actresses’ impact on the new generation.
I missed Diana Keaton in the last one but somehow find it difficult to think of her apart from Woody Allen. With the exception of The Godfather I & II (which weren’t really about her) her greatest films are Annie Hall & Manhattan, two films that will haunt me forever. But thats more on account of Woody Allen. I think she’ll always be under his shadow.
Glenn Close was devil incarnate in Dangerous Liaisons, extremely powerful. I do think its a shame Streep has won just 2 Oscars.
I have to agree with his thoughts on Streep. No doubt she is the greatest actress working today, and arguably of all time.
25 years without an Oscar win is ridiculous. Number 3 is on it’s way come February!
Glenn Close in the late 80’s , Julianne Moore (1995 to 2002) and Nicole Kidman (2001-2004) should be on this list of the great actresses giving great performances one after another.
More and Kidman part of the new generation (coming soon) but Close enevr did much for me…over appreciated, though great in “Garp”. As for Diane Keation she stepped out of Woody Allen’s shadow with “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” in ’77, a daring and brilliant performance of a deeply troubled young woman. Five years later she was even better in “Shoot the Moon” which I believe to be her finest work — the ache and pain of divorce is etched forever in her pained eyes, yet the discovery of this new person, ironically, herself, is breath taking to watch.
I love “Shoot the Moon” too, John — Alan Parker’s best film, and box-office flop or not, how Finney and Keaton didn’t get nominations is baffling.
Victor: why only 2001-2004 for Kidman? That leaves out some of her best work: “To Die For,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Margot at the Wedding” …
Well Keaton’s greatest performance isn’t even in a Woody Allen movie. It’s her stirring portrayal in “REDS,” which somehow failed to get mentioned even once here. ???
Glenn Close has given award worthy performances in so many barely seen indies (“Heights” and “The Chumscrubber,” to name a couple).
Foster winning over Close in 1988 is the single most blatant mistake the Academy has made in over 50 years…
Oh come on — Streep should have won in 88 for “A Cry in the Dark” — as for Keaton and not mentioning “Reds”, I love the film, well documented, but I cannot name them all now can I? Let’s be fair shall we? I cannot put a filmography with each.
I like some of your choices but your failure to mention a few of the greatest actresses of all time, including Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Bergman is perplexing. I do have to wonder if you’ve seen Ingmar Bergman’s Face to Face because for my money, Ullmann there is the greatest performance ever to grace the screen, bar none. Also, no mention of Deborah Kerr or Olivia De Havilland? Shirley MacLaine? Audrey Hepburn?
Edit: Just saw what you said about leaving out Europeans largely due to their being European. Because the target audience isn’t familiar with them. A large portion of the people who will read this site haven’t seen more than 20 films made before 1980. That doesn’t mean they should be ignored. If anything, they should be championed all the louder so as to inform others. I post on IMDB’s Oscar Buzz forum regularly. A year ago, 95% of the people there would have said that Faye Dunaway was clearly the best actress of 1976. After seeing Face to Face, I started trying to convince others to seek it out. Now, whenever we discuss 76, Ullmann is easily the most talked about actress.
And as for having a spotty resume…:
Persona
Hour of the Wolf
Shame
The Passion of Anna
The Emigrants
The New Land
Cries and Whispers
Scenes From a Marriage
Face to Face
Autumn Sonata
Dangerous Moves
Gaby: A True Story
Oxen
Saraband
That’s 14 performances in a career I think can easily be classified as truly great, with the possible exception of Gaby where she was very good. Yes, a lot of them are with Bergman and Troell, but not all, and there’s a great deal of diversity in the roles. That’s more than just about any actress I can think of, including Meryl Streep who I can give maybe 9.
Frances McDormand and Laura Linney are two of my favorite working actresses. Up there with the best of all time? I dunno, but they are both almost always fantastic.
I’m with you on Ullmann, Bing — I don’t think there’s been a more gifted actress in film history. That she never won an Oscar is sad — that she wasn’t even nominated for “Scenes From a Marriage” is just incomprehensible.
Given that she doesn’t act all that much these days, she should be near the top of the Academy’s priority list for lifetime achievement awards.
I agree, and considering how rarely they give them to women, you think she’d be an easy choice. Sadly she’s just focusing on her directing career now, which is cool although I would love to see her act again, apparently she just did a small role in something as a favor to someone but it was a rather nothing part. Glad to hear I’m not the only person who feels she’s as good as anyone. Although she could have done worse, multiple nominations for a foreign actress are a rare thing. But man… most of them must not have seen Face to Face, enough to get her nominated at least.
I’m with John Foote on Meryl Streep. I don’t know about ‘A Cry in the Dark’ (I think she deserved an Oscar more for ‘Ironweed’), but yes, she did deserve an Oscar for ‘Out of Africa’ and ‘Adaptation’. ‘Yes!’ to those two. I’d also like to add that she should have won alongside Susan Sarandon for ‘The Bridges of Madison County’. And yes, I hope she beats the rest of the pack for ‘Doubt’. It’s a little sad that she has all those great movies and none of those gold men. I hope she beats Hepburn’s record of 4 Oscars, since she’s already set the record almost everywhere else.
I think the Academy’s problem with Meryl Streep is that they’re stuck comparing her performances post-‘Sophie’s Choice’ with ‘Sophie’s Choice’, which is just amazing and one-of-a-kind–but the Academy has to move on. Meryl has given Oscar-worthy performances time and time again, and that should be recognized.
I hope you discuss Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, and Kate Winslet, and younger actresses like Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt in the next part. I’m especially fond of Glenn Close, Kate Winslet, and Julianne Moore’s ability to be in good projects. Winslet, I believe, was robbed for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
That’s all. :)
P.S. Oh, and Cate Blanchett. I think this she’s a chameleon in the making. Might be Streep’s successor for all we know. ;)
Obviously Streep is amazing, but I can’t agree that she deserved the award for “Out of Africa.” Years ago, I caught “The Trip to Bountiful” on TV and was absolutely stunned by the delicacy of pathos of Geraldine Page’s work there.
Her win was no mere lifetime achievement award — that was one of the strongest performances that great actress ever gave. (Come to think of it, Page rated a mention in this discussion.)
I’d have also ranked Whoopi Goldberg and the incredible (and incredibly, unnominated) Norma Aleandro ahead of Streep that year. “Out of Africa” isn’t close to her best work for me.
I’d take everyone you just listed above Streep that year, as well as Mia Farrow in the Purple Rose of Cairo and Kelly McGillis in Witness and a few others probably as well. I actually think that’s one of Streep’s worst performances, she never really finds the character for me and her accent is awful. I don’t think its a remotely awards worthy performance, though I don’t think its an awards worthy film either.
Halle Berry should have been mentioned in the note over Angela Bassett, Whoopi Goldberg should have been mentioned over her as well!!!!!!!!!
Guy…great of you to bring up Page’s work and win for “Bountiful.”
She remains one of my favorites; sadly, she is grossly misrepresented on DVD. She won 8 Oscar nominations. My favorite Page performances available on DVD:
Sweet Bird of Youth
The Trip to Bountiful
Interiors
Hondo
The Beguiled
The Pope of Greenwich Village
And these are criminally not available:
Summer and Smoke
Toys in the Attic
You’re a Big Boy Now
Pete n Tillie
Trilogy
Yeah, she’s devastating in “Interiors.” Maureen Stapleton too. Such an undervalued film in general.
And “The Beguiled” is a wonderful, wicked little picture. I’m grateful for any excuse to bring that up.
Kind of eerie that Geraldine Page and Elizabeth Hartman died within a day or two of each other…
All this talk about Eastwood’s performances of recent years….
I believe this is his best performance, period.