30. Melanie Laurent, Inglorious Basterds
Stylized Tarantino characterization at its finest as Laurent brilliantly conveys the simmering thirst for revenge alongside the conflicting emotions of Shoshanna's more sensitive side.
29. Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
The corporate lackey with dark and grimy secrets to hide is a well-worn character trope but Swinton refines it into a fascinating character study of a lawyer at wit's end, not willing to go without a fight.
28. Judith Anderson, Rebecca
An incredibly intriguing depiction of a incredibly influential character, Anderson's Ms Danvers is ambiguous in so many different ways, and adds so much to the flair and substance of a great film.
27. Pamela Franklin, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
She not only manages to hold her own against Maggie Smith's all-time great performance, Franklin also develops marvellously her own little arc of Sandy's journey from innocent ignorance to jaded maturity.
26. Josephine Hull, Harvey
A one-note potrayal of extreme hilarity as Hull, taking on possibly the trickiest role in the film, plays both straight man and comical highlight all in one as the long-suffering aunt of James Stewart's Elwood.
25. Margaret Hamilton, The Wizard of Oz
Cackling, devious, one-note, but whata delicious one-note it is, as Hamilton milks this great role for all its work and gives an equally intimidating and funny performance as the Wicked Witch of the West.
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24. Marisa Tomei, My Cousin Vinny
Pure hilarity from start to finish, Tomei's Oscar win is unfairly chastised. She gives a great comic supporitve performance that's also very endearing and even, in certain moments, quite touching.
23. Miranda Richardson, The Crying Game
With a pitch-perfect accent, an ever-present look of deathly hate in her eyes and just an incredibly well-attuned style to her every movement and word, Richardson's Jude is a great creation of callous evil packaged into an alluring exterior.
22. Deborah Kerr, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
21. Christina Ricci, The Addams Family
20. Marion Cotillard, Public Enemies
Cotillard disappears into the role of Billy Frechette, lover of John Dillinger (Johnny Depp). When the film falters Cotillard never does, giving a great portrayal of unconditional love that's made incredibly heartbreaking by the way events turn.
19. Cloris Leachman, The Last Picture Show
This could go up with a re-watch. Leachman is absolutely devestating as the beating heart of the film. Amidst all the other flawed, selfish in their own ways characters, her Ruth Popper stands as the most pitiful yet ultimately admirable character, and Leachman nails this.
18. Machiko Kyo, Rashomon
Though I'm not as overly enthused with Rashomon as many seem to be, I think Kyo gives a great performance. She plays each side of her character's 'stories' wonderfully and with subtle variations suggests the desperation to her character's actions.
17. Madeline Kahn, Clue
16. Lesley Ann Warren, Clue
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Both Kahn and Warren give great comedic performances, Kahn with excellent deadpan precision and Warren with magnificent snark, both adding to the film with every second of their screentime
Both Kahn and Warren give great comedic performances, Kahn with excellent deadpan precision and Warren with magnificent snark, both adding to the film with every second of their screentime
15. Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate
A terrifying portrayal of a cruel maternal figure who uses her position of her 'son' as a means to a most evil ends, Lansbury gives an excellent performance as the criminal mastermind of all the film's machinations, equal parts intelligent and incisive.
14. Betsy Blair, Marty
Blair could not possibly have been better in this role, nor could've anyone else. As the source of light to Marty's (Ernest Borgnine) lonely days, Blair's Clara not only helps soothe his heartache, she infuses so much life into him and the film through her radiant yet understated charm, chemistry, and a subtle undercurrent of insecurity that's gradually pulled off.
13. Paulette Goddard, Modern Times
One of the greatest 'silent' performances of all-time. Goddard as is to be expected has great chemistry with Charlie Chaplin's tramp, but also marvellously holds up the dramatic heft of the film with her moving portrayal of her character's unfortunate background, and dreams for the future ahead.
12. Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
11. Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
10. Dianne Wiest, Hannah and Her Sisters
Quite possibly the best performance given in any Woody Allen film, ever, Wiest's portrayal of the deeply troubled, former drug addicted actress looking for a way out of her rut in life is moving, funny, and most importantly always true to the character. It's work that always brutally honest and feels vividly real, and stands out the most in a cast filled with brilliant performers.
9. Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Jack Nicholson's Oscar-winning performance as Randle McMurphy is brilliant, but it would never have worked without the complimentary work of Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched. The yin to McMurphy's yang she's so strikingly intimidating and brutal in her depiction of the iron fist with which Ratched rules the asylum, making the little cracks in her veneer resonate all the more.
8. Monique, Precious
Just watch this. Amazing, isn't it? Now watch the film.
7. Julianne Moore, Boogie Nights
Giving quite possibly her best performance (torn between this and Far From Heaven), Moore's breakout turn as star porn actress Amber Waves in Paul Thomas Anderson's excellent depiction of the 1970's porn industry is a marvellous combination of all her talents as an actress. There's her usual aptitude at playing the troubled, unsettled woman who's fighting for the custody ofh er child, but also a startling warmth and complex allure to her motherly relationship to her co-stars.
6. Anne Bancroft, The Graduate
Bancroft was a tremendous actress and this was her very best performance. She utilises her incomparable screen presence to create not only the fascinating vibe of Mrs Robinson, but also the enigmatic quality to this mysterious vibe of hers. Bancroft never plays her role as a villain even when the plot necessiates she does some ugly things because she always strikes the pitch-perfect balance between the facade and humanity of Mrs Robinson.
5. Marion Cotillard, Inception
4. Billie Whitelaw, The Omen
Quite possibly one of the most terrifying performances of all-time. Whitelaw is the soul of her film insofar as The Omen is an unsparingly dark and spine-tingling horror film, and she makes for a constantly unsettling presence of seemingly false cordial love...before revealing that, BAM, it's all real, and what's more this obsessive love is soon to be the cause of all pain and suffering.
3. Veronica Cartwright, Alien
Cartwright conveys fear and terror like no other, and with this great role within a great ensemble, she outshines pretty much everyone and for me, makes even more of an impression than the aliens themselves by her incredibly visceral, unrelenting portrayal of fear in its basest, most cruel form that strengthens the evil, and weakens the meek.
3. Veronica Cartwright, Alien
2. Kathleen Byron, Black Narcissus
1. Melora Walters, Magnolia
Revised 2015 Best Supporting Actress Rankings: 1. Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
2. Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
3. Elizabeth Debicki, The Man From U.N.C.L.E
4. Marion Cotillard, Macbeth
5. Analeigh Tipton, Mississippi Grind
6. Elizabeth Banks, Love & Mercy
7. Tessa Thompson, Creed
8. Hattie Morahan, Mr Holmes
9. Rebecca Hall, The Gift
10. Joan Allen, Room
11. Riley Keough, Mad Max: Fury Road
12. Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
13. Cate Blanchett, Cinderella
14. Helen Mirren, Trumbo
15. Rose Byrne, Spy
16. Cara Delevingne, Paper Towns
17. Sonoya Mizuno, Ex Machina
18. Julianne Nicholson, Black Mass
19. Julie Walters, Brooklyn
20. Abbey Lee, Mad Max: Fury Road
Interesting list. You could spend all day quibbling about the order they're ranked in, but it's hard to argue that any one of them does not deserve to be there. I will say that I did not expect to see Melora Walters at #1 at all.
ReplyDeleteA few questions just out of curiosity (and a comment or two as well):
1. Laurent in Supporting, huh? I actually agree with you, but she's always an interesting one to debate category placement. How close is she to being lead in your book?
2. Ecstatic to see Tomei. I absolutely adore her performance and agree 100% with you about why it's so terrific. I recently went through one of those slideshows of underwhelming female Oscar-winning performances, and I was really frustrated, especially since the blurb specifically said that she didn't really do anything other than be funny, which is just so not correct.
3. I should rewatch Last Picture Show as I liked Leachman but preferred Burstyn, which I know is sacrilege (but Ben Johnson was tops). I watched it a few years back when I first started seriously getting into movies and trying to watch as many critically acclaimed older stuff I both could get my hands on and had the time to watch. I'm interested to find out if my thoughts on both her and the rest of the cast change.
4. Do you prefer Warren to Kahn or was it just a matter of which one's picture you uploaded first? I know almost everyone prefers Kahn, but I find something else new to laugh at in her performance every time I watch the movie.
5. Every single word you wrote for Cartwright is on point, except for "aliesns." I don't know what those are. :P
Michael:
DeleteRanking them was a PAIN yeah. Especially when I got down to the top 15 or so.
1. Quite close actually. The whole cast is an ensemble to me but if I had to choose a lead, I'd go for both her and Waltz - which would definitely muddle everything up in terms of my personal rankings :P She's supporting for me though because I do feel that she never does hold quite enough consistent focus to be defined as lead.
2. So true about Tomei. I actually think it's her best performance, and I generally like her a lot. It's horrible how people said she was a mistake of a winner, the other nominees were quite strong too but she was great, and she gave such a lovely speech.
3. Burstyn is great, she brought so much to a potentially paper-thin role and she'd probably make my nominees for the year, s is Johnson. My favourites of the cast however, were Bridges aand Leachman as they made the most impact on me, but really everyone in the cast was good to great.
4. I must confess, sacrilege, I prefer Warren, but mainly because it was such a breath of fresh air for her as an actress, whereas Kahn I've always liked in her comedic roles so there wasn't as much of a surprise factor, so to speak.
5. AHHHHHHH thank's!! I'll get that checked out in a bit lest my spelling errors go all John Hurt on me.
Keep asking questions by the way, always love reader input :)
DeleteFirst off, great list! I can't say my opinion about a few of these since I'm going to review them, but here is what I can say from what I saw (of the un-nominated ones).
ReplyDeleteMadeline Kahn and Lesley Ann Warren, I love them both in Clue. They're just incredibly funny and I really can't decide which one of the two I prefer (at the moment it's probably Kahn but Warren is so brilliant as well). Melora Walters might not be all-time favorite but she is phenomenal in Magnolia and brings so much poignancy and rawness to her role. Kathleen Byron gives one of the most fascinating, complex and brilliant performances I've ever seen and she's definitely in my top 10 as well, and while I haven't seen in quite a while I remember being extremely impressed by Cartwright in Alien who I thought managed to make a potentially limited role powerful and devastating. Machiko Kyo is downright brilliant in Rashomon (a movie I absolutely adore) and I love Vikander in Ex Machina. As you can tell by my reviews, I also love Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight and Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate. Oh, and I think Pamela Franklin is incredible in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, her final scene with Maggie Smith is simply outstanding.
There are a few performances out of these I wouldn't quite rate as a 5 but "only" as a 4.5, but I'm thrilled you love them as much as you did. Those performances would be Miranda Richardson in The Crying Game, Marion Cotillard in Inception and Public Enemies (but I love her in both and she's extremely close to a 5), Paulette Goddard in Modern Times (but she's truly terrific), Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz (really like her but don't quite love her) and Melanie Laurent in Inglorious Basterds (who is supporting for me as well).
Here are a few female supporting performances I love and give an easy 5 to, I'd love to hear what you think of them:
Nastassja Kinski in Paris Texas, Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet, Rachel Roberts in Picnic at Hanging Rock, Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut, Lee Remick in Anatomy of a Murder, Setsuko Hara in Tokyo Story, Tallulah Bankhead in Lifeboat, Dora Bryan in A Taste of Honey, Pamela Franklin in The Innocents, Mia Kirshner in The Black Dahlia, Gwyneth Paltrow in The Royal Tenenbaums.
Glad you liked the list! I should note actually that I don't actually like Rashomon all that much, far from Kurosawa's best IMO, but Kyo is brilliant.
DeleteKinski: Haven't seen her but I really, really need to.
Rossellini: Damn, I completely forgot about her, for some reason I always feel she's lead even though she's clearly supporting. I'll need to add her onto the list at some point. Anyway she's definitely a very strong 5.
Roberts: Haven't seen her yet (and I really need to catch up on more Australian cinema)
Kidman: Also haven't seen her yet (and never knew she was supporting, I'll need to watch it)
Remick: 5 (breathtakingly alluring to be sure, and beyond that she's so good at making her character both so open and upfront about her intentions, but always with a bit of sleaze underneath that earnestness that's really effective)
Hara: I really need to watch Tokyo Story, after watching Ugetsu I feel like there's so much more Japanese cinema I need to uncover.
Bankhead: 4.5 (I need a re-watch though. From what I recall she gave a compelling potrayal of physical and mental degradation but I need to watch again to see how much she stands out from the ensemble)
Bryan: 4.5 (a performance that's strengthened a lot over time. Melvin and Tushingham who I both give incredibly strong 5's, are the highlight of the film for me, but Bryan is also great in portraying her character's pitiful state in life and manages to make a fairly despicable character have quite the poignancy to her predicament)
Franklin: 5 (along with Martin Stephens, the two young actors give such startlingly effective portrayals of understated creepiness that work perfectly in tangent with Deobrah Kerr's pitch perfect lead performance)
Kirshner: 5 (I have to admit I actually really liked the film. Outside of an atrocious performance by Hilary Swank I thought it was beautifulyl shot, fairly taut, and most of the performances were good, and in one instance great. Kirshner gives such a spellbinding, heartbreaking portrayal of the victim and with minimal focus and screentime haunts the film)
Paltrow: 4.5 (Perfectly in tandem with Wes Anderson's vision and has some great scenes with Luke Wilson. I could go up)
I actually don't like The Black Dahlia but Kirshner is brilliant. Paltrow and Bryan are easy 5s for me (actually I think they're both the MVPs of their movies). As for Kidman, I think she is supporting. She has a lot of screen-time in the first half an hour but after that she has about 25 minutes in about two hours. I suppose she's borderline but really she is not quite as prominent as Cruise's character who is in almost every single scene.
DeleteOh also, what about Cara Delevingne in Paper Towns? I thought she was very effective.
ReplyDeleteI added her to the list, I used to be much bigger on her but a re-watch edged her down slightly. Still thinks she nails the tricky role quite well though, and I'm looking forward to see where she goes next as an actress.
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