Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
Biggest Snub:
Valentina Cortese – The Barefoot Contessa
My Overall Thoughts:
This is a year with 5 good nominees, but one was exceptional in this role which became quiet iconic over the years.
My Rankings:
Supporting Actress
5. Jan Sterling
4. Nina Foch
3. Katy Jurado
2. Claire Trevor
1. Eva Marie Saint
Movies
4. Broken Lance – Interesting tale of a feud within a family that stems from having different mothers despite having the same father. The story works on numerous levels since it is tells a universal story set to the Western backdrop. Tracy is great as the family patriarch trying to get his sons to cooperate even if he never was the most affectionate father one could hope for. Widmark and Wagner are both equally enjoyable to watch as the two sons who are at odds with one another yet both respect their father for what he has done despite mistakes along the way. Jurado was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her work here as Tracy’s second wife who does her best to keep the peace among her son and his half-brothers.
3. The High and the Mighty – Great disaster movie before there was even a name for the genre. Wayne does a great job in the lead and keeps things interesting. The various storylines of the passengers are good yet there is a feeling that some of the back stories are a bit long and take away from the suspense of the film. It’s also sometimes a bit difficult to differentiate between the various characters which makes things slightly confusing at times. There is no doubt that many of the episodes and scenes featured in this film were used for the basis of so many disaster movies or their spoofs decades later.
2. Executive Suite – Great corporate intrigue. Shows that not much has changed in 60 years.
1. On the Waterfront – Should be seen on it’s own merit and not for underlying themes. Excellent acting.
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Definitely! EMS is superb in OTW and clearly gave the best performance among the nominees
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
