Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
Debbie Reynolds (The Unsinkable Molly Brown)
Biggest Snub:
Audrey Hepburn – My Fair Lady
My Overall Thoughts:
This is a year with 4 very powerful performances and one that is quite good and it must have been quite difficult making the right decision come Oscar night.
My Rankings:
Actress
5. Debbie Reynolds
4. Sophia Loren
3. Anne Bancroft
2. Kim Stanley
1. Julie Andrews
Movies
5. The Unsinkable Molly Brown – Interesting idea that falls a bit too short because it all feels a too superficial from start to finish. None of the characters are developed well enough and they all seem like caricatures. The songs are fine but none are very memorable. They spend too much time dealing with how she planned to become part of high society and skim over the whole Titanic episode which is what made her even more popular. Reynolds does a fine job in the lead and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of this famous woman.
4. Marriage Italian Style – Fun film that works because of the zaniness of the characters and story line. Mastroianni and Loren have great chemistry together and know how to keep things engaging and light the whole way through. They each know how to pull the strings of the other and allow for us to see them on-edge. The story itself may be a bit silly and extreme but as a comic look at marriage it definitely works well. Loren was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her work in this film.
3. The Pumpkin Eater – Very intriguing premise that tries to show how a woman must deal with the various issues within her marriage and is forced to try and decide what is most important to her. Bancroft is superb in this role and was quite deserving of her Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance here. She has great on and off chemistry with both Finch and Mason as would be expected which works really well. The story brings up some very interesting questions about what is important in a relationship and when it is essential to try and fix problems or alternatively cut all ties and move on.
2. Seance on a Wet Afternoon – Great premise that works really well largely due to the performances of Stanley and Attenborough. The story plays out really well and we get to see why they chose the path that they take which helps develop these characters so much. The chemistry between ts couple is excellent throughout the film and the way that they each interact with the young girl also says so much about their personalities. Stanly was deservingly nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her work in this film because her character has so much range throughout the film. The story is quite suspenseful and the fact that we get the perspective of this couple makes things even more entertaining to watch unfold.
1. Mary Poppins – Excellent movie that deservingly has been a known children’s (and adult) classic for over 50 years. Very deserving of all of its accolades.
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Absoluely! JA is superb as MP and despite having some very powerful competition, she still gives a slightly better performance than her competitors.
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
