These Are The Women (On Screen) That I Love

   I took a look at this year's Best Actress nominees for the Oscars, and I was surprised and a little bit embarrassed to discover that I had not seen any of their performances. Not only that, but I was shocked to learn that none of the actresses were nominated for films who were vying for the Best Picture category. Simple extrapolation from this shows that the eight Best Picture nominees focus almost entirely on men. (Or, as in "Boyhood," a boy, a teen, and then, a young man.)

   It made me wonder why this is, and I didn't have the answer. So, instead of pointing fingers at Hollywood executives or railing against a male-dominated film industry, I decided to list some of my favorite actresses of all time as a way of celebrating great women in the acting profession. I list four female actors from the Golden Age of Cinema since I have an affinity for this period. At some point, I will do a Take Two segment and focus on other eras and more women deserving of recognition. 

While the women I list are not all Oscar winners, all of them gave memorable performances in very different films.

   So, here a short list of my favorite actresses from the golden age of cinema, in no particular order of greatness:

  Greta Garbo in "Ninotchka." Simply unforgettable. One of her final films before she quit the business for good, Garbo shines as a Soviet envoy who falls for Melvyn Douglas and tastes the delights of Paris that are frowned upon in her communist country. We see her trademark Garbo seriousness, but we also see her struggle with love and even happiness, concepts that she is unfamiliar with, and it's a delight to watch Garbo act them out. It must be added that posters for this film advertised that "Garbo Laughs!" as a none-too-subtle reference to the public perception that Greta Garbo never smiled or laughed in her movies. This was not so, but never let the truth get in the way of a good ad campaign. She would make only one more movie after this, and then quit to live in seclusion. In a way, it's sad that such a great talent chose to end her career so early, but it adds to her mystique, and her considerable body of work stands as a great gift to film fans, even today.  

   Another actress worthy of note whose initials are "G.G." is Greer Garson in "Pride and Prejudice." While this adaptation of the Jane Austen novel takes certain liberties with the book, there is no other version of Elizabeth Bennet that matches Garson's in my mind. She is equal parts coy, smartly indignant, and both repulsed by and attracted to Mr. Darcy. This may not be Garson's most famous role, (which would probably be "Mrs. Miniver" two years later in which she won the Oscar for Best Actress,) but it is the one I can watch over and over again.

   Joan Crawford in "Grand Hotel." This is one of the very first Hollywood films with an "all-star" cast, as it had Crawford, Greta Garbo, Wallace Beery, and both John and Lionel Barrymore, all of whom were silent film legends at the time, and Crawford had only third-billing, behind Garbo and John Barrymore. (I would have also mentioned this as a Greta Garbo highlight, as it's another gem in her all too short filmography.) To me, "Grand Hotel" is my favorite film that includes Joan Crawford. As the stenographer in the story, she shows independence, a strong-mind, and a playful sexiness that audiences loved from her. In a sense, she is almost everything in the film that Garbo's character was not, as Garbo played a depressed ballerina. Crawford's character sees darker moments in the story, but her strength, level-headed manner, and ultimate kindness, make this film another that I can watch repeatedly without degradation. 

   Ingrid Bergman in "Casablanca." While not one of the three films that earned Ingrid an Oscar statuette, no one would deny that "Casablanca" gave her a classic part in a classic film. What's most interesting about her performance is that she had two men to whom she needed to show love for, but since the script was being written as they filmed, she had no idea which of the men her character really loved. So, she had to play most of her scenes ambiguously so that when it was finally decided she would go with one or the other (see the movie to find out who she ends up with,) the audience would not know that for the bulk of the shooting she had no idea who her character loved at all. Despite being so frustrated at this ridiculous work-condition, she played Ilsa Lund with great emotion and passion. Now, if you've already seen the film, go back and watch her scenes and try to figure out if she loves one man more than the other. I have my own thoughts, but that will be for another blog.

  As for more contemporary actresses, I would include the following females to my own hall of greatness, and some of the films I think are worth a look:

Sigourney Weaver for "Alien" and "Aliens."

Tilda Swinton  for "Michael Clayton" and her nearly unrecognizable cameo in "The Grand Budapest Hotel."

Helena Bonham Carter for "Fight Club" and "The King's Speech"

Charlize Theron for "Cider House Rules" and "Young Adult." 

Anna Kendrick for "Up In the Air" and "50/50."

and,

Jennifer Lawrence for "Silver Lining's Playbook"

   At some point, I will add more women to this list, but until then, check out some of the above actresses and see if you agree with my assessments or not. I'm thinking that you just might see something you hadn't seen before and come away impressed with these awesome talents as I have.