The performances nominated for Best Actress at the 1961 Oscars are iconic, career-changing, and, at least in one case, confusing. The nominees, after the jump.
Showing posts with label Sophia Loren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sophia Loren. Show all posts
Monday, April 15, 2019
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Casting Coup Tuesday: And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None is one of Agatha Christie's most famous works -- I reckon Murder on the Orient Express and Witness for the Prosecution are the only other ones as immediately recognizable. It has been the basis for two stage plays, a mini-series, multiple films, and infinite spoof episodes on television (even Family Guy did a season premiere called "And Then There Were Fewer").
 |
| The 1945 film version |
There are three famous film versions, all of which take their queue from Agatha's own stage adaptation. The 1945 version features an all-star cast that includes Academy Award Winners Barry Fitzgerald and Walter Huston, and Academy Award Nominees Mischa Auer, Roland Young and Judith Anderson. It adheres closely to the original work -- they're all English, they're on an island. The next two films would not.
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| The 1974 film version |
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| The 2015 BBC version |
After the jump...
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Singin', Screwin', Seancin': Actress, 1964
I am so excited to have finally finally FINALLY gotten a hold of Seance on a Wet Afternoon so that I could finish this! Thanks to my roommate, whose recent decision to get Hulu Plus put the movie right in our laps. Or on our television screen. Or, you know, whatever.
Mais first, a little chat about this category, because I do love this category so. One of the most famous tales told of this year is how Audrey Hepburn, star of Best Picture winner My Fair Lady, lost in a shocker to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins. Of course, like many legends, it's one steeped in a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings. For one thing, Hepburn wasn't even nominated. For another, while the film was a hit, Hepburn and many critics felt that she was dreadfully miscast in the role -- she was already 33 when cast as 21-year-old Eliza Doolittle, and her howling, screeching performance in the first half embarrassed her (she's very wrong, it's one of her best performances because it's so opposite her usual usual). Of course, we must also remember that Andrews created the role in London and on Broadway, and there was a lot of bad feeling when Warner Bros. didn't even audition her for the film. Sympathy for Andrews, ambivalence towards Hepburn, and the qaulity of Mary Poppins itself led to one of the most legendary Oscar wins in history.
But then there are four other nominees: Sophia Loren in the Italian-language Marriage Italian Style, a wonderful comedy that loses steam in its final third; Anne Bancroft in the English character study The Pumpkin Eater, Andrews' main competition for the prize; Debbie Reynolds in the movie-musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown; and American theatre legend Kim Stanley in the independent suspense drama Seance on a Wet Afternoon, a performance as highly-acclaimed today as it was then. And the end, there's only one thing that matters in these blog posts...after your own reactions of course. And that is: what does Walter think of it all?
Andrews really is "practically perfect in every way". Her characterization of Mary is sweet without being nauseating, somewhat impish, surprisingly stern, a lot of fun. The way she just waltzes in and takes control as though she were lady of the manor is amusing and telling -- she may be a magical, mischievous nanny, but she is the boss. I love the way she resists Bert's suggestions of frivolity, only to give in and be the happier for it. Andrews also has to show affection for both Bert and the children without outright stating it, and you can see this subtly done in a number of scenes, most notably in the entire chalk sequence and "Stay Awake". Good thing, too, because otherwise that ending with the umbrella is meaningless.
The film has a promising screenplay and great performances from Peter Finch and James Mason. I give it that. I suppose I can also see where Anne Bancroft's performance as a self-destructive baby factory (how many fucking kids does she have? 23?) could be called subtle. But I would call it anemic and repetitive. Admittedly, the promise in the script does not extend to the characterization of its lead, so Bancroft is only called to run through the gamut of jealousy and anxiety over and over and over and over.... Couldn't she at least change up the expression once in a while? She's quite effective in the beginning, in scenes with Maggie Smith, at the party, and with James Mason. If only there was more!
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Such a funny, sexy, complex performance I did not expect! Loren is obsessively in love with caddish Marcello Mastroianni, who's kept her as his mistress for twenty years. She is adorable in the flashbacks, heartbreaking in the present, and unbelievably beautiful throughout. Ah, but she is also not afraid to grey it up, go without makeup, age herself as her character ages. As she lays dying at the film's beginning, you've never seen such a sad, sickly creature in your life. The script gets repetitive in the last third, insisting she intone again and again, "You will never know." It's to Loren's credit that she can vary it as much as she does. What an incredible performance!
The film chronicles Molly Brown's rise from ill-mannered mountain girl to toast of the town/survivor of the Titanic. Reynolds illustrates this change by giving us two Molly Browns: a screeching banshee that should have been drowned at birth, and a refined lady with emotions (!) subtly conveyed (!!). If you can get past that first act -- and if Harve Presnell managed it, so can you -- you'll be rewarded with a not-too-shabby performance in an all right film. It's not earth-shattering, but she gets the job done.
One of those terrifying performances so disturbingly layered you can't separate the person from the performance. Stanley is Myra Savage, a psychic who so believes in her powers but is unsatisfied with her modest, weekly seance circle with the same gullible old biddies. She hatches a plan to kidnap a child and use her "psychic" powers to aid the police, insisting the whole time to her weak husband that the plan is actually the mysterious Arthur's. And Stanley plays this terrifying woman with such conviction that you believe the filmmakers have caught a madwoman on film. Myra believes completely in her brilliance and abilities, knowing she's far too smart to get caught or make a mistake. Stanley uses a soft, childlike tone as Myra, which already makes her sound like a screw loose. Then the way she suddenly takes charge of a situation with her eyes is intimidating. And, of course, the final seance scene is masterful, one that makes you question sanity, reality and the supernatural. Bizarre and brilliant.
---------------------------
Um, I know this is rare, unheard-of Oscar trivia, but did you know that Julie Andrews won the Academy Award? Just checking. Of course, I love The Poppins to bits, but I must say I'm tempted by another....and so it is that I award the Oscar to:
Mais first, a little chat about this category, because I do love this category so. One of the most famous tales told of this year is how Audrey Hepburn, star of Best Picture winner My Fair Lady, lost in a shocker to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins. Of course, like many legends, it's one steeped in a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings. For one thing, Hepburn wasn't even nominated. For another, while the film was a hit, Hepburn and many critics felt that she was dreadfully miscast in the role -- she was already 33 when cast as 21-year-old Eliza Doolittle, and her howling, screeching performance in the first half embarrassed her (she's very wrong, it's one of her best performances because it's so opposite her usual usual). Of course, we must also remember that Andrews created the role in London and on Broadway, and there was a lot of bad feeling when Warner Bros. didn't even audition her for the film. Sympathy for Andrews, ambivalence towards Hepburn, and the qaulity of Mary Poppins itself led to one of the most legendary Oscar wins in history.
But then there are four other nominees: Sophia Loren in the Italian-language Marriage Italian Style, a wonderful comedy that loses steam in its final third; Anne Bancroft in the English character study The Pumpkin Eater, Andrews' main competition for the prize; Debbie Reynolds in the movie-musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown; and American theatre legend Kim Stanley in the independent suspense drama Seance on a Wet Afternoon, a performance as highly-acclaimed today as it was then. And the end, there's only one thing that matters in these blog posts...after your own reactions of course. And that is: what does Walter think of it all?
Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins
*****
Andrews really is "practically perfect in every way". Her characterization of Mary is sweet without being nauseating, somewhat impish, surprisingly stern, a lot of fun. The way she just waltzes in and takes control as though she were lady of the manor is amusing and telling -- she may be a magical, mischievous nanny, but she is the boss. I love the way she resists Bert's suggestions of frivolity, only to give in and be the happier for it. Andrews also has to show affection for both Bert and the children without outright stating it, and you can see this subtly done in a number of scenes, most notably in the entire chalk sequence and "Stay Awake". Good thing, too, because otherwise that ending with the umbrella is meaningless.
Anne Bancroft in The Pumpkin Eater
**
The film has a promising screenplay and great performances from Peter Finch and James Mason. I give it that. I suppose I can also see where Anne Bancroft's performance as a self-destructive baby factory (how many fucking kids does she have? 23?) could be called subtle. But I would call it anemic and repetitive. Admittedly, the promise in the script does not extend to the characterization of its lead, so Bancroft is only called to run through the gamut of jealousy and anxiety over and over and over and over.... Couldn't she at least change up the expression once in a while? She's quite effective in the beginning, in scenes with Maggie Smith, at the party, and with James Mason. If only there was more!
Sophia Loren in Marriage Italian Style
****
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Such a funny, sexy, complex performance I did not expect! Loren is obsessively in love with caddish Marcello Mastroianni, who's kept her as his mistress for twenty years. She is adorable in the flashbacks, heartbreaking in the present, and unbelievably beautiful throughout. Ah, but she is also not afraid to grey it up, go without makeup, age herself as her character ages. As she lays dying at the film's beginning, you've never seen such a sad, sickly creature in your life. The script gets repetitive in the last third, insisting she intone again and again, "You will never know." It's to Loren's credit that she can vary it as much as she does. What an incredible performance!
Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown
***
The film chronicles Molly Brown's rise from ill-mannered mountain girl to toast of the town/survivor of the Titanic. Reynolds illustrates this change by giving us two Molly Browns: a screeching banshee that should have been drowned at birth, and a refined lady with emotions (!) subtly conveyed (!!). If you can get past that first act -- and if Harve Presnell managed it, so can you -- you'll be rewarded with a not-too-shabby performance in an all right film. It's not earth-shattering, but she gets the job done.
Kim Stanley in Seance on a Wet Afternoon
*****
One of those terrifying performances so disturbingly layered you can't separate the person from the performance. Stanley is Myra Savage, a psychic who so believes in her powers but is unsatisfied with her modest, weekly seance circle with the same gullible old biddies. She hatches a plan to kidnap a child and use her "psychic" powers to aid the police, insisting the whole time to her weak husband that the plan is actually the mysterious Arthur's. And Stanley plays this terrifying woman with such conviction that you believe the filmmakers have caught a madwoman on film. Myra believes completely in her brilliance and abilities, knowing she's far too smart to get caught or make a mistake. Stanley uses a soft, childlike tone as Myra, which already makes her sound like a screw loose. Then the way she suddenly takes charge of a situation with her eyes is intimidating. And, of course, the final seance scene is masterful, one that makes you question sanity, reality and the supernatural. Bizarre and brilliant.
---------------------------
Um, I know this is rare, unheard-of Oscar trivia, but did you know that Julie Andrews won the Academy Award? Just checking. Of course, I love The Poppins to bits, but I must say I'm tempted by another....and so it is that I award the Oscar to:
KIM STANLEY
for
SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON
crazy, creepy, and all too human
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
In a Very Unusual Way, I'm So in Love With Nine
It's very difficult to concentrate on writing about Nine when I have the music from it playing incessantly in my head...and on my iTunes. So, first thing out of the gate, at least be reassured that the music is a pleasure to listen to. Thank goodness, too. The first thing one would want in a musical, of course, are numbers that attract the audience, and Nine does deliver on this front. With one or two exceptions, each number is a pleasure to experience, from the Overture to the Finale -- both of which gave me goosebumps and had me a wee wet-eyed.
True, "Folies Bergeres" is surprisingly lacking in life, a pity since it is my favorite from the show AND it's Judi Dench's big number. God knows she tries to deliver, but cutting out the dance break was a bizarre choice, and even the mid-song banter is noncommittal.
True also, the original song "Take It All", though sexy and ending with a punch to the gut, is a little too Chicago for me. The music, the costumes, the production design: I saw it all back in 2002.
But as for the rest, good job. Yes, even "Cinema Italiano" works, as I hoped it would, in context. A shallow song from a shallow character, so it's fine. Indeed, it reminds me of those cheesy pop tunes from the 60s, and I have a great number of those on my iTunes as well. If there is room for Herb Alpert's "Casino Royale Theme", there is room for "Cinema Italiano". And as for the rest of Kate Hudson's performance: Almost Famous was a fluke.
Nicole Kidman does fine with "Unusual Way", though it's always been one my least favorite songs from the show. It matters little, the lady's in and out within minutes. Marion Cotillard takes my second favorite number, "My Husband Makes Movies", and does not fail to impress. Her Luisa is just as wise, broken, and loving as Anouk Aimee's. That lead campaign is a joke, though -- as vital as Luisa is to the storyline, especially in this version, she is still a supporting part. Penelope Cruz is, naturally, sexy and funny, and also surprisingly vulnerable as the mistress. "Call from the Vatican" is a hot number as it is, but Cruz just sizzles. Bring the vapors. Daniel Day-Lewis does well with both his numbers, but his Guido is not as fun-loving as Marcello Mastroianni's. That's not bad, just a different, more emotional take on the character. His voice is just fine, his accent flawless.
I complained to some friends that recent movie musicals lack the huge dance numbers of old. The greatest musical, Funny Face, has one full dance number, plus several songs that stop to allow Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire to do their thing. Nine finally gives me what I want, in Fergie's tambourine dance for "Be Italian". A wonderful performance. Fergie rocks her scenes as Saraghina anyway, though. She does not speak, she just looks trashily sultry, sings, dances. It's not a challenging role at all, but just try looking away from her! The woman commands every scene she's in!
Sophia Loren's "Guarda la Luna" is magical, the song that I've been listening to all day, the song that I hummed to my niece to keep her from crying (it worked a little). It's probably the smoothest transition into a number, too, working as the lullaby it is, and as another layer to Guido's female problems. I didn't even miss the number it replaced, the titular tune "Nine", though audiences not already familiar with the story may.
This, then, is one of the main problems of the film. I know what's going on because I've seen 8 1/2 and I have the Broadway Revival CD of Nine. But will an uninitiated audience get what's going on? They introduce all these women in the Overture without telling you who they are. They just sort of stand there, Guido interacts with them a little, la-di-dah. Hell, after seeing a Nicole Kidman kiss, a Marion Cotillard tenderness, and a Penelope Cruz embrace, it's hard not to think "Oh, God, did he fuck her too?!" when Judi Dench shows up. The bedroom eyes don't help. It's not until much, much later that these women are introduced, and even then, much of who and why they are is unclear.
The film smacks of a strange restraint. It never fully embraces either of its source productions, though it tries to include elements of both. The screenwriters, Anthony Minghella and Michael Tolkin, have never written a musical before, and the awkward transitions between scene and song reveal this unfamiliarity. Director Rob Marshall tries to capture some Fellini-esque moments in flashbacks, but there is reluctance in his execution of it. Those quick cuts, courtesy Claire Simpson and Wyatt Smith, certainly don't help.
Neither does that odd choice of framing the musical numbers as fantasy sequences. Marshall's separation of fantasy and reality in this regard don't mesh with the non-musical mix of fantasy and reality, such as Guido's dead Mamma appearing in his car, or the absent Claudia in his room as he forges her autograph for a fan. If only he would just embrace the genre, the movie would work so much better than it already does -- for rest assured, kiddies, despite all of its problems, the movie works. The transitions are rocky and the direction misguided, but it somehow gets to me. The reality and fantasy sequences are flawed in their mingling, yet separately they are almost beautiful.
Much of this can be attributed to the actors and the technical experts. Dion Beebe's cinematography is gorgeous, the clear front-runner for the Oscar, getting with the material far better than the director, writers or editors or. Colleen Atwood's costumes are still dazzling, and she seems especially inspired by Ms. Cruz and Ms. Loren. The art team does a great job of dressing up a sound stage and a hotel. And the original score by Andrea Guerra deserves a release of its own, paying tribute to Ennio Morricone and Maury Yeston simultaneously, effortlessly.
Dammit, I liked the movie. I would buy it. And as I said, I love listening to the album. Just don't expect Rob Marshall to get any credit, because he is probably the weakest link in this.
True, "Folies Bergeres" is surprisingly lacking in life, a pity since it is my favorite from the show AND it's Judi Dench's big number. God knows she tries to deliver, but cutting out the dance break was a bizarre choice, and even the mid-song banter is noncommittal.
True also, the original song "Take It All", though sexy and ending with a punch to the gut, is a little too Chicago for me. The music, the costumes, the production design: I saw it all back in 2002.
But as for the rest, good job. Yes, even "Cinema Italiano" works, as I hoped it would, in context. A shallow song from a shallow character, so it's fine. Indeed, it reminds me of those cheesy pop tunes from the 60s, and I have a great number of those on my iTunes as well. If there is room for Herb Alpert's "Casino Royale Theme", there is room for "Cinema Italiano". And as for the rest of Kate Hudson's performance: Almost Famous was a fluke.
Nicole Kidman does fine with "Unusual Way", though it's always been one my least favorite songs from the show. It matters little, the lady's in and out within minutes. Marion Cotillard takes my second favorite number, "My Husband Makes Movies", and does not fail to impress. Her Luisa is just as wise, broken, and loving as Anouk Aimee's. That lead campaign is a joke, though -- as vital as Luisa is to the storyline, especially in this version, she is still a supporting part. Penelope Cruz is, naturally, sexy and funny, and also surprisingly vulnerable as the mistress. "Call from the Vatican" is a hot number as it is, but Cruz just sizzles. Bring the vapors. Daniel Day-Lewis does well with both his numbers, but his Guido is not as fun-loving as Marcello Mastroianni's. That's not bad, just a different, more emotional take on the character. His voice is just fine, his accent flawless.
I complained to some friends that recent movie musicals lack the huge dance numbers of old. The greatest musical, Funny Face, has one full dance number, plus several songs that stop to allow Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire to do their thing. Nine finally gives me what I want, in Fergie's tambourine dance for "Be Italian". A wonderful performance. Fergie rocks her scenes as Saraghina anyway, though. She does not speak, she just looks trashily sultry, sings, dances. It's not a challenging role at all, but just try looking away from her! The woman commands every scene she's in!
Sophia Loren's "Guarda la Luna" is magical, the song that I've been listening to all day, the song that I hummed to my niece to keep her from crying (it worked a little). It's probably the smoothest transition into a number, too, working as the lullaby it is, and as another layer to Guido's female problems. I didn't even miss the number it replaced, the titular tune "Nine", though audiences not already familiar with the story may.
This, then, is one of the main problems of the film. I know what's going on because I've seen 8 1/2 and I have the Broadway Revival CD of Nine. But will an uninitiated audience get what's going on? They introduce all these women in the Overture without telling you who they are. They just sort of stand there, Guido interacts with them a little, la-di-dah. Hell, after seeing a Nicole Kidman kiss, a Marion Cotillard tenderness, and a Penelope Cruz embrace, it's hard not to think "Oh, God, did he fuck her too?!" when Judi Dench shows up. The bedroom eyes don't help. It's not until much, much later that these women are introduced, and even then, much of who and why they are is unclear.
The film smacks of a strange restraint. It never fully embraces either of its source productions, though it tries to include elements of both. The screenwriters, Anthony Minghella and Michael Tolkin, have never written a musical before, and the awkward transitions between scene and song reveal this unfamiliarity. Director Rob Marshall tries to capture some Fellini-esque moments in flashbacks, but there is reluctance in his execution of it. Those quick cuts, courtesy Claire Simpson and Wyatt Smith, certainly don't help.
Neither does that odd choice of framing the musical numbers as fantasy sequences. Marshall's separation of fantasy and reality in this regard don't mesh with the non-musical mix of fantasy and reality, such as Guido's dead Mamma appearing in his car, or the absent Claudia in his room as he forges her autograph for a fan. If only he would just embrace the genre, the movie would work so much better than it already does -- for rest assured, kiddies, despite all of its problems, the movie works. The transitions are rocky and the direction misguided, but it somehow gets to me. The reality and fantasy sequences are flawed in their mingling, yet separately they are almost beautiful.
Much of this can be attributed to the actors and the technical experts. Dion Beebe's cinematography is gorgeous, the clear front-runner for the Oscar, getting with the material far better than the director, writers or editors or. Colleen Atwood's costumes are still dazzling, and she seems especially inspired by Ms. Cruz and Ms. Loren. The art team does a great job of dressing up a sound stage and a hotel. And the original score by Andrea Guerra deserves a release of its own, paying tribute to Ennio Morricone and Maury Yeston simultaneously, effortlessly.
Dammit, I liked the movie. I would buy it. And as I said, I love listening to the album. Just don't expect Rob Marshall to get any credit, because he is probably the weakest link in this.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
25 + 3 - 10 = Nine
Well, it was inevitable that some songs had to go. This story from Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals led me to the Theatre Aficionado at Large, particularly to his discussion of the musical Nine. Now, my roommate and I knew something had to go, what with three songs being added to the already 25-strong score. And the choices are interesting.
First, I had been thinking only last week of the song "The Bells of St. Sebastien's", which I consider to be a very stage-bound number. I couldn't imagine how one would incorporate it within a film. Thankfully, it has been cut. Surely no one is mourning this. The music's pretty, but it is (for me) a very forgettable number).
The entire "Grand Canal" sequence, consisting of six songs, has also been cut. Again, I can understand this. It's a show-within-a-show deal, and since director Rob Marshall is already doing his A Song Is A Fantasy Sequence approach, this could be too literal. So...I guess they'll just do the dailies scene from 8 1/2. Which, again, makes more sense to me.
"Simple", sung by Claudia (Nicole Kidman), and "Be On Your Own", sung by Luisa (Marion Cotillard), have also been cut. Both immediately follow the "Grand Canal" sequence, so I guess with one gone the transition into the others would feel bizarre? Anyway, Luisa still gets a weepy ballad, this time with new song "Take It All". Hey, as long as Cotillard still gets all the screentime, I'm fine.
The fifth number cut is kind of surprising, kind of not. Look, I know Sophia Loren doesn't have the strongest voice in the world, and I know the song is for the greatest soprano in all the lands, but to cut the song "Nine" from a musical called Nine is odd. Anyway, a new song has been written for Ms. Loren, entitled "Guarda La Luna". I do feel she should get special treatment. Always.
(Which reminds me, I recently saw her in Altman's Ready to Wear, and while I do feel she was deserving of that Golden Globe nom, holy crap was Anouk Aimee amazing in this. And of course, Aimee played Luisa in the original 8 1/2. I'll have to talk about that later.)
In the meantime, Kate Hudson has gotten her own musical number called "Cinema Italiano", which I guess is that odd-looking bit in the trailer where Daniel Day-Lewis jizzes champagne everywhere.
First, I had been thinking only last week of the song "The Bells of St. Sebastien's", which I consider to be a very stage-bound number. I couldn't imagine how one would incorporate it within a film. Thankfully, it has been cut. Surely no one is mourning this. The music's pretty, but it is (for me) a very forgettable number).
The entire "Grand Canal" sequence, consisting of six songs, has also been cut. Again, I can understand this. It's a show-within-a-show deal, and since director Rob Marshall is already doing his A Song Is A Fantasy Sequence approach, this could be too literal. So...I guess they'll just do the dailies scene from 8 1/2. Which, again, makes more sense to me.
"Simple", sung by Claudia (Nicole Kidman), and "Be On Your Own", sung by Luisa (Marion Cotillard), have also been cut. Both immediately follow the "Grand Canal" sequence, so I guess with one gone the transition into the others would feel bizarre? Anyway, Luisa still gets a weepy ballad, this time with new song "Take It All". Hey, as long as Cotillard still gets all the screentime, I'm fine.
The fifth number cut is kind of surprising, kind of not. Look, I know Sophia Loren doesn't have the strongest voice in the world, and I know the song is for the greatest soprano in all the lands, but to cut the song "Nine" from a musical called Nine is odd. Anyway, a new song has been written for Ms. Loren, entitled "Guarda La Luna". I do feel she should get special treatment. Always.
(Which reminds me, I recently saw her in Altman's Ready to Wear, and while I do feel she was deserving of that Golden Globe nom, holy crap was Anouk Aimee amazing in this. And of course, Aimee played Luisa in the original 8 1/2. I'll have to talk about that later.)
In the meantime, Kate Hudson has gotten her own musical number called "Cinema Italiano", which I guess is that odd-looking bit in the trailer where Daniel Day-Lewis jizzes champagne everywhere.
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