Geraldine Page - you have to see her performance! Amazing
I agree, and her telephone call scene in Sweet Bird of Youth is one of the most stunning examples of a brilliant actress at her peak that I have ever seen.
I forgot to mention one of my all time favourite actors - Clint Eastwood.
He was outstanding in Gran Tarino.
Also Morgan Freeman - I watched his performance in The Bucket List the other night
He knows how to perform to perfection.
My mum also says that Lana Turner was excellent in the film Madam X. I have never watched this film myself but apparently her performance in the Court room scene is designed to be one of the most heart wrenching scenes in a film ever performed
I forgot to mention one of my all time favourite actors - Clint Eastwood.
He was outstanding in Gran Tarino.
Also Morgan Freeman - I watched his performance in The Bucket List the other night
He knows how to perform to perfection.
My mum also says that Lana Turner was excellent in the film Madam X. I have never watched this film myself but apparently her performance in the Court room scene is designed to be one of the most heart wrenching scenes in a film ever performed
Your Mum is quite right, for someone who started off in films as a glamour girl Lana really became a very good actress. Even though the snobbish critics at the time sneered, one said, "She's not Madame X, she's brand X." Nearly 50 years later her performance stands up well against any modern actresses, and certainly deserved an Oscar Nomination, and yes, that court room scene will still have you in tears.
Too numerous to mention, but here's a couple -
Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump
Every single actor in The Great Escape
John Hurt - The Naked Civil Servant (Portrayal of Quentin Crisp - TV film)
Anthony Hopkins - Across the Lake (Portrayal of Donald Campbell - TV film)
Bogart/Hepburn - The African Queen
James Cagney - White Heat.
Richard Burton - Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.
Peter Cushing - as Winston Smith in the original BBC TV version of 1984.
Humphrey Bogart - Treasure of Sierra Madre/African Queen/Casablanca.
Anthony Andrews - Brideshead Revisited.
After only recently watching it, I have to say Matthew McConaughey (sp?) in Wolf Of Wall Street. From start to finish of the lunch scene, every facial expression, hand gesture, pronounciation of every syllable he does is an acting performance in itself. I may never watch the whole film again, but I frequently re-watch that one scene.
Choices so far have nearly all been fairly predictable so I'll suggest one or two left field entries which, at the very least, are career best performances imo.
Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor 1963. Obviously not to be confused with the dire Eddie Murphy remake, this is Lewis's magnum opus which he also produced, wrote and directed. I generally find Lewis rather irritating but he's a revelation in this, demonstrating exquisite comic timing but also considerable emotional range.
Roger Moore in The Man Who Haunted Himself 1970. Moore's best movie performance by miles which, admittedly, isn't saying a huge amount, but at least it shows he could act if the part warranted it.
David Tomlinson as Mr Banks in Mary Poppins 1964. A much underrated multi-layered performance as a repressed neglectful father.
Paddy Considine - Dead Man's Shoes
Dennis Hopper - Blue Velvet
Cary Grant - Arsenic & Old Lace
Bruce Campbell - Evil Dead 2 (yes, seriously! The first half has some of the best slapstick ever)
Charles Laughton - Witness For The Prosecution
John Cazale - Godfather II
Richard E Grant and Richard Griffiths - Withnail & I
Bette Davis - Now, Voyager
Alain Delon - Le Samourai
Samantha Morton - Control
Harvey Keitel - Reservoir Dogs
Rosalind Russell - His Girl Friday
Pete Poselthwaite - In The Name Of The Father
Choices so far have nearly all been fairly predictable
To be fair, exceptional performances are often widely acknowledged and rightly so, so there was bound to be some element of predictability.
But a good thread for reminding me of ones that slipped the mind:
Richard Gere in Internal Affairs
Richard Attenborough in Brighton Rock and 10 Rillington Place
Gere an often undervalued performer (see him in American Gigolo, slowly realising his world is folding in). And Darling Dickie as Creepy Cristie really made your skin crawl in 10 Rillington Place.
Comments
Natalie Wood wasn't in Imitation of life. If you are thinking of the girl who was ashamed of being half caste, that was Susan Kohner.
She certainly did, that is why I immediately knew who you were thinking off.
In the readers messages on her Internet Movie Data Base profile there is a whole thread from people who said that she looked like Natalie's twin.
Thankfully, Susan is still with us at 77.
rex harrison. my fair lady.
jack hawkins. the cruel sea.
roger livesey. the life and death of colonel blimp.
I agree, and her telephone call scene in Sweet Bird of Youth is one of the most stunning examples of a brilliant actress at her peak that I have ever seen.
He was outstanding in Gran Tarino.
Also Morgan Freeman - I watched his performance in The Bucket List the other night
He knows how to perform to perfection.
My mum also says that Lana Turner was excellent in the film Madam X. I have never watched this film myself but apparently her performance in the Court room scene is designed to be one of the most heart wrenching scenes in a film ever performed
Your Mum is quite right, for someone who started off in films as a glamour girl Lana really became a very good actress. Even though the snobbish critics at the time sneered, one said, "She's not Madame X, she's brand X." Nearly 50 years later her performance stands up well against any modern actresses, and certainly deserved an Oscar Nomination, and yes, that court room scene will still have you in tears.
One specific scene always impresses, when he calls his parents at his lowest ebb during his addiction, and tries to persuade her to give him money.
The scene is all done with the camera on Keaton constantly, and he has to respond to his parents unseen and unheard reaction.
Brilliantly done, and one of my favourite acting scenes ever.
Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump
Every single actor in The Great Escape
John Hurt - The Naked Civil Servant (Portrayal of Quentin Crisp - TV film)
Anthony Hopkins - Across the Lake (Portrayal of Donald Campbell - TV film)
Bogart/Hepburn - The African Queen
Richard Burton - Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.
Peter Cushing - as Winston Smith in the original BBC TV version of 1984.
Humphrey Bogart - Treasure of Sierra Madre/African Queen/Casablanca.
Anthony Andrews - Brideshead Revisited.
Marlon Brando - The Godfather https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaUq4h818E8
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9k6Mf-FfXQ
Colin Firth - A Single Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cz1SsfxFDk
Sharlto Copley - District 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CJPcYfOfog
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBoIPm5vEX4
Robert De Niro - Taxi Driver https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e9CkhBb18E
Joe Pesci - Goodfellas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8wJt59Q6So
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad (Whole Series) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMEq1mGpP5A
after seeing him in a few films i now know he always gives the same performance. predictable but still quite good.
and the best performance by a bomb is Bomb 20 in Dark Star
Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor 1963. Obviously not to be confused with the dire Eddie Murphy remake, this is Lewis's magnum opus which he also produced, wrote and directed. I generally find Lewis rather irritating but he's a revelation in this, demonstrating exquisite comic timing but also considerable emotional range.
Roger Moore in The Man Who Haunted Himself 1970. Moore's best movie performance by miles which, admittedly, isn't saying a huge amount, but at least it shows he could act if the part warranted it.
David Tomlinson as Mr Banks in Mary Poppins 1964. A much underrated multi-layered performance as a repressed neglectful father.
Dennis Hopper - Blue Velvet
Cary Grant - Arsenic & Old Lace
Bruce Campbell - Evil Dead 2 (yes, seriously! The first half has some of the best slapstick ever)
Charles Laughton - Witness For The Prosecution
John Cazale - Godfather II
Richard E Grant and Richard Griffiths - Withnail & I
Bette Davis - Now, Voyager
Alain Delon - Le Samourai
Samantha Morton - Control
Harvey Keitel - Reservoir Dogs
Rosalind Russell - His Girl Friday
Pete Poselthwaite - In The Name Of The Father
But a good thread for reminding me of ones that slipped the mind:
Richard Gere in Internal Affairs
Richard Attenborough in Brighton Rock and 10 Rillington Place
Gere an often undervalued performer (see him in American Gigolo, slowly realising his world is folding in). And Darling Dickie as Creepy Cristie really made your skin crawl in 10 Rillington Place.
For her age, Linda Blaire gave a remarkable performance.
A less dramatic, but I thought beautifully played performance for me, was Shirley Maclaine in Terms of Endearment.