Thursday Movie Picks: Best Actor and Best Actress (Oscar Winners Edition): Wandering through the Shelves hosts a weekly movie challenge in which you choose 3-5 movies based on that Thursday’s theme and explain why you chose those movies. Today’s theme is Best Actor & Best Actress (Oscar Winners Edition) so here are my choices!
audrey hepburn (roman holiday)
I’ve only recently watched Roman Holiday and I adored it so I’m really happy to choose Audrey Hepburn for this TMP. This was Audrey’s first major role and during filming, even Gregory Peck knew she would win an Oscar for her portrayal of Princess Ann. I can absolutely see why she won as she exuded such sophistication and elegance while maintaining the right amount of innocence and unbridled joy at being able to experience a day and night in Rome without any responsibilities or obligations weighing her down.
tom hanks (philadelphia)
I still contend that it is a travesty that Tom Hanks only has 2 Oscars. The man has given Oscar-worthy performances in nearly every movie he’s appeared in, and I honestly don’t know what the Academy’s problem is. However, between his two Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, I think he gave a much stronger performance in Philadelphia as a man stricken with AIDS, suing his former employer for unlawful termination. The movie itself is powerful and devastating, as is Tom’s performance. I also loved his speech, and it still makes me emotional when I watch it.
Jennifer lawrence (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK)
Say what you will about Jennifer Lawrence, but I think she’s an incredible actress, and I like that she doesn’t take herself too seriously. She had already been nominated for Winter’s Bone prior to her win for Silver Linings Playbook but it’s hard to argue that she didn’t give the best performance that year as Tiffany, a young widow who falls for Bradley Cooper’s mentally ill Pat while he tries to win back his ex-wife. Tiffany is unapologetic about who she is, but there’s also such a vulnerability in he,r and Lawrence conveys that so perfectly.
Joel
March 4, 2021I completely agree with your first choice and that Audrey was the proper winner, though I wouldn’t have been sorry to see Deborah Kerr win for her excellent work in From Here to Eternity. Audrey is an effervescent delight.
I am not a fan of the preachy Philadelphia and the fact that the focus of the story is the lawyer’s perspective of events. Both Longtime Companion and It’s My Party told AIDS stories with much greater depth and clarity. I agree that Tom Hanks should have at least two Oscars but not for either of the performances for which he won (I detest Forrest Gump)-Big, Apollo 13, Captain Phillips, Saving Pvt. Ryan and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood all contain better work than either of his two winning films.
I am likewise not much of a fan of Silver Linings Playbook. When I saw it in the theatre I thought it was okay with decent but not award level performances and forgot about it completely as soon as I left. If we were talking about her work in Winter’s Bone (not an enjoyable film experience but a riveting performance) I’d be all in for her win but this year the award should have gone to Emmanuelle Riva for Amour.
My three are all closer to the time period of Audrey’s win though they predate hers. I tied all three together through my Best Actress winner.
Mrs. Miniver (Greer Garson-Best Actress) (1942)-Kay Miniver (Greer), her architect husband Clem (Walter Pidgeon-also Oscar nominated) and their three children are living a comfortable life in a small village outside of London until war is declared. Eldest son Vin (Richard Ney-who shortly after the film’s completion married Greer!) leaves college to join the Royal Air Force while also falling for and marrying local girl Carol Beldon (Teresa Wright-winner for Best Supporting Actress). As the war arrives on their doorstep they must endure bombing raids and many other hardships and tragedies meeting them with perseverance and fortitude.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (Robert Donat-Best Actor) (1939)-1n 1870 schoolteacher Charles Chipping “Mr. Chips” (Donat) fresh from university is a strict disciplinarian to his young students at his new public-school post making him unpopular. However, on holiday he meets and impulsively marries the feisty suffragette Katherine Ellis (Greer Garson-Oscar nominated) whose love softens and humanizes Chips until he becomes a beloved institution on campus and a source of inspiration through the tough years of World War I onward into the 20th Century.
A Double Life (Ronald Colman-Best Actor) (1947)-Legendary stage star Anthony John’s (Colman) method is to totally immerse himself in the parts he plays. This is fine when he appears in comedic roles but with more serious roles, he becomes unpredictably volatile as his real-life self slowly ebbs away leading to the end of his marriage to Brita (Signe Hasso) his frequent costar. Now despite all warning signs he has undertaken Othello partnered again with Brita, though having a young mistress, Pat Kroll (an incredibly young, very thin Shelley Winters in her first important role), and as the part overtakes him, he descends into madness. Though Greer isn’t in this film she and Colman costarred (the year she won for Mrs. Miniver) in another big success for both “Random Harvest” where Colman was again nominated for Best Actor.
Sara
March 4, 2021I agree that Hanks’s performances for other films shined brighter than the ones he won for. I even think his work in A League of Their Own was better than Forrest Gump. Saving Private Ryan for sure and… even Hanks’s performance in Captain Philips, at the end when it all hits him what he’s been through… amazing. He’s my favorite actor so I could argue all day and night that he ought to have so many more Academy Awards on his shelf.
I’ve not seen the movies you listed but I really want to watch more movies from the 30s-50s. I’ve heard good things about Goodbye, Mr Chips and I recall my parents watching it one weekend when I was a teenager but I never stopped to give it a lot of attention!
Katy
March 5, 2021Nice picks! I’m surprised – I don’t think I’ve ever seen Roman Holiday even though I’m a big Classic Hollywood fan. I’ll have to watch that this year. Totally agree about Tom Hanks – it’s hard to believe he hasn’t won or been nominated for more. He’s given a lot more deft performances to be recognized more. Though I thought JLaw was a little too to play against Bradley Cooper, it’s hard to picture someone else in that role. She holds her own with the rest of the cast.
Sara
March 5, 2021I hope you enjoy Roman Holiday! It was such a treat. I could probably write an entire list of every performance Tom has given that he deserved an Oscar for. He’s so consistent and rarely gives a bad one. Agreed about JLaw! I do remember the director saying he thought she was too young to play Tiffany but then she blew him away in the audition. The entire cast was fabulous.
Brittani
March 5, 2021LOL that photo of Jennifer Lawrence. I had that as my “awards coverage” banner for so long. I have Roman Holiday on my Blind Spot list this year and I look forward to finally finishing it as I’ve only seen parts.
Sara
March 5, 2021I was looking for a JLaw Oscar pic and it just seemed so perfect! I hope you enjoy Roman Holiday!
Ruth
March 5, 2021I love ROMAN HOLIDAY, one of the best rom-coms ever! I picked her co-star in this film for Best Actor pick. Apparently he was convinced Audrey Hepburn was going to win an Oscar and told the producers to put her name above the title. Well he was right!
Birgit
March 7, 2021I love Audrey Hepburn and how could you not? In Roman Holiday, she does express everything you mentioned and Gregory Peck saw this which is why he insisted she be above the title with him. Tom Hanks was really good in this film and made a gaffe when he outed his teacher on world wide tv. He didn’t deserve the Oscar for Forest Gump as that should have gone to Tim Robbins for Shawshank Redemption but he wasn’t even nominated. Jennifer Lawrence deserved it more for Winter’s Bone than this film which is just an ok movie in my book.
Sara
March 8, 2021Waaaait, Tim Robbins wasn’t nominated for Shawshank??? That’s crazy! He’s so good in that film. I absolutely believe that Tom has had better performances than FG. I haven’t seen Winter’s Bone yet but I do love J Law and it seems to be a general consensus that she deserved the Oscar for that film.
ThePunkTheory
March 12, 2021I adore Audrey Hepburn and in Roman Holiday she is wonderful and charming from the first to the last minute! 😀
Sara
March 12, 2021I agree! It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role.