The Verdict -- Best Supporting Actress 1983

#5. Glenn Close in The Big Chill: While Glenn is in not bad in any way in The Big Chill, she just never really was meant to be anything more than subtle, reserved and absolutely relatable. Sarah Cooper is such a cliched character, it is a testament to Glenn that she managed to make her seem at all real. A perfect performance for the film she was making, a true ensemble performance.

#4. Amy Irving in Yentl: Probably the most interesting and offbeat performance I've reviewed so far, Irving deserves more credit than she receives for making Hadass so enchantingly alluring. She is asked to do not a whole lot beyond looking beautiful and a few lovelorn looks, but takes this role to its full potential. The film has it's own problems that affect Irving in various different ways, but all the while Irving remains nothing but incredibly interesting to watch. 

#3. Alfre Woodard in Cross Creek: It's always great to see a stock character become something amazing in the hands of a talented actress, and that is exactly what Woodard does here with Geechee in Cross Creek. Stuck in an abysmally boring film with a charisma-less lead like Mary Steenburgen, it's nice to see Woodard transcend those limitations and take on the challenge to make the "black servant" stereotype unique and entertaining. By simply being funny, charismatic, and energetic, Woodard steals the who movie away and delivers a delightful performance. 

#2. Cher in Silkwood: A performance of utter devastation that thrives off the fact that she doesn't have much to do, Cher does very little wrong. Her simplicity is her biggest strength, and by keeping the herself subdued and sullen, this background part takes a step firmly into the spotlight. Dolly is a terrible sad human being, and Cher portrays this with an almost uncanny amount of restraint and calculation. She is a true supporting actress in that her journey adds to the incredibly storyline of Silkwood and somehow manages to make the already amazing Meryl Streep even more amazing. A truly astounding achievement from an icon who is often underrated as an actress.

#1. Linda Hunt in The Year of Living Dangerously: There was just no way not to give the win this year to Linda Hunt's gender-bending performance as Billy Kwan, she just could not be denied. She is heartbreaking, mischievous, and completely natural in every which way while playing Billy. The complete journey he takes over the course of the film is brilliantly calculated, and each emotional note hits the exact perfect note. It may not be a performance that I love or call one of my 'favorites', but it is impossible to take away from her technical acting achievement. One of the mst admirable choices made by the Academy.

The Year in Review: This year took way too long to finish, and that wasn't because any of the ladies were particularly bad or tough to write about, but rather because the films they starred in were without a doubt the worst collection of nominated films to date. Even though they were a whole half a point away, you wouldn't believe how much I would have liked to give Cher 5 Stars and the win, but like I said there was no way that Linda wasn't winning this one. I was surprised to see Glenn fall into last place, especially over Amy and Alfre, from who I was expecting very little but that the way these things work. I will probably start the next year mid-week, after a few other posts but I'm glad to be finished with 1983 and start my first round at this new blog.

Shoulda Been a Contender: Sigourney Weaver in The Year of Living Dangerously


All Supporting Actress Nominees Ranking:

1. Patty Duke in "The Miracle Worker" 
2. Linda Hunt in "The Year of Living Dangerously"
   
3. Anna Paquin in "The Piano"
4. Cher in "Silkwood"
5. Emma Thompson in "In the Name of the Father"
6. Claire Trevor in "Dead End"
7. May Whitty in "Night Must Fall"
8. Angela Lansbury in "The Manchurian Candidate"
9. Alfre Woodard in "Cross Creek"
   
10. Anne Shirley in "Stella Dallas"
11. Amy Irving in "Yentl"
12. Shirley Knight in "Sweet Bird of Youth"
    
13. Rosie Perez in "Fearless"
14. Glenn Close in "The Big Chill"
15. Alice Brady in "In Old Chicago"
16. Mary Badham in "To Kill a Mockingbird"
    
17. Holly Hunter in "The Firm"
18. Thelma Ritter in "Birdman of Alcatraz"
    
19. Winona Ryder in "The Age of Innocence"
20. Andrea Leeds in  "Stage Door"

Amy Irving in Yentl

Amy Irving received her first and only Oscar nomination to date for her performance as Hadass Vishkower in Barbra Streisand's Yentl. There are certain nominated performances that come with a certain reputation attached to them. They range from laudatory (Patty Duke) to nonexistent (any of the women from 1937) to divisive (Anna Paquin). However, Amy Irving's performance comes attached not only with negative word of mouth but also the dubious 'honor' of being one of the two performances nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie.What isn't often talked about (due to the trite nature of the awards) is that the Razzies make many of the same "mistakes" that the Oscars do, namely they like to give statues to names and careers rather than individual performances. Recent undeserving "winners" including Jessica Alba who won for four not that bad performances, The Jonas Brothers for a concert movie, and just like Oscar itself, Sandra Bullock for a performance that wasn't nearly as bad as her competition (namely Miley Cyrus and Megan Fox).

But to get back to Amy Irving, you probably have deduced that I didn't hate this performance nearly as much as most, and actually found it surprisingly haunting and unique. The role of Hadass Vishkower is one that both is and isn't demanding, because for a majority of the film, Hadass is purposely very passive and less a character than an object of desire for Avigdor. Irving is forced to rely on her physical appearance and glances to convey any sort of added layers that the character might possess. And, in a very interesting way she does. The number of adjectives that can describe Amy Irving's performance are infinite, but some of the best include: elegant, poised, subtly sexual, erotic, haunting, mysterious, intriguing, creepy, strange, and fascinating. Her facial expressions and looks serve to always keep you guessing on what exactly she is thinking and feeling, and part of the fun of this performance is that you never feel you understand or know Hadass, and that is how Jewish women were viewed.

But yes, because Yentl is such a dreadful film, Irving has some problems that she just cannot work past. After her and 'Anchal'/Yentl get married, we are forced to watch countless scenes of Irving lusting after Barbra Streisand that are not only painfully awkward but also not one ounce believable. The attraction that she has to 'Anchal' is more based on the actions of the character and less on Streisand's feminine performance, and you can feel it between the two characters. They feel more like sisters from the very beginning of their 'relationship', and Irving never manages to make any sort of romantic sparks feel believable. Part of the problem is that these scenes just keep coming one after another for quite some time, and it makes both Irving and Streisand seem gradually more worse scene after scene. By the end all that interest that I had felt for Hadass in the beginning fell to the wayside as I grew bored with her. No, that isn't Irving's fault completely, but Streisand's as both a director and actress.

As you may have guessed reading this review, it is difficult to put into words why I liked Irving's performance so much. With a minimal amount of dialogue and a character that is basically a Stepford Wife, Irving creates an impression that is both beautiful and perplexing, in the best way possible. Despite a weak second half, I have to be honest and admit that this performance left me meditating on it for days afterwards, and if that isn't a good performance that what is? 3.5/5 Thelmas.

Best Supporting Actress 1983

And the nominees were...

• Cher in Silkwood as Dolly Pelliker
• Glenn Close in The Big Chill as Sarah Cooper
• Linda Hunt in The Year of Living Dangerously as Billy Kwan (winner)
• Amy Irving in Yentl as Hadass
• Alfre Woodard in Cross Creek as Geechee

The Field: After a year where I found myself struggling to sit down and watch the movies and write about them (It took me two months, which should be sign enough how much I enjoyed the year), I'm hoping this year will compel me to do better. It definitely has an interesting group of films and actresses that on paper look incredibly diverse and unique. I've only seen the winning performance, so once again I'm going in blind on the rest. That's how most of these years pre-2000 will be, though.