Welcome to another Oscar-related edition of Top Ten Things, here at Enuffa.com!
You might say I've got Oscars on the brain, because today's edition is comprised of occasions when the Academy absolutely got it right, in terms of awarding acting performances. I've talked before about times Oscar has
snubbed a great performance, and about
shocking upsets, but there have certainly been times the right person won for the right role. In fact there have been years when I've decided, "Regardless what wins Best Picture and all the others, as long as this person wins this award I'll be happy." Below are fifteen such examples, in chronological order.
1. Rita Moreno (West Side Story)
Steven Spielberg's West Side Story may have defied expectations for a remake of a beloved classic, but said beloved classic still holds up all these years later, and one of the main reasons is because of the supporting turn by Rita Moreno as the strong-willed, sassy firecracker Anita. Torn between her independent streak and her loyalty to boyfriend Bernardo and his gang, Anita reluctantly supports her best friend Maria's romantic pursuit of sworn enemy Tony, while at the same time trying to instill upon Maria how futile such a relationship really is. Moreno lights up the screen every time she appears, bursting with effortless charisma and drawing all eyes to her. When I discovered this film at age 13, it was Anita, and not Maria, whom I had a crush on.
Key Scene: I've never been a huge musicals guy, but for some inexplicable reason the "America" musical number brings a tear to my eye whenever I watch it. This scene is just so spectacularly executed, plus the song itself so organically expresses the conflicting viewpoints of the American immigrant experience. Bernardo and his friends long for Puerto Rico, a place where they aren't treated as second-class citizens because of their ethnicity, while Anita and the girls love the opportunities America affords them. Such a neat little microcosm of this country's advantages and drawbacks.
2. Robert DeNiro (Raging Bull)
The Academy may have dropped the ball in many other categories from 1980 (Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor), but one award that absolutely went to the right guy was the Best Actor statuette. Robert DeNiro's tormented, violent turn as middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta remains his most noteworthy performance, and it's also the most famous example of an actor altering his body shape for a film (DeNiro gained about sixty pounds for the later scenes in which LaMotta lets himself go and becomes a seedy nightclub owner). Had anyone else walked away with this award it would've been a crime.
Key Scene: Probably the most purely visceral scene is the one in which LaMotta goes to prison and throws a self-loathing-induced fit, pounding the crap out of the cement wall and wailing like a madman. I can't imagine an actor having to endure more than a single take of this scene.
3. Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda)
A rare case of a comedic performance outshining the competition, Kevin Kline's brilliantly hilarious turn as Otto provided dozens of quotable lines and managed to steal the show from comedy legends John Cleese and Michael Palin. Kline brought to life a dimwitted character in the smartest way possible, with an amazingly nuanced, uproarious delivery.
Key Scene: Probably my favorite moment (and my favorite to quote) is the profanity-laced chain of insults Otto hurls at Archie (Cleese) after catching Archie with Wanda. Such a magnificent tirade.
4. Kathy Bates (Misery)
Stephen King's thriller about a crazed fan taking her favorite author hostage was skillfully adapted by Rob Reiner in 1990, and the main reason the movie version worked so well was the performance of Kathy Bates. A relative unknown at the time of her casting, Bates adeptly alternates between matronly warmth and terrifying emotional instability. She is totally effective as this obsessed manic-depressive, but in a very realistic way, making the whole ordeal that much more harrowing.
Key Scene: Upon learning her guest Paul Sheldon has been out of his room, she ties Paul up and drugs him, and explains both her discovery, and his punishment. The calmness she conveys as she prepares to hobble him is truly chilling.