The greatest performances of all time

[litlover12]

I did it -- I made my list of the top five performances by actors and top five by actresses. And let me tell you, it was not easy. (Add usual disclaimers about how there are lots of great films I haven't seen, how I may change my mind tomorrow, etc.) I appreciated all the comments on my original post -- they were enjoyable to read and helped me think things through!

So let me give you the lists, and I'll explain a little about my reasoning after that. Going from last to first in each list . . .

Top Five Performances by a Film Actress

5. Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany's


4. Jean Simmons as Hattie Durant, The Grass Is Greener


3. Bette Davis as Margo Channing, All about Eve


2. Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Lion in Winter


1. Ingrid Bergman as Paula Anton, Gaslight

Top Five Performances by a Film Actor

5. Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster, Arsenic and Old Lace


4. Jack Lemmon as Ensign Frank Pulver, Mister Roberts


3. Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins, My Fair Lady


2. Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault, Casablanca


1. James Stewart as Senator Jefferson Smith, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington


And now some thoughts . . .

1. Someday I may have to expand this to top ten performances for each, just because it was so darned hard to narrow it to five. (Believe me, GWTW fans, Vivien Leigh came extremely close to making it.)

2. One thing I tried to do is make it about what I think are the greatest performances, not my favorite performances.

3. I gravitated toward performers who showed a lot of range and variety in their performances. Cary Grant in Arsenic, for example, is a one-man master class in how to be over-the-top and subtle at the same time. (Here again -- this is not my favorite performance of his, but looking at it as objectively as I can, I think it just might be his greatest.)

4. I tried not to let the fame or the obscurity of a performance, or anything else about its reputation, have any bearing on my opinion. Audrey Hepburn's performance in Breakfast at Tiffany's, for instance, is considered so iconic just because of the little black dress and the sunglasses and all the rest of the fashion statements, I think people tend to forget how good it actually was.

5. Someday I may also need to do a list for "top teams," because there were some performances that were so entwined with and dependent on the performances of others, I found it impossible to separate them. In this category I might put Grant-Hepburn-Stewart in The Philadelphia Story, Firth-Carter-Rush in The King's Speech (which is one reason that I still think Rush should have won that Supporting Actor Oscar), Lemmon-Matthau in The Odd Couple, Lemmon-Curtis-Monroe in Some Like It Hot, and more.   

So there you have it! Comments and feedback (and even "What the heck were you thinking??") are welcome!

Comments

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Now that you've made your list, I'm going to fuss a bit about the fact that you don't have Robert Donat on your list.

Because that's the kind of person I am.

(I'm speaking of "Goodbye Mr. Chips", by the way)

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Well, I haven't seen that one yet. Also, I bear Donat an eternal grudge for swiping Jimmy Stewart's Oscar that year. ;-)

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Believe me when I tell you that your grudge will melt into thin air when you have seen Donat's Oscar winning performance.

And I'm completely serious. I think this is one of these areas where our taste is probably the same. :-)

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

I'll watch it. Don't forget, though, Italians are EXTREMELY good at holding grudges. We can carry a grudge into the next millennium and never lose any of our fervor. :-D

[spiderorchid81.livejournal.com]

Wow. I couldn't have made that list, I never can choose between all those great actors/actresses and performances out there. ^_^

But, I agree with a lot of your choices:

Cary Grant in "Arsenic and old Lace" is one of my all-time favourite performances and you're right, he's amazing.

Claude Rains in "Casablanca" - is there anyone else in this movie? ~_^

Ingrid Bergman - I'm a really big fan and like a lot of her work, but I agree, "Gaslight" is in a class by its own (and possibly at the same time the best performance Charles Boyer ever gave).

"Lion in Winter": my favourite performance by Katharine Hepburn AND Peter O'Toole (and yes, I do adore "Lawrence of Arabia" but I prefer him as Henry II).

Bette Davis. Of course, there is no better performance in her ouvre. Love it. ^_^

And finally: someone actually knows the underrated "The Grass is greener" and Jean Simmons marvelous performance! Consider me your fan from now on. ^_^ Seriously, it's nice to see you're not alone with an opinion - thanks for posring the list!

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Hee, happy to have a fan! :-) I've been singing Simmons's praises for years -- that film, and her performance, should be so much better known.

Peter O'Toole as Henry II was close to making it -- if I ever do make that top ten list, he'll probably be on it.

Love your icon!

[spiderorchid81.livejournal.com]

Jean Simmons should be better known, she was always so good. Even in small parts like the Indian girl in "Black Narcissus". And "The Grass is greener" is perhaps a bit dated but still funny. I love Simmons in it and Cary Grant is hilarious too.

I find it interesting that he actually played Henry twice: in "Lion in Winter" and "Beckett", both times excellent.

Thank you! "Some like it hot" is an all-time favourite of mine. I've seen it so often, I can quote almost every line - in English and in German. ^_^
I like your icons too, especially the "Philadelphia Story" one.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

I think I've only seen 'Mr. Smith', and that was only a few years ago!

*hides*

But Cary Grant... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Oh, you should try "Arsenic and Old Lace." It's such a hoot. Very dark comedy, but a good old-fashioned door-slamming farce at the same time.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Another on my endless list!

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

I'm ashamed of how few of these I've actually seen...

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Don't be ashamed! Most of the people over at the movie-greats comm have seen LOADS of movies I've never seen. It's all relative. :-)

But if you're ever in the mood to curl up in front of a good classic, I can heartily recommend any of these movies!

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

That is very true!

I shall add them to my list! :)