The
five Supporting Actress Nominees in ’52 were:
GLORIA
GRAHAME “The Bad and the Beautiful”
JEAN
HAGEN “Singin’ in the Rain”
COLETTE
MARCHAND “Moulin Rouge”
TERRY
MOORE “Come Back, Little Sheba”
THELMA
RITTER “With a Song in My Heart”
And while that list does
contain a couple of highly laudable turns, I probably would have switched out
the whole line-up. Because, as in most years, ’52 was notable for names
that weren’t there. The should’ves and
could’ves that, for one reason or another, just didn’t tickle Oscar’s fancy.
I’ve already discussed Alice Pearce and Claire Trevor in previous posts. Now a tip of the hat to a couple of other
ladies that just couldn’t get Oscar to look in their direction.
MIRIAM HOPKINS in “Carrie”
Although an element of bitchiness had always been at play
in Hopkins’ screen work, she usually removed at least some of the sting with a
liberal dusting of flighty coquettishness.
In William Wyler’s “Carrie”, she unleashes pure venom. Badgering and belittling husband Laurence Olivier, she’s venal,
vindictive -a snob too; even her smiles are just dirty looks, slightly
reconfigured . When Olivier falls in
love with Jennifer Jones and begs Hopkins for a divorce, she not only refuses
but tightens the thumbscrews. Late in the film, after using every weapon she
has to reduce the lovers to paupery and worse , she finally comes face to face
with Jones, sizes her up with a smug subzero glare, and says merely, “I thought
you‘d be prettier”. The film itself is excellent, a vividly mounted period
piece - at its center, Olivier’s heartwrenching portrait of a middle-aged man
in love, maybe his best screen work ever.
But Hopkins makes sure he’s not the whole show. The actress, like the
character,is playing hardball here.
VALERIE HOBSON in “The Card”
Ms Hobson had
long been an estimable name in the British film world when she appeared in “The
Card”. With 20 years of film experience behind her, including a mid-30’s
sojourn as a Universal contract player in Hollywood. There she displayed uncommon poise
(especially considering she was still a teenager) as Dr. Frankenstein’s actual
bride in “Bride of Frankenstein”.
Returning to Britain, she married rising film producer/screenwriter
Anthony Havelock-Allen. This connection may have given her an inside track when
it came to snagging choice film parts, but it was her consistently commendable
work, once she got them, that made her a star. The immediate post-war years stand as her golden era – “Great Expectations” and “Kind Hearts and Coronets” made
world-wide splashes. British audiences
happily queued to see her in the bang-up
bodice-ripper “Blanche Fury”. It had all
the deluxe Technicolor trappings of the
genre (including Stewart Granger to romance her) and Hobson shone commandingly
at its center. Her presence also
enriched “The Interrupted Journey”, a Hitchcockian thriller with Richard Todd, which -even
with an unfortunate last minute plot
twist - remains an almost perfect film. She capped off the decade with probably
her greatest performance – in “The Rocking Horse Winner” - as the patrician
mother whose need for luxury destroys her family.
“The Card” was part of Alec Guinness’ early 50’s run as
the golden boy of the British cinema . A sly period comedy, it follows a
low-born but ambitious law-clerk’s rise to prominence. By hook or by crook. That trajectory brings
him into contact with several ladies ( Glynis Johns, Petula Clark and Valerie Hobson, all in fine form). Hobson’s
the Countess of Chell. Described early
on by Guinness’ character as “the finest woman that ever came to this town”,
she lives up to the description. A
splendid (and quite unique) mix of hauteur and merriment. Effortlessly conveying both good-natured refinement
and airy intelligence. She’s an aristocratic dream in the role, but also manages
to make the character penetrating, practical , affable and adaptable. Definitely
up to any occasion. And serenely aware that her presence confers dignity on
even the most undignified situations. In one scene, her coachman warns Guinness that
milady’s “in an awful temper”. But when she glides into public view she
couldn’t be more gracious. It’s hard to imagine any other actress
carrying this part off with even half the flair and charm Hobson brings to it. At very
least, it’s a performance Oscar should’ve taken note of in ’52. Having finished “The Card”, Valerie Hobson
sailed on to one more triumph. This time
on the stage, headlining the original London production of “The King and I” (opposite
Herbert Lom). A smash hit, it saw Hobson
dispensing onstage all the charm, elegance and artistry that had marked her
film work – and – oh, yes, she also revealed a lovely singing voice no one even
knew she had. A woman of infinite accomplishment.
No comments:
Post a Comment