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Performances in Woody Allen Films that should've got Oscar Attention

posted 21 years ago by glick12345
31 replies | jump to latest

Sure, Woody has nearly (or he has) 20 Academy Award nominations but what about about his actors?

To me, there's been a lot of performances in his films that have been overlooked by Oscar.

My list of the overlooked would be this:

Best Actor Jeff Daniels for "The Purple Rose of Cario":

Best Supporting Actress Barbara Hershey for "Hannah and Her Sisters"

Best Supporting Actress: Julie Kavner for "Radio Days"

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Alda for "Crimes and Misdemeanors"

Best Supporting Actress: Elaine May for "Small Time Crooks"

Best Supporting Actor: Billy Crystal for "Deconstructing Harry"

Best Supporting Actor: Woody Allen for "Everyone Says I Love You"

Best Actress: Mia Farrow for "Broadway Danny Rose"

Best Supporting Actor: Tony Roberts for "Annie Hall"

Best Actress: Gene Rowlands for "Another Woman"

It seems like writes the best Supporting parts around.

[–] ijonesiii 19 years ago

Best Actor Jeff Daniels for "The Purple Rose of Cario":

Best Supporting Actress: Julie Kavner for "Radio Days"

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Alda for "Crimes and Misdemeanors"

I agree that these performances were worthy of Oscar nominations. I would have also nominated Seth Green for RADIO DAYS, Mia Farrow for THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO, Tony Roberts for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY, and Maureen O'Sullivan for HANNAH AND HER SISTERS.

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[–] freakaman24 19 years ago

I agree with Alan Alda and I would like to add

Gena Rowlands- Another Woman

Mia Farrow- Broadway Danny Rose - I have never seen her disappear into a character like I have in this role.

Sydney Pollack - Husbands & Wives

[–] ijones-9 19 years ago

Now that I think about it, I have to agree with you about Farrow in BROADWAY DANNY ROSE...that was quite a bold performance from Farrow, to the point that she was just about unrecognizable.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] freakaman24 19 years ago

She was also great in Husbands and Wives- another change of pace role for her

[–] ijones-9 19 years ago

I never saw HUSBANDS AND WIVES. I always wanted to see that one. I heard Judy Davis is amazing in that. Didn't she get an Oscar nomination for that film?

[–] freakaman24 19 years ago

Yes she did and she really was brilliant - You should watch it and keep an eye out for Mia !

[–] jakob1 19 years ago

Another great performance from a Woody Allen film that deserved an Oscar nomination was Mary Beth Hurt in "Interiors".

[–] WarpedRecord 19 years ago

A couple folks have mentioned it already, but I'd like to give a third hurrah to Gena Rowlands in "Another Woman," in which her performance was on a par with her work with the late, great and sadly missed John Cassavetes.

[–] fidelio1980 19 years ago

Kirstie Alley in Deconstructing Harry
Radha Mitchell in Melinda and Melinda
Chiwetel Ejiofor in Melinda and Melinda

[–] Isaac5855 18 years ago

I think just about anyone in DECONSTRUCTING HARRY could have been singled out for Oscar recognition...one of Woody's best-acted films.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Isaac5855 18 years ago

I'm so thrilled to learn that I'm not the only person on the planet who liked HOLLYWOOD ENDING.

[–] ladreamer2707 18 years ago

(Hollywood Ending isn't one of his best, but it's entertaining enough)

Anyway, my overlooked performances go like this:

Dianne Keaton - criminally overlooked for Interiors

Mary Beth Hurt - Interiors

Emily Mortimer - Match Point

Tony Roberts - Annie Hall

Max Von Sydow - Hannah and Her Sisters

Barbara Hershey - Hannah and Her Sisters

Woody Allen - Manhattan

[–] Isaac5855 18 years ago

Some interesting choices here...INTERIORS was definitely one of Woody's most overlooked films. Max Von Sydow was just creepy in HANNAH and I think Tony Roberts' best performance in a Woody film was in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY.

[–] Koranox 18 years ago

Best Actor Jeff Daniels for "The Purple Rose of Cario":
-Good, but not Oscar-worthy. Farrow was much more deserving.

Best Supporting Actress Barbara Hershey for "Hannah and Her Sisters"
-She was good, but not quite Oscar caliber either, IMO.

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Alda for "Crimes and Misdemeanors"
-He was good, but his part was pretty small.

[–] Isaac5855 18 years ago

I would agree that Farrow's work in THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO is probably her best...she was just heartbreaking in that movie. I also agree that Alda was superb in CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (IMO Woody's best film), but I knew Martin Landau was going to get nominated, I don't know why. Alda would have been more deserving though because he was totally cast againt type and was completely convincing.

[–] leopoldstotch911 18 years ago

I think most of the actors dont get nominated because most of the goodness in his films (rightly so) get attributed to his writing and directing talents.

Everyone I implore you to check this film out http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015532/

[–] Isaac5855 18 years ago

You might have a point there. Actors are always saying how whatever they do always starts with what's on the page. Without strong writing, they can't do what they do.

[–] jkinoz 18 years ago

Mia Farrow should have received nominations for "Broadway Danny Rose, Purple Rose, Hannah and Alice. She is an excellent actress and very underrated. She should have won the Oscar for Rosemary's Baby.

[–] Benedict_Cumberbatch 17 years ago

So many to remember! But, to name a few:

Mia Farrow (one of my top 10 female performances ever) and Jeff Daniels, "The Purple Rose of Cairo"
Max von Sydow and Barbara Hershey, "Hannah and Her Sisters"
Mia Farrow and Dianne Wiest, "Radio Days"

and many more...

FYC: Richard Jenkins, Best Actor, "The Visitor"

[–] MiPueblo 18 years ago

I certainly agree with Farrow being nominated for Broadway Danny Rose, and Von Sydow for Hannah. One I would add is Anjelica Huston for Crimes and Misdemeanors.

"Ah, Hon. Ya got Arby's all over me."

[–] jaymark14 18 years ago

I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT QUITE MANY PERFORMANCES WERE UNDERRATED OVER THE YEARS IN WOODY'S MOVIES.

ANGELICA HUSTON IN CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
GENA ROWLANDS IN ANOTHER WOMAN
ELAINE MAY IN SMALL TIME CROOKS
MAX VON SIDOW IN HANNAH AND HER SISTERS
ELAINE STRITCH IN SEPTEMBER
JIM BROADBENT IN BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
TRACY ULLMAN IN BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
DIANE KEATON IN INTERIORS
MIA FARROW IN BROADWAY DANNY ROSE
WOODY ALLEN IN ZELIG
SANDY DENNIS IN ANOTHER WOMAN
SCARLETT JOHANSSON IN MATCH POINT

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] rudeboy_murray 17 years ago

My favourite performance in a Woody Allen movie is Martin Landau in Crimes and Misdemeanours. Quite insultingly, he was nominated as best supporting actor for what was clearly a lead role - he should have been in lead, leaving room for Alan Alda's hilarious supporting role.

While Dianne Wiest is brilliant in Bullets Over Broadway, I feel her performance in Hannah is overshadowed by Barbara Hershey, who deserved to be nominated along with Caine.

Others who were unfairly overlooked

Tony Roberts, Annie Hall (I absolutely love him in it
Woody, Diane Keaton & Meryl Streep, Manhattan
Jose Ferrer, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
Mia Farrow & Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose of Cairo
Julie Kavner, Radio Days
Matthew Goode, Match Point (didn't like Johanssen and Rhys-Myers was merely functional, but Goode was tremendous and made the film)

[–] ageraldinepageturner 16 years ago

MARY BETH HURT in INTERIORS

can't stress that one enough.

[–] saltandpepper66 16 years ago

But it's not like performances in Woody Allan films don't get nominations. Actors in his films have their share of nominations and wins.

[–] duked 16 years ago

Mia farrow was overlooked by the Academy so many times that it borders on the criminal. They owe her an Honorary Oscar just to make up for their past sins.

[–] christiefan1 16 years ago

Rebecca Hall for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She was fantastic. And Angelica Huston for Crimes and Misdemeanors.

[–] movieandtvfanatic 15 years ago

I do think Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston deserved nominations for "Crimes and Misdemeanors". Huston, however, was nominated that same year for another performance in "Enemies, A Love Story". I think she deserved it for Allen's film more but both were very good performances.

There is something about Mia Farrow's performance in "Radio Days" that I really love. I can't pinpoint it exactly but I just love it and she is so charming. She deserved a Supporting Actress nomination for sure. That same year, she deserved a Best Actress nomination for the largely forgotten "September" for which I consider to be her best performance after Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby". Elaine Stritch was also worthy of a Supporting Actress nod for "September" as well, and Mia Farrow also deserved a nomination for "The Purple Rose of Cairo".

I think if Dianne Wiest could WIN for "Hannah and Her Sisters" then Barbara Hershey could have at least been nominated for the same film.

The performances aren't amazing but I wouldn't have minded if they got some notices, but I still think "Love & Death" is Woody Allen's most underrated film.

[–] fidelio1980 14 years ago

I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned Mia Farrow in Zelig. She was fantastic in that. When I first watched it, I assumed that the old version of her character (the one who appeared in the modern day scenes) was another actress. That has to be one of the most convincing portrayals of an elderly person by a non-elderly person that I've ever seen, if not the most convincing. (The makeup people deserve a hell of a lot of credit, too.)

Also...while others clearly disagree, I think Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was wonderful in Match Point, and that he deserved a Best Actor nomination. It was an unbelievably difficult role. He had to pass the character off as a reasonably normal guy throughout the first 2/3 of the movie, and then make it believable that the same character was capable of...what he ended up doing. And he also had to make the character at least somewhat palatable to the audience. While virtually no one would defend what his character did, the movie wouldn't work if you hated him as a person all along. (It sounds like some people did hate him all along, but I thought he found an absolutely perfect balance.)

It was a very difficult year for the Best Actor category, and some very deserving actors were going to end up being shut out, but I wish Rhys-Meyers didn't have to be one of them.

I'll also echo what others said about Alan Alda in Crimes and Misdemeanors, Barbara Hershey in Hannah and Her Sisters, and Chiwetel Ejifor in Melinda & Melinda. (I'm glad to see that someone else thought he was terrific in that.) And I'll add Elaine May for Small Times Crooks.