Deserved or not? What do you think? I think she deserved it. She was hilarious and terrifying as Annie. It was a great breakthrough into mainstream cinema performance.
It's probably the best role of Kathy's career.
Of course she deserved it! Her performance was so good!
shareNo
I saw her wheels spinning,calculating her next line. Her acting was too stagey and talking AT others, not TO them
Can you give examples of when she was calculating her next line and acting stagey?
shareIt wasn't consistent, but I didn't feel the spontaneity if her lines.
And if you look at the other nominees,it was not an especially strong year. When I say acting stagey, it's as if she's projecting so the crew members at the back of the soundstage can hear her; that's not necessary with a mic.
None of the other film societies awarded her,btw.
ridiculous lol
shareKathy actually DID win a few other awards for this role - such as the Golden Globe. With that said, I actually found her annoying in this, but no actress could have really done a lot with this poorly written movie.
shareKathy actually DID win a few other awards for this role - such as the Golden Globe. With that said, I actually found her annoying in this, but no actress could have really done a lot with this poorly written movie.
shareBates' character of Annie Wilkes had erratic and extreme behavior. We really needed to see more nuanced and unpredictable glimpses into her psychotic behavior when she was being calm. It was more like a black and white performance, either this way then suddenly that, with transitions in her mood swings that aren't that convincing or jarring enough so as to be unexpected and catch the viewer off guard. Some of the corny lines she had to spout probably didn't help either. They worked ok on the page.....as with most of Stephen King's novels. I found she gave a more layered and detailed performance in another King adapatation, 'DOLORES CLAIBOURNE-95' a few years later.
At the time, I did like that they gave the award to a character from a horror\psychological thriller and I also like Kathy Bates. It was a very good performance and Annie Wilkes was an interesting character, just not as exceptional as it could have been, or is made out to be. I would have awarded Angelica Houston for THE GRIFTERS. Now that was a more real, in the moment and believable performance.
I don't agree with either of you. Psychotic and emotionally disturbed people can just fly off the handle into a rage at the drop of hat. Joanne Crawford used to flip out over her daughter having wire hangers in her closet.
I thought Kathy was very natural. When she had to say some of that kooky dialogue, which Annie in the book also said, she sold it. You have to remember you're not dealing with a normal person. Annie was crazy.
Joan Crawford used to flip out over her daughter having wire hangers in her closet.
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Joan Crawford was an alcoholic, a narcissist and a bully. The alcoholism, was most likely part of the reason for her flip outs; not because she was a psychotic in the sense that Kathy Bates character was in 'MISERY'.
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I thought Kathy was very natural.
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That is the point of my comments; that the performance wasn't played out as though Bates was always acting naturally or being spontaneous and in the moment. It was a little contrived in parts; as though Bates the actor was with us and not her character. This may be due to the fact that this was a major breakthrough film role for her and she brought some of her stage traits with her. It's a good performance, I just don't think she was deserving of winning the oscar® in response to your original post.
Glenn Close gave a much more believable performance as a psycho in 'FATAL ATTRACTION', a few years earlier. She had more subtle revealing tells in her performance and in the nuances of her character that she brought to life. This was one was more deserving of an oscar® than Kathy Bates' performance.
'That is the point of my comments; that the performance wasn't played out as though Bates was always acting naturally or being spontaneous and in the moment'
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exactly.
People with erratic behavior still have moments of neutrality. I felt a self-consciousness in her acting. The trick to acting is knowing what the lines are ,but acting as if you don't until you speak those lines which you "forgot"
You guys are harsh critics. I just never saw these flaws that you all saw in her performance.
shareYou guys are harsh critics. I just never saw these flaws that you all saw in her performance.
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Wasn't my intention to upset you, but you did start the topic and I responded with my comments. Please don't let this diminish your viewing enjoyment of watching Bates act in this film though as this is just my personal opinion. I have other issues with this film adaptation of Stephen King's novel, so I can be quite critical of the film as a whole.
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The last time I was really enraptured by a Best Actress win, was for SUSAN SARANDON for DEAD MAN WALKING in 95'. There was some pretty stiff competition that year as well.
Also loved that JODIE FOSTER won for THE ACCUSED-88' and for SILENCE OF THE LAMBS-91' and EMMA THOMPSON for HOWARD'S END-92'.
Just curious about something off topic: What are the apostrophes for in 95', 88', 91', and 92'?
shareShe absolutely deserved her Oscar. Her win is one of my favourite Best Actress wins, along with Frances McDormand for Fargo and Charlize Theron for Monster.
She's great in this. She was able to play an over the top character without becoming really cheesy and hammy.
shareDeserved. Charming one second, chilling the next.
share'Deserved. Charming one second, chilling the next.'
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Yes, but how is that so extraordinary? She planned that in advance; doesn't take much effort to calculate "I should be charming here, so I'll play it mean instead", and "I normally would be mean here, so I'll be sweet here"
It's ok, nobody gets it. It's not what the actor does, but how they do it.
It's hard for an actor not to plan in advance -- the script plans in advance.
shareIt's hard for an actor not to plan in advance -- the script plans in advance.
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It can't help that contrivance, as that is part of the process of all aspects of the film making. The devil is in the details though and the manner in which it is delivered.
It's hard for an actor not to plan in advance -- the script plans in advance.Not that type of "planned". Of course the actor knows their lines, but the excellence is the ability of sounding like you're saying the lines for the first time, as if you don't know ("forgot") what your next lines are. This was mentioned on the Streep board also. There was some legendary actor who phased it well, though I can't remember who. For example, Lucille Ball was a master at it. share
I think she deserved it completely. She was great!
Leave life alone. Let it be.
Oh yes, she deserved it. She made me believe she was psychotic and when Paul started beating the sh!t out of her at the end, I was cheering him on the entire time.
If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, nobody else wanted them either.
She's great as a psycho in this and Dolores
A-M-E-R-I-C-A! Home of the free, sick and depraved. A-M-E-R-I-C-A! Why the fv*k are you looking @ me
Yes I think she deserved it. I read the book earlier in the year, and I really can't picture any one else in the role. Kathy was perfect at going from bubbly and fun #1 fan to obsessed fan. Definitely one of my favorite performances of a psycho ever.
Why, they told me to take a streetcar named Desire...
She certainly deserved it. A terrifying portrayal.
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Last seen films:
Prisoners: 10/10
Mud: 10/10
The Majestic: 8/10
Yes. I'm surprised she won for Misery though, not that it wasn't deserving, but the academy has a tendency to favour boring unmemorable dramas that no one remembers a few years later over more intense roles. I'm surprised they didn't opt for Woodward in that case, especially as, looking over, she won all of the critics awards, but then won no major awards either and Kathy won 2/3. I think Misery is one of those films that wouldn't work well with a lesser actress, especially given how cartoonish the character is, and it is entirely about acting, so if she got it wrong it could have ended her film career. But thankfully she got it right and is a classic villain for the ages and I do feel is a 'one of a kind' type of win. Looking at the nominees, only Annie Wilkes and Julia for Pretty Woman stand the test of time 25 years later and the other three from that year have been long forgotten, so the academy made the right choice in the end. I do feel her Oscar could have come from a number of roles and still been deserved, but I'm glad they went down this route for a change.
share'I'm surprised she won for Misery though, not that it wasn't deserving'
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The best performance is not contingent on standing the test of time, but the best acting for that year. It was one of the weakest years I can recall.
The character was not cartoonish, since people like her really exist, and there were other actresses that could have done an equal, if not better, job. If it was cartoonish, that was due to her dubious acting choices,and Reiner's mediocre direction.
Even a psycho has a middle range. Bates was "showing" us a performance, not "being" the performance. A lack of intimacy with her co-star; not intimacy as in love, but connecting with her acting partner. I didn't feel like I was eavesdropping on real people
Looking at the nominees, only Annie Wilkes and Julia for Pretty Woman stand the test of time 25 years later and the other three from that year have been long forgotten...
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PRETTY WOMAN is shallow and predictable Hollywood, so that goes without saying why it is popular and panders to deluded and simpleminded women. As for MISERY, I would say it has more of a cult following. I really don't think Bates's performance is as readily remembered or revered, as say someone like Glenn Close in FATAL ATTRACTION-87', who gave the superior performance over Bates, as a mentally unhinged woman. I would opt for Angelica Huston in THE GRIFTERS over Bates, as I find her performance more believable and real. Minority opinion, but I also prefer to watch that film over MISERY, which has too many flaws for my liking.
Exorcist: Christ's power compels you. Cast out, unclean spirit.
Destinata:💩