Oustanding Acting Performances !!!
by JoeKulik | created - 06 Jun 2015 | updated - 08 Aug 2015 | Public"Film will only become an art when its materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper." - Jean Cocteau
"Every poem is a coat of arms. It must be deciphered." - Jean Cocteau
Each chosen film has the actor//character that, in my opinion, had an outstanding performance in that film, noted below the film title. This list is NOT in any order of perceived ranking.
Each performance was chosen because:
1) It was perceived as a very difficult character to portray, such as a character with a mental defect , or a character with a sexual identity opposite to that of the actor, etc.
AND//OR
2) The nature of the character required portraying extreme changes in emotion and//or personality in the course of the film.
Although this list contains outstanding PERFORMANCES, the rating that I gave the FILM AS A WHOLE may be much less than outstanding. So there may be a film in this list that had an outstanding individual performance but where the film itself was, in my opinion, much less than outstanding.
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1. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
PG | 95 min | Comedy, War
An unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn
Votes: 518,266 | Gross: $0.28M
Peter Sellers plays 3 very different roles in this one film.
2. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
R | 120 min | Drama
Maria marries Hermann Braun in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. Alone, Maria puts to use her beauty and ambition in order to find prosperity during Germany's "economic miracle" of the 1950s.
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Löwitsch, Ivan Desny, Gisela Uhlen
Votes: 14,917
Hanna Schygulla as Maria Braun.
The transitions in personality & moral character that Hanna Schygulla undergoes in her portrayal of Maria Braun shows a real depth & range of acting ability.
available at Criterion.com/Hulu.
3. The Human Voice (1966 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 50 min | Drama
A monologue of a woman talking on the phone with her longterm lover who is about to marry another girl.
Director: Ted Kotcheff | Star: Ingrid Bergman
Votes: 359
Ingrid Bergman as unnamed woman in a one character screenplay.
Available on YouTube-search:
"The Human Voice TV 1996 Ingrid Bergman"
An adaptation of a one character play by the same title written by Jean Cocteau in 1930 & first performed on stage in Paris in 1930.
Ingrid smoothly transitions through an incredible range of emotions & personality changes in this film. Easily Ingrid's best performance, in my opinion.
4. A Woman's Face (1938)
Unrated | 100 min | Drama
An embittered woman, leader of a criminal gang, has a change of heart.
Director: Gustaf Molander | Stars: Ingrid Bergman, Tore Svennberg, Anders Henrikson, Georg Rydeberg
Votes: 1,161
Ingrid Bergman as Anna Holm aka Anna Paulsson.
Available on Fandor.com.
English subtitles.
In this film, Ingrid's character transitions from a villainous blackmailer who is self conscious about the disfiguring scar on her face, to a warm, loving, caring governess of a little rich boy, after a plastic surgery gives her back a normal looking face. Ingrid portrays this radical transformation of physical appearance, of moral character, & of personality in a smooth, nuanced, & quite convincing manner. This is truly a performance for the ages !!!
5. Giant (1956)
G | 201 min | Drama, Western
Sprawling epic covering the life of a Texas cattle rancher and his family and associates.
Director: George Stevens | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Carroll Baker
Votes: 42,245
James Dean as Jett Rink.
Dean portrays a man who has aged about 40 years during the course of the film, transitioning from a simple rural "hayseed" to the rich, ruthless, & powerful alcoholic owner of a financial empire. Dean's portrayal of this radical transition in age, physical appearance, moral character, & personality is very convincing & quite remarkable.
6. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
PG | 122 min | Drama
Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden
Votes: 114,346 | Gross: $8.00M
Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski.
7. Last Tango in Paris (1972)
NC-17 | 129 min | Drama, Romance
A young Parisian woman meets a middle-aged American businessman who demands their clandestine relationship be based only on sex.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Maria Michi, Giovanna Galletti
Votes: 58,346 | Gross: $36.14M
Marlon Brando as Paul.
8. The Godfather (1972)
R | 175 min | Crime, Drama
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton
Votes: 2,012,397 | Gross: $134.97M
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone.
9. Stromboli (1950)
Approved | 81 min | Drama
Karin, a young woman from the Baltic countries, marries fisherman Antonio to escape from a prison camp. But she cannot get used to the tough life in Antonio's volcano-threatened village, Stromboli.
Director: Roberto Rossellini | Stars: Ingrid Bergman, Mario Vitale, Renzo Cesana, Mario Sponzo
Votes: 7,964
Ingrid Bergman as Karin.
10. Tootsie (1982)
PG | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Michael Dorsey, an unsuccessful actor, disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a trashy hospital soap.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman
Votes: 114,666 | Gross: $177.20M
Dustin Hoffman as Dorothy Michaels.
11. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
PG-13 | 125 min | Comedy, Drama
After a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein
Votes: 290,958 | Gross: $219.20M
Robin Williams as Mrs Doubtfire.
12. Albert Nobbs (2011)
R | 113 min | Drama, Romance
Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th-century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man so she can work as a butler in Dublin's most elegant hotel, Albert meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.
Director: Rodrigo García | Stars: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Antonia Campbell-Hughes
Votes: 25,589 | Gross: $3.01M
Glen Close as Albert Nobbs.
13. La Dolce Vita (1960)
Not Rated | 174 min | Comedy, Drama
A series of stories following a week in the life of a philandering tabloid journalist living in Rome.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée, Yvonne Furneaux
Votes: 78,209 | Gross: $19.52M
Marcello Mastroianni as Marcello Rubini.
English subtitles.
14. 8½ (1963)
Not Rated | 138 min | Drama
A harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Claudia Cardinale, Sandra Milo
Votes: 125,189 | Gross: $0.05M
Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi.
English subtitles.
15. Digging to China (1997)
PG | 98 min | Drama
10 y.o. Harriet's divorced mom owns and runs a motel. Harriet's an outsider and wants to leave. A woman stays there with her adult, disabled son who befriends Harriet.
Director: Timothy Hutton | Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Bacon, Mary Stuart Masterson, Marian Seldes
Votes: 2,982 | Gross: $0.03M
Kevin Bacon as Ricky Schroth.
16. Rain Man (1988)
R | 133 min | Drama
After a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen
Votes: 546,613 | Gross: $178.80M
Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt.
17. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
R | 113 min | Drama
A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.
Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver
Votes: 120,799 | Gross: $44.79M
Dustin Hoffman as Ratso.
18. Hero (I) (1992)
PG-13 | 119 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A not-so-nice man rescues passengers from a crashed airliner, only to see someone else take credit.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, Andy Garcia, Joan Cusack
Votes: 23,811 | Gross: $19.51M
Dustin Hoffman as Bernie Laplante.
19. J'accuse! (1919)
Not Rated | 166 min | Drama, Horror, War
The story of two men, one married, the other the lover of the other's wife, who meet in the trenches of the First World War, and how their tale becomes a microcosm for the horrors of war.
Director: Abel Gance | Stars: Romuald Joubé, Maxime Desjardins, Séverin-Mars, Angèle Guys
Votes: 2,049
Severin-Mars as Francois Laurin.
silent film. Available at Fandor.com.
English subtitles.
20. The Wheel (1923)
Not Rated | 417 min | Drama
A railway engineer adopts a young girl orphaned by a train crash. Years later when she starts getting suitors, he grapples with whether or not to tell her the truth about her parentage.
Director: Abel Gance | Stars: Gabriel de Gravone, Pierre Magnier, Georges Térof, Séverin-Mars
Votes: 2,563
Severin-Mars as Sisif.
silent film.
Available on Fandor.com under the French title is La roue.
English subtitles.
21. Love (1948)
69 min | Drama
In part one, a heartbroken woman talks to her ex-lover on the phone. In part two, a pregnant woman believes she is carrying the child of Saint Joseph.
Director: Roberto Rossellini | Stars: Anna Magnani, Federico Fellini, Peparuolo, Amelia Robert
Votes: 1,945
Anna Magnani as unnamed sole character in segment "Una voce unmana" & as Nannina in segment "Il miracolo".
22. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama
Brick is an alcoholic ex-football player who drinks his days away and resists the affections of his wife. A reunion with his terminal father jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson
Votes: 53,422 | Gross: $17.57M
Paul Newman as Brick Pollitt.
23. Mad City (1997)
PG-13 | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A distraught man inadvertently takes a group of children hostage in a museum while a hungry, seasoned reporter tries to resurrect his career covering the story.
Director: Costa-Gavras | Stars: John Travolta, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Alda, Mia Kirshner
Votes: 21,102 | Gross: $10.56M
John Travolta as Sam.
24. Dead Man Walking (1995)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama
A nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.
Director: Tim Robbins | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry
Votes: 101,782 | Gross: $39.39M
Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen Prejean.
25. Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A delusional young man strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.
Director: Craig Gillespie | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, R.D. Reid
Votes: 155,409 | Gross: $5.97M
Ryan Gosling as Lars.
26. The Believer (2001)
R | 98 min | Drama
A young Jewish man develops a fiercely anti-Semitic philosophy. Based on the factual story of a K.K.K. member in the 1960s who was revealed to be Jewish by a New York Times reporter.
Director: Henry Bean | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Peter Meadows, Garret Dillahunt
Votes: 41,120 | Gross: $0.41M
Ryan Gosling as Danny Balint.
27. Reign Over Me (2007)
R | 124 min | Drama
A man who lost his family in the September 11 attack on New York City runs into his old college roommate. Rekindling the friendship is the one thing that appears able to help the man recover from his grief.
Director: Mike Binder | Stars: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler
Votes: 99,610 | Gross: $19.66M
Adam Sandler as Charlie Fineman.
28. Citizen Kane (1941)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery
Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead
Votes: 465,957 | Gross: $1.59M
Orson Welles as Kane.
29. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,106,669 | Gross: $44.02M
Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance.
30. Batman (1989)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure
The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl
Votes: 404,262 | Gross: $251.19M
Jack Nicholson as Joker.
31. Wolf (1994)
R | 125 min | Drama, Horror, Romance
Publisher Will Randall becomes a demon wolf and has to fight to keep his job.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan
Votes: 60,320 | Gross: $65.01M
Jack Nicholson as Will Randall.
32. About Schmidt (2002)
R | 125 min | Drama
A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.
Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, Kathy Bates
Votes: 133,578 | Gross: $65.02M
Jack Nicholson as Warren Schmidt.
33. Misery (1990)
R | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen
Votes: 235,576 | Gross: $61.28M
Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes.
34. La Bête Humaine (1938)
Not Rated | 100 min | Crime, Drama
In this classic adaptation of Emile Zola's novel, a tortured train engineer falls in love with a troubled married woman who has helped her husband commit a murder.
Director: Jean Renoir | Stars: Jean Gabin, Julien Carette, Simone Simon, Fernand Ledoux
Votes: 8,421
Jean Garbin as Jacques Lantier.
English subtitles.
35. Long Live Freedom (2013)
Not Rated | 94 min | Comedy, Drama
When a politician disappears, his (mad) twin brother is brought to replace him.
Director: Roberto Andò | Stars: Toni Servillo, Valerio Mastandrea, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Michela Cescon
Votes: 4,701 | Gross: $0.05M
Toni Servillo
as identical twin brother Enrico Oliveri AND
as identical twin brother Giovanni Oliveri.
English subtitles.
Available on Netflix streaming under the title Viva La Libertad.
36. Faust (III) (2011)
Not Rated | 140 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A despairing scholar sells his soul to Satan in exchange for one night with a beautiful young woman.
Director: Aleksandr Sokurov | Stars: Johannes Zeiler, Anton Adasinsky, Isolda Dychauk, Georg Friedrich
Votes: 5,761 | Gross: $0.06M
Johannes Zeller as Heinrich Faust.
English subtitles.
37. Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922)
Not Rated | 242 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Arch-criminal Dr. Mabuse sets out to make a fortune and run Berlin. Detective Wenk sets out to stop him.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Aud Egede-Nissen, Gertrude Welcker, Alfred Abel
Votes: 9,172
Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Dr Mabuse.
silent film.
Available on Fandor.com under the title of Dr Mabuse: The Gambler.
English subtitles.
38. Spies (1928)
Not Rated | 90 min | Romance, Thriller
The mastermind behind a ubiquitous spy operation learns of a dangerous romance between a Russian lady in his employ and a dashing agent from the government's secret service.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Gerda Maurus, Willy Fritsch, Lien Deyers
Votes: 3,945
Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Haghi.
silent film.
Available on Fandor.com under the title of Spies.
English subtitles.
39. Destiny (1921)
Not Rated | 114 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
When a woman's fiancé disappears, Death gives her three chances to save him from his fate.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Bernhard Goetzke, Lil Dagover, Walter Janssen, Hans Sternberg
Votes: 6,692 | Gross: $0.01M
Lil Dagover
as unnamed young woman &
as Zobeide &
as Monna Flametta &
as Tiao Tsien
in a multi-segment film.
silent film.
Available on YouTube.com--search: "Fritz Lang movie Destiny"
English subtitles.
40. Orpheus (1950)
Not Rated | 112 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A poet in love with Death follows his unhappy wife into the underworld.
Director: Jean Cocteau | Stars: Jean Marais, François Périer, María Casares, Marie Déa
Votes: 13,408
Jean Marais as Orphee.
English subtitles.
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