Nikan
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Post by Nikan on Apr 3, 2021 17:44:24 GMT
There are Oscar-winning performances, based-on-play films and of course the filmography of legendary actors (or simply our favorites) that surfing the net could provide... but let's see YOUR beautiful picks or lists as to what movies represent your idea of admirable acting.
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Post by themoviesinner on Apr 3, 2021 18:06:54 GMT
I've got a lot of films in mind, but I'll just mention 2, which are very different in terms of acting, but both are masterclasses for me.
The Trojan Women (1971) - A film with a great cast (Katharine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave, Irene Papas, Genevieve Bujold) that is one of the most theatrical films I've ever seen. And I say this as a compliment. The acting is extraordinary. It's just like watching an ancient greek targedy in a theatre. The vibe is exactly the same, not only of the acting, but how the whole film is staged and how it unfolds. A very unique experience and an unforgettable one as well.
Rage (2016) - I probably consider this as the best acted film of the 21st century. It's not larger than life like in the first film I mentioned, but quite introversive and naturalistic. You can feel the pain, the fear, the anger of the characters quite clearly and when the big outbursts come you can feel that the emotions just erupt from the very soul. Great film, that due to the acting becomes a masterpiece.
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 3, 2021 18:33:45 GMT
I've said this before that part of the reason that Pacino is the GOAT - he just is, admit it - is the amount of films he's in that are known for their overall acting not JUST his acting. That says a whole lot ...... The Godfather, Part II (1974), Angels in America (2003), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) are particularly impeccably acted films - and he has a lot more ....no one talks about these films without "Acting" being in the first 5 words they say about them..... For something less predictable though I like films that have unique acting performances across the cast - not just "Best cast" but movies that wouldn't work without this exact cast......... Uranus (1990) which features a who's who of French greats all giving on point and yet slightly off-center performances that you can't picture anybody else quite doing it. There is an Italian film with Marcello Mastroianni called The Organizer (1963) where he basically invents how to build a character - and it was copied by all of the Americans of the 70s I think.........the entire film is acted in a way that if it faltered would cause the whole movie to collapse and be didactic.......it's a miracle it doesn't - and that goes across the whole movie - not JUST Mastroianni who is Godlike here. Also and maybe the most important US acting film - ever - Anatomy of a Murder (1959) is just a landmark US film for acting - all the principals are of a different school of US acting - Stewart, Scott, Remick, Gazzara - they are all tremendous and all in their own style. No one gives in to another and no one style overshadows the other .........AND you don't even really see the style in effect, it plays as "right". It's like watch 30 years of acting American acting theory play off each other - it's a textbook film for acting, it can be studied........should be studied.
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Post by wallsofjericho on Apr 3, 2021 19:06:31 GMT
The Dresser with Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay.
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Post by wilcinema on Apr 3, 2021 19:22:17 GMT
I can’t agree more on Anatomy Of A Murder. It’s a 160-minute courtroom drama but it’s acted at such an incredible level that it has a immaculate flow. I rarely see it mentioned among the greatest American movies but it is, and it was also quite daring for its time.
As for Italian movies, I think I could mention a few. Mastroianni gave a huge number of monumental performances, and the one I keep coming back to is Divorce Italian Style, where he proves that he wasn’t an amazing dramatic actor but he could do salacious black comedy, creepily funny, to an extent terrifying comedy, and that ensemble is EVERYTHING. Then of course A Special Day with the divine Sophia, Il Bell’Antonio with Claudia Cardinale, and the immense Dark Eyes.
Bonus recommendations for some great ensembles: Love & Anarchy, a grotesque story about fascism with an astonishing performance by Giancarlo Giannini; Il Sorpasso, which is not really an ensemble but Trintignant and especially Gassman are sensational; Big Deal On Madonna Street, let’s call it an neorealist Italian Rififi, with an amazing ensemble; The Leopard, with the great Burt Lancaster’s best performance and Claudia Cardinale’s debut; and finally possibly the single greatest performance in Italian cinema, Giulietta Masina in Nights Of Cabiria.
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Post by pupdurcs on Apr 3, 2021 19:37:25 GMT
Spike Lee movies often have some of the best examples of ensemble acting in movies, as seen this past year in Da 5 Bloods. Malcolm X, 25th Hour, Inside Man, Do The Right Thing etc
These days, adaptations of August Wilson plays seem to be guaranteed to deliver masterful examples of ensemble acting. So Fences and Ma Rainy's Black Bottom.
The equivalent of Wilson in the 50's and 60's were Tennessee Williams adaptations. So A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof probably are the strongest examples of those.
The best female lead ensembles this century are probably The Hours (Kidman. Streep, Moore, Collette, Janney, Richardson, Danes) and 8 Women (Huppert, Deneuve,Ledoyen, Sagnier, Beart, Ardant)
But honestly, there are a lot of extremely well acted films in the history of cinema, so it's tough to narrow down choices.
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Nikan
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Post by Nikan on Apr 3, 2021 20:06:05 GMT
I found Anatomy a strangely modern film... If only because how it treats it's subject matters. It's more layered and serious than courtroom classics that came decades later (A Few Good Man, which is madly entertaining on it's own right)... and yeah, have to rewatch it some time just to focus on those brilliant, 'so-natural-you-may-not-notice' performances.
Can't wait to watch more Mastroianni - and The Hours is super-memorable too, if not consistently great.
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Post by sirjeremy on Apr 3, 2021 20:13:41 GMT
Many films directed by Sidney Lumet showcase all-time great performances: a few movies of his that spring to mind are Dog Day Afternoon, Equus and Running on Empty.
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Post by stephen on Apr 4, 2021 2:46:49 GMT
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Apr 4, 2021 5:46:03 GMT
well Marriage Story obviously. Baumbach's screenplay is an emotional minefield for the actors and gave both Driver and Johnasson ample time to shine with big emotional moments and beautiful monologues, and much has been made about the big fight scene which Johnasson and Driver rehearsed exhaustively like they would with a play. Most of Baumbach's movies have amazing performances because he's such a brilliant writer, but Marriage Story was on another level.
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Nikan
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Post by Nikan on Apr 4, 2021 9:26:27 GMT
well Marriage Story obviously. Baumbach's screenplay is an emotional minefield for the actors and gave both Driver and Johnasson ample time to shine with big emotional moments and beautiful monologues, and much has been made about the big fight scene which Johnasson and Driver rehearsed exhaustively like they would with a play. Most of Baumbach's movies have amazing performances because he's such a brilliant writer, but Marriage Story was on another level. Good call. Like the Bergman whom it pays homage to, it was very solid on the acting front. Cedric just got better and better. Which got me thinking: do we know of instances when somebody wasted a good opportunity monologue?
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Post by DanQuixote on Apr 4, 2021 16:23:45 GMT
Greta Gerwig’s 2010s oeuvre - Frances Ha, Mistress America, 20th Century Women, Lady Bird and Little Women.
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 29, 2021 19:14:19 GMT
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Apr 29, 2021 19:43:44 GMT
Take most Mike Leigh films and you're in the ball park. Sure there is a dud performance here and there, but generally they are as close to impeccable as you get.
Bleak Moments and Meantime are probably the outliers, but from High Hopes through the Peterloo and the TV plays in between, I think my statement holds water.
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Post by MsMovieStar on Apr 29, 2021 19:46:47 GMT
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Post by countjohn on Apr 29, 2021 22:04:04 GMT
For the movies with the best collective acting-
The Godfather The Apartment Network Unforgiven Doubt On the Waterfront Gone With the Wind No Country For Old Men Birdman Pretty much any of Olivier's Shakespeare films
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Post by TerryMontana on Apr 30, 2021 12:57:59 GMT
The Lion in Winter and A Man for All Seasons are two very good examples imo.
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SZilla
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Post by SZilla on Apr 30, 2021 16:57:50 GMT
12 Angry Men (1957) was my first thought here. It's such an inherently magnificent ensemble, with all twelve actors firing on all cylinders and each crucial in their own way to the film. There's no special effects, no crazy scenery changes, just a room with 12 electrifying actors and a great script.
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Nikan
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Post by Nikan on Apr 30, 2021 17:55:29 GMT
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Nikan
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Post by Nikan on Apr 30, 2021 17:56:51 GMT
12 Angry Men (1957) was my first thought here. It's such an inherently magnificent ensemble, with all twelve actors firing on all cylinders and each crucial in their own way to the film. There's no special effects, no crazy scenery changes, just a room with 12 electrifying actors and a great script. Big yes... Lumet generally did wonders with actors and that is possibly the crown jewel of his career.
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Post by wilcinema on Apr 30, 2021 18:09:11 GMT
There are obvious examples of actors' directors such as Lumet, Elia Kazan, but Martin Ritt never had a movie that wasn't well acted, at least among the ones I've seen. Very underrated director.
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 30, 2021 18:24:07 GMT
There are obvious examples of actors' directors such as Lumet, Elia Kazan, but Martin Ritt never had a movie that wasn't well acted, at least among the ones I've seen. Very underrated director. I recently posted in the "Last Film You Saw" thread a couple days ago about his 2nd film "No Down Payment (1957)" and it's kind of a masterclass of ensemble acting.........and the way he balances tone across these actors - who are not all major actors either is insanely good - it's sort of like Altman or PTA in a way - though not as overt. Joanne Woodward is marvelous but many small parts are played really well - including Tony Randall as a guy slipping into alcoholism - tremendously underseen film that holds up too.
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Post by franklin on Apr 30, 2021 19:25:27 GMT
The Godfather films Glengarry Glen Ross The Social Network The Irishman Revolutionary Road Marriage Story The Departed Spotlight
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Post by MsMovieStar on May 1, 2021 20:05:14 GMT
Oh honey, As everyone knows I don't like to blow my own trumpet but there are just too many to mention... but Yvette takes a Shower was wildly acclaimed. A total rave. Ronnie Ebert (Roger's brother) said that 'never before had an actress been so... naked on screen'... In preparation for this difficult role I didn't shave my pits for months and worked with a voice coach to not just get the correct pronunciation of the word 'douche' but to say it in a South Marseille accent with a bit of Algerian heritage thrown in on Yvette's mother's side... It wasn't an easy shoot and I almost drowned... two stunt doubles... but I am truly dedicated to my craft, a consummate professional, and very, very clean... It's sure to become a Classic! Robbie Ebert (Roger's 14 year old nephew) said it he'd watched it on repeat 8 times!!! There's already talk of a sequel, Yvette takes a Bath... and it's almost certain to be made once we get finance; clearance to shoot in Bali; Gucci to do the wardrobe;... oh... and my director gets out of prison.
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Post by pacinoyes on May 1, 2021 21:02:37 GMT
Oh honey, As everyone knows I don't like to blow my own trumpet but there are just too many to mention... but Yvette takes a Shower was wildly acclaimed. A total rave. Ronnie Ebert (Roger's brother) said that 'never before had an actress been so... naked on screen'... There's already talk of a sequel, Yvette takes a Bath... and it's almost certain to be made once we get finance; clearance to shoot in Bali; Gucci to do the wardrobe;... oh... and my director gets out of prison. Yvettte takes a Shower was a masterpiece Legend - I still remember that rave quote headline in The Times - "Makes what Janet Leigh did in the shower scene in Psycho look like taking a f****** mud bath."
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