As Pauline Kael said….”Vivien Leigh gives a rare performance that evokes both pity and terror.” She’s a force of nature and breaks my heart in every scene. In my opinion doesn’t just give the greatest acting performance of the 1950’s, but of all time.
Yep, IMO Leigh goes as far as one can in delving deep into a role and becoming a character (director Kazan said something to the effect that Leigh would be willing to crawl through glass to give a great performance, and Tennesse Williams said she got more out of Blanche than he originally envisioned when he wrote the part). Unforgettable work (as mentioned), indeed.
Normally they "correct" their mistakes for giving a make-up. OSCAR, but they didn't it with Judy garland. She would be very deserving for Judgements at Nuremberg, but Rita Moreno Was so magnetic and the true center of west side story. Would be a crime. But damn... Garland deserved it for A. STAR IS BORN.
There was Barbra Streisand and Liza Minelli that came after, but Audrey Hepburn was just magnetic in her debut in an unparalleled way. It's not the most difficult or complex of roles, but her unique presence and effortless burgeoning charm alone was what made it a star-making role. She carried the entire film. Just unforgettable.
Although I would like to see Grace Kelly on the list too, I have to say this is a pretty good list! Especially the top 3 are spot on. Vivien Leigh's performance in Streetcar maybe the best female performance not just of the 50's but in general!!!
This is a wonderful list! I know the list is to your taste, but one of my favorite Oscar wins is a contentious one, because it's Grace Kelly in The Country Girl. She strips away the glamour girl heiress to give a raw performance that solidifies her talent and makes us wish she stayed in film longer (though she did not give up acting, as she had to be a royal). I also love Donna Reed's performance in From Here to Eternity, where she goes against type playing a "night hostess" but whose performance shows more versatility than just the good girl next door she was typecast in before. Her Best Supporting Actress Oscar win got her more versatile roles and she just could do what she wanted afterwards. William Holden in Stalag 17 is phenomenal and an Oscar earned. Simone Signoret for Room at the Top, the first British New Wave film to win an Oscar. Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo is one of the greatest performances of the decade as she brings that neorealist exploration of grief to U.S. audiences. Also, while it just a nomination, one of my favorite performances of the decade was Dorothy Dandridge in Carmen Jones. She took a racist trope about Black women and made a rich character who left us with a more dimensional impression than the times in which she lived in allowed, and it took nearly 50 years for a Black woman to win Best Actress at the Oscars, but what a legacy performance.
THANK YOU so much for your thoughtful and informative comment which adds an extra wonderful dimension to Brian’s awesome video … I’ve copied it onto my phone in order to seek out those you mention that I haven’t seen !! 🙏🏻💙🙏🏻
I've been waiting for this video almost from your channel's beginning. Very pleased with your picks as always. 50s performances are sometimes dismissed as melodramamtic and hokey by modern audiences. The only person I'd try to find room for is Anna Magnani.
My Top Ten Acting Oscar Winners of the 1950's 1. Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront) 2. Vivian Leigh (A Streetcar Named Desire) 3. Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen) 4. Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday) 5. George Sanders (All About Eve) 6. Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront) 7. Susan Hayward (I Want to Live!) 8. Charlton Heston (Ben-Hur) 9. Joanne Woodward (The Three Faces of Eve) 10. Ernest Borgnine (Marty) My Top Five Honorable Mentions 1. Gary Cooper (High Noon) 2. Alec Guinness (The Bridge on the River Kwai) 3. Judy Holliday (Born Yesterday) 4. Kim Hunter (A Streetcar Named Desire) 5. Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts)
AWESOME video , AWESOME list and as always extremely well justified too … so hard to argue with your choices , again as usual !! Love your editing and I just want to thank you for adding in the speeches too, a thoughtful touch!! I literally got chills when you showed Marlon "I could have been a contender" … saw it very recently on the big screen for the first time, what a treat!!! One of the many great advantages of living just outside of Paris with a Gaumont-Pathé monthly cinema pass is all the old and not so old classics we get to see every week!! 🥰🥰 Just last night I saw The Piano again !!❤️
My favourite 1950s performance are definitely Gloria Swanson for “Sunset Boulevard” and “Bette Davis in “All About Eve” who neither won 😆 Thelma Ritter is also so good in “Pickup On South Street”
I've always had a special place for Vivien Leigh in my heart, after reading almost every book that's been written about her. Reading about her trials and battles plus not too many actors or actresses can claim TWO Academy Awards: her first for what is considered one of the greatest roles an actress can have as the immortal Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind (1939, MGM) and her second for her mesmerizing performance as another southern belle as Blanche DuBois, A Streetcar Named Desire (1951, Warner, Brothers). Vivien Leigh had two strikes against her: she was Bi-polar and she suffered bouts of Tuberculosis throughout her life and she would eventually die from the disease on July 8, 1967 at the age of 53. Can you imagine any other actress then Vivien Leigh in the role of Scarlett or Blanche? Most probably not, I cannot see another actress giving a better performance than Vivien did. In all of her portrayals of her film characters she was: unsentimental, detached, and never giving or asking or expecting any for sympathy. Perhaps she was predestined to make her mark in a film so sprawling, so epic as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind. Scarlett was not a character that was likeable but she was tenacious, she was determined and she was strong-willed but you wanted her to see her come out on top. She was the center of it all when filming Gone With The Wind. Vivien's interpretation of Scarlett O’Hara is perfect - she never hits or makes a false note. We never see acting, we only see the character, as close to a real, living person to any actor could ever create for the screen. Vivien had the unique power of intimacy which kept her performances fresh long after many of her commentaries have faded away. With the possible exception of Paulette Goddard, the other leading contenders for the part would have had difficulty articulating One also has to give Vivien credit for being the main reason why Gone with the Wind is the most famous movie ever. She is in 99% of this 3 and a-half-hour epic, she has to carry this massive production on her shoulders. And boy, does she succeed! Another very interesting aspect of the film is Scarlett's friendship with Olivia de Havilland's role as Melanie Hamilton, they both have great chemistry between the two of them, Vivien is perfect in showing her mixed feelings towards Melanie, her dislike and admiration at the same time. I remember reading this quote and I could not agree more, "It is such a natural performance of a truly larger-than-life character that “Fidlee-dee-dee” seems to be the only word to describe it…I really give a damn!" In 1951 Vivien Leigh would receive her second Academy Award for another Southern Belle in A Streetcar Named Desire (Warner Brothers). While Streetcar was a professional triumph for Vivien, playing Blanche took its toll on Leigh’s mental health. Portraying and identifying with someone so near insanity was overwhelming for Leigh as she absorbed Blanche’s psychology in a way that was hard for her to let go of. Later, when she was ill, she would often recite lines from the play. As she put it, “Blanche is a woman with everything stripped away. She is a tragic figure and I understand her. But, playing her tipped me into madness.” The fact that both of Vivien Leigh’s Oscar-winning portrayals are some kind of Southern Belles would make it easy to see Blanche DuBois as an alter ego of Scarlett O’Hara but where Scarlett O’Hara had the strength to adjust herself to a new life, to new circumstances and situations, Blanche DuBois is exactly the opposite as she cannot leave the past behind, lets it haunt and torture her, influence her actions and finally breaks her. Vivien Leigh gave a performance that dug so deeply in this character’s mind and portrayed such unforgettable moments, that it is one of a few movie performances that can truly be called a work of art proofing once and for all the greatness of her talent and standing as a symbol for movie acting at its finest.
Thanks a million, Brian! This episode brought back so many memories. I actually remember most of these movies,. Back in the day, there were no PG-13 or R-rated movies. I saw some these at ages, 9, 10 and 12 at the old Eastwood Theatre in Eastpointe, MI. Brian, you are a godsend! You're not even 40 years old and yet you take an avid interest in these film classics. How refreshing and how rare! Keep up the great work!
Mine 1. Brando. Need I say more. He was untouchable in the early 50s. 2. Shirley Booth. Genius character actress. Definitely in the top 5 of best actress wins period. 3. Simone Signoret. Copy and paste Shirley Booth description. And the first French winner! 4. Anna Magnani. Another brilliant actress who just inhabited characters effortlessly. Raw and earthy performance in RT. 5. The trio of wins from Streetcar. I know im cheating but I don’t care lol. I’ve rarely seen anything like this movie. Just perfection. The trio of wins for this and Network puts the nonsense of this years trio for the nonsense that was EEAAO to shame. THIS is what acting is folks. 6. Judy Holliday. I preferred a Davis or Swanson win here, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Holliday. Beautiful, charismatic performer who left us too young. 7. Eva Marie Saint. Matched Brando and his powerhouse with a quieter, nuanced role, but held the screen with him every second. 8. Susan Hayward. Finally got her due at the podium with a role she played the hell out of. 9. Jack Lemmon. One of the best supporting actor performances to grace the screen, and a welcome to the industry which would grace us with the best acting the movies has ever seen. A brilliant technician of playing comedy and drama. Young actors a word of advice. Watch Lemmon films. This is how it’s done. 10. Anthony Quinn Lust For Life. Dynamic actor who’s on screen a very short time. But you can’t take your eyes off him. Runners up- Audrey Hepburn George Sanders Ernest Borgnine Ingrid Bergman Yul Brynner Joanne Woodward
@@TheAwardsContender thanks. Yours too. Interesting that director of Streetcar Elia Kazan didn’t think much of Leigh as an actress. I don’t know wth he was thinking. Plus Leigh was in the throes of manic depression at the time, which definitely fed into her magnificent portrayal of Blanche.
Excellent list! I still can't get through the ending of Streetcar without crying, especially when the doctor takes his hat off to her. There are four other wins that I'd like to give a shout out to: Jo Van Fleet in East of Eden and Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind, two absolute powerhouse performances by two actresses who I have loved in everything I've seen them in (hell, I think Malone should have gotten an honorary Oscar for her brief appearance in The Big Sleep- yowza!). Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity- as much as I would have LOVED to see Clift or Lancaster win for this movie in the lead category, Sinatra really went for it and proved himself as a serious actor. Finally, Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts- I'm conflicted about this one because I still think Sal Mineo should have won for Rebel Without a Cause (and for Exodus in 1960!), but Lemmon is so wonderfully chaotic in this movie and oh my god there are no words to describe how much I love the ending with him tossing that palm tree overboard then storming up to Cagney's office with that glorious "now what's all this CRAP about no movie tonight?" (side note: what is it with Lemmon being in some of the movies with the best closing lines/scenes ever? Some Like It Hot, anyone?).
Anna Magnani should've been on this list or at least honorable mention for her volcanic performance in "The Rose Tattoo"! It was like she wasn't even acting.
I wish you would separate them into lead and supporting. I think it's difficult to compare them. I would like to add Miyoshi Umeiki & Red Buttons from Sayonara. Small parts, but they are the only thing I remember about that movie - which starred Marlon Brando. They made me cry. I hate to admit, my kids don't know who Marlon Brando is, but they do know Alec Guiness and Ernest Borgnine - Mermaid Man - Sponge Bob. Vivien Leigh is absolutely the best.
Bogart should've already won for Casablanca, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre & In A Lonely Place but, happy you & I chose him for The African Queen. Cooper in High Noon would've made my list.
This is one of my favourite decades of film, but if I had my way Marilyn Monroe would be on here for Some Like it Hot (and maybe a nomination for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes or Niagara)
Controversial Opinion: While "Casablanca" may be the better film as a whole, "The African Queen" has the better love story. Bogart and Hepburn both give wonderful performances as interesting, complicated characters, and I never tire of watching those characters fall for each other. Thank you for including Bogart's turn here on this list. I guess I needed reminding how absolutely devastating A Streetcar Named Desire is.
And apparently you don't know Anna Magnani and Simone Signoret too...more then 157 millions people for sure disagree with you, then some other millions round the globe. You need to watch them ..but you know...opinions
I would have added Shirley Booth’s spectacularly heartbreaking performance in ‘Come Back Little Sheba’. For some reason, this is constantly overlooked by film historians.
Great....for what it's worth. Yes Sophies Choice. But I would place Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday. Yes she's not the consummate actress that is Streep, instead she's Audrey, i e. the most perfect person alive when she was. Let's get real. She's the deal
I agree with your top two but in reverse order ; Vivien Leigh gives possibly the best performance by an actress of all time , let alone the 1950's. That said, SUSAN HAYWARD ? Really ? It is a very superficial, histrionic performance (as were most of her performances ). Of course, the best performance by an actress in 1958 was by Jean Simmons in " Home Before Dark " - which was not even nominated.
OMG, such effing riches. Will we see their like again? I don't think so. I love them all, a particular soft spot for Eva Marie Saint, whose turn in North By Northwest makes her my favourite "Hitchcock Blonde". Great work, sir, liked and subscribed.
Vivien Leigh wan for A Streetcard named desire and she deserved to win.But other great performances didnt win.the Oscar Judy Garland for A star is born Bette Davis for All about Eve Gloria Swanson for Sunset Boulevard Montgomery Cliff for From here to eternity and Jane Hagen for Singing in the rain.
Contrast Ernest Borgnine as loveable in Marty vs Johnny Guitar, where he played a vile villian! Susan Hayward beat out Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame and Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof! I would be happy with any of those three winning, but glad you chose Hayward as a favourite win.
Great video as always, Brian. Was really glad to see acknowledgment for Bogart in African Queen and Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur. Both were great and aren’t talked about enough in my opinion.
Susan Hayward winning over Rosalind Russell and Elizabeth Taylor is a race that should be looked at. Personally Russell should’ve won for AUNTIE MAME So glad you didn’t include Grace Kelly’s win because that’s a polarizing win for so many reason that are well known George Sanders win is so deserved for a character that we thought we knew. The streetcar wins were amazing but not as magnificent as Vivien Leigh. As beautifully devastating her Blanche was there was a consequence because Leigh’s performance was the catalyst for her already fragile health
My list 1.Vivien Leigh for A Streetcar Named Desire 2.Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday 3.Humphry Bogart for The African Queen 4. Marlon Brandon for On The Waterfront 5.Jack Lemmon for Mister Roberts 6.Joanne Woodard for The Three Faces of Eve 7.Burl Ives For The Big Country 8.Simone Signoret for Room at the Top 9. Eva Maria Saint for On The Waterfront 10. Anna Magnani for The Rose Tatoo Honraable mentions Kim Hunter for A Streetcar Named Desire Gary Copper for High Noon Frank Sinatra for From Here to Eternity Shelley Winters for The Diary of Anne Frank Jose Ferrer for Cyrano deBererac
I love Audrey Hepburn's win for Roman Holiday, but let's be honest she won because 1953 was a weak year in the best actress category. Her strongest competition was Debora Kerr for From Here to Eternity but she was only like 22 minutes in the movie, so was very easy to win for Audrey Hepburn
I'd keep Hepburn and remove Hunter to make room for Magnani. Audrey's performance in Roman Holiday is so underrated in regard to the acting chops she put in.
@@indy-fs6deDefinitely keep Audrey. One must remember that beside the Oscar she also won the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and NY Film Critics award for this performance.
@@quitequiet1it's weird that she won the golden globe in the category of best actress in a motion picture drama when the movie and her performance were a comedy
@Giovanny Espinoza there were definitely a lot of comedic elements, but I think the last quarter of the movie and the heart-wrenching ending made it feel more appropriate to categorize it as a dramatic performance. There really isn't much laughter after the party scene. The earlier, lighter comedic elements serve to underscore an ending where the 2 characters don't end up together (which it's difficult to think of another well-known rom-com that dared to do this).
All great performances and IMO any one of those selections would be the number 1 performance of this current era. Btw can you do video's on why some legendary directors like Kubrick and Hitchcock got sub for Oscars ? Because I feel like history will repeat itself with PTA and Tarantino, I still don't understand how they don't have Oscars for their directing.
As Pauline Kael said….”Vivien Leigh gives a rare performance that evokes both pity and terror.”
She’s a force of nature and breaks my heart in every scene.
In my opinion doesn’t just give the greatest acting performance of the 1950’s, but of all time.
One of the all-time greats!
Yep, IMO Leigh goes as far as one can in delving deep into a role and becoming a character (director Kazan said something to the effect that Leigh would be willing to crawl through glass to give a great performance, and Tennesse Williams said she got more out of Blanche than he originally envisioned when he wrote the part). Unforgettable work (as mentioned), indeed.
I rarely see Ernest Borgnine mentioned as a truely great Oscar win. Such an underrated film and performance. Great video as usual Brian 🙌
Yay, thanks for watching!
This whole list was worth putting Leigh at number one. What a performance!!!!!!!!
I knew from the start she would be number one! Rooting for her in the 30s list too.
I know, just spectacular!!
The fact that Judy Garland didn't win best actress for "A Star is Born" is sad and outrageous!
I know!
Normally they "correct" their mistakes for giving a make-up. OSCAR, but they didn't it with Judy garland. She would be very deserving for Judgements at Nuremberg, but Rita Moreno Was so magnetic and the true center of west side story. Would be a crime. But damn... Garland deserved it for A. STAR IS BORN.
There was Barbra Streisand and Liza Minelli that came after, but Audrey Hepburn was just magnetic in her debut in an unparalleled way. It's not the most difficult or complex of roles, but her unique presence and effortless burgeoning charm alone was what made it a star-making role. She carried the entire film. Just unforgettable.
Agreed!! What a debut lead performance!
I think I may know who will be Bryan's favourite acting Oscar win in the 1930s.
Haha!
Although I would like to see Grace Kelly on the list too, I have to say this is a pretty good list! Especially the top 3 are spot on. Vivien Leigh's performance in Streetcar maybe the best female performance not just of the 50's but in general!!!
I know, she is amazing!!
Judy Garland in A Star is Born should've beaten out Grace Kelly that year. Maybe biggest snub of all time.
This is a wonderful list! I know the list is to your taste, but one of my favorite Oscar wins is a contentious one, because it's Grace Kelly in The Country Girl. She strips away the glamour girl heiress to give a raw performance that solidifies her talent and makes us wish she stayed in film longer (though she did not give up acting, as she had to be a royal).
I also love Donna Reed's performance in From Here to Eternity, where she goes against type playing a "night hostess" but whose performance shows more versatility than just the good girl next door she was typecast in before. Her Best Supporting Actress Oscar win got her more versatile roles and she just could do what she wanted afterwards.
William Holden in Stalag 17 is phenomenal and an Oscar earned.
Simone Signoret for Room at the Top, the first British New Wave film to win an Oscar.
Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo is one of the greatest performances of the decade as she brings that neorealist exploration of grief to U.S. audiences.
Also, while it just a nomination, one of my favorite performances of the decade was Dorothy Dandridge in Carmen Jones. She took a racist trope about Black women and made a rich character who left us with a more dimensional impression than the times in which she lived in allowed, and it took nearly 50 years for a Black woman to win Best Actress at the Oscars, but what a legacy performance.
THANK YOU so much for your thoughtful and informative comment which adds an extra wonderful dimension to Brian’s awesome video … I’ve copied it onto my phone in order to seek out those you mention that I haven’t seen !! 🙏🏻💙🙏🏻
Love to all of this, thanks for sharing!
I've been waiting for this video almost from your channel's beginning. Very pleased with your picks as always. 50s performances are sometimes dismissed as melodramamtic and hokey by modern audiences. The only person I'd try to find room for is Anna Magnani.
Awww, thank you, glad it was worth the wait!
Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur was truly amazing. Such an amazing performance, as was Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.
Yes, love those performances as well!
My Top Ten Acting Oscar Winners of the 1950's
1. Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront)
2. Vivian Leigh (A Streetcar Named Desire)
3. Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen)
4. Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday)
5. George Sanders (All About Eve)
6. Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront)
7. Susan Hayward (I Want to Live!)
8. Charlton Heston (Ben-Hur)
9. Joanne Woodward (The Three Faces of Eve)
10. Ernest Borgnine (Marty)
My Top Five Honorable Mentions
1. Gary Cooper (High Noon)
2. Alec Guinness (The Bridge on the River Kwai)
3. Judy Holliday (Born Yesterday)
4. Kim Hunter (A Streetcar Named Desire)
5. Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts)
Great picks, thanks!
AWESOME video , AWESOME list and as always extremely well justified too … so hard to argue with your choices , again as usual !! Love your editing and I just want to thank you for adding in the speeches too, a thoughtful touch!! I literally got chills when you showed Marlon "I could have been a contender" … saw it very recently on the big screen for the first time, what a treat!!! One of the many great advantages of living just outside of Paris with a Gaumont-Pathé monthly cinema pass is all the old and not so old classics we get to see every week!! 🥰🥰 Just last night I saw The Piano again !!❤️
That’s awesome!! Thanks for watching!
Yay for Audrey! I would also say she deserved an Oscar win for The Nun's Story, absolutely stunning performance!
Yes, a great one!
Indeed, but Simone Signoret wss heartbreaking and so special in Room at the Top!
My favourite 1950s performance are definitely Gloria Swanson for “Sunset Boulevard” and “Bette Davis in “All About Eve” who neither won 😆
Thelma Ritter is also so good in “Pickup On South Street”
Yes, love those performances too!
Its such a shame. That Thelma.Ritter didn't win. Of. One of her. 6 noms, especially that one.
I've always had a special place for Vivien Leigh in my heart, after reading almost every book that's been written about her. Reading about her trials and battles plus not too many actors or actresses can claim TWO Academy Awards: her first for what is considered one of the greatest roles an actress can have as the immortal Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind (1939, MGM) and her second for her mesmerizing performance as another southern belle as Blanche DuBois, A Streetcar Named Desire (1951, Warner, Brothers). Vivien Leigh had two strikes against her: she was Bi-polar and she suffered bouts of Tuberculosis throughout her life and she would eventually die from the disease on July 8, 1967 at the age of 53. Can you imagine any other actress then Vivien Leigh in the role of Scarlett or Blanche? Most probably not, I cannot see another actress giving a better performance than Vivien did. In all of her portrayals of her film characters she was: unsentimental, detached, and never giving or asking or expecting any for sympathy. Perhaps she was predestined to make her mark in a film so sprawling, so epic as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind. Scarlett was not a character that was likeable but she was tenacious, she was determined and she was strong-willed but you wanted her to see her come out on top. She was the center of it all when filming Gone With The Wind. Vivien's interpretation of Scarlett O’Hara is perfect - she never hits or makes a false note. We never see acting, we only see the character, as close to a real, living person to any actor could ever create for the screen. Vivien had the unique power of intimacy which kept her performances fresh long after many of her commentaries have faded away. With the possible exception of Paulette Goddard, the other leading contenders for the part would have had difficulty articulating One also has to give Vivien credit for being the main reason why Gone with the Wind is the most famous movie ever. She is in 99% of this 3 and a-half-hour epic, she has to carry this massive production on her shoulders. And boy, does she succeed! Another very interesting aspect of the film is Scarlett's friendship with Olivia de Havilland's role as Melanie Hamilton, they both have great chemistry between the two of them, Vivien is perfect in showing her mixed feelings towards Melanie, her dislike and admiration at the same time. I remember reading this quote and I could not agree more, "It is such a natural performance of a truly larger-than-life character that “Fidlee-dee-dee” seems to be the only word to describe it…I really give a damn!" In 1951 Vivien Leigh would receive her second Academy Award for another Southern Belle in A Streetcar Named Desire (Warner Brothers). While Streetcar was a professional triumph for Vivien, playing Blanche took its toll on Leigh’s mental health. Portraying and identifying with someone so near insanity was overwhelming for Leigh as she absorbed Blanche’s psychology in a way that was hard for her to let go of. Later, when she was ill, she would often recite lines from the play. As she put it, “Blanche is a woman with everything stripped away. She is a tragic figure and I understand her. But, playing her tipped me into madness.” The fact that both of Vivien Leigh’s Oscar-winning portrayals are some kind of Southern Belles would make it easy to see Blanche DuBois as an alter ego of Scarlett O’Hara but where Scarlett O’Hara had the strength to adjust herself to a new life, to new circumstances and situations, Blanche DuBois is exactly the opposite as she cannot leave the past behind, lets it haunt and torture her, influence her actions and finally breaks her. Vivien Leigh gave a performance that dug so deeply in this character’s mind and portrayed such unforgettable moments, that it is one of a few movie performances that can truly be called a work of art proofing once and for all the greatness of her talent and standing as a symbol for movie acting at its finest.
I’m a little surprised that Shirley Booth didn’t make your list for Come Back Little Sheba, but fantastic list! Some of my favorites as well.
Thanks so much for watching!
Vivien Leigh is the best in A Streetcar Named Desire! She is simply wonderful!!!!
Agreed, thanks for watching!
Thanks a million, Brian! This episode brought back so many memories. I actually remember most of these movies,. Back in the day, there were no PG-13 or R-rated movies. I saw some these at ages, 9, 10 and 12 at the old Eastwood Theatre in Eastpointe, MI. Brian, you are a godsend! You're not even 40 years old and yet you take an avid interest in these film classics. How refreshing and how rare! Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much, Pat!
Brando was not only FIRE because he was AMAZING, but he was FIRE because he was hot AF back then!!! I'm always like, WOW!
Sooooo gorgeous in that film!
check out the screen test he did for rebel without a cause...
I love how so many winners thank the academy just for “making them happy” lol
Haha I know, right??
Mine
1. Brando. Need I say more. He was untouchable in the early 50s.
2. Shirley Booth. Genius character actress. Definitely in the top 5 of best actress wins period.
3. Simone Signoret. Copy and paste Shirley Booth description. And the first French winner!
4. Anna Magnani. Another brilliant actress who just inhabited characters effortlessly. Raw and earthy performance in RT.
5. The trio of wins from Streetcar. I know im cheating but I don’t care lol. I’ve rarely seen anything like this movie. Just perfection. The trio of wins for this and Network puts the nonsense of this years trio for the nonsense that was EEAAO to shame. THIS is what acting is folks.
6. Judy Holliday. I preferred a Davis or Swanson win here, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Holliday. Beautiful, charismatic performer who left us too young.
7. Eva Marie Saint. Matched Brando and his powerhouse with a quieter, nuanced role, but held the screen with him every second.
8. Susan Hayward. Finally got her due at the podium with a role she played the hell out of.
9. Jack Lemmon. One of the best supporting actor performances to grace the screen, and a welcome to the industry which would grace us with the best acting the movies has ever seen. A brilliant technician of playing comedy and drama. Young actors a word of advice. Watch Lemmon films. This is how it’s done.
10. Anthony Quinn Lust For Life. Dynamic actor who’s on screen a very short time. But you can’t take your eyes off him.
Runners up-
Audrey Hepburn
George Sanders
Ernest Borgnine
Ingrid Bergman
Yul Brynner
Joanne Woodward
Wow, your list is amazing, thank you!
@@TheAwardsContender thanks. Yours too. Interesting that director of Streetcar Elia Kazan didn’t think much of Leigh as an actress. I don’t know wth he was thinking. Plus Leigh was in the throes of manic depression at the time, which definitely fed into her magnificent portrayal of Blanche.
Excellent list! I still can't get through the ending of Streetcar without crying, especially when the doctor takes his hat off to her.
There are four other wins that I'd like to give a shout out to: Jo Van Fleet in East of Eden and Dorothy Malone in Written on the Wind, two absolute powerhouse performances by two actresses who I have loved in everything I've seen them in (hell, I think Malone should have gotten an honorary Oscar for her brief appearance in The Big Sleep- yowza!). Frank Sinatra in From Here to Eternity- as much as I would have LOVED to see Clift or Lancaster win for this movie in the lead category, Sinatra really went for it and proved himself as a serious actor. Finally, Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts- I'm conflicted about this one because I still think Sal Mineo should have won for Rebel Without a Cause (and for Exodus in 1960!), but Lemmon is so wonderfully chaotic in this movie and oh my god there are no words to describe how much I love the ending with him tossing that palm tree overboard then storming up to Cagney's office with that glorious "now what's all this CRAP about no movie tonight?" (side note: what is it with Lemmon being in some of the movies with the best closing lines/scenes ever? Some Like It Hot, anyone?).
Excellent picks, thanks for sharing!
Anna Magnani should've been on this list or at least honorable mention for her volcanic performance in "The Rose Tattoo"! It was like she wasn't even acting.
Good pick, thanks for watching!
I wish you would separate them into lead and supporting. I think it's difficult to compare them. I would like to add Miyoshi Umeiki & Red Buttons from Sayonara. Small parts, but they are the only thing I remember about that movie - which starred Marlon Brando. They made me cry. I hate to admit, my kids don't know who Marlon Brando is, but they do know Alec Guiness and Ernest Borgnine - Mermaid Man - Sponge Bob. Vivien Leigh is absolutely the best.
Good idea!!
would you ever do an opposite series, talking about winners you do not think should have won? would love the drama of it, lol
Mayyyybe. I try to keep things positive, but that could be a very fun top ten series.
I would have loved to see Jessica Tandy in Streetcar Named Desire.
Same!
I adore Simone Signoret in Room at the Top
Bogart should've already won for Casablanca, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre & In A Lonely Place but, happy you & I chose him for The African Queen. Cooper in High Noon would've made my list.
Thanks for watching!
A little disappointed you didn't mention Anna Magnani for The Rose Tattoo. A real firecracker of a performance. Otherwise, great list Brian.
Thanks for watching!
I know I'm in the minority here, but I hated Vivian Leigh in Streetcar. I much preferred Ann Margaret in the ABC Theater production.
This is one of my favourite decades of film, but if I had my way Marilyn Monroe would be on here for Some Like it Hot (and maybe a nomination for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes or Niagara)
Yes, agreed, love her performances!
Good vid i agree on Vivian 👈
Yay!
Controversial Opinion: While "Casablanca" may be the better film as a whole, "The African Queen" has the better love story. Bogart and Hepburn both give wonderful performances as interesting, complicated characters, and I never tire of watching those characters fall for each other. Thank you for including Bogart's turn here on this list.
I guess I needed reminding how absolutely devastating A Streetcar Named Desire is.
Thanks so much for watching!
I knew Wendy Hiller wouldn’t make the list but I adore her.
Thanks for watching!
You have to do a serious called “great losers” great performances that lost the Oscar.
Good idea!
Susan Hayward
And apparently you don't know Anna Magnani and Simone Signoret too...more then 157 millions people for sure disagree with you, then some other millions round the globe.
You need to watch them ..but you know...opinions
Thank you for including Susan Hayward.
Of course!
What about performances that should have won an Oscar but didn’t. I’ll go first. Heath Ledger in Brokeback. What do you think?
I would have added Shirley Booth’s spectacularly heartbreaking performance in ‘Come Back Little Sheba’. For some reason, this is constantly overlooked by film historians.
Great....for what it's worth. Yes Sophies Choice.
But I would place Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday. Yes she's not the consummate actress that is Streep, instead she's Audrey, i e. the most perfect person alive when she was. Let's get real. She's the deal
I agree with your top two but in reverse order ; Vivien Leigh gives possibly the best performance by an actress of all time , let alone the 1950's. That said, SUSAN HAYWARD ? Really ? It is a very superficial, histrionic performance (as were most of her performances ). Of course, the best performance by an actress in 1958 was by Jean Simmons in " Home Before Dark " - which was not even nominated.
Vivien is number 1 easily. And your comment regarding Gloria Swanson given your fav performance is going to make me watch Sunset Bvd
Oh you’re in for a treat with Sunset Boulevard!
Great list!! I'm juz glad tt u din put the super whiny n overrated Shirley Booth performance in this list!! 😂
OMG, such effing riches. Will we see their like again? I don't think so. I love them all, a particular soft spot for Eva Marie Saint, whose turn in North By Northwest makes her my favourite "Hitchcock Blonde". Great work, sir, liked and subscribed.
I normally love and agree with your lists, but no Anna Magnani in “The Rose Tattoo”?!? Wow. She’s Top 3, right there with Leigh and Brando.
The Tree Faces of Eve is fascinating film, since it influenced Hollywoods portrayal of the mental illness more than the actual reality to this day.
Such an interesting film!
Vivien Leigh wan for A Streetcard named desire and she deserved to win.But other great performances didnt win.the Oscar Judy Garland for A star is born Bette Davis for All about Eve Gloria Swanson for Sunset Boulevard Montgomery Cliff for From here to eternity and Jane Hagen for Singing in the rain.
Contrast Ernest Borgnine as loveable in Marty vs Johnny Guitar, where he played a vile villian! Susan Hayward beat out Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame and Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof! I would be happy with any of those three winning, but glad you chose Hayward as a favourite win.
Vivian Leigh, played Blanche on the West End! That’s why she got the part!
I was thinking James Stewart for Harvey but turns out he was only nominated .
Great video as always, Brian. Was really glad to see acknowledgment for Bogart in African Queen and Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur. Both were great and aren’t talked about enough in my opinion.
Yay, thanks!
I have never been a fan of many award-winners from the 1950s. But you made some great choices here!
Vivien Leigh is the only choice for the best actor Oscar for the 1950s. If Bette Davis won for All About Eve would be a VERY close second or third
great list, thanks for reminding a great movie like marty, I would put Ana Magnani in the tattooed rose
Thanks for watching!
I never got the hype for Kim Hunter- she's fine but not spectacular.
Simone Signoret for The Room at The Top should not be missed
Susan Hayward winning over Rosalind Russell and Elizabeth Taylor is a race that should be looked at. Personally Russell should’ve won for AUNTIE MAME
So glad you didn’t include Grace Kelly’s win because that’s a polarizing win for so many reason that are well known
George Sanders win is so deserved for a character that we thought we knew.
The streetcar wins were amazing but not as magnificent as Vivien Leigh. As beautifully devastating her Blanche was there was a consequence because Leigh’s performance was the catalyst for her already fragile health
Love your comments, thank you!
I disagree. Hayward deserved it.
Great picks!!!
I love all the classy acceptance speeches and of course the clothing!
My list
1.Vivien Leigh for A Streetcar Named Desire
2.Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday
3.Humphry Bogart for The African Queen
4. Marlon Brandon for On The Waterfront
5.Jack Lemmon for Mister Roberts
6.Joanne Woodard for The Three Faces of Eve
7.Burl Ives For The Big Country
8.Simone Signoret for Room at the Top
9. Eva Maria Saint for On The Waterfront
10. Anna Magnani for The Rose Tatoo
Honraable mentions
Kim Hunter for A Streetcar Named Desire
Gary Copper for High Noon
Frank Sinatra for From Here to Eternity
Shelley Winters for The Diary of Anne Frank
Jose Ferrer for Cyrano deBererac
Frank Sinatra was for From Here to Eternity 😊
Your right! I will correct it.
Excellent picks, thank you!
vivien leigh was such a good actress!
Ready for you to do a top 10 of all time
Stay tuned!
Please do the 30s and 40s?
Excellent list!
Thank you!
Another great video essay!
Thank you!
Mermaid man won an Oscar!
No Anna Magnani???
Great list. Appreciate your videos.
Thank you so much for watching!
. 12:15
I love Audrey Hepburn's win for Roman Holiday, but let's be honest she won because 1953 was a weak year in the best actress category. Her strongest competition was Debora Kerr for From Here to Eternity but she was only like 22 minutes in the movie, so was very easy to win for Audrey Hepburn
Excellent point!
I love Audrey, but I would put Anna Magnani on "Rose tatoo", instead.
I'd keep Hepburn and remove Hunter to make room for Magnani. Audrey's performance in Roman Holiday is so underrated in regard to the acting chops she put in.
@@indy-fs6deDefinitely keep Audrey. One must remember that beside the Oscar she also won the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and NY Film Critics award for this performance.
@@quitequiet1it's weird that she won the golden globe in the category of best actress in a motion picture drama when the movie and her performance were a comedy
@Giovanny Espinoza there were definitely a lot of comedic elements, but I think the last quarter of the movie and the heart-wrenching ending made it feel more appropriate to categorize it as a dramatic performance. There really isn't much laughter after the party scene. The earlier, lighter comedic elements serve to underscore an ending where the 2 characters don't end up together (which it's difficult to think of another well-known rom-com that dared to do this).
Great pick!
All great performances and IMO any one of those selections would be the number 1 performance of this current era. Btw can you do video's on why some legendary directors like Kubrick and Hitchcock got sub for Oscars ? Because I feel like history will repeat itself with PTA and Tarantino, I still don't understand how they don't have Oscars for their directing.
Yes, will absolutely explore some directors soon, thanks for your interest!
@@TheAwardsContender No problem friend keep up the great work 👍