They Weren't Even Nominated!! Best Actress nominees that never were...

-Over the years the the Academy has definitley bestowed a number of coveted Best Actress nominations to some questionable individuals. Such examples include Hilary Swank, whose work in Million Dollar Baby was standard at best, Bette Midler for For the Boys; nothing more than a vanity project which gave her a reason to sing for an entire movie, or Nicole Kidman for Moulin Rouge who I feel received her nomination more on the basis of everyone's surprise that she could actually carry a tune. Yet during those years there were great female performances which far surpassed the abovementioned that went unheralded by the academy. Nicole Kidman's work in the haunting drama Birth saw the actress at her most vulnerable and conflicted, but was passed over for Swank's boxer. Midler's period musical deserved its Golden Globe win for the actress but was far less superior to Michelle Pfeiffer's damaged waitress in Frankie and Johnny. And Thora Birch's brilliant work in the indie comedy Ghost World revealed a performance of much more depth than Kidman's singing showgirl. In honor of some of the great performances of the past that went by without notice, here are 7 Best Actress performances that never made it to the Oscars.

1940s:

-Rita Hayworth for The Lady From Shanghai (1947) instead of Susan Hayward for Smashup: The Story of a Woman

-Hayworth will forever be immortalized as the kittenish Gilda, but her seductive turn in then-husband Welles' noir mystery is one of her finest. As the wife of a wealthy yachtsman who falls in love with a crew member, Hayworth is truly compelling. The role requires a revolving door of emotions and motivations which in the hands of another actress wouldn't have worked. Yet becasue of Hayworth's definite talent, her resonance with the audience, as well as her leading man, she manages it quite well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKk1iw1k1GM&feature=related

1950s:

-Doris Day for The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) instead of Nancy Kelly for The Bad Seed

-Hitchcock's update of The Man Who Knew Too Much is considered by many to be far more superior than his earlier version for many reasons. One of the biggest is the performances of the two leads, and in particular Doris Day who delivers a powerful dramatic performance as a doctor's wife who discovers that her son has been kidnapped as part of a political assassination plot. Day is truly heartbreaking in the role and acquits herself well with Hitchcock's style. In a career that consisted of playing the same character repeatedly, The Man Who Knew Too Much, sees Day proving herself to be a true actress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8AQsHg31Ac
(please watch 3:00-7:00)

-Rosalind Russell for The Trouble With Angels (1966) instead of Anouk Aimee for Un homme et une femme

-Russell made a career out of playing no-nonsense, independent characters, yet her role as the mother superior in the comedy The Trouble With Angels slightly went against that screen persona. As the reverend mother at an all-girls boarding school, Russell exerted discipline and order in front of the students, but privately proved to be a romantic dreamer of sorts who not only proved her devotion to students, but also her zest for life and the path she chose. Russell's work in the film is a classic example of a multi-facted actress in a role that requires true passion and understanding which she delivers effortlessly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypLsmQRvWS8

-Vanessa Redgrave for Agatha (1979) instead of Marsha Mason for Chapter Two

-In the mid-twenties, faced with a divorce request from her adulterous husband, the celebrated author Agatha Christie disappeared for nearly two weeks leaving no clue as to her whereabouts. While the film, which deals with the author's mysterious vanishing and the quest to locate her, is entirely full of speculation, Redgrave perfectly embodies the troubled Christie during this time of her life. Her conflicting torment between her literary success and her failed marriage is devastatingly captured by the actress in one of her most underrated roles. Its not often that Redgrave comes across as anything but self-assured, but in roles such as Agatha, the actress more than excels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4uS9h95fF0
(watch up to 3:00)

1980s:

-Barbra Streisand for Nuts (1987) instead of Sally Kirkland for Anna

-I am not one of those people who believes that Streisand is a multi-faceted performer mainly because I feel her entire career blends together so much, its hard to distinguish one project from the other. Yet in the psychological mystery Nuts, Streisand is at her level best. As a hooker who is placed in a mental hospital after killing a client in self-defense, Streisand lets forth a variety of dramatic techniques that the actress had failed to display before. To say Streisand is powerful in the role is not enough. She is absolutely dynamic and riveting from the moment she is on screen. Not only is she defending her character's sanity, but also her life choices and her rights as an individual while having to battle demons from the past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2al8CoL_M3A

1990s:

-Jessica Lange for A Thousand Acres (1997) instead of Julie Christie for Afterglow

-The adaptation of Jane Smiley's puliter-prize winning novel about a trio of Iowa farm sisters who must battle their monstrous father was defeintley an underwhelming exercise. Yet what succeeds in the film is the performances from Michelle Pfeiffer and especially Jessica Lange in one of her most subtantial times on screen. As the tranquil farm wife Ginny, Lange is at her most vulnerable; a trait not inherently seen in many of the actress' previous roles. Yet here she plays a character so filled with lost dreams and regret who must somehow find a way to confront her past and carve out her own future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHoiv5BqKXQ
(watch from 1:20-4:20)

2000s:

-Jodie Foster for The Brave One (2007) instead of Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age

-Constantly referred to as "the thinking woman's actress," Foster lived up to that title in this debate-driven story of a New York radio host who embraces vigilantism as a way of recovering from a brutal attack which took her fiance's life. This is perhaps Foster's best role in years and one which allows her to not only provide strong evidence for both sides of a controversial issue, but her overall presence adds credibility to what could have been a standard exploitation film. As a woman whose lost everything, Foster carefully presents the pain of a shattered life and the difficult task of existing in a society afterwards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1NNDwYKAyU&feature=related

Tomorrow...Best Actor!!