Best Actress Battles: Marion vs. Rosamund?
Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at 5:01PM With the internet strenuously erecting a ring in which Julianne and Jennifer can mud wrestle, and wondering who could be a surprise snub, let's look at one more imaginary Best Actress Battle with this Oscar category that appears to have six women in it. One too many. Let's call this one the Critical Darling Cha-Cha.
Gone Girl vs. Fired Girl
Two weeks ago when their was a seeming abundance of "fifth slot" possibilities for Oscar's Best Actress race, Marion Cotillard emerged from a non-campaigning overseas cloud to claim Critical Darling status. In quick succession she took prizes from three early-announcing critics group: the venerable New York Film Critics Circle as well as Boston Society of Film Critics and the young New York Film Critics Online group. Some of those prizes were shared with The Immigrant but since The Weinstein Co wasn't backing their early release with a campaign of any kind, it soon it became clear that Marion's worker solidarity drama, the Belgian Oscar submission Two Days One Night was the one. She's such an amazing actor that which film it was hardly mattered...
The goods were there for Oscar consideration whichever one you glanced out. Two Days, which was just shut out of Foreign Film consideration (argh...) making Marion its only real chance at Oscar glory, has just opened in theaters (review & Marion praise) so go see it this week.
But just as Marion's case for a nomination was heating up, two setbacks. The first was Jennifer Aniston (already discussed) swooping in with a hard-working campaign and winning all three of the precursor trifecta nominations (SAG, BFCA, Globes). Then Rosamund Pike began to rise in regional critics awards.
Remember Rosamund Pike? Regional critics groups did. She's now won eight critics awards (the most of all lead actresses) for playing "Amazing Amy" in David Fincher's long-legged October hit. Admittedly these are all very small prizes without much media attention. But that's a better showing than anybody was expecting given that Julianne Moore could've easily done a Helen Mirren royal wave from the campaign trail and taken everything. Remember that super rich Best Actress field 8 years ago when only one American critics groups anywhere thought anyone among several superb candidates was better than her Queen of England? God that was annoying!
Pike's late dominance is enough to make you reconsider her performance. Take this freeze framed gif wall by Lady Sati...
It reminds you that Pike's immense challenge in that movie is embodying a woman who understands how performative she is or maybe has to be... and somehow making her cohesive. I love Pike (in general) and the movie (in many of its particulars) but I'll admit I was a smidge cooler on the performance than I expected to be in October. Maybe she leans a little too hard on the performativity (her early "cool girl" stage being the hardest to warm to when it needs to be the easiest) but what a challenge.
And really thinking of the acting that this 'bonafide psycho bitch' is constantly doing grants a sort of time-lapse hilarity to many of the beats in her scenes. Like this line reading that Lady Sati suggested should be her Oscar clip.
Ha! And I concur.
But where does all this leave Marion?
It's interesting to be faced with this critical battle since the two performances are practically polar opposites. Marion's art is in her total sense of being Sandra, inhabiting her skin. It's acting at its most invisible. Pike's challenge is to delineate her character's performativity. Amy Dunne never relaxes and just breathes. She's always acting a role "Amazing Amy" and otherwise.
Pike's recent critics surge along with LAFCA's irritable mucking with the categories to put Patrica Arquette in lead seem to have crested Marion Cotillard's growing wave. Cotillard needed critical fervor, her most effective and maybe her only booster to make Oscars shortlist for a quiet subtitled drama. Short of going door to door for votes asking for a miracle, what's a girl got to do to return to the Dolby?
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PREVIOUSLY: ACTRESS BATTLES: Felicity & Reese / BEST ACTRESS BATTLES: JULI vs. JEN
RELATED: ACTRESS Chart & All Current Oscar Predictions
Reader Comments (27)
For me, the best Oscar race would be between Marion and Rosamund as both of them brought their A-game. Marion gave the better performance though I would be happy if Rosamund got the Oscar just as long as Marion got an Oscar nod.
The strangest thing about Cotillard is it's hard to remember an actress in recent years having a stronger post-Oscar-win filmography, and still she comes up empty-handed every year!...
Rosamund is my personal choice, but I don't even know if surprise wins are possible anymore. She is the most deserving for not only her performance, but the film is also A+.
God, what an amazing post! You really outdid yourselves here. I have no words to express my admiration for both the otherworldly Marion Cotillard and the incredible Rosamund Pike. And they both gave their all this year. If any of them is about to be snubbed this year, it will be insane to me, seriously. But Marion's constant Oscar snubs over the last seven (!) years is truly something that the Academy should be really ashamed of. She HAS to earn at least a nomination this year, if not a win for her mesmerizing portrayal of a woman struggling to handle her personal demons while making an attempt to reverse a decision that could put the survival of her family in threat. As for Rosamund, what can I say? It's quite moving I must say to watch an amazingly gifted actress being given the opportunity she deserved from the very beginning of her career. Both of them deserve to win!
I'm pulling for Julianne Moore but I love both of these actresses. Rosamund's in but it would be great to see Marion nominated too.
I think a large part of Marion's problem with getting back in the running is her ability and apparent preference for making foreign films. That's great and all and it's wonderful that she can be excellent in a variety of languages but it also shut her off from a large part of the voters who are disinclined to take the time to view non-English language films. Realistically very few performers are nominated for foreign language performances to begin with and the number that have done it more than once is small indeed, aside from Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni I'm not even sure there are any. So right there Marion, brilliant and admired though she may be, has a tougher road than any of the others.
Then there's also the fact that she won. Perhaps there is a sense that she's been rewarded and they're going to wait until she does something transformative again to bring her back. It almost seems like it would have benefited her more for Julie Christie to have won her first time out so she would have been on their radar and felt that she needed to return to be acknowledged.
Go see Marion's movie! It could happen to any of us.
It breaks my heart that The Immigrant is getting no campaign. I love BOTH of her performances, she is beyond word in both movies, but the one I like best is The Immigrant. It's a masterpiece.
Damn you Harvey!
Thanks for this post, Nathaniel. I was very impressed with both these performances, but for now, while I think that Pike has a decent chance, I fear that Cotillard may miss again. Maybe not, though. Fingers crossed!
I just rewatched 2D1N again last night and it felt as though I had never seen it, for Cotillard is so present in her performance that she just took me with her moment by moment. I could not help but look for traces of planned reactions or anticipation, but there is none. Her technique as an actress and how it was applied to the role is a marvel to behold. For those who look for a display of human behavior in movies like myself, that movie is a feast and some.
Meanwhile, I could not be less impressed with the approach Fincher and Pike took with this material. For me Coon and Dickens were the only people on the screen, but unfortunately it was not neither of their stories. I know it wasn't supposed to be realistic, but then, why should I care if the intention is to build an allegory filled with unrealistic responses, unbelievable moments, then there is no involvement from my part. It was kind of fun at parts but I think Pike is mostly responsible for not grounding her creation in a way that would give her the freedom to play all those personas. It's a wasted opportunity to have a woman with mental illness portrayed serially and incentively on the screen. As it is, there is no substance for me. I have enjoyed Pike in all her other roles and half of Fincher's filmography (every other movie), but I think the hype around the movie elevated it to a place it doesn't belong. Time will tell...
I will personally AMBUSH the oscars if Rosamund is not, at least, nominated!
Amazing Amy is once-in-a-lifetime role, and Pike brings her A-game.
Somehow I even believe she will win the BAFTA.
I love Marion in The Immigrant, but I haven't seen 2D1N.
Moore
Pike
Witherspoon
Jones
and the fifth slot is still open-wide, crazy me thinks it is Amy Adams' per default
I think Pike will get a nomination, her performance is outstanding, and unlike others - her performance has been seen by the public, (not just a few privileged critics).
I am sick of these place holder spots for films I have not even had a chance to see.
Considering the critics awards the line-up might easily be Moore, Pike, Cotillard, Witherspoon, and some other lucky actress. It doesn't have to be a case of Pike or Cotillard but it could easily include both of them.
I'm glad people are finally realizing the utter brilliance of Marion Cotillard. It didn't take some of us 7 years though. We knew it right after seeing "La Vie en Rose." If the Oscars can't be bothered to nominate her again, it's their loss. I haven't seen either film of hers this year, but as soon as I possibly can, I will! Shame that Foreign Language Film didn't bite for her film. Rosamund Pike gave my favorite performance of the year, so if she isn't one of the final five, I'll be crushed. The odd woman out needs to be Felicity Jones, who did nothing of any significance in "The Theory of Everything" to enjoy this locked status. Reese Witherspoon was wonderful in "Wild." Haven't seen Julianne Moore or Jennifer Aniston yet. Can't say I'm looking forward to seeing either film, but that's the life of an Oscar watcher. My gut says drop Cotillard, but dammit, I'm dropping Jones. A final five of Aniston, Cotillard, Moore, Pike, and Witherspoon.
What I want from Best Actress this year---a win for Julianne Moore, a nomination for Chastain for Eleanor Rigby: Her, and no sign of Swank. I don't care if Aniston gets the nomination as long as she does not win. I want Cotillard to return. Winning Best Actress once and receiving a second nomination in the category is validating enough.
I actually think Felicity Jones is the most vulnerable. You need number 1 votes to get nominated and Moore, Aniston, Pike, and Cotillard all have active vocal cheerleaders. Witherspoon has a good story this year and could get in. With Jones, yes her movie is good, but no one is super passionate about it and more attention is given to her costar. She could be the surprise snub.
Honesty the Pike performance did nothing for me except had me complaining about how she never captured the right character of Amy from the novel. She was never believable in the role and while in the first hour of the film her performance is meant to be questionable the second hour and half of the film her performance was never what I wanted it to be. Pike is only making the race because it's so weak and any other year she could be fighting to make it in. Cotillard on the other hand is once again magnificent in Two Days, One Night and once again I see her being ignored but still it goes without saying she is brilliant in the film and if I were making my ballot personally she would be right up the top with the likes of Moore, Johansson, Davis and Mbatha Raw (Beyond the Lights).
My Five - Aniston, Cotillard, Moore, Pike and Witherspoon.
Possible upsets - Adams, Jones, Swank.
I think my five is solid - except Cotillard might be replaced by one of the 3 possibilities - most likely Jones.
The reason Cotillard is so amazing in 2D1N is because that is a performance that couldn't have been shaped in the editing room. The many 10-minute sequence shots are all one take and the emotions evoked couldn't have been performed by a less accomplished actress. Her naturalistic approach was so moving. She MUST be one of the final 5
I disagree with 3rtful I'd like to see Swank finally forgiven after being so heartbreaking in The Homesman and to see Chastain nominated for none of her average performances,what the hell what she doing in ERigby,Mcavoy was certainly doing World Strongest Man lifting her in that movie,Aniston,Swank,Moore,Witherspoon and Cotillard for either film please.
Cotillard's performance is the best of the year. However I'm surprised she made it this far for such a small film. I thought it would start and end for her with NYFCC. So I'm very happy she's being appreciated but no, Oscar will not call her name.
My other favorite performance is def Pike's so naturally I want to marry this post. Thanks Nathaniel and merry christmas!
I think both are amazing in their films. I prefer Marion Cotillard but I wish both gets the nomination and one of them can win.
Pike is a very good actress but I wasn't crazy about her caricature in Gone Girl. Regarding actress roles that bounce back and forth over the fine line between insanity and socially acceptable behavior, I prefer Essie Davis in The Babadook.
Cotillard is brilliant in everything, and I couldn't complain too much if she won a 2nd Oscar (though it should've been for Rust & Bone). But this year I have to root for Moore.
and to see Chastain nominated for none of her average performances,what the hell what she doing in ERigby, Mcavoy was certainly doing World Strongest Man lifting her in that movie
Mark you have sullied the name of the wrong actress. Your horse Hilary Swank can only receive serious consideration for roles where she is required to die. She can only play plain Jane-s. Her two Oscars are a mistake bigger than Tomei in '92. And she is absolutely a non-legacy performer. Nobody cares about Swank. Except those of you who believe her two wins makes her somebody. She's nobody to no one. Hence having to date her agent who can't get her arrested in this town. Two Oscars that mean nothing.
So much wrong in so many of these posts. Pike gave the best performance of the year and should be winning the Oscar outright. Swank's second Oscar might be meh, but her first one? That's top ten level best in the HISTORY of the Academy Awards. So have several seats.
I loved everything about Gine Girl EXCEPT Pike. She was the weak link for me in an otherwise stellar cast - I never bought her as a "cool girl." I'm not one of the Marion superfans, but I think she deserves to make it in (for The Immigrant - as if I've seen 2D1N!) over Pike (though they both deserve the nod over boring Jones in that inert bait movie).
ah finally..
from the beginning of awards race, at first I had a battle between Moore vs Cottilard. But when the heat was up, now I found a replacement for Moore : Pike. Personally, I'll go with Cottilard. She anchors the movie with perfect subtlety. Never seen La Vie en Rose, but after Rust & Bone, I know she's an gifted actress.
There's no doubt in my mind who gave the best performances (by an actress) this year - Marion. And in 2 movies (Immigrant and 2D1N). In fact I trust she deserves the Oscar more than Moore (the latter's performance was impeccable in a terribly weak movie but as far as I'm concerned, she's not even in my top 5). Of course, I wouldn't begrudge her win as she has been overlooked far too many times (A single man, etc). Still, Marion not only deserves a nomination but a win through and through.
Thank you Nate. These were my 2 favorite performances of the year, and in a perfect world the Best Actress race would boil down to this. It's a nice bonus that the performances are so contrasting in style and purpose.
Nothing against Julianne Moore, and both Marion and Rosamund benefitted from infinitely better (and better written) roles by default, but there's nothing interesting about the central performance in Still Alice other than its technical proficiency. It's kinda sad that with so much rich work from women helming their movies this year we'll end up rewarding yet another stock role.