Janet Gaynor won the first ever Best Actress Oscar with her performances in Borzage's 7TH HEAVEN and STREET ANGEL, as well as Murnau's SUNRISE. Does she also win here?
To misquote Mark Twain, reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Or maybe I should go with Dr. Frankenstein by way of James Whale and scream to the high heavens: It’s ALIVE! Now, dear readers, as I try to return to writing regularly for The Film Experience, I feel like I owe you an explanation for my prolonged absence, not to mention an apology.
I’ve suffered from migraines since I was four, but around the middle of July, a crisis like none other began. Unparalleled in intensity and duration – still going, though not as strong as before - it took me to the ER, a CT scan, a cardiologist’s office, a bunch of new medication, and, soon, a wisdom tooth extraction and an appointment with a neurologist. In other words, it’s been hell, endless pain for over a month that mostly left me useless as far as writing articles or anything longform is concerned. Still, movies have been a refuge, as they’ve always been, and social media has allowed me to keep writing in short spurts whenever the pain medication kicked in, mostly about what I’ve been watching. Specifically, I’ve been emboldened by Twitter user HungryBear’s Oscar retrospectives to revisit my Best Actress picks from the very beginning of the Academy Awards, way back in 1928.
What better way to mark my comeback than to share these with you, too? TFE readers seemed to like reading – or enjoyed arguing over and against – my picks from the 80s, when I shared them two years ago, after all. That’s most of what I’ll be doing as I prepare myself for another TIFF coverage in September, with maybe a couple of other things thrown in if my ever-evolving torment nexus of pain permits it. Anyway, to start things off, we have the first three Oscar editions, when the twenties were honored and, with them, the twilight of the silent era…
As I did before, in that 2024 post, I’ll be basing my picks on the Academy’s official rules and reminder lists of eligible titles. My Honorable Mentions section refers to eligible performances that got close to my lineup but narrowly missed, my own personal Almost There cases. There’s also a place for Ineligible achievements that deserve recognition, even though AMPAS left them out of their reminder lists. The Academy made this choice for one reason or another, sometimes because the films weren’t released in the States or, specifically, in LA. Finally, I added an On the Watchlist line to acknowledge movies and performances I haven’t watched and might yet crash my lineups when I finally give them a look. Mostly, these come from friends’ recommendations and the like. Feel free to add your own.
Also, until 1936, Best Actress lineups could include supporting turns, as a category for smaller roles didn’t exist yet, and my picks will reflect that. However, I decided to give myself some leeway and set a fixed number of five nominees, since AMPAS kept changing the lineup size for its first eight editions, with a maximum of seven performances nominated in one season and a minimum of three in another.
Whenever possible, I’ve added a link to my Letterboxd musings or past TFE writings on the titles, so click on those if you’re curious. With that, I think there are no more explanations or introductions necessary. On we go!
;)
1927/28
Marion Davies, THE PATSY
Dolores del Río, RAMONA
Janet Gaynor, 7TH HEAVEN *winner*
Brigitte Helm, METROPOLIS
Gloria Swanson, SADIE THOMPSON
Honorable Mentions: Eleanor Boardman in THE CROWD, Phyllis Haver in CHICAGO, Margaret Livingston in SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS, Pola Negri in BARBED WIRE, Mary Pickford in MY BEST GIRL.
Ineligible: Maria Falconetti in THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, Marguerite Gance and Gina Manès in NAPOLEON.
On the Watchlist: Greta Garbo in LOVE, Corine Griffith in THE GARDEN OF EDEN, Camilla Horn in TEMPEST, Laura La Plante and Martha Mattox in THE CAT AND THE CANARY, Margaret Mann in FOUR SONS.
;)
1928/29
Clara Bow, THE WILD PARTY
Louise Brooks, BEGGARS OF LIFE
Betty Compson, THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK
Jeanne Eagels, THE LETTER
Lillian Gish, THE WIND *winner*
Honorable Mentions: Olga Baclanova in THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK and THE MAN WHO LAUGHS, Eugenie Besserer and Fay Wray in THUNDERBOLT, Joan Crawford in OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS, Marion Davies in THE CARDBOARD LOVER, Greta Garbo in A WOMAN OF AFFAIRS.
Ineligible: Louise Brooks in PANDORA’S BOX, Gloria Swanson and Seena Owen in QUEEN KELLY.
On the Watchlist: Eve Gray and Olga Tschechowa, MOULIN ROUGE, Colleen Moore in WHY BE GOOD?, Norma Shearer in A LADY OF CHANCE, Lupe Vélez in LADY OF THE PAVEMENTS and WOLF SONG.
;)
1929/30
Mary Duncan, CITY GIRL
Greta Garbo, THE KISS
Nina Mae McKinney, HALLELUJAH
Helen Morgan, APPLAUSE *winner*
Gloria Swanson, THE TRESPASSER
Honorable Mentions: Claudette Colbert in THE LADY LIES, Greta Garbo and Marie Dressler in ANNA CHRISIE, Janet Gaynor in LUCKY STAR, Jeanette MacDonald and Lillian Roth in THE LOVE PARADE, Norma Shearer in THE DIVORCÉE.
Ineligible: Rosa Maria in MARIA OF THE SEA, Barbara Stanwyck in LADIES OF LEISURE.
On the Watchlist: Nancy Carroll in THE DEVIL’S HOLIDAY, Ruth Chatterton in SARAH AND SON, Joan Crawford in OUR MODERN MAIDENS, Dolores del Río in EVANGELINE, Lupe Vélez in HELL HARBOR.
Please share your own lineups in the comments, argue for your favorites, and give me more recommendations to further explore this era of movie actressing.