The Oscar Quest: Best Actress – 1978
Love me some 1978. The Deer Hunter is one of my favorite films. I think it’s a masterpiece. It wins Best Picture, Best Director for Michael Cimino (talked about here) and Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Walken (talked about here). All of them are fantastic decisions.
Then, Best Actor for this year was Jon Voight for Coming Home (talked about here). This is a decision that, while I wouldn’t have voted for it, is a great decision because it gave a deserving actor an Oscar. So I like it. And Best Supporting Actress was Maggie Smith for California Suite (talked about here), which, I like as a decision because — while sentimentally I like Meryl’s performance in Deer Hunter, she won the category the year after this, and Maggie Smith winning here gives both her and Meryl two Oscars (and you know Meryl’s gonna get a third one before all is said and done anyway). So I think it works out great. Plus Maggie Smith was amazing in the film.
Which leaves us with this category. The one category I don’t like at all from this year. I think this was a terrible, terrible decision. The only reason I don’t automatically proclaim this as one of the worst five Best Actress decisions of all time is because it’s Jane Fonda. And I love Jane Fonda. But she shouldn’t have won here, and this is definitely one of the ten worst Best Actress decisions of all time. Let me explain…
BEST ACTRESS – 1978
And the nominees were…
Ingrid Bergman, Autumn Sonata
Ellen Burstyn, Same Time, Next Year
Jill Clayburgh, An Unmarried Woman
Jane Fonda, Coming Home
Geraldine Page, Interiors (more…)
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