Greatest Actress Ever?
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cameronjtshaw — 14 years ago(October 13, 2011 05:16 AM)
TOP TEN Who are Hollywoods greatest female stars?
Its the subject of debate at times heated by filmbuffs. To settle the issue, the American Film Institute (AFI) listed them down, from the silent era to the 50s.
Here are the Top Ten, in order of ranking:
Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, and Joan Crawford.
Critic Mario Hernando, who gave Highspeed the AFI list, generally agrees with the choices. Except that GARBO should be No. 1. Not Katharine. And, oh, he believes Joan doesnt deserve the No. 10 slot. It should have been filled by Sophia Lauren, whos only No. 21 on the AFI list.
Agree with Mario H. After having seen her films on Turner Classic Movies, Im convinced shes Hollywoods greatest female star of all times. What a beautiful woman, a real goddess. Think of Camille, Queen Cristina, Ninotcha, Grand Hotel, Anna Karenina, among other Garbo classics.
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OTHER ACTRESSES AFI listed 25 greatest female stars and heres No. 11 to No. 25.
Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert, Grace Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Mae West.
Vivien Leigh, Lillian Gish, Shirley Temple, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall.
Sophia Loren, Jean Harlow, Carol Lombard, Mary Pickford, Ava Gardner.
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WHY OH WHY Surely, filmbuffs will ask, say Deborah Kerr, is not on the AFI list. Or what are Mae West and Ginger Rogers doing in the company of Garbo, the two Hepburns, Bergman, and Davis?
Mario H. surmises Ginger cant be dropped because of her partnership with Fred Astaire and her winning an Oscar.
Fans of Irene Dunn, Greer Garson, Loretta Young, Lanada0 Turner, Merle Oberon, Susan Hayward will surely protest.
Of course, the likes of Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Sandra Bullock, Gwyneth Paltrow are not on the list as it stopped in the 50s.
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NORA & CO. A few years back, S mag under the able editorship of Joseph Gonzales, conducted a survey of Philippine cinemas greatest actresses. Nora Aunor topped the survey, followed closely by Vilma Santos.
Others on the list included Gina Alajar, Lolita Rodriguez, Hilda Koronel, Gloria Romero, Lorna Tolentino, Miss Rita Gomez.
Should there be a new survey, Gina Pareo and Cherry Pie Picache will surely make it. Anita Linda, too, who all these years had been underrated. (Ronald Constantino)
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http://www.tempo.com.ph/2011/hwood-greatest-female-stars-garbo-should-have-been-no-1/ -
vikram8402 — 14 years ago(October 18, 2011 02:51 PM)
Garbo may never be the greatest ever- since she never played the classical roles or very many different roles, but she is the finest ever. As someone once said, "On screen, she is the greatest who ever was, or will be."
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sockscats — 14 years ago(December 01, 2011 02:37 AM)
I don't think a woman who retired at age 36 can be considered the greater star than those who had life long careers.
Bette Davis and Katherine Kepburn have to be considered the top 2 actresses of all time. The volume of great films and performances and the oscar nominations.
After that it is debatable but Garbo definitely in my top 10.
A question really if she is even the top Swedish born film star over Ingrid Bergman. -
vikram8402 — 14 years ago(October 24, 2011 09:29 AM)
des3031
I think you don't know anything about movie-acting. Put yourself in Camille and imagine pulling off a single scene, a single line of dialogue; place yourself in the box and move- and then do look at yourself in the camera. A lot of actresses have studied acting so much that emotional instinct is stunted. Hell, watch Camille and I alone vouchsafe her status for eternal greatness based on that one performance. But do watch her every scene closely; her close-ups; observe her gait, her theatrical body coor1c84dination. Too many believe nobody has moved on screen the way she has. Do all of this!
Then we will talk further! -
nakis74 — 14 years ago(October 25, 2011 01:34 PM)
You are right about "Camille" Garbo is an incomparable actress and yes, a true great screen actress. People tend to confuse screen acting and acting like a ham in today's films or acting on stage. It has been mentionned that Garbo has not played the great classical parts. This is not entirely true since she has played the Lady of the Camelias ( a favorite part among great stage actresses like Sarah Bernhard or Eleanora Duse, Vivien Leigh and many others) or Anna Karenina and other stage parts like "Anna Christie" or "As you desire me". But what really matters is that Garbo whether in "Camille" or "Queen Christina" or her extraordinary silents like "Woman of Affairs" or "the mysterious Lady" knew how to act before the camera (not by just being photogenic) but by totally being into the character she was portraying, and in commmunicating the characters emotions through her face and gestures to the audience. No other actress or actor had that gift in my opinion and yes I do consider her the greatest screen actress ever.
For people who doubt Grabo's greatness as an actress try and watch as many films as possible with the actress (both talkies and silents), not just the well known classics of last part of her career but also the early and late silents like "Flesh and the Devil", "The mysterious Lady' "Woman fo Affairs" (my favorite with "Camille", "LOve", "Susan Lennox, "Mata Hari", the German "Anan Christie", "Queen Christina", "The painted veil" and of course "Camille". Then you will realise that this is a most complete and extraordinary actress and a most diversified one being able to convey all sorts of sensations, feelings and mental states through her acting. You can see the androgynous character (as in "Queen Christina", the tender motherly figure in both "lOve" and "Karenina", the sensual spy in "The msyterious Lady", the felle fatale in "Flesh and the Devil", the modern tragic heroine in "Woman ofi Affairs" the ultimate romantic figure in "Camille" and so one. And on top of that she was brilliant in comedy. A great tragedinne, a great comedienne, a great beauty and screen presence, the Face. Can anyone name another actress who has combined all these? -
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Agent_X27 — 14 years ago(November 07, 2011 11:13 PM)
I think she was the greatest actress of the classic film era, next to Bette Davis. The problem was that she seemed to hardly ever get really good parts. And many the roles she did get were a variation on the "scandalous lady" character. There was a big dichotomy between her talent and the quality of her roles. That is what makes watching so many of her films so strange. Even some of her best known films are just O.K., and she is so good in them and it makes the mediocrity of everything else even more clear.
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nakis74 — 14 years ago(January 20, 2012 01:48 AM)
I personally feel that Garbo was the true genius in screen acting and this is where I believe it is worth saying a few things about what makes a truly great screen actor.
Truly, Garbo has that gift to be absolutely photogenic, the presence, the magic to act before a camera. These gifts are not necessarily always what make a great screen actor but in Garbo's case these gifts are also combined with her extraordinary intuition as an actress, the depth of her acting and her capacity to adapt her whole being in various emotional and visual contexts in films.
Sure, she is a genius in "Camille" and that part alone could earn her a rightful place as one of the greatest actresses ever. But see carefully most of her other films and if you are sensitive to her you will discover a most passionate and diversified actress one can ever imagine. Some people complain that she has a limited range. Think of her mature femme fatale, full of mystery and perversity in "Flesh and the Devil" at the tender age of 21. Think then that in her subsequent film "Love" she was already able to transform herself into a tender mother torn between her love for her son and Vronsky as Anna Karenina and was able to refine her charcterization several years later in Clarence Brown's production of "Anan Karenina". She could play a sensual spy with radiance and sensuality in "The mysterious Lady". A tragic, modern, romantoc heroine in "Woman of Affairs". A cynical, yet underneath the surface utterly human prostitute in the German verison of "Anan Christie". A naive, complex young woman who discovers little by little life, love and deception in the underrated "Painted Veil". An androgynous, ambiguous "Queen Christina". The ultimate romantoic heroine in "Camille". a born comedienne in "Ninotyschka" or "Two Faced Woman". Garbo does not need to do ham acting, put funny accents to "impress" her public. She is a creative force, unique, each part even the slightest one reveals different facets of various human beings, different emotional states with which we can relate to She is the essence,t he soul of screen