Best Actress: Meryl Streep I
I, personally, have always loved that on the heels of Katharine Hepburn's final Oscar win came Meryl Streep to become the new dominant actress.
Because with Sophie's Choice, Meryl Streep cemented herself as a master of accents and a chameleon who would stop at nothing to give the best performance she could. What do you mean she learned Polish and German and Polish-accented German for this role?! The woman has more talent in her pinkie than most people will have in a lifetime.
There's not a single second of Sophie's Choice where Meryl looks strong or like she's projecting strength. She's never got the upper hand. Every time she tries to advance herself she's brutally undercut almost seconds afterwards. To say nothing of the emotional trauma of the 'choice' scene, which she has said she filmed in one take because it would have been too damaging to do multiple takes.
There are also so many scenes framed to make her look like a living portrait, an artistic rendition come to life. So many comments on her beauty, even in the lowest moments of the humanity surrounding her in Auschwitz. She's frail, she's sick, she's dying, but the men and the evil children around her centre her striking looks. When she's revealing the truth of her past to Stingo, framed in the moonlight of that bay window, the camera in close-up on her face, there's nowhere for her to hide. Beyond the beautiful face, there's pain and horror and the knowledge that she was forced into terrible situations in order to survive. And despite the beauty that the world keeps trying to pin on her, she'll never feel worthy of the praise. It's heartbreaking.
Meryl was already an Oscar winner before Sophie's Choice, having won the Best Supporting Actress prize for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1979. She's also amassed three nominations for The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs. Kramer and The French Lieutenant's Woman. After Sophie's Choice, she'd go on to receive 17 further Oscar nominations—including another Best Actress win for The Iron Lady in 2011—and has become the most Oscar-nominated performer to date. You'd be hard-pressed to imagine who could come close to even tying this record. Meryl is a singular talent, and if anyone doubts it, make them watch Sophie's Choice and get back to me.
Meryl was nominated against Julie Andrews (Victor/Victoria), Jessica Lange (Frances), Sissy Spacek (Missing), and Debra Winger (An Officer and a Gentleman). Was there ever any doubt that Meryl was going to win this one? I'm genuinely curious.
DID I LIKE SOPHIE'S CHOICE? Yes!
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Did you like Sophie's Choice? What are your thoughts on Meryl Streep's first Oscar win?
Keep up with all my Rewatching the Best Actresses posts here!
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