Mostly, I won't argue.
(However, I disagree that Roy's mother was evil. That is WAY too strong a word.
Huston's Lilly wasn't out to hurt people and enjoy doing so - Roy, least of all.)
The Oscar issue is a tricky one.
Huston and Bates humanized characters that, in literature, seemed a little less so.
As Lilly Dillon, Anjelica Huston gave it her all. But then, in 1990, we already expected that of her.
Kathy Bates on the other hand, made "Misery's" Annie Wilkes an icon - before we even knew who Kathy Bates was.
Annette Benning shined as Moira Langtry; her second leading role. It was her first starring role in "Valmont," that won Benning Moira - and was even more Oscar worthy, I thought.
However, the academy still owed Whoopie Goldberg for her first break as Celie in "The Color Purple." Another literary character that, like Bates, Goldberg made into cinematic history. It was Goldberg's first film role when nobody knew she could act - and she delivered in spades.
Her part in "Ghost" was good, but it was no secret that Whoopie's Oscar was earned for "The Color Purple."
It's almost like a battle of the authors:
Jim Thompson vs. Stephen King vs. Alice Walker.
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Aquileia
17 years ago
Thanks for the post. Yeah you're right, Lilly wasn't really evil. A cold-hearted, ruthless bitch, but not necessarily evil.
I strongly feel that Whoopi Goldberg should have won 1985's Best Actress Oscar for her astonishing portrayal of Celie in The Color People, which incidentally would have made her the first black Best Actress winner. She was hilarious in Ghost and it's nice to see comedy performances recognized along with the usual heavy dramas, but her performance in The Color People is one of my favorite performances by any actor or actress, ever. 1990 would have been a very tough year for me if I was an Oscar voter because I love both Whoopi Goldberg and Annette Bening. I also agree that Annette was brilliant in Valmont the previous year.
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stevenx9
17 years ago
And remember that by this point Lilly was trapped and desperate. I find Anjelica's performance phenomenal. To see someone who seems like such a gracious, cultivated person playing this hard, single-minded character just blows my mind.
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pinkbosss
17 years ago
i absolutely agree with you.....s we all know anjelica is famous for playing her ruthless bitch parts..but hey we love it right... but in this part hr acting is WOW simply amazing...she did a great job with this film, i would say it was one of her harder roles to do.
and in an interview of anjelica she said she loved the part, and especially the part about her being blonde, she said..and i quote "i loved the part,i loved being bonde, its true blondes do have more fun"
i thought that was pretty funny.
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porridge_car
15 years ago
Huston was astonishing in this film. She gave a classic noirish femme fatale. She made a ruthless, desperate, vicious con on the lam human and vulnerable. All I can say is WOW and how did she not get the Oscar. This role is so unlike what is she really like in real life. It took blood and guts to portray a hard and heartless woman. I love this movie- very much in the noir tradition and very much under appreciated, almost forgotten. It is in my mind Stephen Frear's finest moment. A magnificent crime thriller to say the least.
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rrb
15 years ago
I can only echo what's been said. Anjelica Huston gives an iconic performance. Just one example: her delivery of the line, "My son is going to be alright. If not, I'll have you killed" -- you know her Lilly would do just that. The only actress who could've matched Huston in that role is Barbara Stanwyck. Can't think of higher praise.
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