MovieChat Forums > Monster's Ball (2002) Discussion > Halle Berry

Halle Berry

posted 16 years ago by Bertaut
13 replies | jump to latest

I just thought I'd offer some positive comments about Berry's performance in this film, as all I'm reading is people saying she didn't deserve the academy award.

Hey, listen, I don't think Berry is the best actress of all time either, but her performance in this film is exemplary. I'd like to know how the people who criticse her performance would have liked her to play it.

But for me, that final scene sums it all up. Film is a fundamentally visual medium; it is not aural. Dialogue is something that is added (some purists would argue that dialogue is actually extraneous to the filmic medium). Now, in that last scene, Berry goes through a range of emotions, from horror, to hate, to confusion, to resolution, and finally to acceptance. And she does it without a single word. She acts EVERYTHING with her eyes. I'm sorry, but that is truly amazing acting. She communicates a plethora of feelings to the audience without speaking, without changing her facial expression (much), without crying, without any kind of body motion. That is PURE acting. Her performance in that scene alone justified the award.

But like I say, people who are criticsing her performance as over the top and whatnot, how would you have perferred she play it?

"How'd we lose the good that was given us, let it slip away, scattered, careless?"

[–] bmw2009 16 years ago

I completely agree with you. I just watched this movie tonight, so I knew going into it that she won the Oscar and that a lot of people weren't happy about it.

I thought she was terrific. Considering her character had lost her husband and son I didn't find it over-the-top at all, rather very gut wrenching, emotional and...real. And I agree with you on the final scene; to display that kind of emotion without syaing a word is remarkable.

I've seen all the other nominated performances from that year except for Sissy Spacek (who everyone thinks should have won), and despite being a huge Moulin Rouge! fan, I think she very much deserved the Oscar.

[–] Nova_UB313 16 years ago

Berry goes through a range of emotions, from horror, to hate, to confusion, to resolution, and finally to acceptance. And she does it without a single word. She acts EVERYTHING with her eyes. I'm sorry, but that is truly amazing acting. She communicates a plethora of feelings to the audience without speaking, without changing her facial expression (much), without crying, without any kind of body motion. That is PURE acting. Her performance in that scene alone justified the award.

I was amazed by this as well, and had to rewind the scene a few times to see if my mind was playing tricks on me. She didn't say a word, but I could 'hear' everything she had to say based on extremely subtle emotions conveyed in the eyes, in conjunction with nearly indiscernible muscle contractions of the face. Simply stellar.

More science, less fiction.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] TerroristFistpump 15 years ago

What was crap about it? Please enlighten us

An unbranded cereal wheat biscuit

[–] alohahome 15 years ago

In the final scene, Halle Berry unlocked something deep within herself. Her eyes spoke of a suffocated bleeding that touches the soul.

[–] SpikeHat 15 years ago

...and then she followed up the Oscar win with Catwoman. A film/performance so bad that she should give the Oscar back!

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] haliad 14 years ago

For me she was just too over the top, especially if she was in a crying scene. It just made me cringe.

[–] arman0612 14 years ago

Thank you for saying this, this was a very underrated performance that deservedly won the Oscar. I completely agree with you!

[–] MariaLoathesDTWig 10 years ago

I agree with you,OP.

The only reason some people dislkie this performance is because her caracter is a black woman having sex with a white man ! Had her caracter been white,people wouldn't have given a damn.
Her performance has received critical acclaim and she has won a lot of major awards for it so haters can go F* themselves.

http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000005/thread/231484369?p=1

[–] Tracey73 10 years ago

I thought she did an incredible job.

The beauty is I'm learning how to face my beast ~ Blue October

[–] imdbaddict1 10 years ago

Just saw this film for the first time (i know i know)and completely agree with the OP. She did a great job. Thing is i think everyone did a great job but i felt like halle berry got all the attention. Billy did great; Heath did great; Peter Boyle, everyone. But they made it all about Halle when i felt like Billy should've got some recognition too.

[–] Princess_Ashmi 10 years ago

I thought it was pretty good too, certainly her best. Not sure what people are calling OTT - I'm guessing its the crying scenes but then I've yet to see a parent cry only a standard amount after losing their child. So that part was true to life, when you lose a child you do CRY uncontrollably!