1978 Supporting Actress Smackdown

I'm taking part in StinkyLulu's Supporting Actress Smackdown for the first time! StinkyLulu, Canadian Ken, Tim at Mainly Movies, RBurton of Adam Waldowski Doesn't Watch Non-Oscar Nominees (I feel ya), and yours truly discuss the merits and demerits of the five actresses nominated that year.

The highlight is Maureen Stapleton's nearly-film-saving turn in Woody Allen's dour, oppressive Interiors. Allen's first drama is full of self-obsessed, damaged upper-class white people who talk like they're giving a lecture—you know, like a Woody Allen film, only without any humor, which makes most of the film completely unbearable. But then Stapleton charges into the film—practically yelling "Opa!" and actually smashing crockery as she barrels through the beige decor—and makes the last third positively good when she's onscreen and bearable when her technicolor shadow is hanging over the other scenes. It would be easy to view her role as a classist "lower class woman who's simple but full of life," but Stapleton takes the conceit and runs with it, cramming in little hints of humanity and ambivalence. She's never better than in her final scene, standing on the beach while one important character drowns and another nearly does. What's she thinking in those two closeups? There's so much going on in her face, in her almost panting mouth movements and the stricken look in her eyes, that I watched the scene three times straight without really fully processing it. It's one of the best supporting actress performances I've ever seen.

With Maggie Smith, who's almost as great in Neil Simon's miscue California Suite, and Meryl Streep, who's good but overly mannered in The Deer Hunter (three nominees with the initials MS—whoa), it's a fascinating year for the category, even considering the out-of-her-depth Penelope Milford in the otherwise outstanding Coming Home and the positively bad Dyan Cannon in Heaven Can Wait. Head on over to Stinkylulu's to check out what the rest of the Smackdowners thought.