Women Descending Madly

30 Films in which superior actresses embodied tortured characters whose effects resonate long after viewing. Many were recipients of awards or critical praise. A few have been overlooked in this country due to our provincial bias against "foreign films." I recommend them all. There is no discernible order. At one time or another, I've had a crush on most of these actresses.


01. Eva Mattes—GERMANY , PALE MOTHER (Helma Sanders-Brahms, 1980)
02. Gena Rowlands—WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (John Cassavetes, 1974)
03. Charlize Theron—MONSTER (Patty Jenkins, 2003)
04. Anne Bancroft—THE PUMPKIN EATER (Jack Clayton, 1964)
05. Emily Watson—BREAKING THE WAVES (Lars von Trier,1996)
06. Maggie Smith—LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE (Jack Clayton, 1987)
07. Harriet Andersson—THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY (Ingmar Bergman, 1961)
08. Oksana Akinshina--LILYA 4-EVER (Lukas Moodysson, 2002)
09. Jessica Lange—BLUE SKY (Tony Richardson, 1994)
10. Angela Winkler—THE LOST HONOR OF KATARINA BLUM (Volker Schlondorff & Margarethe von Trotta, 1975)
11. Joanne Woodward—W.U.S.A. (Stuart Rosenberg, 1970)
12. Dame Edith Evans—THE WHISPERERS (Bryan Forbes, 1967)
13. Amanda Plummer—BUTTERFLY KISS (Michael Winterbottom, 1995)
14. Kinuyo Tanaka—LIFE OF OHARU (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1952)
15. Bjork—DANCER IN THE DARK (Lars von Trier, 2000)
16. Myrian Mezieres—A FLAME IN MY HEART (Alain Tanner, 1987)
17. Catherine Deneuve—REPULSION (Roman Polanski, 1965)
18. Elizabeth Taylor—WHOSE AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF (Mike Nichols, 1966)
19. Isabelle Huppert—THE PIANO TEACHER (Michael Haneke, 2001)
20. Lisbeth Movin--DAY OF WRATH (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1943)
21. Eihi Shiina—AUDITION (Takashi Miiki, 1999)
22. Anna Magnani—L’AMORE (Roberto Rossellini, 1948)
23. Olivia de Havilland—THE SNAKE PIT (Anatole Litvak, 1948)
24. Ingrid Bergman—GASLIGHT (George Cukor, 1944)
25. Patty Duke—THE MIRACLE WORKER (Arthur Penn, 1966)
26. Tuesday Weld—PLAY IT AS IT LAYS (Frank Perry, 1972)
27. Yael Abecassis--KADOSH (Amos Gitai. 1999)
28. Kitty Winn—PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK (Jerry Schatzberg, 1971)
29. Mari Torocsik—ELECTRA, MY LOVE (Miklos Jancso, 1974)
30. Piper Laurie--THE HUSTLER (Robert Rossen, 1961)

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