In my last blog, I claimed that reading a play always results in an inferior experience compared to seeing it acted out. Since then, the relentless hammer of advertising has made me fully aware of an upcoming film by two fantastic actors: Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence. And, although horror is not my cup of tea, such is the magnitude of their past performances and the high regard I hold of them that I’m actually tempted to give Mother! a go. Well, maybe not at the cinema - if I’m going to be an uncontrollable mess I’d rather not go through the ordeal in public.

For me, acting is the greatest of all the performing arts. There’s alchemy in bringing characters into existence and moulding imagination into something physically and emotionally tangible. So, to pay homage to the craft, I’m going to rattle off my six favourite performances. Drum roll, please…


Javier Bardem, Buitiful

These aren’t in any particular order, but if I was pushed to name my all-time favourite, then it would be this. The character that Bardem plays is rough, tormented, human, underground, loving, conflicted and faced with a drawn-out inevitable death. Only an actor with extraordinary depth and complexity could pull this off. Amazing.

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

This is the role that rightly handed Lawrence a Best Actress Oscar at the tender age of 22. Praised for her chemistry with co-star Bradley Cooper, I personally think that the chemistry was only possible due to how magnetic and charismatic Lawrence is throughout this film. She is full of a youthful, loose-cannon energy but one held with a privately knowing poise and discontent. She breeds a nervous yet joyful expectation whenever on screen. A once-in-a-generation combination of ability, appeal and character.

James Stewart, Rear Window

I’m a massive fan of James Stewart, particularly his work with Hitchcock. It takes a lot to steal the limelight from Grace Kelly but in this film he is simply magnificent. For me, there isn’t a performance in existence that gets anywhere near the naturalness with which he conveys his character. It is easy enough to forget that he’s acting. The result is that he delivers the gold-dust suspense of a Hitchcock thriller with consummate effectiveness and charm.

Bibi Andersson, Persona

I make no secret of being an Ingmar Bergman fanatic, so it’s no surprise to find two of his leading ladies on this list. The first is Bibi, whose main asset is to trick you into assuming her to be the girl-next-door type but who subsequently demonstrates a vast wealth of emotional states. No film showcases her spectrum of talents better than her most demanding and famous of roles. She is a tour de force.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island

Ok, this is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek film; enjoyable enough but pretty shallow. It would never have been favourable on any kind of level if it wasn’t for the talent that carries it, most notably DiCaprio. To watch him act at the top of his game is breath-taking and I think this performance is his best. The greatest actors have the ability to make you paradoxically observe their skill – the rouse is so believable that it snaps you back to reality to mentally comment how exceptional the act is. Without him, this would have been a rare Scorsese dud.

Maj-Britt Nilsson, Summer Interlude

The second Bergman actress to have made the list comes courtesy of my favourite Bergman film. Summer Interlude is romantic, tragic and poignant; existential, beautiful and memorable. Nilsson is the epitome of all of these things - she embodies the film. It is impossible not to fall in love with both.


Some of these are probably contentious and I’m sure people will be quick to point out any glaring omissions. I’ve had to begrudgingly omit quite a few though. I would probably write quite a different list on a different day. Some of my favourite actors and actresses haven’t been included, nor have some of my favourite films been represented. For instance, another that I would half include is Michael Keaton’s voice role for the English dub version of Porco Rosso. And from Casablanca… that could have feasibly contributed half the list!

Although this type of exercise is quite subjective and fickle, it’s great for stimulating debate and encouraging us to watch films we may never even have heard of, or at least considered. As an aside, I read my fifth Jane Austen novel (Emma) this month. My order of preference is now: Northanger Abbey, Emma, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice… Yet another list to pick apart!

Oh, and Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber. How did I nearly forget that?!

This month's favourites:
   Marina & the Diamonds, The Family Jewels
   Jane Austen, Emma
   The Castle (1997)