Take Three: Season 2 Wrap-Up
Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 3:32PM Craig here with a wrap-up of season 2 of ‘Take Three’, the Sunday Film Experience series which looked at three notable performances from a supporting or character actor's career. (Click their names to see the Take Three posts.)
Last Sunday’s ‘Take Three’ on Paul Dano was the last edition for a while. I’ve enjoyed writing season 2 a great deal. I hope they've been interesting to read, too. The series resumed in March with Marisa Tomei, an actress who has been doing some her best work in recent years; similarly, Barbara Hershey has seen a keen resurgence in her career recently, particularly with Black Swan; and Judy Davis, quiet on the big screen over the last few years, will again be a name on everyone’s lips with new movies due soon. Writing about Shelley Duvall and Isabella Rossellini was sheer pleasure. They're two actresses who have uncommon elegance, with quirks and kinks on the side in everything that they do.
Mackie, Duvall, Gugino
It was a joy to finally include Max von Sydow, a character actor master of genre variation, and Burgess Meredith, always dependable and commendable in everything he starred in. A couple of straight-up bona fide classic film acts, Boris Karloff and Gloria Grahame, were covered, too; I ended up unable to tear myself away from repeat viewings of Frankenstein and The Big Heat respectively. The Michael Biehn write-up in three James Cameron sc-fis nicely coincided with the Aliens ‘Hit Me with Your Best Shot’ posts (for which I also wrote this); and I gave Danny Glover, another ‘80s stalwart, his dues with a post on three of his most memorable performances.
Marsan, Karloff, McCarthy
A trio of actresses who are currently making marks on the movie map in a range of genres, and who have been grafting hard in support roles for some time, are Melissa McCarthy, Viola Davis and Alice Braga. These three add that extra vital ingredient to each film they star in and are as fiercely individual as they come. More versed in the art of crucial character acting, but still entirely deserving of attention, are Brooke Smith, Catherine Keener and Carla Gugino. All three have been active on our screens since the late ‘80s and continue to be three of the best performers the movies have.
Renier, Grahame, Davis
Jérémie Renier, Anthony Mackie and Michael Shannon have often played roles that perfectly display their unique talents. Each one proves enthralling to watch and deserve to be heralded as loudly and as frequently as possible. And three more who never cease to surprise with either film choices or strong work are Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Pitt and Eddie Marsan.
I hope to post up another collection of character actors in the third and final season of ‘Take Three’, which will begin again in February 2012 – with more favourites, more unknowns and more variety. Until then, let’s hear your thoughts on ‘Take Three’ season 2 and who you would like to see featured next year...
Take Three
Reader Comments (7)
I don't think you've done Margaret Rutherford yet, have you? One of my very favorite actresses of all time, and so many scene stealing performances to choose from.
Have Linda Hunt, Robert Morley, Alida Valli, Ralph Richardson, Ida Lupino or Jane Birkin been featured in this series? They'd all be definite candidates.
I can also totally see an entry on Julie Bovasso, whose slamming the door into Paul Newman's face in 'The Verdict' might be my favorite performance in a one-scene-only-bit-part of all time.
I really enjoyed Take Three this season, Craig. It's definitely one of my favorite features on TFE. Your choices were on the whole quite inspired this time around (Eddie Marsan! Awesome) and never failed to make me want to watch the films in question immediately.
And really, I love any kind of discussion of supporting actors. One of my favorite things to do when watching something is pick out members of the ensemble and try to feel out what their particular identities add to the movie.
Congratulations on the series! If they have not been included, here are some suggestions:
Geraldine Page, Claude Rains, Thelma RItter, Greer Garson, Jane Alexander, Wilford Brimley, Arthur Kennedy, James Rebhorn.
Why is the next season your final? You aren't planning on dying?
Just wanted to say thanks for a great series - I never got around to commenting on your Judy Davis edition, which I adored - spot-on! I'm really looking forward to her return to the big-screen in what look like some meaty roles. Shelley Duvall and Max von Sydow are also personal faves, so I was thrilled to see them under your insightful microscope.
As for next season, I'd love to see Danny Huston or Delphine Seyrig get the Take Three treatment. Plenty of variety and moments of genius amongst their respective filmographies.
I would love to see Deborah Rush and Dana Ivey next season!!
Since I’m thinking about Amy Adams out of nowhere. Please do a Take Three of her career :)
I’ve been enjoying this series since it sometimes zooms out some films that I haven’t seen.