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The Ten Greatest Acting Performances; Female

I've made my lists of the best films by decade and was thinking about the greatest performances.  For the women, I made a list that came out to be 24 roles.  I narrowed it down to ten, which was nearly impossible.  To give you an idea of what it was like, here are some that didn't make the list.  Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard, Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner's Daughter, Better Midler in The Rose, Emma Thompson in Remains of the Day and Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour & Repulsion.  Actresses like Jessica Lange, Judi Dench, Bette Davis and Helen Mirren didn't make the list.  That's how tough it was.  So here it is.

10. Noomi Rapace - Lisbeth Salander, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Trilogy).  Rapace is beautiful and tough in this masterpiece trilogy.  It's quite possible that nobody has ever taken a role and made themselves that person more than Rapace. Ironically, the film is being remade with Rooney Mara who was nominated (Rapace was not). The other two movies are very good, but it's her performance in this one that takes the cake.

9. Genevieve Bujold - Anne Boleyn, Anne of a Thousand Days.  Bujold plays King Henry VIII's queen.  It is a love story with high drama.  The acting in this film is so superb, that the last time I watched it I was almost brought to tears at how powerful a film can be when fine actors are paired.  In this case, the very young and talented Bujold with the older, brilliant Richard Burton.

8. Charlize Theron - Aileen Wournos, Monster.  How does one of the classiest and most beautiful women in motion picture history portray a trailer trash serial killer?  I'm still wondering.  If I hadn't seen the opening credits, it would have taken a lot for me to believe that it was Theron on screen.  If you've ever seen video of the crazed Wournos, you realize just how good this performance was.

7. Meryl Streep - Julia Child, Julie & Julia.  This is a movie that I had hoped to like, but was shocked when I loved it. The sections with Amy Adams are great, but the scenes with Streep, portraying Child to a tee, were incredible.  Everything from her voice to her mannerisms were perfect.  You got a sense that Streep was not only portraying her, but making sure, we all knew just how influential she was to cooking in the America.  Her performance in Doubt was also one I considered for this list.

6. Kathy Bates - Annie Wilkes, Misery.  Never has there been a more curious villain on film than Annie Wilkes.  Bates goes from the caring, nurturing woman who saves her favorite writer, to the crazed fan who does anything to keep him with her.  She is stellar the entire time, but it's the one scene that will last with us forever.

5. Katherine Hepburn - Rose Sayer, The African Queen.  One of the greatest opposites attract movies of all time.  Hepburn and Bogart are absolutely amazing together.  The chemistry is so perfect, you actually believe they hate each other at the beginning, but believe the love they find by the end.  One of the greatest films ever made.  Before the VCR this movie was on a lot.  It was my favorite movie until I was about 16 and Katherine Hepburn is and most likely will always be, my favorite actress.

4. Jennifer Lawrence - Ree, Winter's Bone.  The most recent of all the performances.  This movie just blew me away.  Lawrence is in nearly every scene and she stands out in each.  The pain and perseverance she shows is incredible.  What she is willing to do for her family is inspirational and almost costs her her life.  While she's a young woman and this was her first big role, I can't imagine this was a fluke.  This was another case of a woman who I saw in the movie as one way and then saw her on the red carpet and was knocked out by the transformation.

3. Katherine Hepburn - Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Lion in Winter.  Absolutely one of the greatest films ever.  I was lucky enough to see a revival in the theater when I was younger.  The entire cast is brilliant, but Hepburn stands out as the royal families matriarch.  One of many incredible roles by Hepburn, but this is the best.

2. Jodie Foster - Clarice Starling, Silence of the Lambs.  Foster, who is great in nearly everything she does, was on top of her game from start to finish in this one.  She runs the gamut of emotions in this one.  Her back and forth with each character is something to behold.  It's a gritty performance, but done in a way, that she maintains her femininity throughout.

1. Joan Allen - Laine Hanson, The Contender.  Allen didn't get into movies until she was nearly 30.  Before I had seen this film, I had seen her in many films, most notably, The Crucible, Nixon and The Ice Storm. So I knew she had some serious acting ability.  Then I saw The Contender and was blown away.  Allen plays a woman who has been selected to be Vice President. Her character is called into question and she needs to fight this, but decides not to dignify the accusations with rebuttals.  In one of the greatest scenes I've ever viewed, the President, played by Jeff Bridges speaks with her on the White House lawn and asks her about the accusation.  The scene is so poignant and so powerful, while never seeming contrived, that you feel as if this is the way people should be.  Without sounding ridiculous, if I had a daughter, I would show her this movie and tell her, this is a role model. Be like Laine Hanson.  She;s absolutely inspirational.

So there you have it.  My opinions for the best performances by an actress.  Of course there have been hundreds of wonderful performances and many could be in here.  So many wonderful actresses have performed so many wonderful roles...but these are the one's that stuck with me.  For whatever reason, these were my top ten.

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