MovieChat Forums > A Summer Place (1959) Discussion > So, Constance Ford wasn't nominated for ...

So, Constance Ford wasn't nominated for an Oscar for this film?


The Academy should be ashamed. REALLY ASHAMED, because her performance is extraordinary, terrifying. One of the great villains of the decade. People should discover her in this.

reply

I know, right? I was thinking the very same thing after seeing this movie - Constance made a wonderful, dramatic villainess and her performance was truly enthralling.

‘Six inches is perfectly adequate; more is vulgar!' (Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Re: An open window).

reply

Don't worry; somebody with an equally toxic mother will have the lightbulb moment.



The Fabio Principle: Puffy shirts look best on men who look even better without them.

reply

I agree--Ford WAS great but some people dismissed this as trash when it first came out (remember--this was 1959). Maybe that worked against her. Also the fact that her character was SO incredibly vile might not have helped either. I don't know about anyone else but I wish Molly had just laid back and slapped her once. She deserved it!

reply

You're right, she should've been nominated. It's one of the most convincing performances, ever.



reply

I agree w you. Superb acting. I certainly wanted to smash her face. When an actor/actress can invoke those feelings from the viewer, that's some great acting. She hit it out of the ball park imo.

reply

I thought the young man was going to lose his cool and slap her myself during the scene where the mom is looking for her daughter.

If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world

reply

Quite a contrast to her role of matriarch Ada on "Another World", tough but loving, the heart and soul of Bay City and the one person who could see the best in less than noble characters. Villains rarely got nominated for Oscars during the golden age of Hollywood, exceptions being Barbara Stanwyck in "Double Indemnity" for Best Actress and occassional tour-de-force performances like Gale Sondergaard in "Anthony Adverse", Judith Anderson in "Rebecca" and Angela Lansbury in "Gaslight" and "The Manchurian Candidate". While I certainly wouldn't want her for my mother, I find everytime I see this, I just can't take my eyes off of her and wish she was in more towards the end.

"Great theater makes you smile. Outstanding theater may make you weep."

reply

[deleted]