MovieChat Forums > La Môme (2007) Discussion > The Top 100 performances of all time

The Top 100 performances of all time

posted 16 years ago by dinasztie13
141 replies | jump to latest

I just want to know what's your opinion about this topic. Marion is #5 on my list I think she absolutely deserved the Oscar. She was so heartbreaking and extraordinary. I didn't see Marion Cotillard. I saw Edith Piaf herself. It was a really difficult role but she gave her best. And she won a very-well-deserved Oscar. This is one of those wins that keep me believing in the Academy's choice, even after the win of The English Patient, Gwyneth Paltrow (it's a nearly endless list).

So here are my favorite 100 performances:
1. Meryl Streep as Sophie Zawitowska in Sophie’s Choice
2. Robert De Niro as Jake La Motta in Raging Bull
3. Marlon Brando as Terry Maloy in On the Waterfront
4. Dustin Hoffman as Enrico ‘Ratso’ Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy
5. Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose
6. Ingrid Bergman as Charlotte Andergast in Autumn Sonata
7. Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather
8. Al Pacino as Sonny in Dog Day Afternoon
9. Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in The Streetcar Named Desire
10 Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard
11. Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbit in Rain Man
12. Diane Keaton as Annie Hall in Annie Hall
13. Jack Nicholson as R. P. MacMurphy in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
14. Jane Fonda as Bree Daniels in Klute
15. Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver
16. Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in The Shining
17. Dustin Hoffman as Dorothy Michaels/Michael Dorsey in Tootsie
18. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs
19. Gena Rowlands as Mabel Longhetti in A Woman under Influence
20. Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes in Chinatown
21. Jack Lemmon as Jerry/Daphne in Some Like It Hot
22. Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
23. Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham in American Beauty
24. Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Cross Mulwray in Chinatown
25. Bette Davis as Margo Channing in All about Eve
26. Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth
27. Julie Christie as Fiona Anderson in Away from Her
28. Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in the Winter
29. Samuel L. Jackson as Jules in Pulp Fiction
30. Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank in Truman Show
31. John Travolta as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction
32. Christopher Walken as Nick Chevatorevich in The Deer Hunter
33. Thomas Haden Church as Jack in Sideways
34. Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker
35. Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate
36. Imelda Staunton as Vera Drake in Vera Drake
37. Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall in As Good as It Gets
38. Geoffrey Rush as David Helfgott in Shine
39. Liv Ullman as Elisabeth Vogler in Persona
40. Sean Penn as Matthew Pancelet in Dead Man Walking
41. Elisabeth Shue as Sera in Leaving Las Vegas
42. Frances McDormand as Marge Gundelson in Fargo
43. Kate Winslet as Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
44. Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi in 8½
45. Peter Sellers as Dr Strangelove in Dr Strangelove
46. Elizabeth Taylor as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
47. Paul Giamatti as Miles in Sideways
48. Richard Burton as George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
49. Dustin Hoffman as Ted Kramer in Kramer vs. Kramer
50. Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and Clyde
51. Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann in Roman Holiday
52. Ingrid Bergman as Paula Alquist Anton in Gaslight
53. Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca
54. James Stewart as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life
55. Giulietta Masina as Cabiria in The Nights of Cabiria
56. Malcolm McDowell as Alex in A Clockwork Orange
57. Virginia Madsen as Maya in Sideways
58. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in Capote
59. Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
60. Woody Allen as Alvy Singer in Annie Hall
61. Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle in The French Connection
62. Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf in The Hours
63. Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen
64. Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in To Kill the Mockingbird
65. Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate
66. Peter Finch as Howard Beale in Network
67. Peter O’ Toole as King Henry II in The Lion in the Winter
68. Johnny Depp as Edward in Edward Scissorhands
69. Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump
70. Giulietta Masina as Gelsomina in La Strada
71. Meryl Streep as Karen Blixen in Out of Africa
72. Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List
73. Emma Thompson as Margaret J. Schlegel in Howard’s End
74. Helen Mirren as Mrs. Wilson in Gosford Park
75. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in Misery
76. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of Carribean
77. Samantha Morton as Hattie in Sweet and Lowdown
78. Diane Wiest as Holly in Hannah and her Sisters
79. Linda Blair as Regan Theresa MacNeil in The Exorcist
80. Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
81. Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction
82. Anouk Amiée as Anne Gauthier in A Man and a Woman
83. Liza Minelli as Sally Bowles in Cabaret
84. Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas Moore in A Man for all Seasons
85. Faye Dunaway as Diana Christensen in Network
86. Robert De Niro as Michael in The Deer Hunter
87. F. Murray Abraham as Salieri in Amadeus
89. Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather part II
90. Adrien Brody as Wladislaw Szpilman in The Pianist
91. Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca
92. Brenda Blethyn as Cynthia Rose Purley in Secrets and Lies
93. Julie Walters as Susan/Rita in Educating Rita
94. Valentina Cortese as Séverine in Day For Night
95. Paul Newman as Brick Pollitt in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
96. Ernest Borgnine as Marty Piletti in Marty
97. Walter Matthau as Willie Gingrich in The Fortune Cookie
98. Jon Voight as Joe Buck in Midnight Cowboy
99. Marlene Dietrich as Christine Helm Vole in Witness for Prosecution
100. Michael Caine as Dr Frank Bryant in Educating Rita

[–] alkamal_r 16 years ago

Did you really make that list from scratch? If so, you have too much time on your hands, so much so that I actually envy you. Anyway, I hate lists, it's so hard to compare and rate performances from different actors and actresses playing different roles. It's not a quantified process or anything.

Ironically, this isn't even ironic at all.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] horatiohornblower 16 years ago

As much as I did not like the English Patient myself, alot of people LOVED it, so people citing that as some lame reason to doubt Oscars is just that---lame. What people, countries, and bodies of artists(Academy) is entirely subjective. Just because you dont agree doesnt mean they lose "credibility" that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! Reverse that and see how it sounds: "That person liked this film over that one, they have lost all credibility because we disagree." It sounds so pathetic, people should see their comments through others eyes, they would be rightfully embarrassed.

"Are you righteous? Kind? Does your confidence lie in this? Are you loved by all? Know that I was, too. Do you imagine your suffering will be any less because you loved goodness and truth?" - Corporal Fife, in Malicks' philosophical masterpiece 'The Thin Red Line' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120863/)

[–] Dont_Look_Back 16 years ago

I'm not much of a list-maker, but I agree with Julane's list. :)

Formerly known as Hello_Goodbye and Look_Through_Me

[–] raunos 16 years ago

The lists you guys have compiled are great, but they do show one thing that got my attention: I think over 90 percent of your favorite performances are American.

Surely people should watch something else, too. Not just the American classics. This is not to say there's anything wrong with them, on the contrary, I love American classics.

But try, say, Asian films for a change. And not just the Hong Kong Kung fu stuff, but real dramas, too. You'll never want to go back. =)

[–] gaylegriffiths 16 years ago

I feel ... sad. I have only seen five of those 100 films on your list. I suppose I could use my age as an excuse but now I really feel as though I'm missing out. Good list though; I will have to come back to it and see some more :)

[–] MrG1980 16 years ago

I am shocked not to see Judi Dench listed anywhere. Her performance in Iris is outstanding. Also, Edward Norton in American History X is also amazing. I agree with most of the original list, but I feel some are just silly.

# 79. Linda Blair as Regan Theresa MacNeil in The Exorcist. LOL!

[–] Glengarry-Glen-Wright 16 years ago

My top ten performances

1. Meryl Streep- Sophie's Choice
2. Dustin Hoffman- Rain Man
3. Marlon Brando- The Godfather
4. Ben Kingsley- Gandhi
5. Gregory Peck- To Kill a Mockingbird
6. Samuel L. Jackson- Pulp Fiction
7. Edward Norton-Primal Fear
8. Nicholas Cage- Adaptation
9. Kevin Spacey- American Beauty
10. Jim Carrey- Man on the Moon (definitely his best performance, movie wasn't so great, but it's worth a mention)

And like that... he's gone- The Usual Suspects

[–] velvet_virginia 16 years ago

That's a pretty good looking list. It could use some Daniel Day-Lewis, though (either for My Left Foot or There Will Be Blood).

[–] yaniv_ilanotv2 16 years ago

Hope you're still here, just saw the list... good list overall, but a few notes:

*Three words - Daniel Day Lewis. The guy is the greatest actor since De-Niro. He has at least three performances deserving to be in the top 30:
1. My Left Foot, Christ Brown (top 5 for me - amazing emotional acting, he nailed the way he talks and looks, impressive stunts with his left foot only (Day Lewis does his own stunts), and having seen footage of the real Christy Brown I can confirm that Day Lewis is really close)
2. Gangs Of New York, Bill The Butcher (best villian since Hannibal Lecter).
3. There Will Be Blood (fantastic performance, well deserved oscar).

*You seem to really like Pulp Fiction, but actually the performances there aren't so good. Jackson was ultra-cool and maybe he deserves to be in the bottom of the list but 29 is way too high. Travolta was good but not that good, and Uma Thurman just didn't do anything special on the film.
And you forgot the best performance in a Tarantino film: Harvey Keitel as Mr. White in Reservoir Dogs.

*I know I'm in a minority here, but I HATE Gloria Swanson's performance in Sunset Blvd. It actually ruined this great movie. Me and the friend I was watching the movie with just laughed our head off almost constantly because of the bad acting. I can't think of a worst performance right now.

*American Beauty is one of my favourite films, but Spacey wasn't THAT good. He was better in The Usual Suspects.

Overall nice top 3, Brando in On The Waterfront is overrated but still good - the other too are great. A few suggestions though:

-Emily Watson as Bess in Breaking The Waves - BRILLIANT!

-Jeff Bridges as The Dude in The Big Lebowski - one of a kind, the best bum ever seen on screen!

-John Goodman as Walter in The Big Lebowski - maybe even better then Bridges.

-Ellen Burstyn as Sara Goldfarb in Requiem For a Dream - Don't like the movie that much, but she was amazing.

-Edward Norton as Derek in American History X.

-Robert De Niro as Rupert Pumpkin in The King Of Comedy (so underrated!)

-William H. Macy in Fargo (Mcdormand was good but he was amazing!)

-Javier Barden as Anton Something in No Country For Old Men

-Harvey Keitel as Mr. White in Reservoir Dogs

-Billy Bob Thornton as Ed Crane in The Man Who Wasn't There (underrated too)

-Gary Sinise as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump (better then Tom Hanks)

-Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects.

That's it I think... Great list.

[–] surround_sound 16 years ago

I would say top female performance of all time.