Ingrid Bergman’s Oscar for Murder on the Orient Express

When your colleagues are voting on awards to be bestowed within your profession, it helps to be much loved and admired. It gives an edge over someone who lived her life being a total cunt to everyone she encountered.

Do NOT come back with some nonsense about an Oscar being meant to recognize artistic achievement. It's all an industry promotion, a press event, and nothing more.

"It's always very nice to get an Oscar." Someday, I too will say those words. I've been quietly murmuring them to myself for decades.

In retrospect they should have held off four years then given her the Oscar she truly deserved for "Autumn Sonata".

Jane Fonda was good but didn't deserve a second award for "Coming Home". Bergman gave the female performance of 1978, IMO.

Other nominees: Jill Clayburgh "An Unmarried Woman" Geraldine Page "Interiors" Ellen Burstyn "Same Time Next Year"

It was mine! Those fuckin cunts had it in for me! Just like The Mirror Had Two Faces was mine! No one fucks with Betty Bacall!

All I could think while watching that clip is how fucking gorgeous Katherine Ross was in the early 70s. And in a totally 70s way.

Katharine's daughter with Sam Elliott got the best features of both parents. Striking woman.

R8 is Stevie Wonder.

I think Diane Ladd probably had the best chance to upset Ingrid. Valentina Cortese was a critical fav, but I’m sure more Academy members saw MOTOE than Day For Night. Diane looked disappointed, but did win a BAFTA for Alice. The scene where Ingrids character is interrogated by Albert Finney is generally conceded the scene which won it for her. Added to this, the sentimental factor, and Hollywood kicking her out 25 years before still lingered. The night was full of surprises. Art Carney, Ellen Burstyn and Robert DeNiro all pulled upsets. Really the last Oscar show in which just about every acting category was a surprise. Bergman was probably the safest bet in her category.

R8, Burstyn was considered an upset? That surprises me. Who was the favorite?

R6, The daughter is a psycho. Once tried to murder her mother. Sam and Katharine had to obtain a restraining order.

Two questions:

1. Why wasn't Madeline there? She would've been my choice.

2. Why does Ingrid totally diss Katharine Ross? She doesn't even appear to acknowledge her.

Ingrid Bergman was very good in her role as a mousy missionary - she really went against her image - and deserved to win the Oscar. So there!!

R9 Faye was in Chinatown which was a big critical and commercial hit. Gena won the globe. Perrine picked up a few critics awards. Even Ellen said Gena’s performance was worthy of an Oscar. If you listen to the audience reaction after Ellen’s name was read, there was genuine shock. I think Faye and Gena were generally expected to prevail.

R9, I would have put money on Faye Dunaway (Chinatown) or Gena Rowlands (A Woman Under the Influence). Valerie Perrine's role was really supporting, and Diahann Carroll was somewhat of a shock. Burstyn's win reflects the times--a woman striking out on her own (even though she ends up with a man to make things all better). It's a charming performance but doesn't come within miles of her work in Requiem for a Dream. The 70s were loaded with odd choices for nominees for Best Actress. Carol Kane, Marie-Christine Barrault, Janet Suzman were some notable outliers. 1975 had perhaps the weirdest slate, with Louise Fletcher's win caught everyone by surprise.

Faye or Gena I meant.^^^

^^^catching everyone by surprise.^^^

Ingrid Bergman in Murder On The orient Express.

And the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress goes to...……..

R12, Sidney Lumet initially offered Ingrid the Wendy Hiller role, but she found the missionary role more interesting.

Don't forget that Ingrid had been shunned by America and Hollywood between 1949-56 when she got pregnant out of wedlock with Italian director Roberto Rossellini. She was condemned from every church pulpit and even on the floor of Congress! Once she was welcomed back with her success in ANASTASIA, there was a rush of praise and awards that lasted the rest of her life.

Happens all the time. The Academy bestows an Oscar for a lesser performance because they're guilty of bypassing the person for better performance. I'm thinking Rod Steiger for In the Heat of the Night; the Academy was apologizing for not giving him the Oscar for The Pawnbroker.

R14, 1975 was a very weak year for leading actress performances.

Ann-Margret for "Tommy"???

R21 Steiger deserved it for ITHOTN. He won all the major critics awards and the globe. Audience was shouting out bravo when he won the Oscar, so bad comparison.

R20, Betty Bacall was livid when Ingrid was cast in "Cactus Flower" over her.

Bacall was a huge hit in the Broadway play and had initially been told that she would star in the film.

R22 Ann probably would’ve not been nominated in a stronger year. Fletcher was really supporting. Adjani should’ve won. Kane was fine but was lucky to get in. Jackson was in a phase where she was nominated just about every time she worked, I’ve seen them all, but I only really remember Adjani and Fletchers work.

Go back and watch MOTOE. Bacall is excellent in it and has the biggest part after Albert Finney as Poirot.

Was Bacall not taken seriously as an actress? Was she already disliked? I don’t understand why she wasn’t nominated.

R26 the cast was huge. Finney and Bergman really stood out, so I think the Academy got it right. Bacall was more of a presence than a film actress. I think this translated well on Broadway where she won two Tonys and would explain her Oscar loss.

R26, She was eventually awarded an Oscar.

Compare the acting in this movie to Brannah's shitshow, not one performance in that stands out. Lousy director.

Fuck you, OP. Ingrid is our GODDESS!

The Oscars are all about giving the right award to the right actor for the wrong film in the wrong year. ...that is when they are not about giving the wrong actor the wrong award for the wrong film in the wrong year.

Ellen Burstyn was fantastic in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. She deserved that Oscar.

Gena Rowlands was FUCKED OVER. My god what a gorgeous woman.

Watch the clip-

The audience IS shocked-

Gena says "Oh shit"

Faye says "I knew it" (very sweetly)

Diahann Carroll is visibly shocked as well.

And I love Ellen Bursten.

Poor Ellen didn’t even show for her win. That would never happen today.

Diane Ladd was so desperate to win. I remember when she was nominated for Rambling Rose and was holding a flower looking directly into the camera when her name was announced.

As I recall, there was animosity about Bergman's acceptance speech. She mentioned Valentina Cortese specifically, saying something to the effect that she was sorry she won instead of her, "Valentina, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to"....ugh. I think she even blew her a kiss, which Cortese returned. The other nominees were not amused. Later Bergman said she should have kept her mouth shut.

R36 I think it was only Diane Ladd that was pissed off. I doubt Talia Shire cared. Ditto for Kahn, who didn’t even bother to show up.

Yes, Diane has seemed absolutely desperate to win, even for Wild At Heart in 1991 when her performance was horrendous.

Maybe she feels better now that Laura got an Oscar for the family.