100 Great Film Performances You Should Remember- But Probably Don’t
“Not only is this helpful criticism, but 100 Great Film Performances can serve as balm for anyone who has ever been disgruntled by the Academy’s choices on Oscar night.”
- The Washington Post
“John DiLeo’s 100 Great Film Performances delightfully throws the spotlight on some remarkable film work that DiLeo feels deserves much more attention than they’ve garnered.”
- Robert Osborne (The Hollywood Reporter)
How is it that Katharine Hepburn’s greatest performance, in Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962), remains one of her least-seen? Why hasn’t Laurence Olivier’s phenomenal work in Carrie (1952) joined his pantheon of legendary screen achievements? Did Barbara Stanwyck give her peak performance in Double Indemnity (1944), or was she even better in the small masterwork Remember the Night (1940)? Most film lovers are crazy about Gary Cooper in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), but isn’t he nearly as irresistible in a little gem titled Desire from that same year? What does Jeff Bridges have to do to get the recognition he deserves as the best actor of his generation? Everyone knows that The Band Wagon is a glorious musical, but has Fred Astaire’s acting in it ever been properly regarded? The answers to these and other obsessive questions are not so much answered as wrestled with throughout this book.