Best Actress 1993: A Female Oscar Triple

Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin,
Jane Campion

While I feel the 2012 race will eventually break for one actress in the next couple of weeks, I've been doing a pedestrian analysis of past Best Actress Oscar races in the runup to the showdown between Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence based on the last twenty-five or so years.  The last edition was 1992.  The film year 1993 was a battle between Holly Hunter and Angela Bassett.  Bassett, playing Tina Turner, could have gone on to becoming the first black actress to win this category (instead of Halle Berry).  I grew up on fortysomething Private Dancer Turner after all the drama and physical abuse depicted in What's Love Got To Do With It was behind the singer, so I didn't connect with Bassett's performance as much as I would have liked.  Hunter, however, had a lot more going for her.  She played piano and learned sign language as Ada McGrath, for beginners.  While I usually get perturbed by award grabs, they don't bother me so much when the actor has had at least one go-around with Oscar.  In 1987, Holly Hunter came very close to winning for Broadcast News.  It was payback time and she did it in style.

Additionally, she appeared in auteurist's vision, which is rare to lead to an Oscar for any actor.  New Zealander Jane Campion presented The Piano in black and white with an intoxicating score.  It was a period movie, but it was also very "cool" and cutting edge, in a way.  The fact that the movie was directed by a woman, who was nominated for Best Director and won for writing the screenplay for the Best Picture nominee only bolstered Hunter's chances.  The "girl-power" element certainly helped, but, when you break it down, it was just a piece of the bigger picture.  There have been subsequent Best Actress wins directed by females (Boys Don't Cry, Monster, The Iron Lady).  I haven't seen Children of a Lesser God from 1986, but if I may draw a difference between the aforementioned films and The Piano, it's that there is a rather brash and unapologetic femininity to Campion's work.  With the others, there is an overly obvious element of a woman in a man's world (i.e. transgender woman trying to be a man; one of the only female serial killers; first female ruler of England up against a boy's club).  That isn't to disparage the films and say Hunter's Ada didn't have to deal with sexism, but her story just struck me as more universal and less gender-specific, yet told from a female point-of-view.  Successful artistic films directed by females are rare, even today.  But, for them to be decidedly feminine is even more obscure.  It takes an already moving performance and places it in a greater, more encompassing context with a distinct voice.

The film was the maid of honor in the wedding that was being thrown for Schindler's List.  I like to think The Piano would have had a shot in another year, but its scope was probably too small.  On the surface, Zero Dark Thirty, being directed by a well respected female in the industry is a parallel one can draw from this race.  Kathryn Bigelow may also give the frontrunner Lincoln a run for its money similar to the way Campion gave Spielberg in 1993.

It wasn't too competitive of a year for a nomination, though.  Michelle Pfeiffer, who had been in the Oscar game more often than not for the last five years, was left out in the cold and never to be nominated ever again (to date).  Newcomer Ashley Judd made a splash with Ruby in Paradise also came close to getting in the race, but, alas, she would never make her way into The Academy's competitive fray.  However, she may soon make a professional move reminiscent of two-time winner Glenda Jackson and enter the world of politics.  God help Kentucky.

The Nominees:
Holly Hunter, The Piano: GG Drama, LA, New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Southeastern, National Society, NBR, Cannes, BAFTA winner  ($40.2M; 90% RT)

Angela Bassett, What's Love Got to Do With It: GG Comedy winner; Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth (2nd) nominee.  ($39.1M; Summer release; 97% RT)

Emma Thompson, The Remains of the Day: Kansas City winner; GG Drama, Chicago, BAFTA nominee.  ($23.2M; 97% RT)

Debra Winger, Shadowlands: BAFTA, LA (2nd) nominee.  ($22M / $25.8M; 96%)

Stockard Channing, Six Degrees of Separation: GG Comedy, Chicago, National Society (3rd) nominee.  ($6.4M; 88% RT)

The Also-Rans:
Michelle Pfeiffer, The Age of Innocence: Venice winner; GG Drama, Dallas-Fort Worth (3rd).  ($34M / $32.3M; Fall release; 82% RT)

Ashley Judd, Ruby in Paradise: ISA winner; New York (2nd), National Society (2nd) nominee.  ($1M;  Fall release; 93% RT)

The Rest of the Competition:
Juliette Binoche, Blue: Venice, César winner; GG Drama nominee.  ($1.3M; 100% RT)

Debra Winger, A Dangerous Woman: GG Drama, LA (2nd), Chicago, Tokyo nominee.  ($1.5M; 67% RT)

Meg Ryan, Sleepless in Seattle: GG Comedy nominee.  ($21M / $126.7M / $227.8M; Summer release; 71% RT)

Angelica Huston, Addams Family Values: GG Comedy nominee.  ($48.9M; 76% RT)

Diane Keaton, Manhattan Murder Mystery: GG Comedy nominee.  ($11.3M; Summer release; 91% RT)

Tilda Swinton, Orlando: Seattle winner.  ($5.4M; Summer release; 79% RT)