Part of the worst thing about the pathetic Poor Leo campaign that saw Mr DiCaprio bulldoze his way to victory at this year’s Academy Awards after a raft of nominations is the notion of particular unfairness, that he’d been cheated out of a trophy that should have been his. Never mind that he’s only just over 40, never mind that the similarly-aged Amy Adams has been nominated 5 times without ‘success’ too and yet still has all her dignity and never mind that someone like Glenn Close – who has been nominated six times thus far- remains unadorned.
And nice as it would be for her to eventually win something, she instead has forged a fascinating and varied film career that has steered clear of obvious Oscar-bait, pursuing passion projects instead and exploring other mediums as well – she’s turned her hand to award-winning television shows like The Shield and the excellent (for the first series at least) Damages, and her credits on the theatrical stage date back to 1974 right up to the present day as she opens imminently in in a reprisal of Sunset Boulevard. Your move, pauvre pauvre Leo.
So I’ve had a dip back into the DVD collection to watch some of Close’s iconic big screen performances, as well as some I’d never seen before. We have the Oscar-nominees of Albert Nobbs, Fatal Attraction and my personal favourite Dangerous Liaisons; we have filmed versions of shows I’ve seen like Hamlet, South Pacific and The Lion in Winter; films I wish to never see again like Mary Reilly and Le Divorce; and of course, her memorable turn as Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians. Enjoy!