Cate Blanchet
The Best Bet For Oscar

Of all the Best Actress nominees, Australian Cate Blanchet stands a better chance of bagging the most-coveted Oscar trophy for portraying the `virgin’-Queen Elizabeth, feel both, the critics and the movie buffs ...

Come Oscar night, and as the envelope is opened and the name announced for the Best Actress award, it will be Cate Blanchet for her performance in Elizabeth, many critics and movie-goers feel. They have placed her odds (8-1/2 out of ten) of winning the coveted award over the other four nominees - Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare In Love (8), Emily Watson in Hilary And Jackle (5-1/2), Fernanda Montenegro (3-1/2) and Meryl Streep (2 out of 10). The Australian-born actress was first applauded for her performance as a feminist in Oscar And Lucinda, and her experience on stage was clearly evident in this role too. Perhaps, this role in Oscar And Lucinda may have been the deciding factor in Shekhar Kapur’s mind when he picked her for the title role of this film.

Cate’s transformation into the complex role of the girl growing up in British monarchy and reluctantly taking up the reins of the country was the deciding factor in her favour for the nomination, and should weigh heavily when picking up the final winner, Oscar-watchers opine. It was a special role, performed by a very gifted actress and it deserves the top honours, others agrue. The central character was author-backed, and just as the character has all the powers in the story, her stature was very high among all the characters in the film. Thus the role was any actress’ dream. But not many could have done justice to it. After watching Cate give what was expected of her with unusual ease, viewers and critics are of the opinion that she has completely immersed herself in the role — an effort both the masses and classes want to be rewarded.

As you watch the movie, you will be amazed to see the transformation the actress achieves - first as the fun-loving, carefree girl, the not-too-sure, somewhat frightened and slow decision-making ruler, and finally as the fully in control (with the help of secret advisers of course) queen and woman. Little did the viewers - both the classes and masses wonder about the stereotyped presentation of the character - from the very beginning of feature film history, powerful women have been presented in the same way in almost all language films.

As for Elizabeth, there has been a view among critics that the movie did not deserve all seven Oscar nominations, and nobody seems to have taken note of the omission of Shekhar Kapur among the Best Director nominees. But none have complaints about Cate Blanchet in the list.

Whether Cate wins the Oscar or not, she is already busy these days doing a lot of films. She will be seen in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, Pushing Tin in which she shares the lead with John Cusack, and The Talented Mr Ripley in which her co-stars include Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow, and a few other movies awaiting release. If she walks away with the Oscar statuette, these movies will reach the theatres soon and her price is bound to sky-rocket.

Gywneth Paltrow, the other favourite, has to her credit a few stellar performances including that in Emma, Flesh And Bone and Sliding Doors. Her forthcoming releases include Duets and The Talented Mr Ripley. She is considered a permanent fixture in Miramax movies, and the Oscar award could raise her remuneration and star-status as well.