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Viola Davis could win an Oscar for her role in "The Help."
I haven't yet seen Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady," but that said, right now I'd be thrilled if the best-actress Oscar goes to Viola Davis in "The Help."
The film, which comes out on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, was based on Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel. While "The Help" was generally praised by critics, there was also plenty of debate about the racial issues depicted in it. Some didn't think that Stockett, who is white, could have fairly depicted the lives of African-American maids in the 1960s. Stockett and director Tate Taylor grew up as friends in Jackson, Miss., and both have defended their take on the film.
But it would be a shame if the controversy overshadowed in any way Davis' performance. As Aibileen Clark, a maid who's helped raise 17 white children, she's a revelation.
Davis was able to reach into her own past for fodder for her role. She told NPR that her own mother was the oldest of 18 children and picked cotton on a South Carolina plantation.
As readers of the book know, the film couldn't possibly include every plotline from the novel. Entertainment Weekly has a clip of a deleted scene that's on the DVD and Blu-ray, and it's worth watching. Davis' Aibileen gets a call from friend and fellow maid Minny Jackson (the wonderful Octavia Spencer) and tries to talk her into leaving her abusive husband. I agree with the EW commenters who think that the scene, had it not been deleted, could have increased Oscar chances for both Davis and Spencer. It's almost impossible to watch it without rooting for Spencer's character to take Davis' advice and "just keep on walking."
In another clip on the DVD, Davis talks about the role, and how it gave her a chance not just to play an intriguing character, but to "illuminate a part of our history that we have a tendency to be silent about."
Davis' Aibileen carries a sadness within her. She recently lost her own adult son and while Davis never overplays that, it's very much a part of her character. Even if you didn't know about the death, you can sense that she's holding something in her heart that she'll never get over. She manages to walk the careful line that an African-American domestic had to walk in the 1960s South without ever coming across as a pushover. Small gestures, the very way she speaks, even the way she walks, suggest another life that she's learned to keep carefully hidden. Yet when she plays with her latest charge, young Mae Mobley, she's less guarded. The scene where she walks away from Mae Mobley for the last time is as heartbreaking as anything in the movies this year.
Have you seen "The Help"? Do you think Davis is deserving of an Oscar? Tell us in the comments.
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A good movie you really enjoy...a GREAT movie you think about it long after. This was a great movie and I was a child during this time and we had a housekeeper/nannie named Clara that I dearly loved. Now I realize what her life must have really been like but I was unaware at the time. All I knew was that she loved me unconditionally and I loved her back. She was an angel sent from heaven and a huge influence on my life and the way I look at the world. If the movie and/or the actors don't receive Oscar's there is definitely something wrong in the entertainment industry. This movie was not only about entertainment.....it was education.
Barbara,
I'm sure that Clara appreciated your comments...I certainly did!
What a crock. I am a 62-year-old Southern, and WE poor people did not have maids, drivers, "lawn boys" or any assistance in the home. In most Southern towns back then, only a handful had money, the banker, the man with the sawmill, car dealership, store, florist. Only a few families owned all the businesses.
I can assure you it was not a lovely dovey relationship between these one-generation from Klanland to the black folks in the area. I am not saying it was hate, just a employer-employee relationship. When the maid went out the BACK DOOR in the evening, she was forgotten.
And I detest the revisionism in all movies and books about the South. These are the same young people faking their childhoods of love for the black class who grew up to be the current Christian Conservative political group that is trying to suppress voting, slashing education, healthcare, unemployment and the rights of women and any minority that is not white.
Thanks Barbara,your comments mean so much to so many. You are so right.
Viola Davis was amazing in this role. A subtle yet powerful performance, she and Octavia both deserve all the awards they will get in the upcoming months. Loved your comments Barbara.
This comment --- "I haven't yet seen Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady," but that said, right now I'd be thrilled if the best-actress Oscar goes to Viola Davis in "The Help'" moots your entire argument. If everyone sees just one performance that knocks whem out, they remain ignorant to others that may be more deserving. This article is incredibly stupid. Let's get through the season of award types of films before we crown an early victor.
Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson should also be considered for an Oscar. Her performance was nothing short of amazing.
Articles like this begin the campaigning and I think Viola Davis is a great actress, perfect in this film. But I feel like there are two others who should and hopefully will win the best actress, Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams. Let's not forget that while Meryl Streep has been nominated more times than anyone else, she hasn't won in decades.
I wholeheartedly agree! Viola Davis is wonderful in the role as in anything she does. I have been a fan of hers for quite sometime and happy to see she is getting the attention she deserves.
Loved the movie...Loved the performances of Ms Davis and Ms Spencer...definately OSCAR worthy.
The Help is a movie all of us need to see...male and female alike; young and old. This movie goes a long way to educate towards understanding of an age I, as a 70 yr old white woman, am not proud of.
As a child, I had my Josie, a precious black lady (and I use the term "LADY" in the truest sense of the word) who gave me unconditional love and caring. I will always remember Josie.
This was a fantastic movie, deserving of more than one acting award. Like you, I am 74 years old, and had lived through a lot of it. On the other hand, my youngest daughter had no conception of a white/black only school. She asked many questions which were hard to answer.
THE HELP was a sweet portrayal of the maids. However, I noticed that by making one maid's son dead and one maid's husband a wife abuser (Color Purple story line) , the author got out of the challenge of having to write any deep conversations between black men and women. Other than that, I thought it was a good movie. All of the actresses, the whites and the blacks, were great and put a lot of zip and comedy into what could have just been a sad story. I have not read the book; I heard Skeeter's dad inpregnated a maid in the book.
As a retired High School Sociology teacher, I hope that I was half as effective at having my students see the Cultural chasms that exist in this country, as my single viewing of this film was in reinforcing my understandings of those chasms.
I couldn't agree more! Viola Davis deserves an Oscar for this role.
It was a good film with outstanding acting by Davis and Spencer. Oscars for them both.
I totally agree. Davis is currently my #1 pick, with Michelle Williams at #2. Sure, I'd be pleased if either of them won, but I have to admit that I'm rooting more for Davis, since only one black actress has won a Lead Oscar in the Academy's entire history (Halle Berry in 2001's "Monster's Ball"). Davis gives one of those incredibly "lived-in" and quietly subtle performances that haunt you for a long, long time.
YES, YES, and then YES. Viola Davis' performance is nothing short of stunning, brilliant and stupendous. Her facial expressions alone emit such raw emotion. It's also a movie that did the book justice. I have seen it twice and plan to buy it. It will become one of those I watch once a year at least. There were many remarkable performances and of course, Octavia Spencer is one and should be nominated for best supporting actress but also Jessica Chastain as Celia, Emma Stone, Allison Janey and even Dallas Bryce Howard's performance as the meanest person ever, Hilly was sterling. I wish it would win best picture also. I have seen several good movies this year but honestly, I can't get this one off my mind. Love it so much.
Absolutely. Viola rocks -- and has been rocking for a long time. Dues are more than paid. It[s time for the awards.
I have not yet seen "The Help" but it doesn't surprise me at all that Viola Davis is getting great notice for her performance. Viola Davis is one of the best actresses on the screen.
Viola deserves an Oscar, that's why she has been nominated for consideration for the award. But Meryl performed better according to the Academy voters, and they reward the prize to who they consider gave the best performance in their opinion. The Oscars are a private organization and their voters have every right to decide who is best, not outsiders.
For others to suggest other motives on reasons for voting whom, since voting is secret, and motivations are not revealed, that is just speculation.