The Bang of Lange: The Films of Jessica Lange

"I've got nothing left to lose at this point. The work I've done is out there." -Jessica Lange


And we are the luckier for it.

Since yesterday's post about Oscar's greatest non-nominated performances, I haven't been able to get Jessica Lange, who featured prominently on my list, out of my head. This incredible actress, rivaled (in my opinion) only by Meryl Streep, has given us some of modern cinema's most remarkable and powerful performances.

Lange, who turns 59 this year, has always wielded a sultry, earthy gravitas, coloring every character she plays with this potent quality. Yet beneath her age-defying sexiness lies a wonderfully complex woman and consummate, chameleonic actress. It would be a great injustice for me to only blog about two performances (Tamora in "Titus" and Mary MacGregor in "Rob Roy") from her impressive canon of work.

Consider this your Jessica Lange Primer.

"All That Jazz" (1979) - Jessica as the Angel of Death. A difficult character (how exactly does one convincingly portray a celestial being?) made, by turns, frightening, funny, and sensuous. Every time I see her in this film, I can't wait to die. Maybe then I can get her autograph.

"Frances" (1982) - Considered by many film aficionados to be one of the greatest screen performances ever, Lange delves into the vibrant, troubled mind of actress Frances Farmer. Wrongly committed to an asylum by her shrew of a mother (the fantastic Kim Stanley), Lange's Frances takes us into a bleak emotional landscape never before so skillfully explored on the screen. Lange lost the Best Actress Oscar that year to Streep (for "Sophie's Choice") but was awarded Best Supporting Actress for "Tootsie". Though no one can argue the worthiness of Streep's win, most consider Lange's supporting award a consolation prize.

"Sweet Dreams" (1985) - Jessica as Patsy Cline. On paper, it doesn't play well. Onscreen, it is pure magic. One of those all-too-rare moments when performer and role mesh so completely that you totally forgot you're watching an actress portray a character. Fiery, complicated, witty, and technically and emotionally flawless, this is Lange at her best. Oh, and she lip synchs Cline's songs so astonishingly well, it's hard to believe she's actually not singing at all. Ashley Simpson, take note.

"Cape Fear" (1991) - Only Jessica could turn the underwritten role of a simpering housewife into a dynamo of strength and maternal power. Her Leigh Bowden is no mere terrorized hausfrau: she is a raging force of womanhood who will stop at nothing to protect her husband and daughter. One of Lange's regrettably overlooked performances.

"Blue Sky" (1994) - If you've ever wondered what mental illness, namely manic depression, looks and feels like, watch Jessica in "Blue Sky". She won an Oscar as Carly Marshall, the volatile and unstable wife of a straight-laced army engineer. Lange throws herself into this role with every muscle in her body, and she rages and crashes and burns -- and then does it all over again -- with an expert control and deft understanding. The film itself is kind of a dud, but Lange lifts it into the stratosphere with her wrenching performance.

"A Streetcar Named Desire" (1995) - I have a particular fondness for Jessica's Blanche DuBois because I was fortunate enough to see her play the role on Broadway. In the TV version of the Tennessee Williams classic, she is no less astounding. Many actresses have portrayed Blanche, but Lange's embodiment is wholly unique and crushingly tragic. She can utter a single line, and, with just the inflection in her voice, break your heart in two. I remember one line in particular ("The boy died") that I had heard Vivien Leigh say repeatedly, since I'd seen the film version of "Streetcar" about a gazillion times. When Lange said it, I broke into tears.

"Normal" (2003) - If I was asked my opinion on which performance of Jessica's is her best, I would be hard-pressed to find an answer. But I think slightly nudging out all the rest would be her portrayal of Irma Applewood in "Normal". In this HBO movie, Roy, a Midwestern, blue-collar husband and father (the equally amazing Tom Wilkinson), decides to have a sex change, hurdling his wife Irma on a brave, terrifying path of discovery. In lesser actors' hands, this film would never have been pulled off. Lange's work here is unrivaled. Her Irma is so forceful a presence that, even though the filmmakers want you to think this is Roy's story, it is not. It is Irma's. As she navigates the unchartered territory of genderless love, marital fidelity, and a totally new existence, we are taken on a roller coaster ride of human emotion. And the scene in the basement, after Irma has taken the washing down from the clothesline, is one of those movie moments that will stick with you forever. A compassionate, brave, explosive performance, as only Jessica could play it.

Now...go rent these movies! You won't be sorry.