Jane Wyman, The Yearling

as ORRY BAXTER

I've spent a lot of time complaining about female archetypes and gender roles and the limitations they've played on many a Best Actress Oscar-nominated performance. And Jane Wyman's Orry Baxter--a wife, a mother, and pretty much tertiary to the shenanigans of Jody and Penny--embodies everything I'm not looking for in a Best Actress performance. But herein lies a surprise: in spite of my hang-ups on domestic representations, I didn't think Wyman was so bad. In fact, I think she elevated the role's limitations in the very best way an actress possibly could.

What initially struck me was how unlikable Orry was. Often times frustratingly so. This isn't your warm, gleaming, mother who prides over her son with tears in her eyes. This is a rather intricate, complicated woman obtusely included within a not-so intricate or complicated film. You are forced to ask yourself: why is Orry such a bitter bitch? and I think that very element is what makes her so interesting. There's a lot of internalizing on Orry's behalf here, a lot of feelings that aren't explicitly being revealed, and as a viewer you're left to wonder about her and 'figure' her out. Wyman is tasked (and does a great job at) shading Orry with internal glimpses of this woman--whether it be her mourning at the graves of her children, her vulnerable crack in facade when Penny asserts his dominance, her momentary second-guessing herself when Penny compliments her beauty--there's a lot of subtle shading here that makes Orry fascinating, that keeps you interested in character who could have otherwise been a one-dimensional creation in the hands of a lesser actress. Additionally, I found Wyman to be the best actor of the film. Hands down she is the most compelling, but she is also the only character to have stayed with me. Sure, I think of the boy and his baby deer when I think of The Yearling--that's a no-brainer--but I also think of Wyman's multi-tiered work and emotion, and isn't that quite an achievement when the role you have could've easily been another drop in the (long suffering) wife/girlfriend/mom bucket?