Eleanor Parker, Detective Story

Consecutive Oscar nominations are indicative that one is in the Academy's good graces at a specific moment in time. And at first blush, it makes sense why Eleanor Parker would receive a nomination for Detective Story - hot off the success and recognition of Caged, she play Oscar's favorite archetype (the supportive, sort-of long-suffering wife) in a prestige Warner Brothers drama that made a lot of money at the box office. While I don't mean to discredit Parker's work in the role - I do think that this is an afterglow nomination. Had she not been nominated the year prior, I imagine it'd have been tougher for her to snatch up a nomination based on the merit alone of this specific role.

It's not that Parker's work is bad. It's just fine. But what's striking about this performance is how predictably one-note it is. From the very get-go, Parker floats in, all breathy and angelic (and boy is the woman breathy!), and basically hovers on these attributes to maintain that she is in fact, a sweet, doting wife. Which is fine, I suppose - but as the film progresses and the big ole skeleton in Mary's closet is revealed, I'd have liked to have seen a more...complex characterization beyond this "sweet woman is sad" schtick.

Because, you see - Mary is a flawed person. In the scope of the film, that's not up for debate. So it's strange, in the aftermath of James finding out that Mary has a "sordid" past (I use quotations because Mary's wrongdoing here does not align with modern day ideologies, and it's a little silly seeing James freak out as much as he does), that Parker play Mary so...mechanically virtuous. Parker is so sweet that it practically permeates artificiality...so sweet that it's a little grating. The image of the "devoted wife" in old Hollywood films is one that naturally brings with it some synthetic mannerisms, but devoted wives are typically written to be "flawless". Mary, it is revealed, is fundamentally not a flawless woman, and thus I'd have appreciated a more human depiction of the character. Hints of rougher edges, like Marie's eventual transformation in Caged, would have been appreciated. Instead, Parker takes hold of this "sweet and innocent wife" image and drives it forward, even after it's revealed that Mary is not-so-innocent.

So Mary cries and cries (and cries some more), and we the viewers are shown the face of a wounded-but-still-sweet! wife. Unlike her work in Caged, this one doesn't feel nearly as genuine. And perhaps Mary isn't meant to be multi-dimensional. The size of the role is quite limited, with Mary coming in and out of the film and thus amplifies Parker's uniformity.

After all, it's telling that costar Lee Grant is technically the most lauded actress from Detective Story by awards bodies (and one of the more inspired/stranger selections for Best Actress at Cannes, but that's beside the point). That said, Grant stands out like a sore thumb, presenting some idiosyncrasies that stay with you. You want to get to know the Shoplifter, and, at the very least, she piques your interest in spite of how minimal the part is. Parker, on the other hand, has a meatier, similar sized part, and achieves little that could be seen as compelling or memorable. And with that: