A glorious innings

Ranjan Dasgupta

Thirteen Academy nominations, thirty Golden Globe nominations and three Oscars, Meryl Streep indeed has reasons to be proud of. She won the coveted Cecil D Mille award at the Golden Globe function in 2017.

The 67-year-old actress has certainly transcended barriers of acting and earned the title of a histrionic icon. No other actress of her era has come anywhere close to her in acting abilities, fame and charisma. Gifted with sharp photogenic features, good height and an ideal figure, Meryl Streep is not voluptuous like Sophia Loren or Angelina Jolie. Her sex appeal lies in her ability to present herself. Even in full nude with Roy Scheider in Still In The Dark she never appeared vulgar. Her eyes convey volumes and her dialogue delivery is inimitable. A follower of the method school, Meryl Streep is always in search of perfection. She never lacks the desire to experiment with a variety of characters. From the Deer Hunter to Krammer Verses Krammer to Sophie’s Choice saw her deliver excellent performances. River Wild and The Devil Wears Prada see a Meryl Streep very different from that of yore. In Iron Lady, she proved she was at par with Katherine Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman.

Her heroes Robert D’Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford or Denzel Washington rave about her professionalism and talent. When she handed the Lifetimes Achievement Oscar to the great Peter O’ Toole, the later expressed a keen desire to work with her. So did Sean Connery and Gregory Peck. Meryl Streep remains peerless in intensity and emoting. She is also apt in comedies though her lighter side is yet to be used to the hilt.

It is wrong to compare Meryl Streep with Greta Garbo, Vivian Leigh, Audrey Hepburn or Debora Carr. All of them worked during the golden days of Hollywood. Meryl Streep came to the limelight when that period was fading out. It is to her credit to usher in a whiff of fresh air with her uninhibited performances. Rarely does Meryl Streep twitch her eyebrows. She delivers piercing looks, is capable of delivering five modulations to a dialogue and her smile haunts. In fact, Julia Roberts once confessed that Meryl Streep never dominates but simply overshadows. Alan Pakula, who produced Sophie’s Choice, marveled at her ability to looks straight, emote sans glycerin and create an impact divine.

Yet with all her strengths, Meryl Streep has her weaknesses too. She is too conscious of herself whilst facing the camera and has a silent tendency to enjoy the whole limelight. Unlike Audrey Hepburn or Sophia Loren it never appears Meryl Streep is innocent to the fact that the camera is following her. All said and done Meryl Streep remains an icon for every aspiring actress the world over. Francis Ford Coppola rightly stated that Meryl Streep was the biggest challenge to herself. Indeed the selective actress still has the magic to capture countless hearts. It will be ideal to see Meryl Streep perform Florence Nightingale or Rosa Luxemborg on the silver screen.

(Dasgupta is a film writer)