Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1968: Estelle Parsons in Rachel, Rachel

Estelle Parsons received her second Oscar nomination for her performance as Calla Mackie in Rachel, Rachel.

Rachel, Rachel is an effective film about a 35-year-old scoolteacher dealing with her loneliness and her inner desires. It's a restrained, realistic character study that I personally found very affecting: in my opinion Paul Newman was snubbed of a Best Director nomination for his delicate, intimate and sensitive work here. It's a very subtle movie that mostly lacks big scenes, but I found it emotionally gripping from beginning to end also thanks to the strength of the central performance and the screenplay. The supporting cast is uniformly fine, with Kate Harrington being noteworthy for her performance as Rachel's overbearing mother. 

The role of Calla Mackie, Rachel's fellow scoolteacher and best friend, is not a very big one screen-time wise and it does not have a lot of relevance within the plot: Estelle Parsons' performance in the role is not one that is frequently talked about and it's definitely less remembered than her Oscar winning turn from the previous year, but from what I've read it's equally divisive. In fact, it shares many similarities with her work as Blanche Barrow: it certainly isn't a quiet performance and, even if there might be a little more subtlety in her portrayal of Cella, if one did not care for her work in Bonnie and Clyde I doubt he'll like her in Rachel, Rachel that much more. I personally liked her performance in Bonnie and Clyde very much as I thought her loud approach worked well with the role, and the same goes for her performance in Rachel, Rachel. The flashy nature of her performance contrasts nicely with the delicate restraint of Joanne Woodward's one, and the two create a very believable friendship right from the beginning, with Rachel being the shy, quite type and Calla being the funny, sarcastic one. Parsons succeeds in making Calla an entertaining, likeable presence whenever she is on-screen and her line-deliveries are all pretty much perfect ("It's the second time you've been bitchy today!"). She brings some nice warmth and support in her early scenes with Woodward as Calla urges Rachel to live her life to its full potential and to escape from "her cage"; what I like the most though in those scenes is that Parsons subtly suggests in her performance Calla's secret longing - probably Calla herself isn't even aware of this in the beginning but Parsons conveys a certain attachment and affection that go beyond friendship, while avoiding making those feelings too obviously noticeable (therefore, it is entirely believable that Rachel is completely clueless about it).

Later on in the movie Rachel and Calla go to a religious revival that leaves Rachel deeply upset and distressed. Parsons might overdo it a bit in the revival scene - some of her facial expressions are a little too wide-eyed and often unconvincing - but she completely makes up for those few inadequate moments thanks to the following scene in which Calla comforts her friend and then starts kissing her passionately. It's a brilliantly acted moments by Parsons who is great at showing that Calla is just as shocked by this gesture as Rachel is and she's extremely moving at portraying her embarrassment and regret when Rachel leaves abruptly. 

Probably my favorite scene of her performance is when Calla attempts a reconciliation outside of Rachel's house: Parsons is heartbreaking as she shows how much Calla misses her friendship with Rachel while still conveying so poignantly her deeper desire for her. Parsons portrays her character's conflicted feelings with delicacy and sensitivity and she proves to have a remarkable understanding for a character that in the 1960s could have been portrayed in a very stereotypical, even offensive way - she always finds the humanity in Calla which makes this failed attempt at mending their relationship particularly devastating. The eventual reconciliation between Calla and Rachel happens quite late in the movie and it feels a little bit too rushed but nonetheless Parsons brings the right emotional power to it, and as they become friends again she nicely plays her character with welcome warmth and wisdom, just like in the beginning. Their final scene together is short but beautifully played by the two actresses, who achieve a truly heartbreaking poignancy in the moment when Rachel tells Calla she wished to be different just so that she could make her happy. Parsons' reaction is very moving and heartwarming, as is her very final shot in which she tries to hold back the tears as she watches Rachel going away. 

Estelle Parsons is a bit limited by the screen-time but she still delivers a highly memorable and moving performance. She is funny, warm and wise but she's also incredibly touching in the few key moments in which she reveals the complexity and plight of this woman. It's a sensitive, intelligent performance from an actress who proves once again she can be loud without becoming shrill or hammy. Nice, affecting work.

4/5