Just look at Anne Baxter's world-weary eyes...a heartbreaking picture of a broken woman who has all but given up. Anne plays Sophie, a young woman who's husband and young son were tragically killed in a car accident while she survived. She ends up in this seedy Paris bar where she drinks away her sorrows and keeps company with a "sulky brute." In this scene, Sophie's American friends have accidentally stumbled into this place and they find Sophie in this shocking state.
One thing that always strikes me about Baxter in this scene is how absolutely modern she looks - the ponytail, the black choker, the smudgey eye make-up and even her black dress. You could see her in any modern-day film tragedy. But that's just what visually grabs me. Baxter's already mentioned world-weariness is so palpable it almost hurts and the effect it has on the other actors in the scene is very apparent. They seem to genuinely be both concerned for and frightened by her. Hers is a devastating portrayal that deservedly earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress - perhaps my favorite choice in that category ever. And if this scene isn't brilliant enough, Anne gives us an equally powerful moment later in the film. But you'll have to watch it...
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