Norma Shearer: the Oscar winner Orson Welles called “minimally talented”
There’s no denying Orson Welles‘ mammoth influence on cinema. At 25 years old, the filmmaker helmed Citizen Kane, a project that he co-wrote, directed, starred in and produced, proving himself as the ultimate Hollywood auteur. These days, the movie is recognised as one of the greatest ever made, its title becoming synonymous with cinematic magnificence.
Citizen Kane was Welles’ debut feature, although he was never quite able to top it. Following the release of the film in 1941, Welles directed other movies such as The Lady from Shanghai, Macbeth, Othello, Touch of Evil and The Trial. Welles often starred in his own work, as well as movies by other filmmakers, highlighting himself as both a proficient director and actor.
Welles had his fingers in many pies, excelling on stage, screen and radio, both behind the scenes and under the spotlight. His pioneering approaches to storytelling, such as non-linearity, allowed Welles to carve out a distinctive style for himself. He once said, “I have always been more interested in experiment, than in accomplishment,” a testament to his unwavering desire to innovate and work intuitively, creating a cinematic language entirely his own.
The filmmaker was incredibly dedicated to the medium, and he had strong opinions on many of his contemporaries. In My Lunches With Orson, a book compiled of long-lost tapes featuring private conversations between Welles and Henry Jaglom, some of the director’s most biting opinions are displayed.
The book reveals Welles’ strong opinion of Alfred Hitchcock, with the director stating: “I’ve never understood the cult of Hitchcock. Particularly the late American movies. Egotism and laziness. And they’re all lit like television shows. I saw one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen the other night [Rear Window] … Complete insensitivity to what a story about voyeurism could be. I’ll tell you what is astonishing. To discover that Jimmy Stewart can be a bad actor. Even Grace Kelly is better than Jimmy, who’s overacting.”
However, one of his most ruthless comments was an attack on Norma Shearer, the Oscar-winning actor who was active during Hollywood’s early classic period. He referred to her as “one of the most minimally talented ladies to appear on the silver screen”. Before the censorial Hays Code was put in place, Shearer was known for playing sexually liberated women, carefully picking out her roles. However, she was often unfairly criticised due to her marriage to MGM’s production manager, Irving G. Thalberg.
She was subsequently dubbed the ‘First Lady of MGM’ and often received negative attention, with critics believing her marriage allowed her to secure acting roles instead of her talent. Regardless, Shearer proved herself to be a more than capable actor, becoming one of cinema’s earliest advocates for liberated, strong female characters. Her talent was also reflected in her six Academy Award nominations, winning one for 1930’s The Divorcee.
While Shearer isn’t remembered in the same leagues as her contemporaries, she was still a hugely influential figure who succeeded in both the silent era and Hollywood’s transition into the talkies. Welles’ assessment of the actor is wholly unfair, but if his opinions on Hitchcock, as well as Bette Davis (he “couldn’t stand” her) and Jennifer Jones (“hopeless”), are anything to go by, we should take his comments with a grain of salt.
