Complete the Best Surveys Now

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

The Judy Garland biopic “Judy” has been met with mixed reviews, but Renée Zellweger’s work in the title role has inspired rave after rave, and has made her the one to beat for Best Actress.

This week’s question: What is the greatest performance in a biopic?

The answers below are presented in chronological order.

It’s no surprise that the best performance in a bio-pic should be found in one of the best of all movies by one of the greatest of all directors: Maria Falconetti, in Carl Theodor Dreyer’s “The Passion of Joan of Arc.

Though I’m tempted to list any number of Cate Blanchett’s performances (Queen Elizabeth I, Katherine Hepburn, Bob Dylan), the greatest biographical film performance of all time is certainly Maria Falconetti in Carl Theodor Dreyer’s “The Passion of Joan of Arc.” Falconetti only gave two film performances, yet her portrayal of St. Joan remains one of the strongest and most memorable in cinematic history. The close-up image of her tear-stained face, shaved head, and vibrant eyes remains an icon from the silent era, and has inspired wonderful emulations (e.g. Ripley in “Alien 3,” Furiosa in “Mad Max: Fury Road”). She communicates so much with her facial expressions; she is at-once powerful and vulnerable, fearful and confident, immanent and transcendent. Dreyer once said, “Nothing in the world can be compared to the human face. It is a land one can never be tired of exploring.” Seeing Falconetti’s extraordinary performance, you know exactly what he meant.

Peter O’Toole didn’t much look like T. E. Lawrence — too tall, for one — and “Lawrence of Arabia” isn’t a straightforward biopic. David Lean’s film is broader than that, more interested in telling an overall story about the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I than solely focusing on the role of British military theorist Lawrence within it. It features excellent supporting performances from Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, and Alec Guinness, and F.A. Young’s cinematography is gorgeous, and over 222 minutes, the film builds a sense of space and scope that is nearly unparalleled. And yet. O’Toole is what draws us in with his mischief and his knowledge, with his riskiness and his empathy. Watch him throughout the film and he’s always a little hunched over, a little uncomfortable, a little on edge—tense and coiled and ready to burst forward toward the next thing. O’Toole nails the duality of Lawrence, his British elitism and his earthy anger, and that performance grounds Lean’s masterpiece.