One of her greatest vocal performances, as well as one of her best acting performances, period. Every gesture here slices through the surface like a laser, letting us in on what it is like for her. It is powerful, primal, uninhibited emotionally, and yet with total control over her vocal instrument. This is what genius looks like.
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Ha, I posted this when I got home from work on FB. And then I scroll down to see you’ve posted it first, and with lovely commentary to boot. I adore this song, and this performance of it especially.
You know, Jessica, I’ve seen this clip so many times and her gestures still never fail to clutch at my heart.
Same here, she’s so raw and open I almost want to look away. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a performer of my generation, even ones I like very much, be that brave.
I also love how even with how big the performance gets – she, the actress, never forgets the circumstance: it’s a late-night rehearsal/jam session. It’s not opening night, it’s not Carnegie Hall. Her movements as she walks are casual, she interacts with the musicians, she smiles at her friends … Garland was so good (intuitively) with what actors call “the given circumstances”. And she was good as a child, too. Her moment looking at the hourglass in Wizard of Oz is one of the greatest acting moments of the 20th century – and it’s all about her full belief in her given circumstances.