Always an actress known for her distinguishable presence in films, Miles was a real wild card on screen. Her two nominations were both for two very different characters; her first was for Midnight Cowboy, playing a wily, scheming, loud, bitchy hooker named Cass. Her second nomination was for her quiet, underplayed role in Farewell, My Lovely where she memorably portrayed a lonely, wased up floozy. It's interesting to compare the two characters and see how Miles toned down all that energy and intensity to meet the needs of her character.
Miles' Jessie comes into play when Phillip Marlowe (a noir-ish private eye) comes to find that she has infromation and connections to find a certain person. Jessie is a woman who was once the showgirl all the men adored, and was once used to attention. Now, she is a boozy, bored, and desperate woman, however thanks to Marlowe's appearence on her doorstep she feels that lively joy and happiness that once made her who she was. Like a flower blooming, Miles conevys Jessie's growing enthusiasm of having someone finally come to see her and reminisce about the good 'ol days. In many ways the character is written as a flat, plot device whose sole purpose is to move the story forward; yet Miles plays the role with grace, subtlety, and stunning nuance. She creates a charcater with a fully interesting backstory/history with the tid bits she's given.
She shows Jessie's anxiousness towards Marlowe, and how he might be the key to something new, but never lays it on too strong. Jessie could have been a loud, broad caricature who we feel nothing for, yet Miles humanizes the character with flashes of longing and desperation, while effectively underplaying Jessie's antsy intentions and desires.
It's excellent supportive work that remains enduring and engaging and is certainly a deserved nomination, indeed.
- T H R E E H E A R T S -
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