Few actors or actresses from the history of American cinema can claim to have had careers quite as long as Eva Marie Saint's. She made her feature film debut in 1954, and can count herself among those who pulled off winning an Oscar for their first film performance. She worked steadily in the world of film and TV from that point onwards, only stepping away from acting entirely in 2021, at the ripe old age of 97.
The oldest living winner of an acting Oscar, 2024 marks 100 years since Saint's birth, and 70 years since her film debut, so it seems like a fitting and appropriate time to go over some of the careers of her acting career. The following only takes her film roles into account, with the most noteworthy movies of Eva Marie Saint's ranked below, starting with the pretty good and ending with the pair of stone-cold classics she appeared in.
10 'Superman Returns' (2006)
Director: Bryan Singer
No one’s going to argue that Superman isn’t one of history’s most important superheroes, both within the world of film and more broadly speaking… but at the same time, it’s unlikely many would argue Superman Returns represents the character at his best. It’s an interesting take on the superhero genre, attempting (and not always succeeding) to replicate the charm of the famed Christopher Reeve-starring original by going big and trying to wear its heart on its sleeve.
It's not as good as the 1978 film, even if it wants to scratch the same itch that one did, but it’s also not a total misfire, and it’s always nice to see a superhero movie try to do something different within a saturated genre. And Eva Marie Saint brings a level of class and warmth to the role of Ma Kent, one of Clark Kent/Superman’s adoptive parents (and funnily enough, Marlon Brando, who starred with Saint in her first film, “appears” here as Clark’s actual father, Jor-El, through the use of archival footage and special effects).
Superman Returns
- Release Date
- June 30, 2006
- Director
- Bryn Singer
- Cast
- Brandon Routh , Kevin Spacey , Kate Bosworth , James Marsden , Parker Posey , Frank Langella , Sam Huntington , Eva Marie Saint
- Runtime
- 154 Minutes
9 'The Sandpiper' (1965)
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Though Eva Marie Saint is third billed in The Sandpiper, this film seems like it exists primarily to showcase Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who had been married the year before the film’s release and were one of the most famous celebrity couples of the time (with this being one of many movies they starred in together). But the supporting cast shouldn’t be overlooked, because on top of Saint, Charles Bronson also shows up here somewhat surprisingly, and there are talented people behind the camera, too (like director Vincente Minnelli and famed co-writer Dalton Trumbo).
Saint plays the wife of Burton’s character, with much of The Sandpiper revolving around the affair he begins to have with a single mother (played by Taylor). It’s not a great romance/melodrama film, but it’s decently shot and definitely not bad for its time, being elevated somewhat, too, by the prestigious cast that was assembled for it.
8 'The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!' (1966)
Director: Norman Jewison
The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! certainly has an eye-catching title, and the premise is similarly enticing. It’s a farcical war movie about the people on a New England island getting swept into a frenzy after spotting a Soviet submarine that’s gotten stuck off the coast. It’s a similar premise to the comedy/war movie 1941, directed by Steven Spielberg, though that one was set during World War II (unsurprisingly, given the title).
As a comedy, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! doesn’t knock every gag out of the park by any means, but it should prove enjoyable for those who like their comedic films madcap and silly. Eva Marie Saint is paired well here with Carl Reiner (both in lead roles), but it’s arguably Alan Arkin as one of the Soviets forced to come to shore who steals the show.
7 'All Fall Down' (1962)
Director: John Frankenheimer
A fairly straightforward drama with a rather remarkable cast, All Fall Down starred Warren Beatty in one of his very first roles, with the likes of Eva Marie Saint, Angela Lansbury, and Karl Malden also appearing in the film. The latter two play the parents of Beatty’s rebellious protagonist, and the plot largely revolves around the anguish he causes them when he begins an affair with an older woman, played by Saint.
All Fall Down unfolds roughly how you’d expect a no-nonsense drama from the 1960s to play out, for better or worse, being packed with big performances and swings at similarly big emotions that sometimes land, and sometimes miss the mark a little. Still, it’s another film that can be appreciated for being quite good for its time, and the talented cast members all rise to the occasion and help elevate the occasionally stagey presentation/dialogue.
6 'Don’t Come Knocking' (2005)
Director: Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders is the sort of director who, when he hits, makes masterpieces, and when he doesn’t quite hit, the end results are still usually compelling and worth checking out nonetheless. Don’t Come Knocking falls into the latter category, as far as Wenders movies go, but it’s still better than its reputation might suggest. It’s also noteworthy for reuniting Wenders with writer Sam Shepard (who also stars here), who also co-wrote Wenders’ Paris, Texas (1984).
Don’t Come Knocking is an offbeat and visually eye-popping Western/drama, following a washed-up movie star searching for both himself and an estranged child he may or may not have had many years before. Eva Marie Saint shows up as the protagonist’s mother, and she’s joined by a pretty great supporting cast that also includes the likes of Jessica Lange, Tim Roth, and Sarah Polley.
5 'A Hatful of Rain' (1957)
Director: Fred Zinnemann
While it might’ve been eclipsed in intensity and credibility by subsequent films that have dealt with the topic of addiction, it’s still possible to appreciate A Hatful of Rain for its time. It’s about a Korean War veteran dealing with morphine addiction, tracking the way it impacts both his life and the lives of his family members, surely being quite surprising for viewers watching it all the way back in 1957.
It was one of Eva Marie Saint’s first movies, here playing the pregnant and conflicted wife of the main character, grounding the movie with a performance that’s naturally less explosive than that of Don Murray, who plays the protagonist. A Hatful of Rain was unsurprisingly adapted from a stage play (it really shows in the presentation), but it works well by the standards of a 1950s drama and does indeed feel uncompromising in the way it tackles the subject of drug addiction.
4 'Grand Prix' (1966)
Director: John Frankenheimer
A film with a similarly no-nonsense approach to depicting high-speed auto racing to 1971’s Le Mans, Grand Prix is unsurprisingly all about Formula 1 racing, playing out across nearly three hours and showcasing some truly impressive sequences. Time is split between four racers from four different backgrounds, spending time on both their professional and personal lives.
Those who are into the sport of Formula 1 racing will undeniably enjoy Grand Prix more than those who don’t (and that runtime may prove to be something of an endurance event in itself for those who aren’t crazy about racing), but the spectacle makes it a worthy sit. Also helping Grand Prix stay interesting is the eclectic ensemble cast assembled, as on top of Eva Marie Saint, it also stars James Garner, Yves Montand, Jessica Walter, and even Toshiro Mifune.
3 '36 Hours' (1964)
Director: George Seaton
36 Hours is an underrated and unusual war movie, benefiting from having a terrific thriller premise that’s undoubtedly intriguing right from the get-go. The film revolves around a U.S. major being kidnapped by Nazi forces in 1944, waking up in what appears to be an American hospital during what he’s told is 1950, and getting told that the war is over.
It’s all a ruse by German forces, though, who hope to obtain valuable information from the major by convincing him that he’s suffering from amnesia and needs to recall all he can, such information including details of the then-upcoming Normandy landings. 36 Hours is quite outlandish, but the film is entertaining and suspenseful, especially when the major (played by James Garner, who was also in Grand Prix) gains an ally in the form of a woman from a concentration camp (Eva Marie Saint) forced into the deception, with the two attempting to escape the entire situation together.
2 'North by Northwest' (1959)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
It’s never an easy task to select Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest film in a career filled with noteworthy ones, and it’s similarly difficult to even get down to a top five or top 10. But worthy of shortlist status is undeniably North by Northwest, an extremely entertaining adventure/thriller film that’s easily one of Hitchcock’s most enjoyable, and perhaps representative of him taking the “man on the run” premise he loved so much to its logical conclusion.
North by Northwest features Eva Marie Saint alongside Cary Grant, with the two having dynamite chemistry and Saint joining the long and distinguished lineage of iconic Hitchcock leading ladies (many of them blonde-haired). It’s the sort of movie that’s exciting and fast-paced enough that it would still be a great movie even without great actors at the center of it, with Grant and Saint ultimately working together to just make it that much better.
1 'On the Waterfront' (1954)
Director: Elia Kazan
While On the Waterfront isn’t quite the first great Marlon Brando movie, it was one that established him as being a star for the ages, earning him his first of two Oscars. Eva Marie Saint also exploded into the limelight here, given this was surprisingly her debut film performance, and she too went home an Oscar winner, getting Best Supporting Actress (the film itself won another six Oscars beyond Brando and Saint, including a win for Best Picture).
On the Waterfront is one of the greatest films of its decade, telling a gripping story about corruption and standing up for what one believes in, and showcasing such a narrative in a way that still feels gritty, realistic, and emotional. It’s staggering that the film is as old as it is and still works as well as it does, but it’s an undisputed classic for a reason, and, thanks to Brando and Saint (plus the rest of the supporting cast), it can also count itself as one of the very best-acted films of its era, without a doubt.
