Editing Luise Rainer (section)

===''The Great Ziegfeld'' (1936)===
{{multiple image
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  |image1    = Rainer Ziegfeld.jpg
  |caption1  = Rainer as Anna Held in ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'' (1936)
  |image2    = The-Great-Ziegfeld-1.jpg
  |caption2  = Anna Held (Rainer) exhibits her jewels to the envious Audrey Dane ([[Virginia Bruce]], seated) in ''The Great Ziegfeld''
}}
Rainer's next performance was as the real-life character [[Anna Held]] in the musical biography ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'', again co-starring William Powell.<ref>"Luise Rainer Will Portray Anna Held", ''[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]'', 30 August 1935, p. 4</ref> Powell, impressed by Rainer's acting skill, had given her equal billing in ''Escapade''.<ref name="lacrosse" />

According to Higham, [[Irving Thalberg]] felt that only Rainer, of all the studio's stars, could play the part as he saw it. But Rainer recalled that studio head Mayer did not want her playing the part, seeing it as too small: "You are a star now and can't do it," he insisted.<ref name="Osborne" />{{rp|13}} Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's ability to pull off the role emerged in the press.<ref name="eyes">"Tantalizing Eyes Chief Appeal of Beautiful Luise Rainer" by Dan Thomas, ''[[Pittsburgh Press]]'', 28 October 1935, p. 14</ref> She was criticized for not resembling the Polish-born stage performer.<ref name="eyes" /> The director admitted that the main reason Rainer was cast was her eyes, claiming that they "are just as large, just as lustrous, and contain the same tantalizing quality of pseudo naughtiness" the part required.<ref name="eyes" />

As Thalberg expected, she successfully expressed the "coquettishness, wide-eyed charm, and vulnerability" required.<ref name="Higham" /> Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene," wrote biographer Charles Affron, that she received the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]].<ref name="Affron" /> In one scene, for example, her character is speaking to her ex-husband [[Florenz Ziegfeld]] over the telephone, attempting to congratulate him on his new marriage: "The camera records her agitation; Ziegfeld hears a voice that hovers between false gaiety and despair; when she hangs up she dissolves into tears."<ref name="Affron" /><ref>video clip: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJEpszcDyqQ ''The Great Ziegfeld'' telephone scene]</ref>

Powell, having worked with her in two films, gave his impressions of her acting style and quality:

<blockquote>She is one of the most natural persons I have ever known. Moreover, she is generous, patient and possesses a magnificent sense of humor. She is an extremely sensitive organism and has a great comprehension of human nature. She has judgment and an abiding understanding which make it possible for her to portray human emotion poignantly and truly. Definitely a creative artist, she comprehends life and its significance. Everything she does has been subjected to painstaking analysis. She thinks over every shade of emotion to make it ring true. In Europe she is a great stage star. She deserves to be a star. Unmistakably she has all the qualities.<ref name="dietz" /></blockquote>

On the evening of the [[Academy Award]] ceremonies, Rainer remained at home, not expecting to win. When Mayer learned she had won, he sent MGM publicity head [[Howard Strickling]] racing to her home to get her. When she finally arrived, master of ceremonies [[George Jessel (actor)|George Jessel]], during the commotion, made the mistake of introducing Rainer, which [[Bette Davis]] had been scheduled to do.<ref name="Higham" /> She was also awarded the [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|New York Film Critics' Award]] for the role.