I find myself at something of a loss for anything to say about this performance. The character of Mrs. Pell -- she's never given a first name -- isn't very well written; she's little more than a symbol. Mrs. Pell represents that first group of white southerners who found the strength and the decency to throw off their upbringing, to do the right thing simply because it was the right thing. None of her scenes are particularly challenging, and there are dozens of actresses who could play the part perfectly well.
McDormand works hard against the limitations of her predictable dialogue (which includes a particularly clunky version of the "you've got to be carefully taught" speech) and gives the character some depth through her physical choices. It's a character built out of small gestures and facial expressions -- a comforting hand on a black man's arm; a face that lights up at a small bouquet and a little flattery, and the way she keeps playing with those flowers; an exhausted slump when she returns home with the groceries.
It's a skillful piece of work, and a testament to the ability of a good actor to make something out of almost nothing, but the role itself is so dull and unsubtle (so it fits right in with the rest of the movie, which has not aged well) that even in the hands of a fine actress like McDormand, there just isn't much there.
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