Sunday 20 July 2014

Alternate Best Actor 1942: Results

5. Tim Holt in The Magnificent Ambersons -  Holt's character is an unlikable boring brat, and Holt in no way makes him compelling in any of that.

Best Scene: Fanny's revelation... I guess.
4. Noel Coward in In Which We Serve - Coward obviously had a very specific purpose for his film and his performance which is to give a passionate message for World War II. Well he accomplishes that well leaving other elements of his performance a bit simple.

Best Scene: The Captain delivers a speech to his troops.
3. Alan Ladd in This Gun For Hire - Ladd his the right notes in his portrayal of a brutal assassin, but just never quite seems to go the extra distance with his performance.

Best Scene:  Raven talks about his past.
2. Joel McCrea in The Palm Beach Story - McCrea gets kinda the short end of the stick in terms of screen time but he still gives an enjoyable portrayal of a husband exasperated by his wife's odd behavior.

Best Scene: Tom hears about his "sister's" idea.
1. Pierre Fresnay in The Murderer Lives At Number 21- Easily my favorite out of these five. Fresnay as is a great charmer here giving a highly entertaining portrayal that makes his film one enjoyable mystery to watch.

Best Scene: Inspector Wens stalls the killer.
Overall Rank:
  1. Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca
  2. Pierre Fresnay in The Murderer Lives At Number 21
  3. Chishū Ryū in There Was A Father
  4. James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy
  5. Monty Woolley in The Pied Piper
  6. Ronald Colman in Random Harvest
  7. Joel McCrea in The Palm Beach Story
  8. Erroll Flynn in Gentleman Jim
  9. Monty Woolley in The Man Who Came to Dinner 
  10. James Mason in The Night Has Eyes
  11. Leslie Howard in The First of Few
  12. Ronald Colman in The Talk of the Town
  13. Spencer Tracy in Woman of the Year
  14. George Sanders in The Moon and Sixpence
  15. Ronald Reagan in Kings Row 
  16. Alan Ladd in This Gun For Hire
  17. Robert Cummings in Saboteur  
  18. Edward G. Robinson in Larceny, Inc. 
  19. Michael Redgrave in Thunder Rock
  20. Edward Arnold in Eyes in the Night
  21. Jack Benny in To Be or Not To Be 
  22. Fredric March in I Married A Witch
  23. Cary Grant in The Talk of the Town
  24. Ray Milland in The Major and the Minor 
  25. Herbert Marshall in The Moon and Sixpence
  26. Jean Gabin in Moontide
  27. Bob Hope in Road to Morocco  
  28. Tyrone Power in This Above All   
  29. Robert Cummings in Kings Row
  30. Noel Coward in In Which We Serve 
  31. John Mills in In Which We Serve  
  32. Alan Ladd in The Glass Key
  33. Fred Astaire in Holiday Inn 
  34. Walter Pidgeon in Mrs. Miniver
  35. Tyrone Power in The Black Swan
  36. Gary Cooper in The Pride of the Yankees
  37. Bing Crosby in Holiday Inn
  38. Bing Crosby in Road to Morocco
  39. Tim Holt in The Magnificent Ambersons
  40. Spencer Tracy in Tortilla Flat
  41. John Garfield in Tortilla Flat
Next Year: 1942 Supporting

44 comments:

Michael McCarthy said...

I'm guessing 1942 supporting won't be a standard 5 person review, judging by the strength of the year so far...it's fine though, no one deserves to beat Van Heflin anyway.

GM said...

Very Surprising that Bogart has a second win!

Suggestions:
Stanley Ridges - To be or not to be
Robert Preston - This Gun for Hire
Thomas Mitchell - Moontide

Michael Patison said...

For Supporting:
Joseph Cotten in The Magnificent Ambersons
Roddy McDowall in The Pied Piper
Claude Rains in Now, Voyager

I'm predicting a mini-review as well.

GM said...

Also can I have your rating and thoughts on Joan Fontaine in This above all??

Anonymous said...

Who's your pick for Best Actress? Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca), Bette Davis (Now, Voyager) or Greer Garson (Mrs. Miniver)? By the way, great reviews and I 100% agree about your review on Holt (he's fine but nothing special and very overshadowed by Moorehead, I guess I should rewatch Cotten as he didn't impressed me all that much either, even if he was good as always)

Anonymous said...

As for suggestions:
-Richard Ney in Mrs. Miniver
-Joseph Cotten in The Magnificent Ambersons
-Claude Rains in Now, Voyager
-Walter Brennan in The Pride of the Yankees
(didn't love Brennan or Cotten but they were good, Ney was dull and Henried was unremarkable)

Anonymous said...

In the comment above I was talking about Paul Henried in Casablanca, I forgot to add him to the predictions (I haven't seen Rains yet)

Anonymous said...

Louis, you once wrote your Top 10s for Best Leading Male Performances and Supporting ones, can you also give us your top 10s for Best Leading Female Performances and Supporting Female Performances you've seen? And who would you say is your favorite actress?

RatedRStar said...

Claude Rains - Now Voyager
Marcell Herrand - Les Visiteurs du soir
Roddy Mcdowall - The Pied Piper
Joseph Cotten - The Magnificent Ambersons
Thomas Mitchell - Moontide

RatedRStar said...

@Michael McCarthy: umm excuse me did you say what I think you just said lol haha =D.

GM said...

Isn't Johnny Eager a 1941 film?

Anonymous said...

Louis, can I have your ratings and thoughts on:
-Nancy Olson in Sunset Boulevard
-Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity
-Angela Lansbury in Gaslight

Luke Higham said...

Claude Rains - Now Voyager
Marcell Herrand - Les Visiteurs du soir
Roddy Mcdowall - The Pied Piper
Joseph Cotten - The Magnificent Ambersons
Thomas Mitchell - Moontide

Michael McCarthy said...

Haha don't worry Daniel I'm not knocking Claude Rains, I'd never do that. I'm really just a big fan of Heflin's performance in Johnny Eager.

Anonymous said...

Thoughts and ratings on the cast of Gosford Park? (Not all of them lol that'd be way too much, just the ones you found notably good/bad although I would like to see what you thought of Richard E Grant who I felt stole the show)

Anonymous said...

But wait... Casablanca and Mrs. Miniver won Best Picture in adjacent years, they didn't come out in the same year!

Michael McCarthy said...

@Connor It technically did come out in 1942, but in limited release. Back then the academy judged movies by the date of their national release.

RatedRStar said...

@Michael McCarthy: Haha I know lol, Heflin will probably win =D, in fact he will unless there is a major surprise but I don't expect there to be.

Louis Morgan said...

GM: Fontaine - 4.5(Fontaine has a great presence as always with along such an effortless charm. It's extremely easy to follow through even a somewhat standard romantic melodrama as this since Fontaine brings such a honesty to her part)

And yes Johnny Eager is a 1941 film by my rules so the supporting race is now wide open.

Anonymous: Bergman, although Fontaine would be her biggest competition for me.

Anonymous:

Lead:

1. Vivien Leigh - Gone With The Wind
2. Naomi Watts - Mulholland Drive
3. Vivien Leigh - A Streetcar Named Desire
4. Sissy Spacek - Badlands
5. Charlize Theron - Monster
6. Joan Fontaine - Rebecca
7. Sigourney Weaver - Alien 3
8. Kathy Bates - Misery
9. Gloria Swanson - Sunset Boulevard
10. Faye Dunaway - Chinatown

Supporting:

1. Kathleen Byron - Black Narcissus
2. Cloris Leachman - The Last Picture Show
3. Nastassja Kinski - Paris, Texas
4. Isabella Rossellini - Blue Velvet
5. Veronica Cartwright - Alien
6. Madeline Kahn - Clue
7. Angela Lansbury - The Manchurian Candidate
8. Judith Anderson - Rebecca
9. Kim Hunter - A Streetcar Named Desire
10. Isuzu Yamada - Throne of Blood

Anonymous:

Nancy Olson - 2.5(She's a bit out of her element next to Holden, Stroheim and especially Swanson. Although that is the point and really she just needs to be something sunny in the dark world of the film. She's okay but not great at that. Not bad but really one of the most forgettable elements of a very memorable film)

Donna Reed - 3(I never thought she managed to make me believe she was a prostitute as there was nothing in her performance to suggest her history. Still in being the emotionally supportive love interest to Clift she does just fine)

Angela Lansbury - 3(She's plays her part with enough of a skeevy quality to standout, but I can't say she ever overcomes the fact that there just is not a lot to her character)

Anonymous:

To be honest I'm not really that much of a fan of the film. I did not actively dislike it in anyway, but one of my problems is that I kinda felt the ensemble faded together for the most aside from a few examples. Kelly Macdonald since she's almost the lead, Clive Owen due to the mystery, Maggie Smith since she was doing what has become her standard shtick and I guess Ryan Phillipe because of the twist involving her character. I did not even really notice Helen Mirren until her breakdown scene at the end. My favorite I suppose was Macdonald followed by Owen, but I still did not love them.

Connor Olsen: I go by the first public release no matter what so they are in the same year for me.




And RIP James Garner.

RatedRStar said...

RIP James Garner

Robert MacFarlane said...

RIP James Garner. The original badass.

Anonymous said...

RIP James Garner
Your Top 10s are very interesting! My favorite would probably be Vivien Leigh for Streetcar and for supporting I guess Nastassja Kinski or Sandy Dennis in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (I know you don't like her) or Ronee Blakley in Nashville. I'm surprised by Kathleen Byron being your first - she's great in Black Narcissus and deserving of a 5 but I'm not sure if she makes my Top 10 actually. Who would you say is your favorite actress? And why Judith Anderson is in the supporting top 10 while Jane Darwell, who you said is your pick for that year, is not?

Luke Higham said...

R.I.P. James Garner

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous: My favorite is Sissy Spacek.

Darwell was accidental as I made the list by putting my fives together by year and cutting down the list. I cut Darwell instead of Anderson accidentally. I should have double checked.

RatedRStar said...

Louis can I change one my winning requests.

mcofra7 said...

RIP James Garner

Louis Morgan said...

RatedRStar: Yes.

JackiBoyz said...

Let me guess you are gonna pick a James Garner performance which would be cool since he could have been on 1963 review list, also, what are your winner requests RatedRStar, aren't they all Hong Kong performances?.

GM said...

I pretty much prefer Fontaine to Bergman for 1942.

JackiBoyz said...

It would be nice to see a Garner performance reviewed eventually, since I always think the blog is often a remembrance to actors who didn't get the credit they deserved or actors who overachieved.

Anonymous said...

Sissy Spacek is indeed a wonderful actress (you must see Carrie, she's great in it). By the way, since she is your first (rather deservingly), can I have your thoughts on Byron?

RatedRStar said...

OMG I cant be bovered listing them Jack lol haha ill just say I have 8 winning requests currently, 1 from the 40s, 2 from the 90s,3 from the 2000s and 2 that are special requests.


My new winning request Louis is.......James Garner - Hour Of The Gun (Alternate Best Actor 1967) and you can get rid of Tony Leung Ka Fai for Dumplings.

mcofra7 said...

Suggestion:
Richard Attenborough-In Which We Serve (never seen the film, probably doesn't make much of an impact)

RatedRStar said...

Richard Attenborough always makes an impact lol =D, if he was a picture on a wall it would have presence =D.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Can you update your '88 lead changes to your my nominations page, with Bruce Willis in Die Hard (#10) , Robert De Niro in Midnight Run (#9) & eliminating Forest Whitaker, who will return to the post eventually with his performance in The Last King of Scotland.

mcofra7 said...

RatedRStar: You're probably right

Mark said...

Louis, I know you said you wouldn't a list of every performance you've reviewed (since that would likely drive you insane), but would you consider doing a Top 100 or 500 in each category after finishing all your alternate reviews?

Anonymous said...

Thoughts/Ratings on Donna Reed in It's a Wonderful Life? I always thought she was, well, wonderful in that, and I haven't liked her much in anything else, FHTE included.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the Anonymous above about Reed in It's a Wonderful Life, she was great. I also agree with him about her in FHTE, were I thought she was quite inconsistent.

Anonymous said...

Louis, can I have your ratings and thoughts on Beverly D'Angelo in Coal Miner's Daughter?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Are you willing to write bonus reviews for 2014 Alternate Lead if requested, since for the last two years, the performances you chose to review are the 5 best that weren't nominated.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous: Byron - (I'm not actually a huge fan of the film as a whole as I found it quite inconsistent with many of the subplots being a bit boring. The reason for that inconsistency partially is how strong the story of Sister Ruth was, and great deal of credit for that does need go to Byron. Bryon gives a stunning portrayal of the slow decay of her character. From the beginning with the subtle withdrawn madness, and builds it exquisitely as Ruth's desires become known. When the madness seems to fully come its particularly fascinating because Byron does not simply make it chilling. It's certainly that, but something even more memorable in the way there is something so alluring about the way Byron illustrates Ruth's descent. It's fantastic performance, and I have no hesitations in calling my favorite supporting actress performance all time)

Mark: Unfortunately that may still may brain to explode. Nevertheless I am planning on something somewhat similar after I am done with the years.

Anonymous:

Reed - 4.5(I have not really liked her all that much anywhere else but I find her performance completely winning this film. She has such great and genuine chemistry with Stewart. She brings the right charm to the part, but like Stewart's performance she too effectively shows that the story isn't really fairy tale in many ways. The Baileys' life is not perfect and Reed honestly shows this imperfection particularly in the later scenes of the film)

Anonymous:

D'Angelo - 4.5(There was far too little of her here I felt, as I really liked what she did with the part. She brought such a likable charm in every scene she was in yet along with always conveying the considerable pain the character seemed to be going through. Most importantly she created a very moving and believable friendship with Space)

Luke:

I suppose I would be willing to if for some reason it's needed.

Anonymous said...

What are your ratings and thoughts on Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny and In the Bedroom?

Louis Morgan said...

I've given my thoughts on Vinny before.

The Bedroom - 4(Although her accent's slightly distracting she's rather effective in showing her character's weak willed state and is quite moving after the tragedy occurs. I do feel her impact is slightly diminished though as the film just kinda suddenly drops her as a character)