Saturday 28 February 2015

Alternate Best Actor 1956: John Wayne in The Searchers

John Wayne did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Ethan Edwards in The Searchers.

The Searchers tells the story of two men in the old west trying to track down their loved ones after kidnapping by a native American tribe. The Searchers has some impressive sequences but is certainly rather inconsistent and often problematic. There are many dated elements, and not at all in a good way, such as the particularly corny romantic scenes, the attempts at comedy that don't involve Ward Bond and the atrocious performance by Hank Worden as the wacky daffy Mose Harper.

One facet of the film that is always above these inconsistencies is the character of Ethan Edwards played by John Wayne. Obviously Wayne is no stranger in the western particularly not ones directed by John Ford, but Ethan is very much against Wayne's usual type. Wayne in the various westerns would play the likable hero who usually is a bit more sensible than anyone else in the story. His character would usually be quite similar in the films but that's not the case here. Ethan Edwards initial arrival seems to indicate this as it's a bit colder than the standard way in which Wayne usually rides up in the opening of the film. There's not that big welcoming smile or that usually friendly demeanor found to the usual characters played by Wayne. Wayne carries himself from the beginning with a far colder demeanor than usual showing from just his somber way of riding up that Ethan's life has not been a good one. There is just the most minor bit of Wayne's more common persona in simply the kinder attitude he presents in Ethan in the way he treats his brother's children, but Wayne only really shows this to be more of courtesy towards children than anything else.

In addition to that there is something that Wayne does especially well early in the film which is convey the relationship between Ethan and his brother's wife. Wayne specifically shows that the way he interacts with her is far more than the usual kindness between a man and his sister-in-law. Wayne is terrific as he gives the distance of the troubled past while still an obvious desire for her. It is made known that they obviously had an affair at one time, which is never stated out loud even once in the film itself. Wayne does great work by establishing that past relationship, which explains some of Ethan's distant relationship with his brother and some of his later motivation. Wayne does much with little early on as he creates the rawness of Ethan personality who still refuses to admit surrender in the Civil War and has clearly been robbing banks just before he arrived to his brother's home. Ethan's has had a rough life and that is worn by Wayne incredibly well. His life has not been the adventures of the usual character played by Wayne who still seems to have love of life even in bad situation, Wayne is quite effective as he seems to create Ethan as a man who seems like he might hate life.

Eventually the Comanche tribe seems to have attacked some cattle which leaves Ethan and his adopted nephew Martin (Jeffrey Hunter) to join a posse to track them down while the rest of the family stays home. It turns out though that the Comanches only created a diversion to attack Ethan's family. Wayne has one particularly memorable moment when much of the posse goes to protect another potential target while that leaves Martin and Ethan to rush make the long way back to the Edwards's home. As Martin rushes off in the heroic fashion more fitting of probably the normal heroic Wayne type character Ethan rejects the idea. Wayne is brutally hard boiled in his delivery of Ethan's harsh wisdom as he states that their horses need rest and it is impossible to make the journey in time. Wayne does not hold back in portraying the cruel reality in Ethan as he basically says that he won't be the hero since there is absolutely no way in which to be one. Wayne though is very moving though as in the moment, unseen by anyone else and in complete silence, Wayne does express the reserved heartbreak in Ethan. In his eyes you see that Ethan knows that his family is doomed, but also knows that there is nothing that he can do about it.

The family is indeed massacred although it appears that Ethan's two nieces have survived and been taken by the tribe leaving the posse to take after them. Wayne is amazing in these scenes as he begins to reveal just how Ethan has been shaped by his interactions with the Comanche which likely started when they murdered his mother. Wayne does something particularly unique, for the time in particular, which is that he does portray Ethan quite bluntly, and I would say intentionally so, as a racist. Of course Ethan is given allowance for his feelings towards the Comanche, as revenge is often a good motivator for a hero, and that is usually considered acceptable. Wayne actually rejects this route because it is not the stoic type of hatred usually associated with that sort of character. Wayne makes it much more extreme, an absolutely searing thing which is a constant in Ethan towards the Comanche. Wayne does not make it a pretty hate no not all one. One scene exemplifies it the best where they find one of the dead Comanche raiders buried and Ethan goes about shooting out the corpse's eyes which the Comanche believe are needed to enter the afterlife. Wayne is amazing in the moment portraying a sadism in this, his hate is about more than revenge, he hates the people seemingly as notion.

What makes much of Wayne's performance so effective is that he never is the simple revenge seeking hero. He's really a mess of a man in all honesty and Wayne is convincing in creating the damaged mindset of Ethan as the story unfolds. One element so fascinating about his performance is that he never really shows an exact grief in Ethan. In the scene where Ethan has found that one of the nieces was in fact murdered, and probably worse. Wayne does not react with sadness but instead as almost a contained madness as Ethan mimes the burial and just another thing seems to snap in Ethan as he clearly thinking about another thing that he has lost to the Comanche. Wayne shows him to be a man, who's lost so much, that he's perhaps he's given up on grief leaving everything else but fuel to encourage his vendetta. Wayne carries himself with the needed intensity to convey just how much hate really is in Ethan's heart. One of his best scenes is when he comes face to face with the war chief Scar (Henry Brandon). It's a great moment as both men stare daggers into each other and we see the two men meet who have both been created in a way by each other, or at least men like them. I would actually say that the film would have benefited greatly if it developed the dynamic even more between Ethan and Scar.

That is sort of obvious though since all of the moments of the film that could be described as masterful involve Ethan, unfortunately the film takes its detours away from its compelling protagonist and leading performance. The detours are not good, although they don't harm Wayne. For one thing often he's just kinda to the side in these scenes, and when he is forced to interact he treads carefully enough to avoid being tarnished by them. The film does force him to be away from his darker side in moment but Wayne never forgets that side importantly. Actually some of his more memorable scenes are when Ethan gets slightly poetic. Wayne though makes Ethan's "That'll Be The Day", or "We'll find 'em. Just as sure as the turnin' of the earth.". Wayne makes sense of this, and delivers them quite brilliantly as coming technically from that same narrow view of Ethan. Wayne develops this in an outstanding fashion suggesting that Ethan is almost nothing without his violent intention. He succeeds in making the film's marvelous final shot honestly poignant as Ethan is left alone no longer with the purpose of the search or even revenge, left to drift since there is no place for him in decent society. Wayne creates a unforgettable subversion of his usual screen persona here giving a powerful portrait of a man truly created by the harshness of the west.

81 comments:

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm okay with Wayne getting this score. I agree the film has many issues, but he is not one of them. Actually, I have even more issues with the film, though admittedly my complaints are anachronistic to it.

Michael McCarthy said...

A very strong review, but not so strong that I think he'll definitely beat out Mason...

Michael Patison said...

Repost from last comments.
Who would y'all nominate for Picture, Actor, and Supporting Actor in 1959? It got me wondering when Luke asked Daniel about it earlier.

GM said...

BP
The 400-Blows
North by Northwest*
Rio Bravo
Room at the Top
Some Like It Hot

BA
Cary Grant (North By Northwest)
Laurence Harvey (Room at the Top)*
Soumitra Chatterjee (The World of Apu)
James Stewart (Anatomy of a Murder)
Dean Stockwell (Compulsion)

BSA
Stephen Boyd (Ben-Hur)
George C. Scott (Anatomy of a Murder)*
James Mason (North By Northwest)
Orson Welles (Compulsion)
Joseph Schildkraut (The Diary of Anne Frank)

Michael McCarthy said...

Picture:
North by Northwest
The 400 Blows
Anatomy of a Murder
Ben-Hur
Some Like it Hot

Actor:
Cary Grant (North by Northwest)
Alec Guinness (The Scapegoat)
Jean-Pierre Leaud (The 400 Blows)
James Stewart (Anatomy of a Murder)
Tony Curtis (Some Like it Hot)

Supporting Actor:
Stephen Boyd (Ben-Hur)
Albert Remy (The 400 Blows)
James Mason (North by Northwest)
George C. Scott (Anatomy of a Murder)
Martin Landau (North by Northwest)

Anonymous said...

@Michael: I'm sorry I haven't seen many movies from 1959 (only Anatomy of a Murder, Room at The Top, The Nun's Story and aSome Like It Hot)
@Louis: I've only seen the beginning of the movie and I thought it was dreadfully boring... I also don't like John Wayne very much, he's fine in doing his routine but he's never been a versatile actor.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

Best Picture
North By Northwest
Ben-Hur
Anatomy of a Murder
Our Man in Havana
Diary of Anne Frank

Best Actor
Cary Grant in North by Northwest
James Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder
Peter Cushing in Hound of Baskervilles
Jean-Pierre Leaud in The 400 Blows
Laurence Harvey in Room at the Top

Best Supporting Actor
Stephen Boyd in Ben-Hur
James Mason in North by Northwest
Noel Coward in Our Man in Havana
Joseph Schildkraut in Diary of Anne Frank
George C. Scott in Anatomy of a Murder

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

The Nun's Story just missed out on Best Picture for me. And Finch should be in one of these categories I'm just not sure whether lead or supporting. For the timebeing I'll slot him in supporting, in Coward's place.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

Also thoughts and ratings for the rest of the cast

Anonymous said...

Audrey Hepburn gives one of my favourite performances ever in The Nun's Story.

RatedRStar said...

Even though I did Supporting Actor I will rank them again and I will do picture and actor.

Best Actor
James Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder (Winner)
Laurence Harvey in Room at the Top
Cary Grant in North By Northwest
Jean-Pierre Leaud in The 400 Blows
Richard Burton in Look Back In Anger

Best Picture
North By Northwest (Winner)
Anatomy Of A Murder
Room At The Top
The Diary Of Anne Frank
The 400 Blows

Best Supporting Actor
Stephen Boyd in Ben Hur (Winner)
Joseph Schildkraut in The Diary Of Anne Frank
James Mason in North By Northwest
George.C Scott in Anatomy Of A Murder
Laurence Olivier in The Devils Disciple

RatedRStar said...

I think it will be a tie, no not between Mason and Wayne, but between Mason and Douglas, which I think would be fair on both men since whoever loses, loses everything.

RatedRStar said...

I am quite stunned that Kirk Douglas has only recieved 3 oscar nominations.

GM said...

Has anyone here seen A Touch of Larceny? Quite curious about Mason performance.

Robert MacFarlane said...

On the topic of 1959, does anyone else have Claire Maurier in The 400 Blows for Supporting Actress? Because I find that to be a supremely underrated performance.

Luke Higham said...

Please Be MASON, Please Be MASON, Please Be MASON.

RatedRStar: Have you seen any releases, since the beginning of the year.

RatedRStar said...

@Koook160: Yes, I would have her there, but only on the basis that Best Supporting Actress 1959 is crap so she would be a lock lol =D

@Luke: Yes I have, plenty, but none of them are new films, many have been films that Louis has recently been covering.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

@Kook160: Yep, I thought she was actually close to being amazing in her final scene.

Anyone here seem Compulsion (1959), I just watched it and it's rather brilliant, wondering whether I should request Welles or Stockwell, don't worry Luke I'll still request Bale with my next request!

Luke Higham said...

GDSAO: Just pick, who you liked best, I don't think anyone else has been requested for that year anyway.
Louis should be, reviewing Boyd, Schildkraut, Mason (Locks) and Olivier for 4 of the 5 slots.

RatedRStar said...

I have not yet seen Compulsion yet, although I did recently watch Orson Welles in Chimes At Midnight.

I think if the cast of Compulsion aren't reviewed for 1959 alternate, they can always be reviewed for the bonus years, which is great, thats why if an actor misses out in the alternate and hasnt been seen my Louis, that means they will have an even greater chance of getting in next time.

RatedRStar said...

My only problem with when I see Compulsion is that it looks very similar to Rope (1948), I get the feeling that the two homosexual killers are going to be exactly the same as the two in Rope (1948) and that was one of the weakest elements of that film, in that they were both charisma-less vacuums.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Can I have your Actress/Supporting Actress Top 5s for 1956 with ratings included.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Since 69 is coming up fairly soon, Can I have your rating & thoughts on Michael Caine in The Italian Job, although I know for sure, he's not a 5 in your book, he's a strong 4.5 in my opinion.

Luke Higham said...

GDSAO: Actually, you probably should request Stockwell, since he's lead after all and apart from the 4 Michael McCarthy had in his top 5, there's no one else I'd really recommend. I got a bit confused and thought Stockwell was supporting.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

@RatedRStar: Funny you should mention Rope, the two films do have similarities in that they have a domineering supporting character who acts as a strange subversion of the wise mentor role (Stewart and Welles), I would say Rope is the better directed film (I should mention I seem to like it much more than everyone else on here), but the acting in Compulsion is miles better, well actually Welles and Stewart are on similar levels but Stockwell is basically Farley Granger with a character arc, and he puts his boyish good looks to a very interesting deconstruction of the typical weak-willed murderer.

@Luke: I've always loved Duvall in To Kill A Mockingbird and also curious to know how Louis will cover a performance like that, completely silent and minimalistic to the extreme. So I'll save Duvall for now. But I'll request Stockwell after Bale in Rescue Dawn if it comes to that.

What are people going to request for bonus rounds? Myself:

Donald Sutherland in Don't Look Now
Trevor Howard in The Heart of the Matter
Ralph Richardson in Long Day's Journey Into Night
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 50/50

Luke Higham said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Luke Higham said...

GDSAO: I'll give you some of mine
Mads Mikkelsen in Valhalla Rising - 2010
Edward Woodward in The Wicker Man - 1973
Donald Sutherland in Don't Look Now - 1973
Peter Mullan in Tyrannosaur - 2011
Christian Bale in The Machinist - 2004
Jon Finch in Macbeth - 1971
Oliver Reed in The Devils - 1971
Ian McKellen in Richard III - 1995(In case Louis, doesn't see the film for the initial ranking)

Luke Higham said...

GDSAO: And Ray Winstone in Nil By Mouth - 1997

Luke Higham said...

GDSAO: And Finally, Malcolm McDowell in If... - 1968

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

@Luke: Woop, good shout for Bale in The Machinist (which I haven't seen but by all accounts is apprently one of his greatest performances), Woodward (I'm sure Louis will love him) and McKellen. All pretty intense performances, I think I might consider requesting a nice little comedic performance in the near future, perhaps a lighthearted James Stewart early role :D

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

Have you seen Tyrannosaur Luke, and if you have what did you think of Olivia Colman because I thought she was great.

Luke Higham said...

Lastly, if I really wanted to, I'd request McDowell in Caligula, just for Louis's reaction to the film alone.

Luke Higham said...

GDSAO: I thought she was terrific and is probably my win for 2011 and I'm a fan of Tilda Swinton's performance as well in WNTTAK, Hell I'd give both Mullan and Colman 5s for Tyrannosaur.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

@Luke: I completely agree on all points you've just made, although I'd probably give Swinton the win, ever so slightly. What are some of your ratings for the films you just mentioned/you've watched if you don't mind, I've seen some of them so we can trade haha

The Wicker Man
Woodward 5
Lee 4
Cowper 3.5
Ekland 3.5
Pitt 3.5
Cilento 4.5

Don't Look Now
Sutherland 5
Christie 5 (her 2nd best performance in my opinion)

Tyrannosaur
Mullan 5
Colman 5
Marsan 3.5 (his performance never really reached the heights I felt it could've, but that's just my opinion)

Richard III
McKellen 5
Downey Jr. 2.5
Bening 3
Broadbent 3
Smith 4
Scott Thomas 3.5

RatedRStar said...

@Donald: Oh lots and lots of requests I have for the bonus rounds =D, the moment Louis decides how the years are going to be counted, I will instantly start work on another Excel Spreadsheet covering each year with 5 performances so that there will always be 5 nominees available.

@Luke: You are correct on Caine;

Caine (4.5) Basically a lighter Alfie, Caine is on top form and filled with great charisma, he handles every one liner with wit and a certain bang so that it easily shows why they are so iconic, I particularly love his final reaction as his over confidence nearly ruins the plan.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

@RatedRStar: Bonus rounds sound exciting, you know what I think I'll prioritise with my requests now films Louis has seen like Duvall in To Kill a Mockingbird and (if I win another request before 2007), Bale in Rescue Dawn.

I'll leave odd choices which Louis definitely hasn't seen like Compulsion, The Man Who Fell to Earth (I think it would be cool to have Bowie reviewed at some point), Don't Look Now, The Wicker Man, Long Day's Journey into Night etc. for bonus round requests. Thanks for the advice RatedRStar and Luke

Luke Higham said...

GDSAO: I'll give my ratings, just for the main performances, since I'll need to refresh my memory in future.
Valhalla Rising
Mikkelsen - 5
The Machinist
Bale - 5
The Wicker Man
Woodward - 5
Lee - 4 (although leaning to a 4.5)
Cilento - 4
Don't Look Now
Sutherland - 5
Christie - 5
Macbeth
Finch - 4.5 (leaning towards a 5)
Annis - 4.5
The Devils
Reed - 5
Redgrave - 5
Richard III
McKellen - 5
Nil By Mouth
Winstone - 5
Burke - 4.5 (leaning towards a 5)
If...
McDowell - 4.5 (leaning towards a 5)
Caligula
McDowell - 4 (leaning towards a 4.5)
Hate the film, but I liked his performance nevertheless.

And Chelsea are League Cup Winners, Hallelujah.

GM said...

I have just one request, but Charles Laughton in Sidewalks of London seems the right choice by now. What a performance!

RatedRStar said...

Another reason I am excited about the bonus reviews is that, I am hoping to get my own back against Louis lol for a certain review that he once gave haha =D and I know exactly what performance that is, I am not gonna say what performance that is but ohh ull see lol =D hehe.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: It's Gerard Depardieu in Cyrano De Bergerac isn't it.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Your thoughts on the league cup final.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

Question to anyone who's seen the 1939 version of Hunchback of Notre Dame: who would you put in lead/supporting? Because I think you could make a valid argument for Charles Laughton in supporting, or conversely, Edmond O'Brien as co-lead.

Anonymous said...

@GDSAO: Did you like Richardson in Long Day's Journey Into Night? I thought he was very over-theathrical, didn't like him at all, I thought Jason Robards was better. But honestly Katharine Hepburn overshadowed everyone else, amazing performance and my runner-up for Actress in 1962 (my favorite is Remick).

Anyway, 1959 female supporting is not weak! Eva Marie Saint was very good in North by Northwest, Lee Remick was incredible in Anatomy of a Murder, Juanita Moore was really touching in The Imitation of Life, Shelley Winters was memorable in The Diary of Anne Frank, Edith Evans was great in The Nun's Story... My pick anyway is Simone Signoret in Room at the Top, she is supporting for me and really groundbreaking, her final scene is among the best acted scenes I've ever seen. "I believed in our love, what else have I got?" Heartbreaking.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

@RatedRStar: You should request an Anthony Franciosca performance, Louis would lose his mind, sorry Louis!

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

Anonymous: I loved Richardson but I am awfully partial to him, hell I thought he was brilliant in Greystroke with a very unsubstantial role so maybe I'm horribly biased. I liked the theatricality; I thought Robards was actually very good but he's had his fair share of reviews on here so I didn't think of him, Stockwell is decent but he has the least juicy role I'd say, and I liked Hepburn though not to the extent you do (I love Remick, though, she's lovely and hearbreaking in Days of Wine and Roses)

As for 1959 supporting, I consider Remick and Marie Saint to have lead importance to the stories, if not necessarily screentime-wise. Rest assured, I liked them both.

Haven't seen Moore, Winters was fine but a wee bit overrated in my opinion, and Evans was good, though I don't remember her that much. Signoret is awesome though, although I would put her as lead.

Anonymous said...

I can see why you would put Signoret, Saint and Remick lead but for me they're all supporting. I mean Remick is a crucial character in the story but still the story is never really seen from her prospective, she never quite carries the movie, and same goes for Saint. Also Signoret I think is supporting, for me Room at the Top is really Joe's story and Signoret's Alice is not more important than Heather Sears' Susan for me.

Robert MacFarlane said...

So RatedRStar and I are the only fans of Claire Maurier's tricky performance?

RatedRStar said...

@Luke: No it is not Gerard Depardieu lol, On the league cup match, I thought it was just pretty simple for Chelsea, Tottenham had plenty of moments where the ball was excellently crossed into the box by Eriksen, but nobody even tryed to get on the end of it, so it was a pretty comfortable win really.

@Donald: We shall see won't we, and on Edmond O'Brien in Hunchback, is actually the same problem I have with him in A Double Life in that I think he has too much screen time and isn't anyway near as good or interesting as his Co-Star.

@Anonymous: I would say Simone Signoret is lead, definitely not supporting, she is absolutely the heart and soul of the film, and I do stand by my position that 1959 supporting actress is weak, Hermoine Baddley =D really lol is that the best they could do. Shelley Winters is an ok winner although she over does it sometimes, Susan Kohler was awful, she is supposed to be black lol? and um she clearly isnt just like Jeanne Crain was supposed to be black in Pinky, Thelma Ritter, the most boring character actress ever alongside Anne Revere(aside from Pickup On South Street), just does her usual thing in Pillow Talk, not worth a nomination.

Luke Higham said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
GM said...

Good to see some love for Signoret in Room at the Top. The "You just have to be yourself" scene is the BEST moment of acting I've ever seen.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: what are our predictions for the '90, '95 and '07 Lead & Supporting lineups.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

@Kook160: I haven't seen 400 Blows in a while but from what I remember she was good.

@RatedRStar: Oh dear, I agree with you about A Double Life but actually, I rather liked him in Hunchback, I found him surprisingly charming and fun. Nothing compared to Laughton and Cecil Hardwicke. What are your ratings for the cast?

Laughton: 5
O'Hara: 4
Hardwicke: 4.5 (bordering on a 5)
O'Brien: 4
Marshal: 2.5
Hampden: 3.5
Davenport: 3

Luke Higham said...

'90 Lead
Ray Liotta in Goodfellas
Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands
James Caan in Misery
Sean Connery in The Hunt For Red October
Liam Neeson in Darkman
'90 Supporting
Armand Assante in Q & A
Robert De Niro in Goodfellas
Gary Oldman in State of Grace
Albert Finney in Miller's Crossing
Raul Julia in Presumed Innocent

'95 Lead
Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise
Jonathan Pryce in Carrington
Ian McKellen in Richard III
Morgan Freeman in Seven
Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys

'95
Supporting
Kevin Spacey in Seven
Jeremy Irons/Samuel L. Jackson in Die Hard With A Vengeance
Patrick McGoohan in Braveheart
John Hurt in Rob Roy

'07 Lead
Lau Ching Wan in Mad Detective
James McAvoy in Atonement
Brad Pitt in Jesse James
Chris Cooper in Breach
Casey Affleck in Gone Baby Gone
Joaquin Phoenix in We Own The Night
Christian Bale in Rescue Dawn
Tony Leung Chiu Wai in Lust Caution
Jake Gyllenhaal in Zodiac
Ryan Gosling in Lars And The Real Girl

'07 Supporting
John Travolta in Hairspray
Freeman and Harris in Gone Baby Gone
Sam Rockwell in Jesse James
Downey Jr and Carroll Lynch in Zodiac
Ben Foster in 3:10 to Yuma
Timothy Dalton in Hot Fuzz
Albert Finney in Before The Devil Knows Your Dead
and either Steve Zahn in Rescue Dawn or Tommy Lee Jones in No Country For Old Men



Robert MacFarlane said...

NO. Anyone but Neeson in Darkman

Luke Higham said...

KoooK160: I haven't seen him, but what would you have in his place, I thought about Cage in Wild At Heart but wasn't particularly keen on him despite not seeing his performance either.

Robert MacFarlane said...

You obviously never seen Michael Rooker in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

Luke Higham said...

KoooK160: Ah Yes! I'm a fool for forgetting about him, For some odd reason, I thought he was '89 but whatever. Its certainly between him and Liotta for the overall win.

Matt Mustin said...

Gabriel Byrne in Miller's Crossing

Michael McCarthy said...

Rooker NEEDS a review. And I'm a big fan of Claire Maurier, as well as most everything else in that film.

RatedRStar said...

@Donald:
Laughton: 5
O'Hara: 4
Hardwicke: 4.5
O'Brien: 3
Marshal: 2.5
Hampden: 3.5
Davenport: 2.5

@GM: I was once in love with another guy, that reminded so much of Simone Signoret in every way, angelic, otherworldly, strong on the outside, fragile deep down =D.

@Luke:
95 Lead
Ethan Hawke - Before Sunrise
Jonathan Pryce - Carrington
Ian McKellen - Richard III
Morgan Freeman - Se7en
Mel Gibson - Braveheart

95 Supporting
Kevin Spacey - Se7en
Patrick McGoohan - Braveheart
Sean Bean - Goldeneye
Joe Pesci - Casino
Gene Hackman - Get Shorty

90 Lead
Leslie Cheung - Days Of Being Wild
Ray Liotta - Goodfellas
Tim Robbins - Jacobs Ladder
Mel Gibson - Hamlet
Michael Rooker - Henry, Portrait Of A Serial Killer

90 Supporting
Armand Assante - Q & A
Robert De Niro - Goodfellas
Gary Oldman - State of Grace
Albert Finney - Miller's Crossing
Raul Julia - Presumed Innocent

2007 Lead
Lau Ching Wan - Mad Detective
Christian Bale - Rescue Dawn
Casey Affleck - Gone Baby Gone
Joaquin Phoenix - We Own The Night
Brad Pitt - Jesse James

2007 Supporting
Tommy Lee Jones - No Country For Old Men
Timothy Dalton - Hot Fuzz
Albert Finney - Before The Devil Knows Your Dead
Ben Foster - 3:10 To Yuma
John Travolta - Hairspray

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: What are your ratings for those that I mentioned, as well as the ones you mentioned, I'll ask your thoughts on some of the performances later on.

I'm really annoyed at myself for forgetting some of the performances that you mentioned, especially for '95 Supporting.

Luke Higham said...

Also, I did rush through, writing my suggestions, so please don't hate people. =)

GM said...

Hum, Kevin Bacon isn't good in Murder in the First ('95)? I heard just great things?

@RatedRStar Hope he loved you back =D

RatedRStar said...

@Luke: Since there are so many I shall just do the ones I suggested since a lot are the same.

Hawke (4.5)
Pryce (4.5)
McKellen (5)
Freeman (5)
Gibson in Braveheart (4)
Spacey (5)
McGoohan (4.5)
Bean (4)
Pesci (4)
Hackman (4.5)
Cheung (5)
Liotta (5)
Robbins (4.5)
Gibson in Hamlet (5)
Rooker (5)
Assante (4)
De Niro (4.5)
Oldman (4.5)
Finney in Millers Crossing (4.5)
Julia (4)
Ching Wan (5)
Bale (5)
Affleck (5)
Pitt (4.5)
Phoenix (4.5)
Lee Jones (4.5)
Dalton (5)
Finney in Devil (5)
Foster (4.5)
Travolta (3.5)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Can I have your thoughts on the 5s, I'll ask for some of the others down the line.

RatedRStar said...

@GM: I was friend zoned unfortunately lol and I have an interest in Bacon, due to that SAG nomination, I have no idea if he is co lead or supporting though.

RatedRStar said...

@Luke: I will give brief thoughts to stop it being so long.

Mckellen (extremely charismatic and the words just roll off the tongue so easily)

Freeman (Great in being the intelligent every man, his final scenes are amazingly powerful)

Spacey (A truly disturbing depiction of a smug and intelligent killer who has a lot of fun doing what he does)

Cheung (Great at overplaying the womanising cheat, but even better when it all comes back to haunt him)

Liotta (Great at being the young kid joining the mob but grows slowly into becoming a mobster who loves his profession)

Gibson (The most manic and grounded Hamlet, Gibson proves himself capable and in particular his hatred of Alan Bates Claudius is both funny and hate filled)

Bale (Naive but strong, a classic gut wrenching performance which we have seen before, but it is still excellently done)

Affleck (An everyman performance, very reactionary, but my god those are some reactions, his best being when he finds the dead boys body in the molesters home)

Dalton (Hilariously evil lol, nuff said =D he is just so funny)

Finney (Rather moving as a warm but confused father trying to do the right thing)

and as for Lau Ching Wan

Watch this trailer, all I have to say is, INSANE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AL1fZqfvgA

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Interesting, VERY INTERESTING.

Anonymous said...

In case I haven't explained my thoughts on Signoret's placement well enough... I think that Room at the Top does not talk about Joe and Alice's love story, but really more on Joe's inability to choose between ambition (Susan) and love (Alice). Alice is the heart of the movie indeed but I don't think hers is the character that we follow, even if I can see why she's leading for many. Anyway, what matters is that we all think that she was amazing :)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: You Missed Rooker.

RatedRStar and anyone else: Last Question, who do you think will win the overall rankings for '90, '95 and '07 in Lead and Supporting.

Mine Are:
'90
Lead: Rooker
Supporting: Pesci

'95
Lead: McKellen
Supporting: Spacey

'07
Lead: Affleck in Jesse James
Supporting: Rockwell in Jesse James or Finney in BTDKYD

RatedRStar said...

@Luke: Ah yes I forgot

Rooker (Very downplayed and truly disturbing because of that, Rooker plays this character as if murdering is basically like a philosophy he has, a everyday occurance rather than rage filled in anyway, he so easily makes it like he is a real life killer u see on TV, THE WORLD IS THEM OR US)

90 Lead
Rooker or Irons I am still undecided
90 Supporting
Pesci
95 Lead
Freeman
95 Supporting
Spacey
07 Lead
Affleck in Jesse James
07 Supporting
Finney

Robert MacFarlane said...

I actually think McGoohan will take 1995 Supporting, which is a shame because he's not even the Best Supporting Actor in that movie.

RatedRStar said...

Anyway bedtime for me lol got work in morning =D.

Michael McCarthy said...

Robert: Who would you say is the best supporting actor in Braveheart?

(Psssst....the answer is David O'Hara.)

Robert MacFarlane said...

I was going to say Angus Macfadyen.

Michael McCarthy said...

Ahhh he was good but I always found O'Hara very entertaining in that role.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Then again, I've always felt McGoohan seemed half-embarrassed by the material. Throughout the movie he tries to underplay how laughably evil his character was written, but can never overcome the silliness of the role no matter how much gravitas he brings.

Matt Mustin said...

I barely even remember McGoohan's performance in Braveheart.

Michael Patison said...

I know we've moved on, but I thought I'd put in my two cents on the 1959 lineup question since I asked it.
Picture:
*Anatomy of a Murder
North by Northwest
Room at the Top
The 400 Blows
Ben-Hur

Actor:
*James Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder
Cary Grant in North by Northwest
Laurence Harvey in Room at the Top
Jean-Pierre Leaud in The 400 Blows
Victor Sjostrom in Wild Strawberries (I've gone with the US release date)

Supporting Actor (my top 2 flip-flop regularly):
*George C. Scott in Anatomy of a Murder
Stephen Boyd in Ben-Hur
James Mason in North by Northwest
Ben Gazzara in Anatomy of a Murder
Joseph Schildkraut in The Diary of Anne Frank

Louis Morgan said...

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar:

I'll save Bond for the moment.

Hunter - 2.5(He's decent, if a little bland, in the scenes where he shares the screen only with Wayne, but he brings a nice earnestness that creates an effective enough dynamic between Martin and Ethan. The scenes with Vera Miles though are just too goofy for their own good)

Miles - 2(Miles has a bad role as she just is the love interest that's trying way too hard to be funny)

Wood - 2.5(Thankless role since she's written to have forgotten her new family completely rather randomly. Wood does the best she can though I think)

Brandon - 3(One of the problems with the Indian villains is that they never bothered to really flesh them out as characters. There is the slightest bit with Scar actually, but not enough. Brandon though does much better in this sort of problematic role than a lot of actors do)

Worden - 1(Ehhhhh)

Luke:

Kinda off the top of my head.

Actress:

1. Katherine Hepburn - The Rainmaker - 4.5
2. Marilyn Monroe - Bus Stop - 4
3. Barbara Rush - Bigger Than Life - 4
4. Elizabeth Taylor - Giant - 3.5
5. Deborah Kerr - The King and I - 3.5

Supporting Actress:

1. Anne Baxter - The Ten Commandments - 4.5
2. Marie Windsor - The Killing
3. Mariko Okada - Samurai III - 3.5
4. Kaoru Yachigusa - Samurai III - 3.5
5. Helen Hayes - Anastasia

8000S said...

Yeah, he's fantastic here. Politics and personal life aside, Wayne could act when given the chance.