Thursday 9 April 2015

Alternate Best Actor 1941: Results

5. Lon Chaney Jr. in The Wolfman - Chaney plays the title creature memorably enough but it's his emotional portrayal of the man's anguish over the creature's deeds that truly stands out.

Best Scene: The first wolf's funeral.
4. Gary Cooper in Ball of Fire - Cooper gives an entertaining and surprisingly believable portrayal of a meek professor.

Best Scene: The professor picks a fight.
3. William Powell in Love Crazy - Powell for the first third of his performance gives his usually enjoyable romantic comedy style of performance then proceeds to be hilarious once his character goes "nuts".

Best Scene: Steve's sister shows up.
2. Joel McCrea in Sullivan's Travels - McCrea gives an amusing portrayal of a pretensions director but he also manages to find the power of the film's more dramatic intentions.

Best Scene: Sullivan and the prisoners watch the cartoon.
1. Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon - Good Predictions koook160, RatedRStar, and Luke. Well I did not need to think twice of naming Bogart the winner here, although I'll admit being a bit surprised myself that he's a three time winner. This is quintessential Bogart as he just commands the film with such a considerable cool keeping it one compelling mystery from beginning to end.

Best Scene: Unveiling the Falcon.
Overall Rank:
  1. Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon
  2. Edward G. Robinson in The Sea Wolf
  3. Joel McCrea in Sullivan's Travels
  4. William Powell in Love Crazy
  5. James Cagney in The Strawberry Blonde
  6. Charles Coburn in The Devil and Miss Jones
  7. Orson Welles in Citizen Kane
  8. Gary Cooper in Ball of Fire
  9. Leslie Howard in "Pimpernel" Smith
  10. Humphrey Bogart in High Sierra
  11. William Powell in Shadow of the Thin Man
  12. Lon Chaney Jr. in The Wolfman
  13. Cary Grant in Penny Serenade
  14. Roddy McDowall in How Green Was My Valley
  15. Charles Boyer in Hold Back The Dawn
  16. Harry Carey in The Shepherd of the Hills 
  17. Alexander Knox in The Sea Wolf
  18. Laurence Olivier in That Hamilton Woman
  19. Gary Cooper in Meet John Doe
  20. Henry Fonda in The Lady Eve
  21. John Garfield in The Sea Wolf
  22. John Wayne in The Shepherd of the Hills
  23. Robert Montgomery in Here Comes Mr. Jordan
  24. Cary Grant in Suspicion
  25. Eric Portman in 49th Parallel
  26. Victor Mature in I Wake Up Screaming
  27. James Craig in The Devil and Daniel Webster 
  28. Robert Taylor in Johnny Eager
  29. Gary Cooper in Sergeant York
Next Year: 1941 Supporting

31 comments:

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings & Thoughts on Edward G. Robinson in The Sea Wolf, James Cagney in The Strawberry Blonde and Laurence Olivier in That Hamilton Woman.

Your Top 5 Female Lead & Supporting Performances from 1941 with ratings.

My Request is Malcolm McDowell in Caligula for 1979 Lead.
Prepare To Meet Thy Impending Doom.

GM said...

Peter Lorre - The Maltese Falcon
George Sanders - Man Hunt
Herbert Marshall - The Little Foxes
Claude Rains - Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Burgess Meredith - That Uncertain Feeling

Luke Higham said...

Peter Lorre - The Maltese Falcon
Herbert Marshall - The Little Foxes
Claude Rains - Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Claude Rains - The Wolfman
Edward Arnold - The Devil And Daniel Webster

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Since you've moved Huston over to Supporting for The Devil And Daniel Webster, have you upped his rating to a 5.

Matt Mustin said...

Peter Lorre in The Maltese Falcon
Edward Arnold in The Devil and Daniel Webster
Joseph Cotten in Citizen Kane

Luke Higham said...

And I forgot about Joseph Cotten in Citizen Kane.

GM said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on Grant in Suspicion, cus I rewatched it recently and think he's much better than 2,5.

Robert MacFarlane said...

My request is Oliver Reed in The Brood for 1979 Supporting bonus rounds.

As for 1941 Supporting, the only one I want to see is Joseph Cotten in Citizen Kane .

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

Thoughts and ratings on:
Garfield and Knox in The Sea Wolf
Bogart in High Sierra
Cooper in Meet John Doe
Robert Taylor in Johnny Eager

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

Peter Lorre - The Maltese Falcon
Claude Rains - Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Claude Rains - The Wolfman
Edward Arnold - The Devil And Daniel Webster
Leslie Howard, Anton Walbrok, or Raymond Massey from The 49th Parallel

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

And Joseph Cotten in Citizen Kane of course

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis, does Charles Coburn keep his 4.5 in the lead category or does he get bumped down to a 4?

JamDenTel said...

Wait, did you move Bogart to a win in 1937? This (and 1948) are the only wins of his that I see on here.

Michael McCarthy said...

He won for 1942 lead as well.

Anonymous said...

I requested Herbert Marshall for The Little Foxes for Supporting 1941. I actually kind of love of the movie, and Davis, Wright, Marshall and Collinge are terrific. I'm really interested in Louis's thoughts and rating on Olivia DeHavilland in Hold Back the Down (personally, I loved her and I thought she was much better than Fontaine in Suspicion)

Anonymous said...

Hey Louis, after you finish your reviews for Best Actor, will you still continue to review things? Do you have anything in the pipeline?

Anonymous said...

Louis, considering you really like Joan Fontaine and Simone Signoret, I really suggest you to see two movies: the first one is Letter from an Unknown Woman, which is an absolute masterpiece and Fontaine is amazing in it. The second one is Madame Rosa (La vie devant soi) which I don't quite love as a movie (still good) but Signoret gives a haunting and heartbreaking portrayal.

RatedRStar said...

Peter Lorre - The Maltese Falcon
Herbert Marshall - The Little Foxes
Claude Rains - Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Claude Rains - The Wolfman
Edward Arnold - The Devil And Daniel Webster

My request will be later.

RatedRStar said...

Louis I would recommend you see the 49th Parallel just for curiosity, Leslie Howard might be an interesting choice for a nom.

Anonymous said...

Louis what were your top ten films of 1941, 1942 and 1943?

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Robinson - 4.5(Bordering on a five. It's Robinson as tyrannical ship captain what's not to love? Robinson is great in the role and it is remarkable how commanding as well imposing he is despite the film almost purposefully framing certain sequences to emphasize his height. Robinson is terrific though bringing the needed overwhelming control and cruelty of the character though with a certain humanity. Robinson is very effective in portraying the certain vulnerability in the man in the moments where he recognizes his own fears, or the few times where he seems to understand he's gone too far)

Cagney - 4.5(The film was just sort of pure joy for me and Cagney just is ridiculously charming here. He plays his usual street tough guy type, but without any criminal elements involved instead mostly comic ones. He's incredibly charming here and just makes for one endearing pseudo romantic lead.)

Olivier - 3.5(It's one of those curious cases where he's lead but so many of the scenes he's basically observed by others. Oddly I don't think he has great chemistry with Leigh, not bad, but not as good as one would want for a film like this. Olivier still offers a passionate enough portrait of Admiral Nelson, but this seems some what constrained)

This will probably change with Little Foxes.

Actress:

1. Joan Fontaine - Suspicion - 4.5
2. Olivia de Havilland - The Strawberry Blonde - 4.5
3. Olivia de Havilland - Hold Back the Dawn - 4.5
4. Myrna Loy - Shadow of the Thin Man
5. Barbara Stanwyck - Ball of Fire

Supporting Actress:

1. Mary Astor - The Maltese Falcon
2. Veronica Lake - Sullivan's Travels
3. Myrna Loy - Love Crazy
4. Rita Hayworth - The Strawberry Blonde - 4
5. Lee Patrick - The Maltese Falcon - 4

Huston is a five.

GM:

Grant - (I'll admit I could probably use a re-watch of the film sine I've only seen it once, and he may benefit from a re-watch. Nonetheless from my initial viewing I felt Grant was all over the place in his performance. Not in quality, but I found he struggled to find the character within the excessively random way the part was written. Ambiguity is one thing, but this just did not feel cohesive.)

Luke Higham said...

I'm very happy that you've given Huston a 5.

Anonymous said...

Soo glad you gave DeHavilland a 4.5 for Hold Back the Dawn I loved her and she'd be my win. Can I have your thoughts on her?

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar said...

Thoughts on Olivia de Havilland in The Strawberry Blonde (really gotta check that one out being a massive Cagney fan) and Hold Back the Dawn? And Lee Patrick in The Maltese Falcon.

Also overall, who do you prefer, Fontaine or De Havilland as actresses, I think Fontaine myself as she hit equal heights on a more consistent basis, and never stole an undeserved Oscar from someone else (sorry to bring personal feelings into this but *cough* Celia Johnson *cough*)

Anonymous said...

You didn't ask me, but I love them both. I think I prefer DeHavilland though she's just so amazing in Gone with the Wind, Hold Back the Dawn, The Heiress, The Snake Pit... Fontaine was amazing in Rebecca and Letter from an Unknown Woman and many other movies, but for instance I didn't like her in Suspicion and Something to Live For. Anyway, Louis, what are your ratings and thoughts on Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve?

Louis Morgan said...

Sorry about the disjointed response but my internet's been on the fritz lately.

GetDonaldSutherlandAnOscar:

Garfield – 3.5(I’m not the biggest fan of Garfield as I feel he’s often someone who misplaces his intensity in his roles. Nevertheless I thought he found the right place here in his portrayal of the growing discontent towards Robinson’s dictator. He also rather effectively changes from just a guy with a chip on his shoulder to a fairly likable hero)

Knox – 3.5(He’s forced into a one note role of being the voice of reason with the ship. He handles this one note quite well though. His delivery is so unassuming yet always incredibly pointed to be sure. His final face-off with Robinson is particularly compelling)

Bogart – 4(Bogart handles the tough crook side of things quite well here as he shows the wear of time in his rough manner. He’s especially menacing in one scene where he tells a potential snitch what will happen to him if he talks. In terms of the possible reformation Bogart certainly is also good in bringing genuine warmth within the rough frame of the character. What is most effective about his performance is the poignancy he finds in the moments where he silently ponders about a different life)

Cooper – 3.5(Once again better than his Oscar winning role. I found the film particularly heavy handed in its more emotional moments, the most heavy handed I’ve seen for a Capra film, but Cooper does well still in bringing an earnestness in his speeches while grounding it in his silent discontent around the lie behind his character)

Taylor – 2.5(He’s not bad and in the scenes with Van Heflin he comes close to being quite good. In fact it seems Van Heflin brought the best out of him since whenever he’s onscreen Taylor is considerably better. The problem is Heflin’s not always around and when he’s not Taylor becomes particularly bland)

de Havilland - (She's about as adorable as one can be in a role, and what I love is how she's always just as much in on the fun as Cagney even though I don't think her role was nesscarrily intentioned as much. Her chemistry with Cagney is about as lovely as it can be really, and watching their courtship then their marriage was an absolute delight. It's just wonderful work from the pair of them really.)

Patrick - (Her role is quite small but I really like how lively she is as Spade's secretary who's just as quick as he is. She's a great bright spot within the lurid world of the noir, and I really would not have minded more scenes with her)

Michael McCarthy:

Coburn’s score is the same.

Anonymous:

De Havilland – (I found De Havilland to give a rather winning performance here as well as he brings so much charm into her character’s naivety. She creates an abundance of an earned sweetness with her presence making Boyer’s character’s actions appropriately problematic. This also makes it particularly moving when she is forced to recognize the truth behind her situation)

I’ll have to give those films a watch. Thank you for the recommendations.

1941:

1.The Maltese Falcon
2.Citizen Kane
3.The Strawberry Blonde
4.Sullivan’s Travels
5.Dumbo
6.The Devil And Daniel Webster
7.The Sea Wolf
8.Love Crazy
9.Ball of Fire
10.High Sierra

1942:
1.Casablanca
2.The Murderer Lives At Number 21
3.Saboteur
4.Bambi
5.The Palm Beach Story
6.To Be Or Not To Be
7.This Gun For Hire
8.The Pied Piper
9.Yankee Doodle Dandy
10.This Above All

1943:

1.Shadow of A Doubt
2.The Ox-Bow Incident
3.Five Graves to Cairo
4.The More the Merrier
5.Sahara
6.Heaven Can Wait
7.This Land is Mine
8.The Human Comedy
9.The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
10.Sanshiro Sugata

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

In regards to the sisters my view is a bit imperfect since I've seen far more from de Havilland than I have Fontaine. At the moment Fontaine has the heighest height, Rebecca, and I've yet to see an underwhelming performance from her. de Havilland does have her first Oscar win afterall. Still de Havilland usually is good anyways and can be quite great such as in The Heiress.

Michael Patison said...

Edward Arnold in The Devil and Daniel Webster
Joseph Cotten in Citizen Kane
Laird Cregar in I Wake Up Screaming
Peter Lorre in The Maltese Falcon
Herbert Marshall in The Little Foxes

Michael Patison said...

I hope Cregar is worthwhile (since I requested him, obviously). I haven't seen the movie, but I've heard some good things and love him in everything else I've ever seen him in, so I just thought I'd go out on a limb.

Anonymous said...

Louis what are your ratings and thoughts on Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve?

Louis Morgan said...

Stanwyck - 3.5(She is about as sultry as someone can be in the first half of her performance and I really do like her portrayal of the seductress con artist. When the switch to Eve happens though I felt something to be desired. She's not obviously bad, and I think it is suppose to be obvious that it's the same person physically, but I did not feel she made Eve feel real enough on her own. She not bad in those scenes but she does not quite meet the challenge of the task)