Wednesday 28 October 2015

Alternate Best Actor 1995: James Earl Jones and Richard Harris in Cry, The Beloved Country

James Earl Jones did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a SAG, for portraying Reverend Stephen Kumalo in Cry, The Beloved Country.

Cry, The Beloved Country tells the story of a South African Reverend who lives in the country and goes to the city to find his family only to discover his son has committed a terrible crime that also effects the reverend's wealthy white neighbor.

Jones plays the Reverend Kumalo who we first meet as a seemingly simple enough Reverend who goes about his life. Jones is a particularly good actor at simply seeming dignified from almost nothing and this presence of his certainly works well for the part. Even before Kumalo does anything we seem to already understand him through just that natural grace that Jones can exude so easily. Jones does not just leave him as just the good Reverend though, and importantly even before he goes to leave there is something wrong with him. Jones is very effective in the way he conveys that underlying distress in Kumalo that pains him. Jones portrays it well as a silent distress, one Kumalo tries to only burden himself with, a fear for his family, particularly his son, as well as concern for the whole nation of South Africa as Jones shows that Kumalo is unable to know what to make of the problems and apparent changes facing his people.

In order to relinquish some of his burdens Kumalo decides to make the journey into the city of Johannesburg. Jones is very good in the scenes of Kumalo trying to navigate the city as he is creates an honest sense of Kumalo's inability to really inhabit this world he's in. These scenes could have potentially come off poorly if Jones had overplayed Kumalo's surprise and confusion as he tries to maneuver in a city he does not understand. Jones not only depicts this in a way that feels honest but also reveals Kumalo's detachment from this world. Jones does this well because it never feels as though Kumalo is purposeful in this or is being stubborn in any way as he seems so out of place. Rather Jones is very effective by showing this disconnection out of Kumalo's own nature which does not fit in the rough the city, since there is too much goodness in him which Jones realizes in an fashion that never feels sanctimonious.

Richard Harris did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying James Jarvis in Cry, The Beloved Country.

A quick note on the proper category for Harris. I'd say I'm wholly open to one considering a supporting or leading player in the film. I do feel he's lead because the film ends up following the story of both men as Harris is frequently given perspective although he has considerably fewer scenes that follow him than Jones, so I can understand if one were to place him supporting instead as he's right on the border for me as well. Anyway onto the actual performance. Harris is actually introduced in the film before Jones as he rides by a child who's going to deliver a message to Jones's character. Harris's work is easy enough to take for granted in these early scenes, but the way he establishes Jarvis in the early scenes is essential to the journey of his character in the film. Harris is good in the scenes where Jarvis reacts to his black neighbors or speaks about discrimination. Harris does not deliver these scenes with an obvious passion, even when Jarvis questions his son's unprejudiced position, but rather as a man whose just is going with the status quo which he simply has never questioned during his life time.

Jarvis is also forced to go into the city when he learns that his son has been murdered by someone. Harris is excellent in the scene where Jarvis is told the news as he makes the grief palatable in his incredibly moving reaction. Harris makes it particularly notable as he does not shed a tear rather is heartbreaking in portraying the way Jarvis is falling apart as he's trying to hard to hold his reserve together so badly. Even though his initial comments towards his sons were against his actions which involve helping the black community of Johannesburg, Harris reveals Jarvis's love for his son in this beautifully rendered moment by Harris. Quickly though Jarvis must go onto the city as well to identify the body, and attend the funeral while possibly finding out who the killer is. Harris shifts the sadness in a convincing fashion to a subtle though powerful anger he continually demands to know from the police whether or not they have captured those responsible for his son's demise. Harris shows the way that this may take Jarvis down only a darker path though this is only until he starts to learn more about his son's activities.

The connection between Kumalo and Jarvis unfortunately end up being that Jarvis's only son was killed by Kumalo's only son in a botched robbery. As the film progresses Jones continues to fulfill the needs of his character, but I have to say Harris ends up overshadowing Jones somewhat, despite having fewer and shorter scenes in his depiction of Jarvis's story. Kumalo is a constant man, and does not change throughout the story being only ever the pillar of goodness and faith that he was at the beginning of the story. It must be said that Jones does this well, and he never makes you question this resolve for even a moment. Harris though makes the greater impact through his depiction of Jarvis as he deals with the death of his son. Harris creates the sense of bitter hate in Jarvis as he goes through the worst moments of his life, but while doing this he begins to see what his son was trying to do. That initial way Harris depicted Jarvis's indifference to discrimination plants the seeds to establish the potential for Jarvis's transformation, but Harris still never allows any simplicity.

Harris is outstanding the way he portrays the slowly waning anger in Jarvis as it just is not natural to the man, which quietly changes back to his grief that Harris presents as making Jarvis trying to connect with something about his son. This ends up being his feelings towards the blacks, and Harris is terrific in making this gradual change in Jarvis to recognize that his son was right all along. I love the way though that Harris does not make this an easy change still. Harris portrays well the way Jarvis seems to still be defensive against the sentiments as though his own upbringing is keeps trying to prevent him from recognizing the truth, but being forced to see what his son saw is slowly wars down this barrier  that Jarvis never truly believed in. Harris is particularly great in the moment where Jarvis somberly tells his wife about some of his son writing said basically that his parents taught him nothing, and Harris makes it such a poignant moment by his reaction that suggests that Jarvis is not hurt by his son such a thing but rather for having never been a better example for him.

The test of Jarvis's change comes when Kumalo accidentally stumbles upon Jarvis due to an entirely unrelated matter. It is an amazing scene in both of Jones and Harris's performance. Jones is tremendous as Kumalo as wholly loses that reserve as he falls into an intense sadness as he sees the man who he knows has suffered an unforgivable tragedy due to his own son. Harris is equally good in the same moment when Jarvis realizes who this man is. The moment where Jarvis turns away for a moment is brilliantly handled by Harris as he does reveal his own intense reaction, though that of rage though only momentary as Harris plays it as though Jarvis is weeding out his final bit of hatred in himself to be the better man his son would have wanted him to be. Harris makes the scene much more remarkable by wholly earning the understanding in Jarvis as he continues to respect Kumalo as an equal and a father while refusing to avoid falling back into his earlier sorrow or hatred. The connection between the two is made believable by both Jones and Harris and likely would not have worked without them. The film itself makes some odd choices in terms direction, and at any moment the film could completely fall apart. It does not through the work of Jones and Harris. The final moments they share later do not even have many spoken words but Jones and Harris manage to say more within the silent interactions between the two as it becomes clear that the two no longer are burdened by any rift caused by society. Of course this is a matter of remaining steadfast in regards to Jones, which again he does well. Watching the film again though Harris leaves an even stronger impression through his remarkable transformation that never feels cheap or forced, but rather carries the inspirational quality it should. Jones's performance should not be hand waved as he gives a good one, but it must be said that Harris gives a great one.
(For Harris)
(For Jones)

69 comments:

Michael McCarthy said...

Aww only a 4 for Jones? :( I thought he was incredible, I wish you'd gone into his scenes with his son a little more. I'm really glad about Harris's rating though.

Calvin Law said...

Harris was amazing but I really feel you're underrating Jones a great deal here. His quiet sense of grace is just so powerfully parlayed into this fantastic role. Do watch the original 1950s version at some point to compare; it's very good as well.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I'm glad that Harris has a five at last.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Thoughts on the film itself?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Apart from Steve Jobs, have you seen any other new films in the past week.

John Smith said...

Only Widerberg left

John Smith said...

Louis, thoughts on the cast of The Darjeeling Limited and thoughts on the movie as well.

Luke Higham said...

John Smith:
Brody - 3.5(Brody acts as the straight man for the other two rather well, but also carries a surprising amount of emotional weight in the scene where he fails to save the boy)

Wilson - 3.5(An interesting performance as he gives his usual upbeat sort of work that's enjoyable here, but with a darker pathos that reveals itself quite effectively in the final act)

Schwartzman - 3(He's the least impressive of the leads but I still thought he was decent enough in portraying his character's quiet obsession)

Anonymous said...

Luke: So, what are your updated Oscar predictions?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: The only change I would make at the moment is Fassbender for Lead Actor though by no means is it a certainty, especially with his film's dismal box office returns. This may change with The Revenant's release.

John Smith said...

By the way, you should review this performance for bonus reviews... It is my favorite portrayal of Hamlet.

Watch this scene Of Hamlet finally going nuts... Even though what he is saying makes sense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh2gw2vBlPI

Would appreciate thoughts on this scene (:

Anonymous said...

Luke: Your dream Oscar lineup with 10 nominees?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
DiCaprio
Damon
Depp
Fassbender (Macbeth)
Hardy
Attah
McKellen
Caine
Segel
Courtenay
Hon. Hanks

Luke Higham said...

Hon. #2 Foster

Anonymous said...

Luke: I felt that you would put Foster in that top 10.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I love Foster, though I'm more or less thinking about the likelihood of each of my picks getting a 5 instead of personal preference.

In realistic terms, with a lineup of 5, I'd use personal preference in Fassbender's case, since I'm not just a fan of his but I'm really interested in an in-depth review for his work in Steve Jobs.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Can you guess the names of Oscar winning actors who won Razzies?

Anonymous said...

Luke: *names

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Olivier, Costner, Benigni, B. Affleck, Brando and Pacino.

Anonymous said...

Luke: What about a dream Oscar lineup for actresses (10)?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
Larson
Mulligan (FFTMC & Suffragette)
Ronan
Blanchett
Mara
Vikander (The Danish Girl)
Rampling
Theron
Blunt

Anonymous said...

Luke: Two nominations for Mulligan? You really love her.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Yep. :)

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

Anonymous: My final pick was either gonna be Mulligan in Suffragette, Vikander in Testament Of Youth or Lawrence in Joy, So I went with my heart on this, though I'm confident that she's a very strong 4.5 or better. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: So do you still have updated Oscar prediction winners?

Anonymous said...

Louis what are your rating and thoughts on Kate Hudson in Almost Famous? I know you don't care for her but I'd like to know why and what would you give to her. I personally love her performance actually and she's my pick for Best Supporting Actress 2000.

Robert MacFarlane said...

However low Louis's score is for Hudson, my opinion of her work is probably even less kind.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: They remain the same apart from Lead Actor.

Robert MacFarlane said...

If you're looking for great Lead Actresses this year, I *strongly* recommend Bel Powley in Diary of a Teenage Girl, who is currently my favorite performance this year.

Anonymous said...

Luke: So who's your prediction for Lead Actor.

Anonymous said...

Luke: *?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I said it earlier. It's Fassbender in Steve Jobs. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: When I first came across this blog, I thought that Perkins would be Louis' win for 1960.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: He's the obvious choice, though Louis' not always gonna agree with public opinion. For 1960 Lead, I predict a five for Richard Attenborough in The Angry Silence.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Well, I obviously know already that Louis doesn't always agree with public opinion. Still, I have to win an prediction to get my request.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: What performances do you plan on requesting.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Don't you remember that I wanted him to review Gary Cooper in Man of the West?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Yes, any others that cross your mind.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I think you also remember that I wanted him to review Tracy's performances in the films he did with Hepburn. But anyway, I also think that he should review Robert Ryan in The Set-Up and Marlon Brando in The Fugitive Kind.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: What are your Oscar Predictions.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I don't think you remember that I wanted him to review those.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I remember Brando being mentioned.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I think you remember I mentioned that The Hateful Eight would win Best Original Screenplay, right?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Yes, same as me.

Anonymous said...

Luke: I still want DiCaprio to win Best Actor just to shut up his fans.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I want DiCaprio to win, because I completely believe he's gonna give the best performance out of all the nominees.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Yes, completely. By the way, I now think that the new Assassin's Creed movie could be okay.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: :) :) :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: If there was another two performances I would also like to see Louis review are Garfield's performances in Force of Evil and The Breaking Point (it's considered his best performance).

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Since Louis's gonna start off the bonus rounds with 2012, which 5 years do you hope to see come after.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Uh, don't you remember that I would like to see pre-1927? I'm the guy who has been chatting with you ever since the reviews of 1989 Supporting. :)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Yes, I do recall you saying so, though it's not gonna come to mind all the time. I did say before I was a bit socially awkward. :)

Anonymous said...

Luke: Yeah, I remember that you said that you have a minor form of Aspergers. I'm also kind of socially awkward you could say.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: Plus, there's 2 or 3 anonymous users on the blog, so I will get confused at times. :)

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: How would you rank all 4 Bond Theme Songs from the Craig Era.
1. Skyfall (Yes, I've appreciated it more on repeats)
2. You Know My Name
3. Writing's On The Wall
4. Another Way To Die

Anonymous said...

Luke:
1. Skyfall
2. You Know My Name
3. Another Way To Die
4. Writing's On The Wall

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: The only reason why Writing's On The Wall is at #3 is the tune, not Smith's vocal. I hate Another Way To Die altogether.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Who would be your cast and director for:
Cop Land (1950's version)
Double Indemnity and Laura (both 1980's version)
Woman in the Window (1990's version)

Anonymous said...

Louis: And Heat (1960's version) as well.

Michael McCarthy said...

Can I just say that musically speaking, I actually think Writing's on the Wall is probably the best of the new Bond songs.

Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: I agree.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Ugh, hate the new one. Just another Sam Smith funeral dirge.

Luke Higham said...

Robert: Don't worry, I hate his vocal too. :)

Michael McCarthy said...

Yeah but the instrumentation and use of the secondary dominant and text painting and akjsdkhsdfjabwi it's great I'm sorry

Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: I want to clarify that I'm only mixed on the song.

Michael McCarthy said...

Also, I know that not everyone likes the timbre of Sam Smith's voice and that can't be helped, but you gotta appreciate how much skill it takes to do a lot of the things he does with his voice.

Luke Higham said...

Michael McCarthy: I do like Sam Smith and it's the only time I wasn't a fan of his vocal performance.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

The film itself I think mainly works on Jones and Harris's performances since for the most part the direction is very standard with some awkward moments when it tries to do anything ambitious. Also I find the reuse of Zulu's theme very bizarre. The story and those performances carry it enough though to make it a decent film.

Luke:

Nothing else. I could see Truth this Friday, but ehhhhhh.

Anonymous:

Hudson - 2(And perhaps I am being a bit generous. The character itself is probably flawed in itself, but I really don't care for Hudson's approach in the least. She randomly switches from a certain manic wonder to this somberness without eloquence or it seeming natural. I found her whole performance horribly mannered in a strange way as she wants to hit all the bases of a "memorable character" that's both a fantasy and some sort of reality though she fails at both)

Anonymous:

Cop Land (1950's directed by John Huston)

Sheriff Heflin: John Wayne
Lt. Donlan: Humphrey Bogart
Figgis: Robert Mitchum
Lt. Tilden: James Cagney
Rucker: Sterling Hayden
Babitch: Dennis Hopper
Rose Donlan: Claire Trevor

Double Indemnity (1980's):

They made it. It's called Body Heat.

Laura (1980's directed by David Lynch (yeah once again))

Laura: Isabella Rossellini
McPherson: Harrison Ford
Waldo: John Hurt
Shelby: Donald Sutherland

Woman in the Window (1990's):

Professor Wanley: Anthony Hopkins
Alice Reed: Michelle Pfeiffer
Frank Lalor: Jeff Goldblum
Heidt: Steve Buscemi

Heat (1960's directed by Sidney Lumet):

McCauley: Steve McQueen
Hanna: Paul Newman
Shiherlis: Robert Redford
Nate: James Stewart
Drucker: Robert Blake