Tuesday 13 October 2015

Alternate Best Actor 1995: Jonathan Pryce in Carrington

Jonathan Pryce did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning Cannes and being nominated for a Bafta, for portraying Lytton Strachey in Carrington.

Carrington depicts the unusual relationship between painter Doar Carrington and writer Lytton Strachey. The film itself has interesting enough characters though it makes some odd choices, particularly in the overbearing use of its score.

Jonathan Pryce plays Lytton Strachey a homosexual writer who comes to living in the country where he comes across the somewhat peculiar painter Dora Carrington (Emma Thompson). Pryce plays Strachey himself as a bit of a character so to speak. There's very much an eccentric quality that Pryce gives the part in the way he physically portrays Strachey. Pryce gives him a very purposeful and proper sort of walk about himself. Pryce plays Strachey as very much the intellectual who is perhaps just a little too well aware of his position as an intellectual. Pryce's whole manner has a certain distance he brings in that Strachey seems to separate himself from all others just due to this very structured way he acts. This approach Pryce takes actually works quite well for the film's depiction of Strachey which is as a man who is completely aware as his position as an important writer so to speak as he goes about how he's forced himself to be a voice against the war for example. Pryce's approach matches this excessive thought that Strachey basically puts into his whole being.

Pryce though does not leave there and this is certainly not a depiction of an uptight Victorian sort of a man, as Strachey is known during the period even for his sexual preferences. Strachey does not hide this and nor does Pryce in his performance. Pryce actually comes up with a rather interesting dynamic of his character as he's two seemingly opposite things all in one in terms of both his proper manner for the time along with his purposeful rejection of that in terms of his personal preferences. Pryce portrays the scenes with Strachey presents his interest in men as especially obvious in his depiction, maybe playing it just ab it more to be the man that everyone says he is. Pryce does not go over the top, but rather carefully realizes a man who does like to make a bit of a spectacle of himself on purpose. Pryce importantly shows that it is something also very natural in Strachey and it is still him very much acting out in just the way he desires to. This extends even right to starting out one moment to being quite keen in seeing what he thinks is a boy only to suddenly be aghast to find out that it is in fact a woman, this being first time he sees Dora in fact.

Now the central element of the film is the relationship between Strachey and Carrington which has a problem in that she is unquestionably in love with him while the problem remains that Strachey just has absolutely no interest in her physically. Now Pryce is excellent in that he is able to find what it is that causes Carrington to be so fascinated with him. The interesting part though is Pryce does not suggest this when Strachey is acting out as the writer or as a passionate lover. Pryce instead finds this in the quiet moments between the two as Pryce reveals just a gentler man which carries an abundance of warmth whenever it is he drops his most overt passions as a writer or as a man. Thompson and Pryce are very good in creating that underlying connection that seems between the two, at the same time making the disconnect seem just as honest. The two though in there pivotal interactions seem just on this certain wavelength, yet Pryce importantly keeps a certain reservation or even confusion at her continued interest in him while he is simply unable to fake something that just is not there in him.

The two attempt to resolve their peculiar situation by involving a bi-sexual man which creates probably more problems than it solves since neither exactly gets what they desire. I have to say though as the film proceeds Pryce is oddly often forced into the background, as the film does keep a much close focus upon Carrington than it does Strachey, while after all Carrington is the title. It seems like a somewhat missed opportunity as at times the film feels like its forgetting about the more fascinating aspect of the film which is the relationship between Strachey and Carrington. Whenever there is a moment where the two do reexamine their positions Pryce and Thompson are great in that the two just really make sense out of the connection and the difficulties that both motivate and pain the two of them. The film never quite fully makes use of this to make something truly special leaving the final scene of the two seeming a bit simplified. To Pryce's credit he is rather moving in depicting Strachey in a state where he has absolutely no pretense, and just reveals the actual truth without reservation. It simply never quite narrows in on the greatness it seems to be trying to circle, leaving Thompson and Pryce without quite the material to go the next step themselves. Nevertheless this is a very good performance, I can't help but feel though that a much better film could have been made utilizing Jonathan Pryce's remarkable depiction of Lytton Strachey.

30 comments:

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Rating and Thoughts on Emma Thompson.

Anonymous said...

Louis: He was great.
Who would be your cast and director for:
Heat (1950's version)
In A Lonely Place (1990's version)
Laura (2010's version)

Michael Patison said...

It's interesting that they made this film be about Carrington while the biographies on which it was based were about Strachey.

RatedRStar said...

I have got the rest of the week off, so I will be catching up on Black Mass, The Martian and Sicario all today and then I will see these films all this weekk....=D =D =D

Tomorrow - Suffragette (14:40) and Macbeth (20:30)
Friday - The Program (12:45)
Saturday - Crimson Peak (12:40)

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Can I have your ratings for the casts and thoughts on each film on Saturday Night.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: =D ye sure, it ll be a big post, I can give some of them earlier if u want lol.

Luke Higham said...

My Current Schedule
Sicario (Friday)
Crimson Peak (Monday Or Tuesday)
The Walk (Next Thursday)

I might watch The Gift tonight or tomorrow.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Alright then :). Post your thoughts and ratings for each day on your schedule.

Robert MacFarlane said...

My current schedule:

Nothing, because my sister's wedding is on Saturday.

RatedRStar said...

Robert: Aw, hope you have fun =)

Luke: Sure, my only issue with the Walk is I might as well not turn up until the last 25 minutes of the movie lol.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: That's the only reason why I'm seeing it. It's quite likely that the rest won't appeal to me.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Have you seen any new films recently.

Anonymous said...

Pryce is a very underrated actor. What a shame that he has so many bad movies. Well, he does prefer the theater anyway.

Michael McCarthy said...

Currently in line for a free screening of Steve Jobs at Cornell University. About an hour to go.

Michael McCarthy said...

LOL JK they're not letting me in because I don't go here. That would've been a useful bit of info to put in the Facebook invite.

RatedRStar said...

Michael: Soon we will all see it =D so I guess it could be worse lol.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Thompson - 4.5(Although she is given the stronger focus I do also feeling there is something missing there in regards to bringing the character together, not in terms of Thompson's performance though just the writing. Like Pryce she is equally important in creating this certain connection between the two, and Thompson in a way takes it a step further in portraying how it changes Carrington. There is such a palatable vulnerability and desperation about her passion for Strachey that Thompson makes quite vulnerable. There is an honesty she conveys in her scenes with Pryce that Thompson quite effective does not have between Carrington and the other men in her life. Thompson still will convey an emotional connection, but it never feels as true with Thompson always leaving a certain lack of fulfillment in Carrington that gives understanding to her extreme attachment to Strachey.)

Testament of Youth. I plan to see Bridge of Spies this Friday. Naturally I'll also be seeing Beasts of No Nation as well.

Anonymous:

Heat (1950's directed by John Huston):

McCauley: Robert Mitchum
Hanna: Kirk Douglas
Nate: Sam Jaffe
Shiherlis: Richard Basehart
Waingro: Eli Wallach

In a Lonely Place (1990's directed by David Lynch)

Dixon Steele: Nicolas Cage
Laurel Gray: Isabella Rossellini

Laura (2010's directed by Anton Corbijn)

Laura: Carey Mulligan
McPherson: Michael Fassbender
Waldo: Ralph Fiennes
Shelby: Ryan Gosling

Michael:

Sorry to hear that.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Since you disliked De Niro in Cape Fear (1991), who do you think might have been a better fit for the role of Max Cady? You can list many actors. I could see Gary Oldman in the role.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Your Thoughts on Black Mass, The Martian, Sicario and Suffragette with ratings for the casts of each film.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Testament Of Youth and ratings & thoughts on the cast.

RatedRStar said...

Luke:

Black Mass I found to be a solid crime film, that was interesting enough although it never became great I found it good enough, I think the story gets a little confusing at times.

Depp (4.5)
Edgerton (4.5 MVP)
Cumberbatch (3)
Johnson (2.5)
Bacon (3)
Plemons (2.5)
Stoll (2.5)
Sarsgaard (3)

Sicario is pretty much same feeling for me as Black Mass, I found it solid and well acted, but I thought it was merely solid most of the time, although it has a terrific scene (the jam) that is filled with suspense and paranoia, the story is very confusing though at times, sometimes I didnt know what was going on despite trying hard to listen.

Blunt (4)
Del Toro (4.5, I wanted more of him)
Brolin (3.5)
Kaluuya (2.5)
The rest (2.5)

RatedRStar said...

Luke:

The Martian is a pretty entertaining film actually, with a nice amount of humour to cover the more grim elements, I felt most of the performances added, but this is really Ridley Scott and Matt Damons show, I do think the film was a little too long though.

Damon (4.5)
Chastain (3)
Bean (3.5)
Ejiofor (3.5)
Daniels (3)
Wong (3)
Wiig (2.5)
the other astronauts (2.5)

Suffragette is a fine enough film but it never became particularly great, and although the story itself is interesting it all feels just a bit too safe.

Mulligan (4.5)
Bonham Carter (3)
Streep (2.5)
Whishaw (2.5)
Gleeson (3)
Duff (3)
Press (3)
Garai (2.5)
West (2.5)

Michael Patison said...

I think I chose the kid from Come and See as my request a while back. Whether or not he or my backup choice actually made it in, I'd like to change to Claude Laydu in Diary of a Country Priest.

JackiBoyz said...

Michael: To be honest I think Kravchenko will get reviewed for 1985 regardless because I don't think 85 has that many contenders, I actually think 1985 has more supporting contenders.

moviefilm said...

I have just seen Youth. It is wonderful film, beautifully directed. And cast is worthy of a SAG nod for best ensemble.

Anonymous said...

moviefilm: What are your ratings for the cast?

moviefilm said...

As of now:
Caine: 4.5
Keitel: 4 (verging on 4.5)
Weisz: 4
Dano: 4 (in fact I liked him here more than in Love & Mercy)
Fonda: 4.5 (verging on 5)

JackiBoyz said...

Thats great, looks like there hasn't been any bad or mediocre Oscar films so far, I wonder when there will be one, and what will it be?.

I wonder what Daniel will make of Macbeth.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I think the odds were against the actor to begin with as Scorsese never quite decides what sort of tone he's going for which helped to contribute to some of the problems with De Niro's work. Oldman might have been able to do better with the odd tone since he might have simply embraced the ridiculousness rather than going for the unwieldy attempt at realism to absurdity that De Niro attempted.

Luke:

The film itself I thought certainly hit the right check marks for a British prestige picture, in that it looks good in terms of the visuals, while telling its story well enough. I never felt it quite took the extra leap on an emotional level, not that I was ambivalent towards the film, but I did feel more distance than I feel one should with such a story. A well made film to be sure, certainly not ineffective, but lacked the quality found in say All Quiet on The Western Front.

Vikander - 4.5(Vikander gives a very good performance as she makes her early character, who is defined mostly by her independent streak, not simply seem to be wholly controlled by it. Vikander realizes that well certainly, but never overwhelms it making her feel like a real woman past that. As the story progresses with the war she is quite good in portraying how she is changed by the pressing issues caused by the war. She is very moving, in a quiet fashion, in depicting the way each loss changes her as she effectively internalizes while still realizing just how devastated she truly is by the deaths)

Harington - 3.5(He might have something outside of Jon Snow after all. His role is somewhat brief though he's quite good in bringing a rather elegant charm to his character in his early scenes with Vikander while striking a believable enough chemistry with her. He's particularly good in the scenes after he has seen war by subtly revealing the trauma in the man while still being able to maintain his proper British sensibilities)

Egerton - 3(Like the quiet warmth he brings in his scenes with Vikander. His role is a bit limited, but he handles what he does have rather well)

Watson - 3(I kinda hate the place she's now apparently the stock player for a period piece mother. At least she got do more than in The Theory of Everything, but its still a weak part. She does her best with it though)

moviefilm said...

As of now:
Caine: 4.5
Keitel: 4 (verging on 4.5)
Weisz: 4
Dano: 4 (in fact I liked him here more than in Love & Mercy)
Fonda: 4.5 (verging on 5)