Saturday 27 February 2016

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1962: Brock Peters and Robert Duvall in To Kill a Mockingbird

Brock Peters did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Brock Peters plays Tom Robinson, an essential character in To Kill a Mockingbird even though he only appears in a single scene, we briefly hear his voice in another scene. Brock Peters plays Tom Robinson a man accused of beating and raping a white woman. The lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) does agree to defend the man despite much of the public already having deemed him guilty. This goes to the point that during the night before his trial Tom comes close to being lynched, and we hear Peters's fearful voice as he quietly asks if they've left. We next see Tom at the trial and Peters is very effective even as he sits silently by portraying the state of horror of a man who is well aware of the terrible situation he is in. The highlight of Peters's performance is of course when Atticus asks Tom to testify on his own behalf. Peters is great in the scene as suggests just the modest man Tom was before the trial, and shows him to be almost paralyzed by the considerable unease brought upon by the accusations. Peters is excellent by actually constantly realizing the effort it takes Tom to keep his composure fitting for a man who knows a noose is waiting for his neck for a crime he did not commit.

Peters is great throughout his portrayal of Tom's testimony since he makes the process of it feel so authentic. He finds that difficulty in Tom as he tries to get past each word, and just set up the situation where he had been asked by the woman several times to help her with chores. He attempts to tell this as a friendly story, though Peters properly never allows the nervousness to fully disappear. As the story progresses to reveal the night of when the supposed crime occurred Peters makes the emotional strain all the greater as he tries to tell the truth about what happened. Peters is incredibly moving by depicting Tom's hesitation to get to the important details of what happened showing the sensitive nature of the man, as well as even conveying the certain sympathy Tom has for his rather wretched accuser. Tom states that the woman in fact attempted to come on to him and that all he did was flee the situation. Peters is heartbreaking as he tearfully espouses his innocence. In the moment Peters echoes so well not only the memories of the past but also the terrible pain of knowing where those memories have left him now. After the testimony there is but a guilty verdict left for him. It's only a short moment but Peters reveals a definite despair in Tom before he is taken away, which sets up Tom's unfortunately tragic fate. Peters gives a very strong performance here as he makes the needed impact in his substantial scene. Tom Robinson is not just the name, as Peters creates the real loss of a man caused by a prejudiced society.
Robert Duvall did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Arthur "Boo" Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Robert Duvall also plays a pivotal character in the film, but just like Peters he only has a single scene where we see his face. Boo Radley has a quite the build up as Atticus's two children Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham) are somewhat obsessed with him due to the various stories told about him. Those being that he is a potentially dangerous man who only comes out at night. Radley has a considerable presence in the story though he does not appear until the very last scene of the film. Luckily though Robert Duvall must have one of the greatest entrances ever for both a character and an actor since this was Duvall's very first film appearance. Boo appears after having saved Atticus's children from an attacker, and he is found hiding behind a door as everyone tries to figure out what happened. I don't mind admitting that the scene never fails to give me chills. Duvall's reaction is indeed perfection as the light first illuminates him. Duvall first jumps back in an instinctual fear as we see the recluse, and in the moment we see the potentially dangerous man that everyone seems to talk about. There's that distance of a man who only finds discomfort from the presence of onlookers. However in just a few seconds as Scout recognizes him Duvall so naturally, yet silently, reveals such warmth in his face showing the good man that Boo is. It's such a beautifully rendered moment by Duvall as he successfully sums up his character matter of seconds. The moment can be used as an example of truly flawless acting as there is such an emotional impact from just that one look. It is true that this performance is probably no longer than three minutes, perhaps shorter. This in itself is a challenge as Duvall manages to simply be Boo Radley here, and everything that his character is and means is found in those three minutes.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Meh, while I liked Duvall, he certainly wouldn't be a 4,5 for me like Peters.
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the rest of the cast.

Calvin Law said...

Thank you, Louis :) Duvall makes such a strong impact for me within those 3 minutes. Like you he never fails to send chills down my spine.

GM said...

Interested to know your thoughts on Alford and Wilcox.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I'm sure you'll be happy to know Eddie Redmayne won the Razzie last night. (Personally, I'm starting to think JA is my favorite performance from him). I'm particularly ticked off about Dakota Johnson winning. She should not have been dragged with the rest of that film.

RatedRStar said...

I am assuming he didnt turn up lol.

RatedRStar said...

I booked Monday off work so I actually get to watch the Oscars live this time rather than the last 2 years where I happened to be ill just days before the ceremony started.

Anonymous said...

Serves him right by winning the Razzie.

Robert MacFarlane said...

If it turns out he camped it up on purpose, he might replace someone in my top 5.

Alex Marqués said...

I seriously don't know how one could not be hammy on purpose in that role, in a movie like that.

Robert MacFarlane said...

No matter what, I don't agree with Louis's zero rating. I was honestly laughing harder with him than most comedies last year.

Alex Marqués said...

That's a good point hahaha

Anonymous said...

Alex: I think the Wachowskis asked Redmayne to turn in such a performance that he went along with it.

RatedRStar said...

Who was it that suggested The Four Feathers for Ralph Richardson, because is he supporting in The Four Feathers or Co Lead?

Alex Marqués said...

Anonymous: Well, then I guess I wouldn't call him the smartest actor in the world...

Anonymous said...

Alex: But he's one of the nicest actors in the world.

Alex Marqués said...

Maybe, I liked his acceptance speech last year.

Robert MacFarlane said...

That is one thing that bothers me about Redmayne: he is undeniably likable and charismatic in real life. Why doesn't he tap into that more often?

Alex Marqués said...

That's a pretty good question

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Alford - 4.5(The most assured of the child performers, and after watching the film again I do think he is lead as well since he's never less important than Atticus to be sure. Alford brings a needed naturalism for the part, making up for some of Badham's shakier moments. He also I found to be quite excellent in his depiction of Jem's growing maturation throughout the film, which he manages to do gradually and subtly throughout. This is especially notable as this is given far less focus than what's found in the book, yet Alford still pulls it off)

Megna - 3(Megna is appropriately Truman Capote esque I suppose in the part. On re-watch though I noticed that he really doesn't do much through the adaptation, but I do like his chemistry with the other two kids)

Badham - 3(Looking at her performance again I'm once more torn. She's not great as there are scenes where she's a bit awkward. She's never cloying in the wrong way though and I do think she has good moments in there as well. It's really mixed bag of a performance as she basically goes back and forth though no matter what I do think she's overshadowed very much by Alford)

Overton - 3.5(Overton's always good and this is no exception to be sure. He brings the right character, as you just feel he's a man from this town, but he goes further than that. I really like the quiet discontent he reveals in Heck as well over the Tom Robinson trial, and I've always found his final scene rather powerful)

Wilcox - 4(A performance I think that's easy enough to take for granted, but she really does delivevr in the aprt. She is appropriately despicable and pathetic as you'd expect, but she brings the needed vulnerability and desperation that properly alludes to a certain shame connected to her lies.)

Anderson - 3(A performance that should be over the top technically speaking, but I don't think he's great. He's best in just doing his blunt racist moments, his violent drunk sequences less so. There's certain moments there he comes off as just ever so slightly goofy where I think it could have possible to make his character rather terrifying)

The whole cast is good though and even those in rather slight parts add a little something to the film.

Robert:

Kunis was robbed!

I doubt it in regards to Redmayne simply because whenever the film attempts humor it basically goes "We're telling a joke now", and they seem to take most of their concepts deadly seriously. I don't think Redmayne was trying to be funny either. The reason for that as well as the reason I don't like the performance even in a terrible way is I just don't see the joy of performance there which is requirement for any good over the top turn. By the way it could not all have been the directing either since the old man voice must have been his idea since neither Booth nor Middleton do anything similair to that.

Deiner said...

I agree, both of them are great! I really loved this film and I also liked Badham more than you did.