Alternate Best Actor/Best Supporting Actor 1953: James Stewart & Robert Ryan in The Naked Spur

James Stewart did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Howard Kemp in The Naked Spur. 

The Naked Spur is a terrific western about three disparate men trying to take in one outlaw with a large bounty on his head. 

Despite my love of Stewart as an actor I have somehow never talked about one of his most important collaborations in his career which was with director Anthony Mann in a series of westerns starting with Winchester ‘73 in 1950. These are not your standard westerns and this is a distinct set of performances within Stewart’s career. Long have I held It’s A Wonderful Life as this essential branching off point between essentially pre-war and post-war Stewart where there was a combination through the easy going “aw shucks” charm of the previous period while also alluding to the darkness that would come later with Mann and also two of his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, particularly Vertigo. Although interestingly I would say with the Hitchcock films Stewart is still utilizing some aspects, to tremendous impact, of his old presence very modestly, the Mann westerns are notable in that they feel almost like an outright purge of that spirit. As Stewart in this film won’t be saying “aw” or “shucks”, not once, and despite ostensibly playing our hero of the film, to describe his Howard Kemp simply as a hero would not be strictly accurate. 

That idea is quite evident from the opening scene of the film as even Stewart’s resting face here just feels burdened by life already and there’s no sense that he intends to charm anyone. Rather his eyes are evoking a man just on a mission to the point he comes across everyone with suspicion and Stewart, who really always had the most potent of intensity whenever he needed it, delivers that as an innate factor. As we first follow him as he comes across an old prospector Jesse Tate (Millard Mitchell), with suspicion first, Stewart delivers every word with an exact interrogation and every movement is to control the potential attack of the other man. Only when it is clear the man isn’t a threat to him that we get an offer from Howard to Jesse to help him catch the man he’s looking for. Although even in the offer Stewart is cold in just shaking the coins in front of Jesse with no desire to offer the man friendship, it’s simply a business transaction no more no less. Leading to less of a friendship or partnership as they ride together, Jesse wanting no danger and Stewart presenting only the most annoyed frustrations at the other man’s seemingly cowardly demeanor. 

Stewart reaches his man at the top of a rocky incline who seems to have an ideal position to ward off any attackers, requiring that Howard try some separate way up, however before we can get to that the two men run into a third man, a recently dishonorably discharged cavalry officer and sexual miscreant Roy Anderson (Ralph Meeker), where Stewart can do so much with just a glance and his expression the moment he sees the man’s papers Stewart’s quietly disgusted eyes immediately states just how Howard feels about this guy, despite Roy wanting to immediately help. A physical moment but I think a notable one comes when Howard tries to climb the rocky mound first but stumbles and falls. There’s nothing cool in Stewart’s performance, no humor even in recognizing his stumble, rather there’s fear, embarrassment even, and an unpleasant reaction that would likely reflect most falling in a dangerous situation in front of a random stranger who may or may not be on the level. Leaving instead Roy to climb up it successfully and corner the man who had been dropping rocks from above, leading to the introduction of the man who makes this standout among the Stewart/Mann westerns, Robert Ryan. 

Robert Ryan did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Ben Vandergroat in The Naked Spur. 

Robert Ryan made his career out of playing various fiends, including many that I have covered here including his Oscar nominated prejudiced killer in Crossfire and the sadistic master d’arms in Billy Budd. From the moment we see him onscreen however the nature of this villainous turn from Ryan immediately reveals itself, which Ryan is having a blast with this role. When Roy corners Ben, Ryan turns around not with a grimace but the biggest smile on his face as he greets the man. Ryan is disarming, charming, quite frankly as his delivery is pretty casual as though, unlike Stewart, that everyone is his friend and almost seems to commend the man for getting on the drop for him, though this is the first trick as Ben’s companion Lina (Janet Leigh) sneaks up behind Roy giving Ben a brief chance to make a go of it. Almost being successful until Howard and Jesse make it to the top. Ryan begins to set sail with this performance where he bites into every scene so wonderfully as his whole demeanor as the captured man is defined by that confidence of his nearly ever present smile of a man who has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. His next one being the way he addresses his former acquaintance Howard. 

We get the first face off between Ryan and Stewart which in itself is fascinating as the actor known for playing the heel is so wonderfully warm in his manner, even if subterfuge, compared to the often quite charming Stewart only filled with a quiet rage that only gets stronger in Ryan’s perfectly needling yet so falsely genteel way of addressing Howard as “Howie” like they’re former best buds. Instantly challenging the setup as Ryan with glee lets everyone know he has a large bounty on his head and that Howard not only isn't a lawman he’s also in it for the money. Which gets to the crux of this film, and common to Mann westerns which while they are certainly evil, most everyone is a shade of grey, some stronger than others. In this instance not even the often heroic Stewart is a pure hero here. As we see Stewart face down not only Ben but also the two other men who worked with him to arrest him, and Stewart’s eyes are as intense towards them as Ben. There’s a viciousness to him that is wholly distinct within Stewart’s presence within these westerns, particularly this one as Stewart shows that calculation of potentially killing everyone to keep the money for himself, before coming down from that extreme. A process that Stewart for a moment suggests is easy and brings that genuine darkness into the moment for technically our hero. 

Howard is forced to take Ben in with the other two men splitting things three ways, though easier than it sounds as this film shares much with The Treasure of The Sierra Madre as the lure of the financial reward is more than a bit. And that’s where Ryan just runs off with so many moments of this film in presenting the intense deviousness that is Ben in his methods to survive. A performance where frankly he is manipulating everyone constantly. Ryan brilliantly layers his performance though as we have that surface smile where he is trying to disarm everyone. Yet he also essentially constructs a different type for everyone in the party for him to try to get what he wants out of the situation. With Stewart Ryan projects that pestering familiarity that not only denotes a history but also speaks in every delivery the man purposefully tries to push the man’s personal buttons whenever he can. For Jesse Ryan is softer with every expression being with a bit of phony interest in the older man and even a sense of deferment. Ryan’s delivery of his compliments to the old man on his prospecting skills while alluding to potential gold mines somewhere, all as Ryan makes it all look like Ben is genuinely impressed by the guy, though we ought to know better. With Roy, Ben presses his obvious instant obsession with Lina, and Ryan against shifting his expression a little to almost noble in his earnest request that the “good man” watch out for Lina around Howard. Meanwhile Ryan’s so great in his silent reactions where he conveys so effortlessly Ben’s moments of calculation and moments of direction intention just before he makes his various moves throughout the trek to turn him in. 

Stewart I think rightfully lets Ryan just run with the show in his way, presenting effectively and I think quite impressively as the man deferring in the right way. What Stewart does is reflect the sense of that pressure as Howard not only needs to concern himself with Ben and Lina but also the two other men who are supposed to be his allies. In turn having the moments of hard bitten decision where you just sense the powerful exasperation that defines a man almost tired of the moral lows of others. A state that is only broken when Howard gets shot and in a point of feverish dream where he hallucinates Lina as an old lover of his. Stewart’s remarkable in he has so much weight lifted within his work as we see the old Howard where we also in a way get the classic Stewart, although broken in fever, as the man pledges his promises to a memory. A memory that Ben takes no time in revealing the truth of, where we get an early taste for the truest form of Ben as he so caustically and with a real sadism in every word notes however Howard’s intended not only left him, essentially robbed him of his home. Which in turn becomes a point of exploitation as we see the key relationship of Ben with Lina. Ryan’s fascinating in what he does in his scenes with Leigh, which in no way are the true Ben. Rather Ryan presents an ideal believable Ben, as he desperately pleads with her to help the first time, as a man you can believe, maybe even a good man. The next time though you see more of this devil in disguise as it becomes clear he’s playing her just like the rest as he so earnestly reminds her to use herself as a woman to distract the men, particularly Howard whom she’s made a connection with. 

We get the main scene between Stewart and Leigh, where it is fascinating what Stewart is able to pull off in this moment as basically we see him present Howard potentially believing in humanity again as she shows him empathy. Stewart’s remarkable in the way he goes from a quiet suspicion to easing into some of his considerable charm as they keep speaking, a charm that is quite powerful here because it contrasts so strongly from the coldness before. Stewart doesn’t suddenly become “aw shucks” though as Stewart even in bringing some of his charm still shows an intensity where he is grasping at this hope in a moment almost with the same degree we see him in the moments of violent action, and while I would describe the romance as rushed, Stewart does it best to sell it as drowning man gasping for air. Unfortunately as Ben makes an attempted escape leaving Howard to think it is one more trick and return back to his cynical ways. Where the climax comes as Ben manages to fully trick Jesse into helping him escape with the promise of gold to prospect. When Ben gets the gun from Jesse, Ryan’s instant switch to the real Ben is amazing as he still portrays such joy, but now it is sadistic. I have particularly affection for his reaction for being described as literally devil, as Ryan doesn’t just have Ben accept the title, he owns it with aplomb. Ryan emphasizes the truly psychotic nature as he shoots Jesse down still with the same smile of a man who has no moral qualms whatsoever about killing and showing the true colors so brazenly and brilliantly in his performance. Ryan makes the most out of every second of his performance as Ben, as he makes him a master manipulator throughout, a villain that is just a true magnificent bastard and is simply just so much fun to watch. Which in a way I think is essential, despite being the main villain, as he actually lightens the mood to the right degree by having so much fun. Stewart, while in a way the more thankless position, I think smartly plays into that difference by offering a man basically suffering in this world of amorality. Leading to his final scene where basically he has a choice between Ben’s bounty and potentially a happy life with Lina. There’s just something particularly heartbreaking about Stewart when he of all performers breaks down, because it does feel so raw and fundamental and painful perhaps given he can be such a joyful presence. What Stewart delivers in this moment is the messiness of a man essentially nearly completely losing it, not because he's lost faith, but rather that suddenly there’s this chance to regain it. Stewart delivers the fundamental severity of such a realization and finding a hopeful moment to the end film on, though also a truly painful one. Stewart and Ryan make a great pair here where Stewart offers the tragedy of a man struggling with losing himself to a cruel world, against Ryan as thriving and loving the same cruelty. 

 (Stewart)

(Ryan) 

Alternate Best Actor 1953: Charles Boyer in The Earrings of Madame de...

Charles Boyer did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying General André de... in The Earrings of Madame de….

The Earrings of Madame de… follows the possession of the titular earrings of a well to do wife of a General and how their ownership changes the dynamics of her and her husband’s life. 

It’s been quite some time since I’ve covered a Charles Boyer performance, and the only time I’ve covered a Charles Boyer performance where he was speaking in his native French. An actor I’ve always thought had presence but his standout role for me has always been Gaslight because his cold imperious demeanor seemed to fit the manipulative horrible husband of that character. Boyer once again plays a manipulative husband although the situation is quite a bit different here as we follow his relationship with the fairly shallow Madame de… first name Louise (Danielle Darrieux). The opening act follows Louise as she sells her earrings to support her lifestyle while putting on an elaborate act of “losing” them at the theater to convince her husband of such. Honestly throughout this sequence I found Boyer to be the most charming I’ve seen him in anything, not because he presents any sort of great loving husband or anything of that ilk, rather it is the way he presents the General as a man so very much in comfort both with himself and his wife’s approach to life as obviously imperfect as it is. Boyer’s quite a bit of fun as he goes along with the act with the sense that the General has some doubts to begin with and is just having fun playing along with it. One moment particularly worthy of note is a tradeoff with a servant of a man who accuses the General of having stared at his wife. Boyer’s playful delivery of deflecting while also completely admitting to the notion via a compliment of the beauty of the man’s wife before talking with pride of his own is just a wonderful bit of work, and genuinely charming in that very specific ownership of the situation. 

An approach by Boyer that only continues as he learns from their jeweler of his wife’s deceit. Boyer’s reaction though isn’t of any negativity whatsoever, in fact his reaction presents a certain enjoyment of the whole situation. I will admit particular affection for his reaction to his wife bemoaning the loss after he fully knows and Boyer’s exuding this particular joy of someone just loving the game more than anything. An aspect that only continues when the General chooses to give the earrings off to his own departing mistress as a gift. Boyer in that scene brings a playful energy as a man making the gift a bit of a trick of his own. The film then switches its focus more so on the romance between Louise and Baron Fabrizio Donati (Vittorio De Sica). Where the General is just occasionally checked into. Boyer supposedly had arguments with writer/director Max Ophüls over the motivation of the General, and understandably so as the character becomes a bit more enigmatic. Boyer apparently responded by choosing to play his scenes as omnipotent and taking that info manages to make some sense of the General’s switch from being amused by his wife’s actions to becoming a imperious judge against them. Boyer I think does maintain the thread though presenting the General essentially as this force for the social order and less so on a specific personal level. The scene of him pleading for her to maintain the arrangement is less of a desperate or even jealous husband, and more of an authoritarian ruler making quite clear the specific laws of his nation. An idea only extended upon later in the film where he challenges Donati to a duel. Again a scene where Boyer actually doesn’t play it all emotional, and I found his approach even slightly comical as the General speaks around the true infraction in a way. Boyer delivers the scene so rapidly and as a matter-of-fact, as again more so this is a requirement of the society that he make the duel challenge more than this is an emotional man trying to keep his wife. Boyer I think finds an internal logic within the film and his own performance. As much as I think Max Ophüls is the true star of the film, Boyer I think manages to stay present beyond the vision even when working in the vision by finding some genuine entertainment within presenting the General in consistently more satirical terms. 

Alternate Best Actor 1953: Jack Hawkins in The Cruel Sea

Jack Hawkins did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite receiving a BAFTA nomination, for portraying LT. Commander George Ericson in The Cruel Sea. 

The Cruel Sea takes a realistic approach of a single crew going through World War II. 

If that role sounds primed for Jack Hawkins, the man required to be in every epic during a certain period, you would be correct. This very much is mostly in his more expected wheelhouse just in the lead role, although just barely as the film very much focuses on several members of the crew to get a wider scope of how this life impacts the men. Hawkins provides his presence to the role of a British officer with the innate strength you’d want, and fitting to the most seasoned man called to deck. Hawkins often must fulfill those needs with delivery of his orders with that regal voice of his and with a quiet confidence about a man who knows what he’s doing. That is the set-up however that isn’t all there is to the film or his portrayal of Ericson, though Hawkins certainly does well in filling that Naval uniform so to speak. The film though is trying to be realistic so this isn’t at all about the glory of the navy, and I would say Hawkins is good because even when he’s in his most official capacity he’s not emphasizing any “rah rah” quality, just a man being professional. 

The film gets much darker when the men come across British men in the water but also know there is a German U-boat below the surface. Hawkins is good in this scene where his eyes do capture essentially the cruel but needed calculation of the man as he understands the gravity of his choice yet then proceeds to calmly order that the boat proceed to attack. When he’s called a murderer, even though Ericson had no choice lest their ship also be destroyed, Hawkins’s reaction takes that as truth even as he continues but still maintaining a veneer of indifference to maintain himself as the proper commander. We have a followup scene where Ericson confides his first officer his true heartbeat over the scene, and I’d say Hawkins is good in the scene, but I can’t help but admit I think he’s better in a short, yet very similar scene, in the end of The Bridge on the River Kwai where he also must justify his sacrificial action. There I truly felt the emotion, here I think Hawkins presents it well, certainly delivers on the needs of the moment, but his performance didn’t impact me to the degree of his later work. 

We follow the ship as it has its own destruction where Hawkins again has a good scene where he is recovered with the few remaining crew delivering genuine fear in his expression and conveying the severity of the situation. We follow that even with a personal note of the unfaithfulness of his wife where Hawkins delivers an effective bit of quiet exasperation, where he does care but has been through too much to care all that deeply. Hawkins shows instead the focus of the man now on his job where we have his pivotal scene of becoming obsessed that there is a German U-Boat even though all signs suggest otherwise. Hawkins is good in this scene in managing to portray this dancing on the line in his intensity between determination and paranoia. Hawkins plays around on the note effectively in the build up before he is proven to be right and once again saves the day in less than typically heroic circumstances. Hawkins gives a good performance here, but I will say, along with some of his other leading turns I’ve seen. There is something missing. Don’t get me wrong, he’s good in those other turns, he’s good here, but the weird thing is he weirdly feels like he has a greater presence…when in supporting roles. And it might just be that strange intangible of what makes a star a star, as Hawkins is good, has a strong presence, yet as a leading man, he’s just not quite as gripping as when he comes in and out of a film. 

Alternate Best Actor 1953

And the Nominees Were Not:

Chishū Ryū in Tokyo Story

Charles Boyer in The Earrings of Madame de...

Jack Hawkins in The Cruel Sea

James Stewart in The Naked Spur

Kazuo Hasegawa in Gate of Hell

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2004: Results

10. Daniel Wu in New Police Story - Wu makes for a pretty whiny and obnoxious villain. Not in a way that works either. 

Best Scene: Last "duel".

9. Cameron Bright in Birth - Bright delivers on the specific hollow note asked of him but never makes an impact beyond that. 

Best Scene: Being challenged.

8. Tim Meadows in Mean Girls - Meadows finds the right tone for the material hitting his comedic marks while still being believable. 

Best Scene: Riot control.

7. William Hurt in The Village - Hurt manages to deliver what dramatic heft he can from the tricky material even if it only allows him to go so far with it. 

Best Scene: Explaining his decision. 

6. Bud Cort in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou - Cort gets the most out of his unusual role being both funny but also finding his own little arc as the surprisingly supportive "bond company stooge". 

Best Scene: Human being. 

5. Billy Bob Thornton in The Alamo - Thornton is the most interesting part of his film finding honesty in his deconstruction of man who knows he doesn't live up to his "living legend" status. 

Best Scene: Talking to Bowie. 

4. Nick Nolte in Clean - Nolte gives a very quiet and moving portrayal of man managing his own grief while also trying to honestly negotiate between family members dealing with the same loss. 

 

Best Scene: Important talk with his grandson.

3. Alfred Molina in Spider-Man 2 - Molina manages to thrive within the idea of the comic book villain while still providing essential grounding to provide balance. 

Best Scene: Finale. 

2. Peter O'Toole in Troy - O'Toole provides honest gravitas to tricky material and even more importantly emotional truth. 

Best Scene: Priam speaks to Achilles. 

1. Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice - Good predictions Omar, Tony, Bryan, Shaggy, Tybalt, Tahmeed, Ytrewq, Luke, Robert, Harris, Maciej, Tim, RatedRStar, My top three of the year all are dealing with tricky material. O'Toole finding life in material that so many become stiff and awkward from. Hoffman finding genuine comedy even when so much of the attempted comedy around him is falling flat. Then Pacino who is in a slightly different situation in that he's dealing with Shakespeare however trying to accentuate a certain context many would argue was not intended in the original material. Pacino though excelling in this alternative approach and finding humanity within his "villain". Although I still settle on Hoffman. Because honestly being good in the bad comedy is a particularly rare occurrence and it's notable while I still found his film largely unfunny, I still laughed thanks to Hoffman. And really put say Dan Fogler, or even Jack Black into that role, I don't think they would've escaped the mediocrity let alone make the mediocrity into something that actually worked.  

Best Scene: "Do we not Bleed" 

Updated Overall

Next: 1953 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2004: Peter O'Toole in Troy

Peter O’Toole did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying King Priam in Troy. 

Troy tells the story of the Trojan war.

It is always fascinating with any sword and sandal film how easy it is to be a Quo Vadis instead of a Ben-Hur, a Samson and Delilah instead of a The Ten Commandments…a Troy instead of a Gladiator. Where the tone and aesthetic skewed just slightly one way or another makes it feel just silly dress up rather than any kind of captivating rendition of the type. As already noted Troy struggles within it falling into that dress up quality more frequently than not with the performances particularly frequently falling into that stilted attempt to sound almost too regal or legendary or whatever, it doesn’t work. The most notable exception to this situation is the legendary Peter O’Toole in the role of the Trojan King, the father of Paris (Orlando Bloom) and Hector (Eric Bana). Paris who creates the problem by taking Helen (Diane Kruger) from her actual husband, leading to the Greek army of Agamemnon (Brian Cox attempting more so the Ustinov/Laughton method for these things though I wouldn’t say he’s entirely successful as such) to invade Troy. Hector on the other hand is the great warrior and the responsible brother dealing with the weight of war. Priam stands then as the often stoic regal figure which O’Toole is more than happy to provide. O’Toole importantly just gives the utmost devotion to creating a genuine gravitas to the proceedings and doing his best to make you believe this world. O’Toole does achieve this as he finds the right combination between the regal but with enough of honestly a relaxed quality to not become that stiff quality a few of his co-stars struggle with. 

O’Toole is able to establish Priam as the old King with some wisdom but maybe too much of a connection to the old ways. O’Toole in a way presents a degree of a front as the wise King while we get more within certain moments where O’Toole thrives in bringing humanity within the legendary qualities so to speak. As we have O’Toole successfully delivering the words of Priam’s belief in the god Apollo where he can match the sort of elevated tone in every word of his delivery. O’Toole importantly makes it look easy which is in a way part of it, he doesn’t need to seem as though he’s dressing up as this man, he is this man. O’Toole takes it further however when we have the additional moments of the director’s cut where you see the love Priam has for his son Hector combined with his reason for that earlier devotion. When Priam tells of his prayer to Apollo that he believed saved the very young Hector’s life, O’Toole offers a quieter delivery where there is this strict sincerity of a father finding strength within that belief and most importantly the sense of the love for his son within the story. Contrasting that perhaps a bit, even though the film doesn’t do much with it, is O’Toole reactions during Paris’s one sided losing fight against Helen’s actual husband Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), where we mostly see him trying to maintain that kingly grace yet when Paris shows obvious cowardice in the fight, O’Toole temporary disgust is just a great moment from the actor where you see most intense genuine emotion that Priam must keep down. An intriguing bit that sadly doesn’t get too much development beyond that moment. 

An even greater moment comes as a series of circumstances leads the greatest Greek warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt) to seek revenge for his cousin killed by Hector, as we see Achilles call out Hector for a one on one duel. Before Hector goes, knowing the likelihood of his fate, we get two moments from O’Toole where he manages to express the sides of the character in each. As first we have him wish for luck from Apollo essentially where O’Toole delivers it with the firm conviction of the caring king and devoted worshipper. Followed by a great bit of physical work where we see this quick, emotional and really instinctual extra moment where the man is shown behind the king. O’Toole in his hurried delivery bringing instead of the regal quality, the warmth and desperate love of a father one more time to a son he knows he’ll likely never speak to again. A notion that is only all the more powerful when Hector is not only killed by Achilles, but Achilles makes a mockery of his corpse by dragging Hector around on his chariot. This leads to not only O’Toole best scene but easily the best scene in the entirety of the film as Priam sneaks into the Greek encampment to ask Achilles for his son’s corpse to allow for a proper burial. 

O’Toole’s amazing in this scene bringing such a potent combination of qualities. As we sense the overriding grief beneath every word and his eyes carry the heartbreak of a man who would never fully recover from this loss. Yet Priam’s first action is to kiss Achilles’s hands, the hands that killed his son and supplicate himself. O’Toole finds such power in his quiet and nuanced delivery of each word of true wisdom and warmth as he appeals to Achilles’s humanity with such a pure sense of belief in the greater nature of man. When speaking of Achilles’s own father’s death it isn’t pester but rather connect with the sense of regret of an older man who has seen so much pain and death in the world. O’Toole manages to create even warmth to this killer of his son in the moment, finding still while projecting such striking grief and creating a true poignancy of the moment of the father believing in humanity in what should be in his moment of greatest doubt. O’Toole is able to combine such overwhelming vulnerability as so much of his physical work is of a man near a complete emotional breakdown in the way his lip quivers, however countered with the strength in his voice of a man who believes he will succeed in this task. It feels a wholly natural combination of a man empowered by his grief, which naturally is no easy idea to convey, yet that always feels convincing thanks to the greatness of O’Toole. I mean O’Toole is so great in the scene that Pitt, in maybe the least of his performances, even becomes decent in the scene almost seemingly in reaction to what O’Toole is delivering. It is extraordinary work in the scene from O’Toole particularly within a film that is filled with so much of it is overwrought and stiff. O’Toole wholly elevates that scene to think you’re watching a much better film than you are through his great talents as a performer. A talent that I would say in the theatrical cut in particular is underexploited outside of the scene, though the more than crumbs he gets from those deleted moments thankfully do allow O’Toole to elevate himself beyond a one scene wonder and reactor who knows how to sell the material. O’Toole elevates every moment he does have to create a captivating portrayal of the King as a king but also a man, with one extraordinary scene that is worthy of mention along with the very best of his illustrious career. 

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2004: Alfred Molina in Spider-Man 2

Alfred Molina did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Doctor Otto Octavius aka Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2.

Spider-Man 2 follows the continued adventures of Spider-Man aka Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) this time against Doc Ock.

Molina plays the villain this time around working within similar contexts to Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin/Norman Osborne from the first film though to do different ends. Similar in the sense that both films, very much fitting the style of Sam Raimi, involve a transformation towards evil. With Otto we meet him also attempting a risky experiment that will create an amazing breakthrough at Oscorp, although a difference being he’s technically an employee as a researcher being funded by now head of the company, Harry Osborne (James Franco). Molina’s first scene actually does a lot as we initially meet him as the somewhat reluctant host for Peter who is writing a paper on Otto’s work. Molina I think key, and really what is the backbone to where the character goes, is the initial coldness and kind of disregard for taking the time as he speaks of his work as far beyond any other requirement, only relenting when Harry reminds him of his financial support. There’s something there that Molina eventually expands on, though we first get an important reprieve where we see Otto lighten up when he finds out that Peter is the “Smart but lazy” student his friend has told him about and has lunch with his wife Rosie (Donna Murphy). Molina and Murphy for that matter I think importantly give no sense of where the film is going to go, instead convincingly playing with genuine chemistry a long loving married couple who still have fun chatting up about their old days and their differences as science and poetry focused people. They really are lovely together and exude such a strong sense of the relationship in just one scene to show it very much as the humanity of Otto. An element he even shares with Peter as he encourages him to take a forward approach romantically with such a sincere little grin of someone who is so in love he’d only want someone else to share that as well. It’s great work because Molina and Murphy work would be convincing in a feel good or even drama about the different yet connected couple, and don’t play the relationship as thin given it will be wiped away by the plot. 

Speaking of, we get Otto demonstrating his self-sustaining fusion reaction, which naturally requires the use of four giant mechanical arms grafted to his body, and we get the introduction from Otto. Molina opens as the slightly corny scientist with a bad joke and his general presentation, before starting the experiment with the arms where Molina fashions a direct intensity in his eyes and we see essentially the strength of his ego in the moment. A pivotal moment actually to play the seed of the character before we take the next step, less so as a Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde as we saw with Norman Osborne and more so the man letting his worst element be taken to an extreme. An extreme that comes as the experiment goes terribly wrong, needing to be shut down by Spider-Man, Rosie dies, and Otto loses his protection from the influence of the arms leading to the arms to massacre the hospital staff that attempt to remove them. Where we make the shift very much more so to the Raimi style villain where there is a degree of arch to it, as we honestly begin Molina’s work as Doc Ock with a dramatic “Nooooo” at seeing what has happened and an announcement of anger that infuses both the losses he’s endured and the monster he seemingly has become. This might sound like a criticism but trust me it is not. Rather what Molina does is find ownership in the more operatic qualities that really aren’t all that out of sorts for a man finding himself both grafted to metal arms but also influenced by them that reinforce his worst impulses. Where we see the moment of the arms "building him” up and Molina’s terrific in playing into this frenzy as he goes with every suggestion to continue with the experiment but to only make it bigger without any thought to the consequences. 

Molina finding a pathway into then creating the villain as essentially showing that intensity but now as the man who has come to believe anything he does is perfectly fine as long as it is in service to his vision. In turn we do get quite a lot of fun of Molina then playing basically as the ego without any bounds and someone who comes to even enjoy his villainy as he goes about robbing banks, threats and kidnapping to meet his demands. Molina finds a juicy material in more ways than one honestly, as even some of his head movements are so specifically of this comic book effect that it is utilized in the ideal way where he presents the comic book heel in such a dynamic fashion. While also making him quite entertaining in playing up those egotistical moments of the villain playing around essentially such as when he purposefully sets up a train for destruction to exhaust Spider-Man with such aplomb, or coming to threaten Harry with the biggest smiles of someone just totally living in being the monster beyond himself by giving into those impulses. Molina getting to have fun with the fiend and thriving within the style of the film, yet never becoming too much that you lose the core of the character at any point. Molina successfully connects the “arch” elements with that sense of expanding ego leading to the finale where Doc Ock tries the experiment again only leading to greater destruction. When Doc Ock sees Peter, not Spider-Man, trying to talk sense into him, Molina’s moment of clarity is fantastic where we see the push and pull essentially between going with arms and his ego, to that humanity of his scene with his wife and Molina finds genuine pathos in the man realizing he’s gone off the deep end. Leading to a genuinely moving moment where he insists on stopping the experiment insisting he won’t be remembered as a monster, where Molina’s reaction embodies a loss of the ego, genuine sorrow in where it has taken him, but also a different new type of determination as he goes about righting his wrong. Molina delivering a strong performance that succeeds in managing to take ownership of the more overt comic book tone to make an entertaining villain, however without going so far that we lose the thread that provide the necessary grounding to make his strange journey believable within the tone of the film.