Friday 10 September 2010

Best Supporting Actor 1953: Results

5. Frank Sinatra in From Here To Eternity- Frank Sinatra is only ever obnoxious as Angelo Maggio. He is just annoying in most of the early scenes than in his final scenes he overacts massively.
4. Brandon De Wilde in Shane- Brandon De Wilde is a dull presence in the film, and every single line and reactions only take away from the film. He is suppose to be the heart in the film but fails miserably to ever be authentic.
3. Eddie Albert in Roman Holiday- Albert technically does nothing wrong in his role, and does not take away from the film, but he basically is always just in the background taking pictures that is all.
2. Robert Strauss in Stalag 17- He is funny enough as the two man Pow comedy team, and he does not let his jokes actually interfere with more serious sections of the film, since he does not overplay his role.
1.  Jack Palance in Shane- The role he plays it not much but Palance puts the right amount of menace in his role as the villainous gunman. He is never required to all that much but everything he does do is as well handled as possible.
Deserving Performances:
Otto Preminger in Stalag 17
Ernest Borgnine in From Here to Eternity
John Gielgud in Julius Caesar
Jay Robinson in The Robe

14 comments:

joe burns said...

Is this year the weakest year you've done so far, period?




And great work! And what's next?

Louis Morgan said...

Yes most definitely. And Thanks! Well at the moment it looks like 1937, but there still is time left.

joe burns said...

What about Best Supporting Actor 1968? I thought you were going to watch The Subject Was Roses on TCM on the 13th so you could do it?

Louis Morgan said...

I will probably do that after the lead year.

Tom said...

Interesting that you picked Otto Preminger. He was good in this too.

I still don't understand why so many people don't like this movie. Maybe it's the mixture of comedy and drama. It's a good thriller actually; you don't know who the stoolie is. Why do they hate it so much?

Brandon said...

Louis, did you like From Here To E.?

It was okay, I thought, but just very flat and given some life thanks to Reed and Clift.

Louis Morgan said...

Yeah I did like it. It had problems but I thought overall it was a good film.

Unknown said...

Gielgud is my choice. From your nominees, who would be the winner?

Fritz said...

Wow, this year looks really weak! I have to watch Stalag 17 again someday...

dinasztie said...

Wow, this was a weak year. I guess I would choose Palance.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if I'd call all the performances weak, just very forgettable. Well, of course, I enjoyed Brandon De Wilde in Shane.

Louis Morgan said...

Celso: I would probably choose Gielgud.

Fritz and Dinasztie: Not only weak but the weakest.

Sage: A supporting performance being forgettable is not exactly a good thing either. But then again I doubt I'll forget Eric Robert's terrible performance.

jimmo said...

Louis Morgan wrote:

"Brandon De Wilde in Shane- Brandon De Wilde is a dull presence in the film, and every single line and reactions only take away from the film. He is suppose to be the heart in the film but fails miserably to ever be authentic."

Jim Moran replied:

It is your blog, and of course you are entitled to your opinion, even if that opinion happens to contradict the fact most film critics and audiences found Brandon De Wilde's character of "Joey Starrett" in "Shane" warmly moving and his farewell, plaintive plea to the titled character to be the film's emotional high point.

Perhaps you've forgotten what it is like to be a young boy yourself, and have not been around young children much since? But De Wilde's acting was an on-target, natural performance.

De Wilde was, after all, nominated (along with "Shane" co-star Jack Palance) for Best Supporting Actor at the 1953 Academy Awards, for his role of young "Joey Starrett."

De Wilde was also already a highly praised stage actor before one frame of film was shot for "Shane," having co-starred with the renowned Ethel Waters and Julie Harris in "The Member Of The Wedding," reprising his role (with the principals) for the film version of that play.

Then De Wilde co-starred in another long-running Broadway play, "Mrs. McThing," with Helen Hayes, the "First Lady Of The American Theater." His performance in that production landed De Wilde on the cover of "LIFE" magazine.

Such prestigious roles and accolades are not given to mere rank amateurs, no matter how young. There was something of an innate, gifted spirit present in De Wilde at a very young age.

In my opinion, Brandon De Wilde and Tommy Rettig were two of the finest young actors of the 1950s, just as Ronnie Howard, Jerry Mathers, and Billy Mumy were to become the preeminent, juvenile male actors of the 1960s.

Your opinion of De Wilde's role in "Shane" is overwhelmed by the millions of the film's fans who shall never forget De Wilde's heart-wrenching performance as "Joey Starrett," and his incredible chemistry with the film's star, Alan Ladd.

Ytrewq Wertyq said...

^
|
|
Well this one was quite melodramatic...