Best Actor 1930: George Arliss in The Green Goddess

George Arliss did not win his Oscar from his other nomination this year for portraying The Raja of Ruhk in The Green Goddess.

The Green Goddess tells the story of three British citizens who crash land in Himalaya Mountains, and they meet the anti-British ruler of the lands.

It is interesting that George Arliss received his two nominations for two roles that he had played previously in silent films and both for performances as rules. It is also interesting to note that Arliss in one portrays one as an evil leader who is anti British, and played the nice leader of Britain in the other.

George Arliss actually does differentiate between the two parts, The Raja and Disraeli are not at all the same man. He does play them similarly in some ways though,  in that they both almost always have this slight grin, as well as they both stand and move in a rather stiff fashion, as well as talk in a rather stiff fashion. I would say the Raja is ever stiffer than Disraeli though.

I will say that this stiffness actually does fit the part a little bit. The Raja is suppose to be very cold and calculated, and boy is Arliss cold and calculating in his performance. He also does always hint as well that the Raja enjoys his power a great deal, just as Arliss showed in Disraeli although this time he shows it in a darker tone.

I can't say this is ever that great of a performance though. He still is much too stiff, and as I said it works a little in his favor, he could have still put just some more life into the performance on a whole, and the part could have been far more entertaining and interesting than it is. As it stands it is a not entirely ineffective performance that does work as sort of an interesting companion piece to Arliss' performance in Disraeli.