Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2018: Peter Bogdanovich in The Other Side of the Wind

Peter Bogdanovich did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Brooks Otterlake in The Other Side of the Wind.

The Other Side of the Wind is the final, initially unfinished film, by brilliant egomaniac Orson Welles about a brilliant egomaniac, Jake Hanneford (John Huston), failing to finish his final film.

Keeping in mind that this synopsis that leads to a meta exploration of the nature of filmmakers,  their acolytes and film analysis, we have Peter Bogdanovich in the role of Brooks Otterlake, Brooks a former film critic/historian, protege of Hanneford turned commercially successful director, meanwhile Bogdanovich was a critic/historian, protege of Welles, turned commercially successful director. Bogdanovich obviously is not known as an actor, typically only featured in cameo roles, sometimes to his own detriment in the case of his work in his own film Targets. Bogdanovich in turn was not the original choice for this role, replacing impersonator Rich Little who originally played the role, for reasons that differ depending on the source, though if you've seen Little's impersonathan take on the Christmas Carol you'd probably say it is for the best. Bogdanovich was moved out of his original bit part as one of the interested cinefanatics, and instead was cast as a version himself, to the point Welles told him to evoke their relationship with his performance. This perhaps helped then in Bogdanovich gives a strangely far more committed work here than his nearly abysmal work in his own earlier film, of course the old hand wave of playing himself can be wrongly lobbed as always,  especially since what Bogdanovich gets at here is far more than a surface examination.

Although the film is ostensibly about Huston's Jake Hanneford you perhaps are granted a far more intimate insight into Brooks. This in part is helped from Bogdanovich giving the only bit of acting that is from beyond the original bursts of filming in the original production, this is through the opening introduction where Brooks offers the  introduction to the "documentary" to the viewer. Bogdanovich, though servicing a need to the film's introduction, doesn't cut short the character finding his delivery these years of exasperated pain in trying to uncover the exact truth of his old mentor though with a resignation in regards to letting his and Hanneford's legacy be as it may. In the actual film though we open up to a very different Brooks seemingly in his hay day having fun along with the large entourage of Hanneford. Bogdanovich carries himself magnificently as we see him in the initial press light portraying Brooks seemingly in his element of discussing Hanneford. Bogdanovich successfully delivers a unique charisma and confidence of these moments, with this just the right touch of smug assurance, as though he is the alpha dog, though of the hangerons. This though with the bright badge of honor of his success, which Bogdanovich carries with this casual calm, that he illustrates sometimes in an old Hollywood impersonation. Evidently this was Little's main approach in the part, playing each scene with a different accent which seems a touch broad, however Bogdanovich uses these rather brilliantly as these naturalistic little asides that suggest Brooks as he is so well into his element, but also an allusion to his state as essentially a living impersonation.

At the arrival to Jake's party, and where there will also be a rough cut showing of the film, we are given a series of circumstances that reveals every toxic interaction and relationship created by Hanneford over the years. This puts upon pressure on all specifically Brooks who is pushed by all including other filmmakers. Although we initially are granted Bogdanovich still carrying that certainty, with his delicious delivery of "Jake's surrounded by disciples, I'm the apostle" as this creed that grants a superiority well also is clever admission of the truth of the man. Bogdanovich is quite effective as he wears away, and he manages to convey this certain ease up of the excessive confidence. It rather becomes nearly this defense mechanism as he hears criticisms of himself as essentially a copy of Hanneford, and nothing but an imitator in the end. Bogdanovich is especially effective of this wearing away of the overly clever facade. This even in his brief, public, back and forth with Hanneford who makes many passive aggressive remarks to which Bogdanovich usually plays against an eye roll, though an eye roll that hides more than he initially lets on towards the nature of Brooks. One particularly remarkable moment in this is where he recommends, jokingly, to have a fight with one of his "critics". Bogdanovich delivers the recommendations of fisticuffs with a jovial spin, however now in his eyes bringing this greater desperation in the moment of actually having to defend his relationship with Jake beyond a certain point. Bogdanovich has a surprising depth in his work as he slowly dissolves the nature of Brooks in the progression of the night to essentially reveal a failure of Brooks. Bogdanovich is excellent in the way of playing around with the confidence, depending on the audience, showing the man trying to keep his pride, by making the act all the more pathetic as it goes on. This is until finally he essentially reveals himself fully in a private moment with Jake. All that bravado is gone as Bogdanovich plays the moment as essentially this quiet, even shy, little fanboy who is hesitant knowing his disappointment in the eyes of the mentor, as despite his success can't help him fund his film. Bogdanovich, despite being the last addition to the film, provides the most human element, even within his deeply flawed character. That is obviously not going to come from the delusional Hanneford, instead Bogdanovich surprises with his rich textured work of a man living his own delusion while still within the shadow of another. Bogdanovich, in his efforts to release Welles's final work director, actually helped to uncover an artifact of a greater ability as a performer, though perhaps that was because he uncovered a real pain within himself through this self-portrait of sorts.