Saturday 29 June 2019

Alternate Best Actor 1963: Marcello Mastroianni in The Organizer

Marcello Mastroianni did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Professor Sinigaglia in The Organizer.

The Organizer is a rather effective film that follows textile workers as they attempt to organize then maintain a strike.

Marcello Mastroianni appears more than 20 minutes into this film, as just barely the lead. This as his character more than anything acts as a catalyst for how the strike will develop. He is not one of the workers but rather an on the run "organizer"/former teacher who is attempting to help the workers in their efforts for better treatment. This is just a brief description however and this is a rather fascinating performance to examine by Mastroianni that is a far cry from the slick modern Italians you'd find him in his Fellini collaborations. Mastroianni actually leverages his typical charisma to offer a wholly different sort of character for himself, in the professor who is anything but the common man. Mastroianni delivers a very different physicality than is typical to his other performances of the period. He has a very effective meek expressionism in his manner. This as he walks very much around like a slightly fearful and rather modest teacher. An interesting approach actually as really what is about half of his performance is that of a rather comedic take, in a film that in its overarching themes is most certainly a drama. Mastroianni plays him almost as this goofball who sticks out quite sorely across the crowd with his slanted walk, and way of always seeming a bit overly, while also oddly, dressed.

I will say though I rather love the approach Mastroianni takes in this regard in it effectively distances the professor from the rest of the people, though while still managing to show why he'd be able to endear himself to the majority of them. This is as Mastroianni has the right off-beat energy in this manner of a man whose joyful attitude is rather endearing. It also helps that Mastroianni manages to be genuinely amusing here in his comedic moments, which he rather naturally brings to the fairly dramatic narrative. This such as his somewhat trollish expression when reacting to seeing he's stopped a potential sexual rendezvous, or his complete lack of hesitation in his manner in a later scene where a prostitute he's staying with says he doesn't need to sleep alone. The way Mastroianni jumps up in that moment is a bit of comic gold and makes the professor rather likable. He importantly doesn't go overboard in his approach that would stretch the honesty of the character. Mastroianni manages to make his manner both enjoyable to watch but also natural within his character. Mastroianni uses it to portray the man who in many ways doesn't really fit in where he is as a fugitive professor among the working class, however he realizes this essentially in this affable way.

Mastroianni's approach though also works in creating this certain specific dynamic within the man, where he is is this affable sort but with a certain pathos. Mastroianni's work finds the right pathos through his quieter scenes where he explains his motivations. In these moments there's a real sense of history in his eyes of a man who has seen much pain in his time. He's especially strong in the moment where he reflects on the situation forcing a woman to become a prostitute with a quiet discontent that so powerfully realizes the man's convictions as an underlying fact. These though are in a way the fuel within the character that flows from the professor when he must speak to the crowd of the workers to to convince them to keep on the good fight. Mastroianni makes these moments especially pointed as he fashions them in contrast to the near clown we see the rest of the time. Mastroianni however rightly plays this as part of who the man is as he almost brings this hesitation before each moment, portraying the professor purging the strength out of himself in order to make his statements. In turn Mastroianni makes them such genuinely striking moments of a fervent passion from a meek man. This as he calls upon a strict righteousness in his words with such a direct strength within his eyes in these moments. Mastroianni in these scenes shows a man who becomes in his element, in a way that has always been within him, however now as he reveals it with such a direct purpose. His way of spurring this grandiose strength out of such modesty makes it all the more notable, since he shows still to come from a man of that modesty through that hesitation. He's a man who must conduct what he believes out himself, which he can do with such thunder, but must still deliver from within himself. This is very much an against type turn by Mastroianni as he takes his usual casual cool charisma and re-purposes it to this more erratic role. Mastroianni does so successfully in making the professor a real character without a becoming a caricature. He finds the man who is of a different life, in an entertaining way, yet never sabotages the serious intentions of the man that brings out in such a remarkable force. The professor isn't your standard Mastroianni lead, or even union hero, however his work crafts instead such a unique sort, that leaves an equally unique impression both within the film and among his oeuvre.

64 comments:

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the rest of the cast.

Anonymous said...

Louis, have you seen any new releases lately.

Matt Mustin said...

I saw The Dead Don't Die. I kinda loved it. It's my Original Screenplay win at the moment, and it's gonna take something really amazing to dethrone it as my choice for Best Original Song.

Murray-4
Driver-4
Sevigny-3
Swinton-4.5
Buscemi-3.5(Wish he had a little bit more to do)
Waits-4
Glover-3
Jones-3
Pop-3
Perez-3
Gomez-2.5

Calvin Law said...

Matt: I'm glad to hear such enthusiastic response to it, given the mixed critical reception thus far. I imagine the film's pretty different to what the trailers suggest.

I saw Spider-Man: Far From Home. It was...okay? Honestly these new Spidey films just aren't really my thing, I think. It's breezy and fun, but I'm not gonna lie following up from Endgame's fallout was always going to be hard. I think the most annoying thing is though that this particular Spider-Man is still very much a cog in the machine, so to speak.

Holland - 3.5
Jackson - 3
Zendaya - 3
Smulders - 2.5
Favreau - 3.5
Batalon - 3
Starr and Smoove - 3
Tomei - 3
Gyllenhaal - 3 (okay, he's more than decent but...honestly Mysterio is so much more interesting a character than they've shown here)

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Where would this rank among your favourite Mastroianni performances, and your top ten favourite acting moments of his.

Calvin Law said...

With regards to the first two episodes of Season 8 Game of Thrones:

- they really might as well have killed off Euron in episode 1. He’s a piss poor villain anyway so would’ve been pretty funny if all it took was an arrow to the head by Theon, while the bloke’s boasting about his Iron cock or something.

- Lena Headey has nothing to work with. Nothing. They really should have left someone at King’s Landing for her to interact with.

- There’s a lot going on in Winterfell and it’s far too rushed, making some of the reunions hit far less effectively than others. Have to say I really quite liked the Mormont reunion.

- The fireplace sequence though was great, and probably the best scene since the season 6 finale. The knighting scene is brilliant.

Luke Higham said...

Tahmeed: I think it's probably 2nd behind Divorce, Italian Style.

Luke Higham said...

I hope we'll get the Double reviews next then Sordi, Lancaster, Björnstrand and McQueen to finish off.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the cinematography of Phantom of the Opera (1943), An American in Paris and Around the World in 80 Days.

Matt Mustin said...

Thinking about it, I may bump Driver up to a 4.5 for The Dead Don't Die, because he and Swinton really have the most perfect grasp on what Jarmusch is doing.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your thoughts on Julianne Moore as an actress? Just noticed that she isn't really brought up around here a whole lot.

Mitchell Murray said...

Ok, I'm EXTREMELY late to the party on this one, but I finally got a chance to sit down and watch "Captain Marvel". To be perfectly honest, I thought it was fine. As a part of the MCU I didn't hate the film, nor did I love it by any stretch. I have many quibbles to speak of with the movie's execution, but at the same time, I do see the appeal/potential in several of its aspects, even if they aren't fully realized, per say.

Mitchell Murray said...

Bryan: For myself, Moore is certainly a talented performer with a genuine charm, and a fair amount of range. She can be quite effective if under just the right direction, and with the right approach to focus that emotional versatility. This isn't always the case, though, and in those instances I don't always find her performances as convincing as they really ought to be. Even her work in "Far from Heaven", which is often praised as a high point for her, was perhaps a little bit uneven/detached for me personally. Then again, I was really impressed with her in "Still Alice", along with her supporting turns in general.

Bryan L. said...

Mitchell: I was actually expecting you to chime in on Moore haha.

Whats your rating and thoughts on her in Magnolia?

Mitchell Murray said...

Bryan: Full disclosure... I haven't seen Magnolia.

Emi Grant said...

Mitchell: What did you make of her on The Kids Are All Right?

You need to check out Magnolia. I was absolutely floored by it and it finally sold me on PTA.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Oh and your 50s cast and director for Far from Heaven?

Mitchell Murray said...

Emi: I liked her there, probably more so than Bening actually, although she was fine herself. My only reservation about Moore's performance is that I never bought her love affair with Ruffalo's character, but that's a fault in the script more than her work.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: If Camelot were to be remade today, who would you cast as Arthur and Guinevere.

Calvin Law said...

Yeesh, The Long Night. I actually rather liked quite a few things about the episode, however looking at it as a whole they really didn’t do enough with it, so to speak. Not even talking about spreading it across more episodes, though that certainly would have helped, but just in terms of giving the characters their ‘moments’ instead of just focusing on the spectacle.

Well executed completion of arcs: Theon, Melisandre, Beric, Jorah

Terrible: Dolorous Edd

Arya’s big moment was well done, but I can’t help but think I’d have preferred if there was more of a buildup towards it within the episode rather than a ‘surprise’ attack. Like her engaging the Night King in a sword fight.

And in my opinion, Jamie should have sacrificed himself for Brienne.

Mitchell Murray said...

Also, for any of my fellow canucks on this blog, might I bid a happy "Canada Day".

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Calvin: Agreed completely on Jaime.

Anonymous said...

Bryan L: Douglas Sirk has to be the director for that 50's version. He was the master of 50's melodramas.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Blier & Lulli - 3.5(Both just bring the right between the lines character within their roles. They don't have a lot of expansion however what they do with what they have is impressive in creating a real sense of just two honest workers.)

Salvatori - 4(As kind of the pseudo Tom Joad to Mastroianni's pseudo Casey, he's rather effective in a low key character arc. This as the man who is the one who is most unsure of the professor and his methods, yet slowly grows towards the same passion himself. Salvatori manages to realizes this quite effectively in just the understated gradual fashion that feels wholly earned by the end of the film.)

Girardot - 4(She doesn't have much screentime however she makes such a notable impression in her brief time. Grating without a doubt a powerful allure, with a certain comedic undertone about her wry deliveries but with still this certain sense of pathos in her reactions towards Mastroianni's more important words.)

Anonymous:

No, as again I am surprised by how little interest I have in the wide general releases this summer. The only films I currently want to see that are released are Dead Don't Die and Midsommar however neither has opened anywhere near me at the moment.

Tahmeed:

Just behind Divorce, Italian Style (Where I'm not sure why I ever downgraded him to a 4.5 for that) and White Nights

Best wait on the list as I'm going to watch Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow very soon.

Anonymous:

Would need to re-watch American in Paris to give proper thoughts on that one.

Phantom of the Opera at the very least excels in creating a real vibrancy in the colors through the palette choices and the lighting that amplifies them. It's the compositions and framing though are not particularly notable beyond a shot here or there of Rains. The general talking scenes between the boring love triangle are just as boring in terms of the way they are shot, okay maybe not that bad. Decent work from Greene and Mohr but nothing too notable.

Around the World in Eighty Days certainly is very wide work form Lionel Lindon...and it is there that the cinematography is at its best. This in really just the panoramic views of the sometimes absurd scale of the film. The actual composition and framing of these shots though is pretty inconsistent. Usually their best when there are not characters and just something to look at. This as he never really places anyone in frame or composes them in a terribly interesting way. The lighting of the film certainly does its job but nothing more than that. It occasionally evokes atmosphere, but not often to the point it seems like those moments are particularly by chance. It's not poorly shot by any means, but doesn't really take an advantage of the potential of showing the world so to speak.

Bryan:

Well that's a good question. I guess one could say I view a bit as I do Sean Penn, in that there is a lot of raw talent quite obviously evident however it is also just as unwieldy in that sense. She rarely phones in a performance, though she hasn't completely avoided that, and she does go for it. The thing is her method can result in some great performances like Boogie Nights, but also can hit the other side of the coin hard, even with PTA at the helm, with Magnolia. Hers is one of very much finding the right approach, which often is a pretty extreme one, which sometimes works, sometimes does not.

Far From Heaven 1950's directed by Douglas Sirk (of course!):

Cathy Whitaker: Barbara Stanwyck
Frank Whitaker: Joseph Cotten
Raymond Deagan: Sidney Poitier

Luke:

Ewan McGregor as Arthur and Jessie Buckley as Guinevere.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your Top Ten performances of hers that you've seen?

Calvin Law said...

Louis: I honestly would recommend Rocketman and Toy Story 4 at the very least. Neither is a masterpiece but I had a great time with both.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Lastly, your thoughts on Bill Camp as an actor? Looking over his filmography, he's worked in many films from high-profile directors over the years, and I could see him getting an Oscar nomination if he gets a really prominent role in another such film.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: Technically, I don't think Midsommar is "officially" released until the 3rd.

Bryan L. said...

Matt: I was about to mention that as well, since its only out right now for the critics.

Emi Grant said...

So, did anyone watch PTA's Anima? I just did and those were some captivating, beautifully shot and scored 12 minutes.

Emi Grant said...

Well, technically not scored, but the music fits so well.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on Robert Yeoman as a cinematographer? I recall how you said that the cinematography in GBD was the least impressive technical aspect of the film, so I'm curious if you think he's a cinematographer in the same vein as Bill Pope, a workmanlike cinematographer.

Also, would Jack Cardiff be your choice for cinematographer for a 50's GBD? He seems like the perfect choice to me.

Anonymous said...

I meant GBH, not GBD.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Your ideal cast and director for a film made about the French Revolution. I'm particularly interested in your choices for Maximilien Robespierre, King Louis XVI, Jean-Paul Marat and Napoleon.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Do you think the downplaying/complete omission of Jon Snow's intellectual side from the ASOIAF books (alongside his warging abilities) was a missed opportunity for the show? Although I think the show was able to carve out the traditional hero path properly for him, (especially due to Kit Harington), I do think the final season could have particularly benefited from it.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on the Knives Out trailer.

RatedRStar said...

Knifes Out trailer looked fine I guess, possibly expected something more visual or noirish, its more in the style of Murder on the Orient Express, at least this time the killer wont be obvious so thats good news, Evans is promising, Craigs accent is interesting, we didnt hear too much from him though.

Matt Mustin said...

I hope I'm not in the minority here, but I loved the Knives Out trailer. I think it looks like a lot of fun with a very game cast. Evans and Craig seem like the most interesting from this, and it's good to see Lakeith Stanfield again.

Matt Mustin said...

Also, awesome use of that song in the trailer.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Knives Out looks awesome.

Luke Higham said...

Saw Yesterday and Far From Home. The former was okay while the latter is the most overrated film of the year so far. The highlight was the 1st after credits scene.

If I were to rank the Comic Book movie output this year, it would be:

1. Avengers: Endgame
2. Shazam!

3. Captain Marvel
4. Spider-Man: Far From Home



5. Dark Phoenix

RatedRStar said...

I am seeing Spider-Man tomorrow, judging from this blog that 91% on Rotten Tomatoes might be a little too generous lol.

Matt Mustin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bryan L. said...

Luke: Ratings for the cast of both films?

Bryan L. said...

Knives Out looks like it'll be quite a bit of fun, and it feels like we haven't a good, original who-dun-it in a long time. Can't wait.

Craig seems like he's going for a Joe Bang-fried James Bond.

Well, maybe not exactly but he looks like he's going for something interesting.

Bryan L. said...

Tahmeed: I'm not sure who'd he play, but I'd like to see Matthieu Amalric in that French Revolution film.

Luke Higham said...

Yesterday
Patel - 3 (I really would've loved Domhnall Gleeson in this role)
James - 3.5
McKinnon - 2
Carlyle was good in his uncredited role.

Far From Home
Holland - 3.5 (I personally felt he didn't progress much as a character here and was really a retread of Homecoming)
Jackson - 3
Zendaya - 3
Favreau - 3
Batalon - 3
Gyllenhaal - 3.5 (I thought he was good but the twist in the middle felt completely flat and made him far less interesting as it went on, Such a shame too as there was quite abit of promise with the character)

Bryan L. said...

Yeah, it would've made more sense to get Domnhall again, especially when you take his previous film with Curtis into account.

McKinnons that bad though?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: With that French Revolution question, mustn't forget about Georges Danton.

Luke Higham said...

If I were to suspend my disbelief on the accents:
Robespierre: Mathieu Amalric
Georges Danton: Stephen Graham
Jean-Paul Marat: Paddy Considine
Louis XVI: Paul Dano

Luke Higham said...

I left out Napoleon because he didn't have a significant impact on the political side of things until the late 1790s, also its a very difficult role to cast.

Mitchell Murray said...

Luke: In reference to the "Knives Out" trailer, for the moment I'm inclined to agree with Matt and Robert... it looks great. It is true that we haven't had an enjoyable "who dunnit" thriller in quite a while, and with the caliber of cast they've enlisted here, and the stylish tone they're suggesting, I'm certainly interesting in watching it now.

Bryan: Not sure if I've ever mentioned this on this blog before, but I've never been all that fond of Mckinnon. To be frank, I was honestly rather annoyed by her in the Ghostbusters reboot, and most everything she's done since, so I'm not surprised that she would've gotten such criticism by Luke.

Bryan L. said...

Really though, the easiest solution would be to just have Napoleon in a post-credits scene stating that he wants to discuss the "Napoleonic Initiative."


Louis Morgan said...

Bryan:

1. Boogie Nights
2. Game Change
3. Still Alice
4. Far From Heaven
5. The Hours
6. Short Cuts
7. The Big Lebowski
8. Children of Men
9. Don Jon
10. A Single Man

Camp's a fantastic sort of waiting in the wings actor. He pretty much always delivers in the bit parts he had over the years for a second (see Birdman) or a couple of minutes. He always delivers on his role as a proper character actor should, however I say waiting in the wings as his work on "the Night Of" suggests he has plenty more to offer. That is there he delivers such a impactful performance with a powerful screen presence that typically isn't quite tapped into given the brevity of his roles. He's always a nice addition to a given film but hopefully that potential will get to be realized again soon.

Anonymous:

Well with Yeoman you again have to look at his work across filmmakers. Well his work only stands out when working with Anderson. That shouldn't dismiss his work, perhaps he brings the something out of Anderson as well, but his work is indeed rather workmanlike outside of his ventures with Anderson. In fact it borders on below average as his work in Red Eye for example could've had a bit more atmosphere to that horror thriller for example. His work with Paul Feig honestly is kind of bad to be perfectly honest. Ghostbusters for example is way over lit and shot like a boring sitcom most of the time. The cinematography of his films don't stand out, nor do they really add anything to the final product, sometimes detract from it. Maybe he's an essential ingredient for Anderson, but I would interested to see an Anderson film shot by someone else to compare.

Cardiff or Challis.

Tahmeed:

I'll say probably since again his "death" really had not impact whatsoever for the character. The mythical qualities might have brought more from that other than just reviving him and that being it. I also will say making him dumber was not a good thing in the end at all, especially not with giving him about a vocabulary of 10 words in the final season.

Well I'll give two versions:

Jacques Audiard Version:

Robespierre: Romain Duris
Marat: Vincent Cassel
Napoleon: Vincent Rottiers
King Louis XVI: Guillaume Canet
Danton: Matthias Schoenaerts

Armando Iannucci version:

Robespierre: Dan Stevens
Marat: Paul Bettany
Napoleon: Jack O'Connell
King Louis XVI: Ben Whishaw (Yeah, kind of doing Richard II again, but maybe kind of a comic version of that)
Danton: Rory Kinnear

And yes ideally I believe it should be a dark comedy.

Luke:

From the trailer I'll say it looks like it could be a lot of fun or really annoying. Quite the cast either way, and I'm really hoping it is the former.

Emi Grant said...

I'm not quite sold on Knives Out from the trailer, but I will say that is a hell of a cast.

Calvin Law said...

As bad as Jon's characterisation was in Season 8, I thought if anything it was at least consistent and his ending was fitting enough. My candidates for the worst treatment by Season 8 would probably be Jamie, Danerys, Brienne, and Varys - although incidentally, all four were brilliantly acted. Dishonourable mentions to Tyrion (the trial scene was one of the stupidest scenes I've ever seen not just on the show, but in general of a production of this size), Bran (as someone who ended up being really intrigued by his storyline across seasons 6 and 7 the resolution was awful), and hot take, The Hound (McCann was good as per usual, but I feel like the stupidity of Cleganebowl has been ignored too much because of all the other dumb stuff that happened in the episode. There were literally no stakes to that fight. It would have been far more powerful if Sandor had to rescue Arya in her assassination attempt on Cersei, and the only way by doing so was holding off The Mountain. As it was it just became two oafs beating each other to the death).

Honestly, though, the only characters I thought received fitting arcs and ends to the series were Theon, Arya, Jorah, Sam, and Melisandre.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Well, I'm glad you managed to watch it in its entirety.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Don't know why I didn't think of Stevens for Robespierre.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Who would you cast as Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson in a 2010s biopic.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: I think Conleth Hill would be a perfect Ralph Richardson.

Calvin Law said...

Also my top 10 cast ranking for Season 8:

1. Emilia Clarke
2. Alfie Allen
3. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
4. John Bradley
5. Gwendoline Christie
6. Carice Van Houten
7. Iain Glen
8. Conleth Hill
9. Maisie Williams
10. Liam Cunningham

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Which 5/10 actors surprised (In a positive way) and disappointed you the most due to their prior reputations.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on the screenplay of chinatown and unforgiven

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

(Somewhat) Young:

Olivier: Dan Stevens (Yes most go to young Brit, but he's the only one currently I see having sort of the right ambitious charisma needed for Olivier)
Gielgud: Nicholas Hoult
Richardson: Jack Lowden

Older:

Olivier: Daniel Day-Lewis
Gielgud: Jeremy Irons
Richardson: Gary Oldman

Surprised (I guess)

Nicolas Cage
Ethan Hawke
Keanu Reeves
John C. Reilly
Brendan Frasier

Disappointed (I guess)

Sean Penn
Gerard Depardieu
Spencer Tracy
Richard Burton
Gary Cooper