Saturday 4 April 2020

Alternate Best Actor 1978: Alan Bates in The Shout

Alan Bates did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Charles Crossley in The Shout.

The Shout is an odd film, in that way only 70's films would be odd, about a drifter, who claims to have a mystery power, coming into the lives of a married couple (John Hurt and Susannah York).

Alan Bates appearing as the mysterious stranger Crossley, actually begins the film seemingly in not at all mysterious circumstances. This as he is simply one of the men keeping score at a cricket game on tranquil grounds, but I suppose if Tim Curry is helping you keep score there might be something up. Bates appears to speak of something being not quite right within his own performance, and not just alluding to his haggard appearance and clothes that doesn't seem to fit his surroundings in the least. Crossley begins though to speak of telling his fellow scorer, which Bates textures with a grim and foreboding quality as he speaks, to tell the story of man whose wife loved him, however things didn't turn out well. A quiet mania in Bates's eyes as he speaks, and in turn crafts quite the intriguing starting point for this story. This story that seems tranquil enough at first as we meet experimental musician Anthony (Hurt) being prodded along to church by his seemingly loving wife Rachel (York). After church though he runs into Bates's Crossley who fashions here a presence that is alien to the majority of his role. This in delivering this innate intensity in his startling manner. Bates's oddly shaken manner and ghastly eyes allude to some strange state of this man before we even learn much of him. His first words though are to the nature of the soul, which Bates delivers in this fascinating way of speaking to himself as much as speaking to anyone else. This sort of self-pondering of a man who doesn't seem entirely there, and even Bates's expression seems to evoke a man's mind having been permanently transplanted elsewhere.

Bates's work evokes a man who has been through some horror, however he has come through it with a strange combination of illumination and trauma. Bates's carrying this magnetism here even as he walks as a drifter along the road next to Hurt, before showing up at his house and instantly inviting himself back in. Bates's performance is off-putting in his initial conversations, though that is an understatement, as he quietly delivers these odd statements with alluring yet chilling quality within each word. There is though this near detachment that Bates brings as though Crossley is reciting stories of the past. These stories that begin to take a bit more shape as he describes his time in Australia which included murdering of his own children. Bates delivers this simply as part of the story with this particularly eerie conviction of this sentiment of leaving no trace of one's self. It is said as though it would be any part of the story, though not quite just a sociopath, but rather this darker measure of the man who seems to view his existence within some alternative lens. Bates work is altogether brilliant in this scene though as he manages to create this odd supernatural creature within Crossley, while also still revealing a tangible humanity within him. This balance, that I wouldn't quite describe as elegant, but is nonetheless fascinating to watch within Bates's performance. This as Bates Crossley as though a person whose achieved some separate plane of existence in the current state, though having achieved this through some experience that placed him there.

This continues as Crossley speaks to Anthony of the titular shout as some ability he has learned from aborigines, a yell that kills those who hear it. Bates speaks again of it as this almost idea of a religious experience as he apparently invites Anthony to listen, while also warning him of his dangers. The actual shouting scene being brilliantly performed by Bates in his movement though as though he is conducting the earth itself as something in his control, before committing this extreme upheaval within himself before yelling out much to Anthony's horror, despite taking precautionary measures beforehand. Bates becomes increasingly this nefarious force beyond this point, this in portraying Crossley as an interloper manipulating Anthony and Rachel as he sees fit. Bates's work in itself is incredible here, this as he offers this sort of mesmerizing command within his own presence. This even in his disheveled appearance, Bates presents this ominous power that exudes from him every second he is onscreen. This continues though as he speaks to Rachel of essentially casting a spell of lust on her, which too Bates delivers with this combination of a more genuine lust but also this demonic allure as his eyes create an unnerving quality. This as we see their tryst it is a strange affair, still so effectively performed by Bates, as he presents Crossley's interactions with an animalistic Rachel, less as man loving a woman, but rather almost an owner conducting his pet to lavish and worship him. There is almost disgust in Bates as he compels this behavior in Rachel, without a sense of any joy or genuine pleasure from the experience. Bates portraying Crossley as seeming beyond that idea.

This experience though seems to bluntly end though as Crossley is arrested, though then we are shifted back to the framing device where that cricket field is beset by a storm, and it becomes clear we are on the ground of some type of asylum. Well here comes my interpretation on my end, and best that I do is offer my take on that. Although either way Bates's performance is outstanding here, what I see is the story he tells is of an imagined version of the man entering into the lives, likely of those he is jealous of or has imagined lives of for him to be jealous of. This is befitting that we have a mentally ill man crafting a version of himself whose mental problems provide almost some supernatural ability to change and control the lives around him. Bates in those scenes showing a man whose broken state empowers him, fitting to a mad man creating a fantasy that supports his existence. This then is in sharp contrast to the man we cut back to essentially having a mental breakdown back at the game as he is unable to finish his story. Bates delivers something particularly important then in this scene as he no longer has that power within his presence, and rather portrays a straight mania. This fear within the man of being taken away and controlled by others in this attempt to escape. Bates in this scene just showing a man who is mentally ill and terrified within this state. This in a way though the same man of his story deep down, but now without a power from his illness. Although technically in some ways a brief performance, this is a an amazing performance by Bates. This as he manages to make something vivid within the concept of the character and not get lost within it. This as his work in itself is compelling but goes beyond that in crafting a captivating portrayal of technically the ravings of a mad man as a cohesive idea.

48 comments:

Michael McCarthy said...

I can tell this is gonna be a great lineup from here on out.

Calvin Law said...

Still need to see this. No idea this was based on a Robert Graves story (great poet). And apparently...Tim Curry plays...Robert Graves? I see what you mean about this being a weird one.

Calvin Law said...

Anyway, thoughts and ratings for the rest of the cast?

Bryan L. said...

Yeah, Jim Broadbent has a small role in this one too. I recognized him by his voice lol.

Michael McCarthy said...

Bryan: Let it be known that Jim Broadbent's first ever credited screen role was comprised mostly of screaming lines from Macbeth, stripping and slathering mud all over his body.

Luke Higham said...

Yes, so pleased that Alan Bates finally got a five.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the sound design.

Luke Higham said...

A small correction to my FTW list.

*Remember My Name (Geraldine Chaplin)

Anonymous said...

Luke, who do you predict will be Louis’ Best Director choices for 1978?

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
Michael Cimino
Martin Rosen
John Carpenter
Philip Kaufman
Ingmar Bergman or George A. Romero (Dawn Of The Dead)

Anonymous said...

Luke, thanks. Also, why didn’t you like the “role of a lifetime” tag next to Keanu’s ranking in 1991? I thought it was quite amusing myself :)

Luke Higham said...

He saw better from him since he wrote it. But if he wanted to keep it, It wouldn't bother me at all.

Bryan L. said...

Michael: Which makes it more amusing once you start comparing his small role here to the dignified types of characters Broadbent would later be known for xD

Anonymous said...

Luke, fair enough. Your top five Glenda Jackson performances?

Luke Higham said...

1. Elizabeth R (The best portrayal of Elizabeth I though Mirren is close)
2. Marat/Sade
3. Mary, Queen Of Scots (Great reprise)
4. A Touch Of Class
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday

Haven't seen Hedda, Stevie or Women In Love yet.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: I’m betting on Bergman taking the win. It’s his finest work as a director IMO.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Haven't seen Fanny And Alexander yet have you.

Calvin Law said...

Also Louis, your thoughts on Keith Carradine in McCabe & Mrs Miller? Found him surprisingly heartbreaking on rewatch.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Nope, it’s next on the list - so I should perhaps amend it to ‘so far’.But my point still stands that there’s no way Bergman ain’t making Louis’ top 5.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: which version of F + A to watch?

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: The 5 hour TV Cut which did have a theatrical release sometime after the initial 3 hour theatrical cut was released.

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: You'll find it on Dailymotion, though I would advise Louis to get the Criterion DVD.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your cast and decade of release for a Hitchcock version of The Two Faces of January?

Anonymous said...

Louis: So back in the 40's, Fox planned to produce another adaptation of Les Miserables (the studio had produced an adaptation in the 1910's) with Gregory Peck as Valjean and Laird Cregar as Javert.

Luke Higham said...

Peck in the 40s is a definite no-no.

Louis Morgan said...

Calvin:

Hurt & York - 3.5(Both of their performances are more limited as they fittingly are representations of people more than people. This is purposeful, however both are still effective within these confines of meeting these confines of essentially existing to react to Bates. They work in that regard even if that don't exist all that much outside of his work.)

Curry is indeed in the film, but frankly "blink and you miss him" Broadbent has more to do.

Carradine - 3.5(His performance is indeed moving in being sort of what could be the hero in a different western, though here which takes upon a tragic sympathy of a sort of misguided bravado of a charming man not quite up for the cruelty that exists within the western town.)

Luke:

The sound design is indeed fantastic, this in we do just get some interesting work in the scenes of Hurt's character playing around with sounds, and the mixing itself is effective in helping to create the somewhat disorienting quality of the film. What I'm really here to talk about though is the titular shout, which I was all set for disappointment, however it delivered in being absolutely horrifying, and is a highlight of sound editing.

Bryan:

Two Faces of January 1960's by Alfred Hitchcock (When it was published, and he theoretically could've adapted it I feel.)

Chester: Burt Lancaster
Colette: Carroll Baker
Rydal: Anthony Perkins

Anonymous:

Cregar could've been a great Javert. Not so sure about a 40's Peck, though hey Keys to the Kingdom was by far his best work from that decade which involved a character through decades, so maybe it would've been a better performance from him. Having said that, given it would've been a studio effort, it likely would've been a pretty simplistic version of that story, which I still firmly believes lacks a definitive cinematic version.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your top 15 Laurence Olivier performances.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

1. The Entertainer
2. Sleuth
3. Rebecca
4. Marathon Man
5. Hamlet
6. Richard III
7. The Devil's Disciple
8. Spartacus
9. Wuthering Heights
10. Henry V
11. Carrie
12. Uncle Vanya
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. The Boys From Brazil
15. Oh What a Lovely War

Michael McCarthy said...

Louis: If this hasn’t been asked yet, what are your top 25 Lead Actress performances of the 2010’s?

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Man, that list just reminds me of just how incredible and versatile Olivier is as a performer. Rebecca's easily my favourite performance by him though, although Sleuth isn't too far off.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the direction and screenplay for War Dogs? I've been thinking lately about how Phillips technically made a better Scorsese imitation there than with Joker (although I'd call War Dogs "decent" at best, anyways.)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Has your opinion on Olivier's work in Hamlet strengthened. I looked back on your top ten Shakespearean performances list and both Richards were ahead of it.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: thoughts on this Boogie Nights cast directed by the Safdies? And could Thomas Jane go up from a 3? Just gave the film a rewatch and I thought he was particularly good this time round.

Eddie/Dirk Diggler: Blake Jenner
Maggie/Amber Waves: Kirsten Dunst
Jack Horner: Don Johnson
Buck Swope: Jovan Adepo
Reed Rothchild: Harry Melling
Little Bill: Matt Ross
Brandy/Rollergirl: Rachel Keller
Becky Barnett: Naomi Ackie
Scotty: Paul Walter Hauser
Maurice: John Leguizamo
Floyd: Stephen Root
Todd: Wyatt Russell
The Colonel: Eric Bogosian
Rahad: Adam Sandler
Kurt: Mike Francesca

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: I don't know if you've answered this before, but is there a possibility of Matt Damon being reevaluated for Good Will Hunting?

Louis Morgan said...

Michael:

1. Marion Cotillard - The Immigrant
2. Frances McDormand - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
3. Olivia Colman - The Favourite
4. Rachel Weisz - The Favourite
5. Emma Stone - The Favourite
6. Yoon Jeong-hee - Poetry
7. Emma Stone - La La Land
8. Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
9. Charlize Theron - Mad Max: Fury Road
10. Amy Adams - Arrival
11. Vicky Krieps - Phantom Thread
12. Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night
13. Margot Robbie - I, Tonya
14. Rooney Mara - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
15. Melissa McCarthy - Can You Ever Forgive Me?
16. Sandra Bullock - Gravity
17. Juliet Binoche - Certified Copy
18. Jessie Buckley - Wild Rose
19. Saorise Ronan - Brooklyn
20. Aisling Franciosi - The Nightingale
21. Marion Cotillard - Rust & Bone
22. Isabelle Huppert - Elle
23. Scarlet Johansson - Marriage Story
24. Ruth Negga - Loving
25. Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

Luke:

No, they're on an even keel for me, so a minor sway can occur.

Bryan:

Well the best part of War Dogs is Jonah Hill, for his surprisingly insidious performance, that in a way make the "dude bro" tone work as part of the character's manipulations. The film is less of a stretch for Phillips, as even though it is somewhat serious minded, it is cheeky enough to still have a certain level of comic quality, which is Phillips trying to basically do his own Wolf of Wall street, with even his own Jonah Hill is tow. Well as his own "Wolf" it is better than his own "King of Taxi Comedy" that is the Joker. The tone seems more within his powers of a director, though even then all his choices are as obvious as they come, particularly in his song choices, which you can practically name what song will play before it happens. It's still a weak Scorsese imitation in terms of direction, but ended up making a better film at the end of it.

Calvin:

It's possible.

Fantastic cast, especially love Ross as Little Bill, and that could be quite a scene with Sandler going nuts.

Tahmeed:

Not a major reevaluation, but I'll concede I might've been a little harsh in my original review.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Given that you always thought Armie Hammer was miscast in Call Me By Your Name, who would you have picked to play Oliver? I don't know why the thought came to me, but I feel like George MacKay could have been a good fit for the part as well.

RatedRStar said...

RIP Honor Blackman

Luke Higham said...

RIP Honor Blackman

Mitchell Murray said...

Tahmeed: I didn't have as much of a problem with Hammer's casting, but he was definitely too old for the character. McKay would've been a good fit in that regard.

Also, I just watched 2012's "Hitchcock" this morning, and its sadly another underwhelming biopic to add to the list. The film I can immediately compare it to would be "Trumbo", based on its seemingly overqualified cast, and unwillingness to attach its ideas to any specific thesis. Even then, I would argue "Trumbo" is the more lively, re-watchable movie of the two, whereas "Hitchcock" ends up being rather forgettable and indistinct.

Hopkins - 3
Mirren - 3.5
Johansson - 3
Biel/Stuhlbarg/Collette/Huston - A collective 2.5

Mitchell Murray said...

Rest in peace, Honor Blackman.

Omar Franini said...

Louis: could you post your top 25 for Supporting Actress performances of the decade as well?

Bryan L. said...

Tahmeed: Alright, how much did Calvin pay you to bring up George MacKay? :)

Luke Higham said...

Omar: He's given 5s to 24 performances in that category and I would assume Lindsay Duncan is #25 on that list.

Bryan L. said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the direction, screenplay and editing for Blade Runner: 2049? Funnily enough, I think you've praised pretty much everything else about that film (Gosling, the cast, the technicals, Deakins) except of course, what brings it all together.

Louis Morgan said...

Omar:

1. Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
2. Jackie Weaver - Animal Kingdom
3. Lesley Manville - Phantom Thread
4. Cho Yeo-jeong - Parasite
5. Zhao Shuzhen - The Farewell
6. Jessica Chastain - Take Shelter
7. Ana De Armas - Blade Runner 2049
8. Taraneh Alidoosti - The Salesman
9. Lesley Manville - Another Year
10. Scarlet Johansson - Jojo Rabbit
11. Sylvia Hoeks - Blade Runner 2049
12. Elizabeth Debikci - Widows
13. Park So-Dam - Parasite
14. Cynthia Erivo - Bad Times At the El Royale
15. Marion Cotillard - Macbeth
16. Doona Bae - Cloud Atlas
17. Alivia Vikander - Ex Machina
18. Tilda Swinton - Snowpiercer
19. Tilda Swinton - Okja
20. Allison Janney - I, Tonya
21. Laurie Metcalf - Lady Bird
22. Florence Pugh - Little Women
23. Felicity Jones - A Monster Calls
24. Lindsay Duncan - Birdman
25. Linda Bright Clay - Seven Psychopaths

Look forward to Luke noting who I forgot.

Tahmeed:

Mackay indeed, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, Blake Jenner, Emory Cohen all have enough of the youthful quality, or an unknown, but then proceed to find who had the best chemistry with Chalamet.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Sareh Bayat in A Separation.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

You know I always found Alan Bates attractive.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

#19

Bryan:

Well let's begin with the direction actually. I mentioned before that Villeneuve was a director kind of building upon other directors, in a good way, though we can see how he's developed his own voice within those influences. I think that is already evident if you watch all his efforts from 2010 on, but it is most definitely evident here. This in that here his influence is most clearly worn, obviously, because he's working off of Scott's work. Something that, eh I'll just say it, he bested here, but then again that is what one really needs to do, if you're going to take off from the original. This is because I won't dismiss Scott's achievement in the original obviously, in that he made such a tangible world that was both gritty and awe inspiring. Well Villeneuve takes that, and does go the next step. Not wasting a bit of the technology in his grasp, and the craftsman with the likes of Deakins, to make something all the grander and more fascinating. This as a natural progression both within the story, and in terms of the film-making. Villeneuve takes lessons from the original but isn't burdened by them. Where in a way he takes the next step, to me, is his work, in multiple points, rather than the single "major" point in the original, finds the emotional undercurrent within the cold world. Villeneuve takes those moments of a far greater introspective and appreciation surrounding K, compared to Scott who made Deckard such a cold protagonist. This though is even beyond the protagonist, as take the Elvis scene, which I adore, where we get the majesty of the hologram, along with the broken quality of them, realized brilliantly in terms of visuals and sound design, but it doesn't stay clinical as impressive as it is from a distance. We have that moment of appreciating just the song in one line, but also one moment, with just the faintest bit of sentimentality, that gives so much more meaning to visuals. Villeneuve is playing with most of Scott's instruments, most of his score, but his additions, and way of conducting not only renews the old, but also inspires an original vision from the old.