Alternate Best Actor 1944: Alexander Knox in None Shall Escape

Alexander Knox did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Wilhelm Grimm in None Shall Escape. 

 

None Shall Escape is an intriguing rarity of the time which examines the then still ongoing World War II through the atrocities in the mainland by showing the rise of a Nazi officer.

At the center of the film is an unlikely lead played by the underrated and very talented Alexander Knox. Knox was nominated in 44 for his effective turn in the extremely positively skewed depiction of Woodrow Wilson in Wilson. I'll say it is no surprise that voters chose that performance, which again is a good one even within the limits of that role, give the old rule, that still stands to a degree, of voters sometimes going for "favorite person" rather than best performance. Where Knox managed to be compelling in the purposefully fluffy portrayal of Wilson, here he is equally compelling though in a far darker role in the depiction of the central character Wilhelm Grimm. A man we first see, once we enter flashbacks, into that of a German school teacher working in Poland. Knox does not immediately raise alarms in his calm dignified demeanor as Grimm returns speaking with a slight bitterness in his tone however seemingly not fundamental at first. This as we do get a brief scene between Grimm and his Polish fiancee Marja (Marsha Hunt). Knox uses the scene well to portray genuine affection towards her showing an important hint in Grimm, though quickly returning to a greater bitterness as he shrugs everyone else in Poland as lowly. 

The humanity quickly wipes itself away in terms of the writing of the piece however Knox is more gradual in his depiction of this. This as Grimm, after breaking the one human relationship we see initially, quickly goes to rape one of his pupils. In the moment of persecution, that leaves Grimm exiled and missing an eye though living, Knox is excellent by portraying  very honest sense of desperation. This in granting a seemingly humanity within it just by showing that this is a man doing all this in Knox's performance. He doesn't show any confidence rather a weak fear of the man as he begs local religious leaders to help him in his escape. Grimm returns home to his brother,an anti-Nazi, where Knox balances well the changes in Grimm. This as the bitterness is stronger than ever in his manner as each line delivery is lined with a venom. Knox though portrays it with an overt desperation of a man barely having escaped with his life now speaking passionately for the Nazi cause as though it is the only thing he can hold onto for himself anymore. This as even speaking to his brother, who is sympathetic by virtue of familial connection, Knox depicts a man defined by his wounds content with becoming truly evil man. This as he rises right along with the Nazi regime. 

Knox graduates this in his performance to a truly chilling point as he becomes a full fledged Nazi officer who condemns his own brother to imprisonment and prepares to return to Poland to reek havoc. Knox now shows a chilling confidence that now defines the bitterness of the man. This with a sense of a killer instinct within himself and a man comfortable in being a monster. Knox being terribly effective by showing the natural transformation of a quietly pathetic man to a thriving terror by the virtue of the power that supports his cruelty. Knox making for a wholly despicable villain by presenting with such an ease in the man's manner, and a distinct sense of satisfaction in speaking every order of his. This as he portrays a man whose become comfortable to abuse his power as he sees fit and almost a sense of jubilation in his new ability to kill without hesitation. Knox doesn't hold back in presenting the evil of the character but also doesn't use it as an excuse to go broad. Knox's calm in the role is remarkable and makes the character all the more vile. This in showing a man who isn't just mad, but rather is calmly and carefully implementing his planned atrocities. Knox's greatest work within the film though comes in the framing device where we see Grimm on trial for his crimes. There Knox again portrays a progression, the bitterness now worn overtly rather hidden by confidence, but no longer that same desperation of the younger Grimm. He rather presents a man whose become one with the hatefulness. This in his stellar final scene where Knox speaks every word with an incisive viciousness fitting per his cruel fiend. Knox excelling in crafting a most unique arc for the time, a man slowly becoming more acquainted with the very worst of himself. His final speech is short but one that Knox makes the most of to mark the end of this journey. This with Knox ending as a man becoming a kind of hatred incarnate.