Alternate Best Actor 1998: John Hurt in Love and Death on Long Island

John Hurt did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Giles De'Ath in Love and Death on Long Island.

Love and Death on Long Island follows a prestigious widowed British writer as he becomes obsessed with a d-list grade American actor.

The role of Giles De'Ath is an extremely idiosyncratic character to the point that artifice could've immediately realized itself from the outset, as from the outset we begin with a very specific man as a widower who shirks all technology, and lives a most solitary man of time gone by, including the death of his wife. And perhaps with a lesser actor this might've been obvious as a caricature of such a man, but thankfully John Hurt was cast in this part who has a way about getting into tricky parts. A tricky part this is, and Hurt from the outset makes us convinced of Giles, who I think one might've gone too hard on the sort of stiffness of the character, Hurt though brilliantly creates this convincing sense of history in this shyly withdrawn manner. Not shy of people in the traditional sense, but shy of the world that isn't the world of his literary genius that he obviously has been in for some time. So much of this film then becomes Hurt creating the sense of exploration when just by chance he is left out of his flat in the rain and stumbles upon a cinema, going accidentally to dumb teenager romp. Hurt's performance is beyond key because so much of this could come off as weird posturing or absurdly specific, however Hurt's many that creates a very real sense of confusion and discovery, with just the right tinge of comedic value to each that makes it work. The comedy being something that Hurt finds in the earnest way he presents the fish out of water mentality of the proper literary type suddenly watching the equivalent of a Porky's film, which is being both taken aback and in a kind of disbelief. However, things take a bigger turn when while watching the film he comes across one of its stars, Ronnie Bostock (Jason Priestley) and Giles is changed forever.

Again I think the idea of Giles specific shift where his whole world is changed by one glimpse of Ronnie, is fairly absurd as this isn't just a cinematic crush, this is a fundamental destruction of everything that was the closeted and cloistered Giles. Something that could be ridiculous if Hurt was anything less than perfectly convincing, thankfully he is perfectly convincing. Hurt's performance brings this sort of naivety even that works so well within the idea of the man's fascination, as with every moment of finding out more about Ronnie, who really is a run of the mill nothing actor, Hurt  combines this specific fascination, eagerness but also boy like adventurous manner of someone going on some kind of exposition. It would be easy enough to pinpoint it as just lust, but Hurt makes it more complicated effectively of Giles nearly leaving his own state to engage in this, something that is partly this falling in love, but just as much this man breaking those confines in his becoming something quite different. As it isn't just discovering Ronnie but Giles also discovers the whole world of technology, even if in technical pursuit of Ronnie. Hurt is fantastic in managing to be idiosyncratic with this indeed somewhat comedic manner of the amateur being most taken aback by every new bit of it all, but empathetic within that idiosyncrasy by also being so very nuanced in the moments of the very human way one can be excited to change one's world with the right motivation. Hurt gives such depth to every step of it, that while amusing because of how extreme it might seem, he never loses the sight of the man being so earnestly finding life in this new way, even if it is technically just fanboying over one specific actor, however he balances it beautifully to make something tangible if also out there at the same time.

Of course the film doesn't stop with such fascinations as Giles decides to use his literary clout to pursue Ronnie at his home, in Long Island itself, a move that honestly could be portrayed as stalker horror in many films, at the very least very unhealthy obsession in others, however here it is treated as almost charming eccentricity, something that again might not have worked if it had not been for John Hurt. Hurt manages to be both comedic and earnest, comedic by being earnest, by being so properly English and literary even while essentially fanboying his way into Long Island. Hurt has all that dignity in his performance, though showing a real fascination, but doing so again in this very proper way that makes it funny even if it is very serious when it comes to Giles's own feelings as presented by Hurt. Giles goes so far as to purposefully run into Ronnie's girlfriend, a scene that again would be too much in many ways if not Hurt's performance, who manages to even sell the pseudo physical humor of ramming his cart, because he manages to be oh so very sincere as he apologizes to her, despite lying through his teeth, as he will continue to do so in either lies or half-truths as he tries to get closer to Ronnie. Hurt when finally meeting Ronnie, manages to modulate his performance ideally within the subtle glances and moments of reservations of a man holding much in, but finding ways to explore when making suggestions and overtures of his career. Hurt putting in this reasonable delivery of every word of support, as much as it is just glowing fanboying, in stating his love for the young man, while keeping that very specific reserve on the surface that slowly wilts away as spends more time with Ronnie. And here is unfortunately where I think the film doesn't know exactly what to do, so it just kind of does a sudden speed run to an ending where Ronnie's girlfriend wants him to spend less time with Giles, so Giles has to speak one more time to Ronnie. A great scene for Hurt however in the way we see within the scene of Giles's finally letting that veneer go as the conversation goes. As he begins with that reserve, that artificial regalness and intelligence, that segues to such natural desperation in Hurt as he makes more of a plea, and then just genuine vulnerability in Hurt's eyes as he speaks as honestly as possible about his love for the man that he has felt all this time. Unfortunately then the film wraps it up a little too quickly for its own good, leaving a bit on the table. Regardless, Hurt delivers a captivating turn that consistently elevates and really sells the material that could've gone wrong in the hands of a lesser actor.