Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1945: Mercel Herrand in Children of Paradise and Results

Mercel Herrand did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Pierre Francois Lacenaire in Children of Paradise.

Herrand comes in and out of the film as Pierre Francois Lacenaire an outlaw who passes his time around the theater world acting as a writer, or at least claiming to be but his true calling is that of crime. Lacenaire is a most strange sort of outlaw in that it does not seem to be that he needs to be an outlaw for monetary needs necessarily, but he rather finds that it is his true calling is to eventually be executed for his life of crime. Herrand's performance is quite remarkable in that he makes this very strange thief oddly believable even though he is basically an criminal who seems as though he eventually wants to be caught for his crimes as if it is some sort of destiny for himself.

Herrand's portrayal is an odd yet very compelling combination of things for his performance. He has a very low key yet substantial charm in the role as he is always a suave presence in every scene that he is in. There is even more to it then just that though as in most scenes he comes across as an amiable sort of man who is very easy to like, and he makes it extremely easy to see through Herrand's performance how so many of the character's would allow him to keep company with him even though Lacenaire is not exactly tight lipped about his activities. Herrand keeps this terrific magnetism in his work and he turns Lacenaire's particular method of living always something completely captivating to watch. 

Herrand though does far more than simply act as a charmer though and what makes this performance particularly striking is that he always keeps the criminal well in sight. Herrand even when Lacenaire is being charming carries himself with a very natural menace in every one of his scenes. When he appears in a room it is always a question on whether Lacenaire will treat who is calling upon with an assault or a friendly greeting because Herrand eyes creates a perfect mix of charming glance and a chilling glare. Herrand keeps one guessing at Lacenaire's motives for any moment making him one fascinating figure in the film who you always remember even though the character often takes long absences throughout the long story.  

Herrand makes Lacenaire almost a time bomb in the film up until his very best scene in the film where Lacenaire decided to indulge in a little murder, and even after the murder decides to stay in Paris just because he does not wish to face a country executioner. Herrand is very chilling in the scene because everything that Lacenaire does in the scene from the killing which in itself seems for such a slight reason, to his choosing to stay is made entirely natural to the character through Herrand's performance. Mercel Herrand creates a very interesting portrait of this unique criminal who takes pride in basically creating notoriety as a criminal, something most successful criminals would try to avoid.  

Some Other Performances:

Dan Duryea in Scarlet Street- Duryea played all of Fritz Lang's sleaze balls in the mid forties with his best portrayal of one being his somewhat limited role in The Ministry of Fear. Although that was the most limited character in a Lang film, but he had one great scene. Here he does not have any great scenes as he plays the one side of a sleazy couple who abuses an older man. Duryea is good in the role in just playing up the slime up of the character, and never suggesting that there is anything to the man other than his lack of morality. At the end of the film though his character finds himself in some great trouble. Duryea does makes you feel slightly sorry for the slime ball because he makes so easy to believe that no one would believe his innocence of the crime because well he just looks so guilty. 

Barry Fitzgerald and Walter Huston in And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie's characters are not always the most complex often defined by the broad strokes behind their profession leaving a challenge for the actor to make the character interesting even though there is not a great deal to them. Well this film version has two expert scene stealing actors with Fitzgerald and Huston. Both are quite adept at giving the right energy to the proceedings through their usual lively style of performance. They both give just enough fun and humor in their work while still being able to pull it back for the moments that need a bit more dramatic emphasis. Far from either of their best work, but nevertheless they both do a pretty splendid job.

Overall Rank:

1. James Dunn in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
2. Boris Karloff in The Body Snatcher
   
3. Mercel Herrand in Children of Paradise
4. Michael Redgrave in Dead of Night
5. James Mason in The Wicked Lady
   
6. Michael Chekhov in Spellbound
7. Barry Fitzgerald in And Then There Were None
8. Robert Mitchum in The Story of G.I. Joe
9. Frank Faylen in The Lost Weekend 
10. Ryūnosuke Tsukigata in Sanshiro Sugata Part II
11. Charles Bickford in Fallen Angel
    
12. Walter Huston in And Then There Were None
13. Sydney Greenstreet in Conflict  
14. George Macready in My Name is Julia Ross
15. Mervyn Johns in Dead of Night
    
16. Dan Duryea in Scarlet Street
17. George Sanders in The Picture of Dorian Gray
18. Sydney Greenstreet in Christmas in Connecticut
19. Richard Haydn in And Then There Were Not
20. Freddie Steele in The Story of G.I. Joe
21. S.Z. Sakall in Christmas in Connecticut
22. James Gleason in The Clock
23. Susumu Fujita in The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
24. Pierre Renoir in Children of Paradise
25. Frederick Valk in Dead of NIght
    
26. John Mills in Johnny in The Clouds
    
27. William Demarest in  Salty O'Rourke
    
28. Dane Clark in Pride of the Marines
29. Howard Da Silva in The Lost Weekend 
30. Louis Salou in Children of Paradise
31. J. Carrol Naish in The Southerner  
32. Aubrey Mather in The House of Fear
33. Allan Jeayes in Dead of Night
    
34. Herbert Marshall in The Enchanted Cottage
    
35. Cecil Parker in Caesar and Cleopatra
36. Leo G. Carroll in Spellbound  
37. Ralph Michael in Dead of Night
    
38. Gene Lockhart in The House on 92nd Street
    
39. Roland Young in And Then There Were None 
40. Basil Radford in Dead of Night
41. Naughton Wayne in Dead of Night
    
42. Trevor Howard in Johnny in the Clouds 
43. Masayuki Mori in The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail 
44. Bela Lugosi in The Bodysnatcher 
45. Miles Malleson in Dead of Night
    
46. Ted Donaldson in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 
47. Dennis Hoey in The House of Fear
    
48. Charles Kemper in The Southerner 
49. Stanley Holloway in Johnny in the Clouds
    
50. J. Carrol Naish in A Medal For Benny
51. Frank McHugh in State Fair 
52. Butch Jenkins in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
    
53. Lloyd Nolan in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 
54. Edmund Lowe in Dillinger 
55. S.Z. Sakall in Wonder Man
    
56. Cecil Kellaway in Love Letters
57. Dana Andrews in State Fair
58. Roland Culver in Dead of Night
    
59. George Sanders in Hangover Square
    
60. Keenan Wynn in What's Next, Corporal Hargrove?
    
61. Ernest Thesiger in Caesar and Cleopatra
62. Herbert Lom in The Seventh Veil 
    
63. James Gleason in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 
64. James Craig in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
    
65. Vito Annicchiarico in Rome, Open City
66. C. Aubrey Smith in And Then There Were None
67. Takash Shimura in The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
68. Vincent Price in Leave Her to Heaven
69. Stanley Holloway in Brief Encounter
70. Mischa Auer in And Then There Were None
71. Kenichi Enomoto in The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
72. Cyril Raymond in Brief Encounter
73. Ray Collins in Leave Her to Heaven 
74. Otto Kruger in Wonder Man
    
75. Hugh McDermott in The Seventh Veil
76. Ward Bond in They Were Expendable 
77. Henry Travers in Bells of Saint Mary's
78. Stephen Bekassy in A Song to Remember 
79. Felix Aylmer in The Wicked Lady
    
80. Frank Sinatra in Anchors Aweigh
81. Stanley Holloway in Caesar and Cleopatra
82. Jack Holt in They Were Expendable
83. Stewart Granger in Caesar and Cleopatra
84. Eduardo Passarelli in Rome, Open City
85. Frank McHugh in A Medal for Benny  
86. Porter Hall in Blood on the Sun
    
87. Charles Drake in Conflict
88. Reginald Gardiner in Christmas in Connecticut 
89. Michael Rennie in The Wicked Lady
    
90. Dean Stockwell in Anchors Aweigh
91. William Gargan in Bells of Saint Mary's
92. Donald Woods in Wonder Man
    
93. John Emery in Spellbound
94. Ivan Triesault in A Song to Remember
95. Phillip Terry in The Lost Weekend
96. John Dall in The Corn is Green
97. Edmund MacDonald in Detour
98. Griffith Jones in The Wicked Lady
    
99. Basil Sydney in Caesar and Cleopatra
100. Robert Armstrong in Blood on the Sun
     
101. John Emery in Blood on the Sun
     

Next Year: 1934 lead