Best Actor 1954: Results

5. Dan O'Herlihy in Robinson Crusoe- O'Herlihy- is very good at his often one man show performance. He remains interesting even through the minimal tasks of survival, and shows the growth of the character very well.

4. Bing Crosby in The Country Girl- Crosby is incredibly strong in his performance as the beaten down has been actor. He shows a very powerful emotional strength, and creates an interesting portrait of a man broken down by his guilt, and his feeble attempts to not face up to the facts.

3. James Mason in A Star in Born- James Mason gives a very charming performance as Norman Maine, and he works perfectly along with Judy Garland. He makes Normain Maine a likable and memorable character, which makes his fall all the more heartbreaking.

2. Humphrey Bogart in The Caine Mutiny-Bogart gives a strong performance that creates the insecurities of the character but finds a certain sympathy within those flaws all the same.

1. Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront- Although I thought Mason was truly terrific, I never had a question who the best of this year was. Brando simply stands alone with his tremendous performance which is simply an extraordinary performance. A perfect performance that is completely honest, charming, and simply one of the most effective screen performances I have ever seen. (Good prediction Dinasztie)

Deserving Performances:
James Stewart in Rear Window
Ray Milland in Dial M for Murder
Toshiro Mifune in Seven Samurai

Best Actor 1954: Dan O'Herlihy in Robinson Crusoe

Dan O'Herlihy received his only Oscar nomination for portraying the titular character in Robinson Crusoe.

This is an just fine adaptation of the well known story of the ship wrecked Robinson Crusoe.

Dan O'Herlihy performance here is basically a one man show for a good amount of the picture. He portrays Crusoe quite well, because he stays interesting throughout his performance. He is able to stay interesting and is able to be easily followed through what he does to survive on the island. O'Herlihy importantly never becomes boring as Robinson Crusoe moves through his tasks to survive his ordeal. He importantly acts as perfect guide as he goes through the motions of survival.

Robinson Crusoe though is not a completely simple character who does not at all change through his ordeal. He indeed matures throughout his time alone. He moves from a man who is slightly lost almost in his survival but slowly grows to fully triumph in his ability to achieve survival alone. O'Herlihy shows the change well without over showing his changes. I think even more effective are when Robinson Crusoe examines his own life, and faith in key scenes that really show O'Herlihy skill well. His fever scene where he hallucinates of his father is incredibly effective due to O'Herlihy who manages to show a lot of the man Crusoe was before his predicament in this single scene. His scene of examining his faith, and facing it are again very well portrayed by O'Herlihy putting a lot of strength and power into these moments.

O'Herlihy always remains believable in his role, and adds the believability needed for the story, even in scenes that sort of stress this very hard such as his first encounter with Friday, or the scene where Friday puts on a dress, or in fact just about anything with Friday. Even in scenes like the ones with Friday being rather prominent O'Herlihy stays true to his character he has developed well, and since he stays steadfast in his portrayal he causes the film to be far more effective, and believable. I would never say O'Herlihy's performance is amazing but it always works well for the film, and completely serves its purpose.

Best Actor 1954

And the Nominees Were:

Humphrey Bogart in The Caine Mutiny 

James Mason in A Star is Born

Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront

Bing Crosby in The Country Girl 

Dan O'Herlihy in Robinson Crusoe

So who will it be the broken down Ship Captain, the broken down screen actor, the broken down boxer, the broken down stage actor, or the guy who was on a broken down ship.