Alternate Best Actor 1981: Results

5. Sam Neill in Possession - Neill gives a scattershot yet potent performance that matches his insane film, though he is overshadowed by his co-star.

Best Scene: Rocking Chair

4. Jeremy Irons in The French-Lieutenant's Woman - Irons is able to deliver honest and power to both forbidden romances of very different ilks.

Best Scene: A late visit. 

3. Keith Carradine in Southern Comfort - Carradine gives a striking performance through his calm yet incisive demeanor. 

Best Scene: Making decisions. 

2. Michel Serrault in Garde à Vue - Serrault effectively delivers a tricky performance that is convincing in creating the sense of a man in an emotionally heightened state. 

Best Scene: Seeing something horrible.

1. John Heard in Cutter's Way - Good predictions Robert, Ytrewq & Calvin. Heard proves he was perhaps a largely untapped talent with this powerfully intense portrait of a wounded war vet attempting a strange sort of revenge. 

Best Scene: Cutter's reasoning for his plan.

Updated Overall

Next: 81 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 1981: Keith Carradine & Powers Boothe in Southern Comfort

Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe did not receive an Oscar nominations for portraying Private First Class Spencer & Corporal Charles Hardin respectively in Southern Comfort. 

Southern Comfort from Walter Hill is about a group of Army National Guard who come afoul of some backwoods locals via a mistake that leads to violence. A largely effective film, though the very end feels a bit rushed. 

Keith Carradine is probably one of the most underrated leading men of his era, offering such a unique offbeat charisma to his role. Ideal then for the role of a national guardsman who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Carradine plays the anti-establishment soldier, although here quite different in that he's not the typical army or anywhere near a traditional warzone. Carradine delivers instead a more casual sort of roughish energy to his performance as the character introduces himself by remarking, not too positively, on some of his fellow soldiers from the country. Carradine's performance creates the right sense of a man who is a bit dismissive, but actually not too dismissive. Fittingly Carradine shows the man making the joke, but given what they're there for is technically a training game, there isn't too much seriousness to even his dismissiveness. Carradine though expresses the nature of the man as someone who seems to have a good head on his shoulders even if his eyes denote a certain sly sense of humor at the same time. Powers Boothe, who just might have one of the greatest names known to man, was a particularly reliable character actor. Here he is kind of sort of the co-star of Carradine providing a terrific contrast yet also similarity. Powers's innate presence is that of a striking strength, and here he brings that with a stoic command. He differs a bit though in that he shows also shows a man who isn't all that much of a believer in his fellow soldiers, Hardin differs as a transferred soldier, but his manner is more of exasperation towards nonsense rather than the jovial approach we see with Hardin. 

Both do what is essential for this narrative and completely accentuate the sensible nature of each man in these early interactions, even when Hardin turns down Spencer's offered opportunity for meeting a prostitute, it is with just a blunt deliver of a man who has his specific moral stances and doesn't need to preach about them, he just believes in them. Carradine on the other hand though just still presents a man in Spencer who finds his little ways to enjoy life whenever he can, in whatever way he can. The two emphasize that these men as likable and more than anything reasonable even as they are separate in what makes them different. Boothe and Carradine create a great dynamic by Carradine being the off-the-books potential hero and Boothe being the by-the-books man. This is in contrast to their fellow soldiers who are as much of the source of the trouble as are the locals who return fire against the soldiers, after one of the soldiers foolishly, though jokingly, shot blanks at them. With the first casualty being their CO, we get the breakdown and in this we get the sides forming of the soldiers who want to meet the violence with violence, those in the middle who have no idea what to do, and Spencer and Hardin. Boothe and Carradine again are terrific here in taking you from too many making their way in this pretty low-stakes situation and instantly bringing you into the high-stakes situation. Their reactions are both just completely honest in emphasizing the sudden horror and disbelief of the situation. Each man just showing in their eyes reason more than anything. Walter Hill is in a way often a director of few words, and oftentimes very much relies on the actor to convey a lot. Luckily here he has both Carradine and Boothe who bring you right into the reality of the situation and these two men. 

Both Boothe and Carradine are fantastic in creating in each moment a subtle shift essentially in each man due to the immediate danger of their situation. One is just the two men coming to an understanding basically because both see each other as sensible. I love Boothe's just straightforward delivery of this message and Carradine's almost surprised but understanding reaction just realizes the two men so well in the moment of solidarity through sanity. Each man shifts through in his character so effectively and naturally as the situation becomes direr. Boothe presents a hardening and greater gritty conviction. The certain exasperation is gone in his eyes he shows the determination of the man to survive but also does what is right. Carradine on the other hand gradually loses that casualness that defined his early scenes. Finding instead this internalized power of someone basically finding their strength in the situation. His delivery becomes tenser, his eyes becoming that much more ensured, even with a sense of fear, of showing that in a way the best of Spencer comes from the worst of the situation. Each has to take extreme measures to go. We see that in Spencer taking charge as much as he can and Carradine wielding power in desperation so potently. With Boothe, we see this righteous, and honestly righteous conviction as he fights to the death to save a local. Boothe is great at the moment in just exuding the sense of certainty in the man's eyes as he fights for the man, not for any love or anything, but just because it is what is right. All at the same time the two are so good in just crafting a sense of understanding between the two that grows towards a greater sense of connection. There isn't too much time spent on this, again it's by Hill, but it is all in their performance. This is to the point that by the final sequence you see each man wholly have that connected sense with each other as they try to survive, both actors also pulling you as the audience into their plight. Every moment is given proper resonance and visceral connection by their performance that give life both to their characters and to the situation. The best compliment I can give actually is that both Boothe and Carradine succeed in not making either of their characters seem underwritten. They rather wholly thrive within the film's style and each gives a hero you can root for, Carradine in crafting a charming rogue and Boothe making for a proper strong silent type. 

Alternate Best Actor 1981

And the Nominees Were Not:

John Heard in Cutter's Way

Michel Serrault in Garde à Vue

Jeremy Irons in The French Lieutenant's Woman

Keith Carradine in Southern Comfort

Sam Neill in Possession 

Alternate Best Actor 1977: Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine in The Duellists

Harvey Keitel did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Gabriel Feraud and Keith Carradine did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Armand d'Hubert in The Duellists.

The Duellists is a great film about two soldiers who continually fight duels with each other during the rise and fall of Napoleon.

The casting may seem odd with the decidedly American Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine in the roles of two French men. Of course if they were two British actors, Michael York and Olivier Reed were apparently director Ridley Scott's first choice, no one would bat an eye even though that's hardly being French either. The casting though I think only seems odd before you actually watch the film and see how their performances actually work in context to the film. Anyway neither man puts on a French or even English accent in the film. They do both adjust their accents though which is a good thing since Keitel's natural accent is particularly strong. Keitel doesn't cover up his accent though but rather all he does is ease back on it, as does Carradine. Keitel just sorta takes away the sharper edges of his usual accent and actually is quite effective in overcoming his apparent miscasting. 

The film opens as we Gabriel Feraud, an officer in Napoleon's army, as he is dueling Alec Guinness's son. Feraud seriously injures the man leaving him to be reprimanded for injuring the great actor's son like that. Unfortunately the man given the task as messenger of this reprimand is Carradine's Armand d'Hubert. Feraud is not a very reasonable man though viewing the messenger as giving the insult which begins their first duel. Keitel's actually makes himself appeared to be very well cast because he's someone who just has that natural volatility to his screen persona. This allows Keitel to be quite effective in the way he portrays Feraud's nature which is to duel first and to think of the possible consequences, well never actually. Keitel is not overt about this insistent quality, in that he doesn't really yell all that much, but rather there is just such an intensity in his eyes as Feraud demands an honorable fight.

Carradine's performance acts as a great counterpoint to Keitel's as he shows d'Hubert to be in many ways the opposite of Feraud, although they both believe fervently in their own personal sense of honor. Carradine makes himself kinda the straight man, and easily the more sympathetic of the two as he portrays d'Hubert as an easygoing guy who's rather charming a low key sort of way. Their initial face off when d'Hubert gives the message to him is quite memorable. Keitel's terrific in the basically foolish passion he portrays in Feraud as he demands a battle to the death immediately over the insult d'Hubert gave him, even though d'Hubert was only doing his job. Carradine does quite well by merely portraying d'Hubert's reaction as what any sensible man's reaction would be. Carradine's disbelief is perfect in basically setting up how d'Hubert whole association with Feraud is one of obnoxious obligation.

Keitel and Carradine were perhaps perfectly cast actually since the way they handle this feud works so well in context to the film. There is a certain comedic bent about their performances that never makes the proceedings seem stuffy in the least, as they might have with less interesting actors. I love how Keitel does not really portray Feraud as really even hating d'Hubert in anyway. In his scenes he has not really a death stare toward d'Hubert at any time but rather something much stranger. It never feels unnatural though as Keitel shows this almost insane, yet he is so proper about it in his gentlemanly way, devotion in Feraud to his code of honor. It is in this code where Feraud wants to apparently kill d'Hubert not for hate of d'Hubert as a man, but hate directly at the slight insult that d'Hubert once gave him. Keitel makes this drive in Feraud a force of nature and something that always seems perfectly sane for a man like Feraud.

Carradine on the other hand is equally good by portraying d'Hubert reactions to every duel in a far more normal fashion. He does also bring a passion in terms of the idea of honor, but Carradine makes it less vicious so to speak. Carradine is very good in portraying such a quietly growing desperation d'Hubert as he has to keep fighting Feraud despite trying his best to avoid him using various loopholes in the dueling guide such as not being able to fight in times of war or when the men aren't the same military rank. Carradine is very good by just playing it close to the chest and giving a pretty moving portrayal of a man forced by circumstance to keep risking his life. It isn't in big speeches where d'Hubert expresses this but rather just simple reactions. Carradine makes the most of these by just showing the honest fears of a man who has to fight to a possible death simply because he was the guy who had to deliver a message one day.

Both actors are fantastic in the actual dueling scenes. It is rather amazing just how good they are because they do more than you would expect in the scenes. On one end physically they are both incredibly believable in just displaying the physicality of each fight. Their middle fight of endurance is particularly good as both men show their characters are at complete exhaustion. The two are so good in giving tension to the fight in portraying such genuine reactions in the two with Carradine bringing a little more obvious concern and Keitel more ferociousness. What I love best perhaps though is that they do manage a certain lightheartedness within the tension. They both are so careful never to compromise the severity of the duels though. They are entertaining though by carrying themselves always with the reserve of a proper gentleman and soldier even though their lives are on the line.

Each actor realizes their character so well to make the ending rather remarkable. Carradine makes d'Hubert someone we can naturally root for and makes the happy ending feel completely appropriate. Keitel is equally good by never allowing Feraud to seem to be even a villain. It is rather his pride and duty which Keitel creates such a strong sense of in his character. This allows for his character's ending to be surprisingly moving as he shows a man basically looking into the void as he know is a man whose lost his purpose in life. Unlike Ryan O'Neal in Barry Lyndon, who also played a duelist, by the way here's two more guys who would've been better in that role, they completely overcome the fact that they seem miscast on paper. The main way they do this is by just giving a damn good performance. They make the duels more than just a series of physical clashes, but as well a consistently fascinating clash of personalities.

(Keitel)