Alternate Best Actor 1979: Results

10. James Mason in Murder By Decree - Mason gives one of the best turns as Watson, emphasizing the character's low key manner compared to Christopher Plummer's Sherlock. 

Best Scene: Dealing with the prostitute. 

9. Steve Martin in The Jerk - Martin gives an entertaining turn of just emphasizing the blunt dumbness of his character. 

Best Scene: Unearned excitement. 

8. Frank Langella in Dracula - Langella successfully reworks the role of Dracula to that of a cunning and alluring romantic figure, though still vicious in his own right.  

Best Scene: Introduction. 

7. George C. Scott in Hardcore - Although I wouldn't say the film around him is the strongest, Scott gives a compelling portrayal of a man descent into both violence and the world of pornography.  

Best Scene: Attempted apology.

6. Klaus Kinski in Woyzeck - Kinski gives one of his most subdued performances, powerfully showing a man pushed around until  he's pushed too far.  

Best Scene: The murder. 

5. Malcolm McDowell in Time After Time - McDowell delivers a surprisingly charming and endearing turn that makes for a proper hero, a proper romantic and a proper man out of his time. 

Best Scene: Negotiations with Ripper.

4. Ben Gazzara in Saint Jack -  Gazzara gives a vivid characterization that so well realizes this man who seems to not care, but probably cares more than anyone would ever believe. 

Best Scene: CPR

3. Alexander Kaidanovsky in Stalker - Kaidanovsky gives a brilliant portrayal of a guide who treats his particular expertise with a religious like reverence, conviction and even anxiety. 

Best Scene: Ending. 

2. Patrick Dewaere in Série Noire - Dewaere delivers a brilliant completely off the wall performance, that just has so many weird choices yet they all pay off so wonderfully well. 

Best Scene: Final conversation with his wife.

1. Ken Ogata in Vengeance is Mine - Good prediction Bryan. Ogata gives a great uncompromising depiction of a serial killer, showing the callousness of the man through ever step of his merciless journey. I'll admit in this list, and the overall, my winner isn't decided by unanimous thought, nor is this even an example of having to choose between two performances, I could make a case in my mind for any of my top five. Ogata's cold brilliance, Burns's heartbreaking earnestness, Dourif's pure id, Dewaere's off the wall insanity, or Scheider going against type and achieving sheer greatness. I could swing to any five on the right day, I'll admit that but for now #1 is the #1. 

Best Scene: Final conversation with his father. 

Updated Overall

Next: 1979 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 1979: Ken Ogata in Vengeance is Mine

Ken Ogata did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Iwao Enokizu in Vengeance is Mine. 

Vengeance is a grisly though captivating film, though I'm not sure we needed so many scenes of Iwao's father's relationship with Iwao's ex-wife,  about the exploits of a serial killer. 

I previously covered Ken Ogata with his later Shōhei Imamura collaboration with The Ballad of Narayama. In that film, Ogata created real a very human, and humane portrait of a man dealing with a difficult life and an even more difficult fate of his elderly path destined to die by a village rite of passage. This performance is a far cry from that later work, though both films I think share a degree of kind of a randomness in their occasional shift of perspective, in the main focus of Ogata as the serial killer Enokizu. The film has a strange though effective structure in laying out his life as the film opens with Enokizu having been caught by the police already and being taken in for questioning. Ogata is striking within the moment he appears on screen through just how much he pierces through with his unrepentant portrayal of Enokizu. As the detectives question him initially, Ogata has this particularly unnerving callous delivery of a man who truly does not care about anything he's done. There is only one hint of annoyance in his performance, not even regret, as Enokizu reflects on his very likely upcoming death by hanging, Ogata's performance shows the real fixation is not getting to get laid again, and just really exasperated at the notion at what is being lost in his life. Not lost as any regret at the time being misspent rather Ogata conveys the idea of a man who truly just was interested in more vice and that's about it. 

Ogata's dominating feature of his performance is in a way in which the immorality of Enokizu strangely empowers the character and does make him darkly fascinating. We see this when the detectives are attempting to trace his crimes, given that he will be condemned no matter what, but Enokizu refuses to offer them any help in their task. Ogata's performance has essentially a trolling energy where he presents this refusal as the state of the insistence of a man without care or concern. Ogata has this natural state of hate in his eyes towards these men. What is so compelling about his performance though is the ease of the hate in his work, the hatred that he exudes is just what is within the man's blood, and it is just something in Ogata's eyes. An amazing bit of acting given that he could be filled with such humanity like in his aforementioned later turn, yet here he defines a man whose existence is defined by his vile nature. We see this more bluntly even as the film flashes back to his first two murders where he kills two unsuspecting delivery drivers. Ogata's performance in this sequence is absolutely chilling because his depiction of Enokizu's violence is with this incredible ease, and even a particularly disturbing naturalism. Even when he toys with the second victim, promising some kind of mercy for a moment, Ogata's performance shows this to be the state the man exists with ease. He has no hesitation no regret, he just has a vicious enjoyment as he brutally murders both men, where his only hesitation is to torture one of them a bit more.

We are then given minor glances of his childhood as a violent boy bothered by his father's weak will against the brutality of Imperial Japan until we again meet the adult man and see him in his somewhat briefly lived relationship with his wife Kazuko. This is probably where Enokizu is at his most human, per se, it's a sliding scale for him. Ogata's performance I think is key in creating that while Enokizu might've gotten worse, there was something wrong with the cloth he was cut from. When we see him maneuvering this human relationship with his wife as he presents her to his parents and even technically proposes the idea of being with her, in both instances Ogata delivers this fascinating kind of hostility about it. His performance in both, even when theoretically giving loving words to his wife, or standing up for her to his parents, is with a hectoring tone of voice and a strange kind of sinister intent in his eyes. As even in this instance it is as though Enokizu is committing some moral transgression by not being clear with his future wife or his parents, and surprising both by revealing Kazuko's pregnancy is a brilliant moment for Ogata. Again the typical idea of humanity seems ripped from his performance, rather a man whose basic heart is that of hate, as where Ogata portrays the joy is not emphasizing that he will be marrying his wife but rather the joy comes from the unpleasantness he seems to cause in both parties in his methods. 

Enokizu goes to jail initially for fraud and encourages Kazuko to basically move on from him. Ogata's portrayal of this is not with this deep love of a man hoping to see the woman he loves move on, rather there is this dismissive dispassion in his voice, of a man hoping to disregard anything really that is attached to him. When he finally gets out he basically finds his wife obsessed with his own father, who in turn rather haplessly attempted to satiate her by getting a friend to sleep with her, though rape her would be more accurate. I believe the purpose of these scenes is to suggest the twisted nature of Enokizu's home even separate from his own existence, however, what we see in his arrival home is not the remaining of Enokizu's humanity leaving him with Ogata's performance, not we see something a little more disturbing. Ogata is excellent in the scene of uncovering the news in basically putting the state of the need be jealous husband angry with the situation, and the violent nature is startling with Ogata's work. There is a certain façade about it almost though, and almost at times, his eyes glance with a kind of disregard nearly a disinterest with the idea. Ogata showing not a man losing his humanity from this situation but rather someone who finally decided to stop even putting on the slight airs that he has any humanity at all. Ogata's face goes so far as to convey a certain near-bemusement in the setup and is incredibly discomforting in showing the man seemingly embracing his worst self in the exchange.  

The physicality is something in Ogata's performance that deserves particular mention and must be mentioned in the scene afterward where he terrorizes his father's rapist friend, seemingly more for the money he can pilfer from him than truly any deep affection for his wife. Ogata's work is amazing though as he stalks the man, who is desperately just making promises of money while trying to avoid the man. The casual walk that Ogata brings but with this truly menacing confidence in his eyes that seem in true control of the situation. Ogata as he pesters the man both verbally, then also physically, there is a terrible command in every act. His physical manner suggests no second thoughts about it only this calm of mind of a man who doesn't mind relishing in a bit of violence. Soon afterward Enokizu goes off and we see him on the run technically rather than hide Enokizu continues to ply his trade of immorality. When Enokizu is murdering people he's lying to them, stealing from them, or misusing them in any way he can imagine.  As the confidence man Ogata is again outstanding in instantly shifting his manner when he is a lawyer suddenly or a professor. Ogata shifted his physical manner to a tighter more professional demeanor, speaking with even gentle understanding towards people with a quick smile, and an even swifter disappearing act once he takes the victim's money, or worse their lives. In each again Ogata shows a man who thrives within the amorality of the acts, in the moments of stealing he changes to suit the need of a truly unscrupulous human if you can call him that. 

Ogata's work is remarkable in showing the shifting nature of the man, though that shifting is only ever different facades he plays in front of the state of a man with morality. The trick is always that Enokizu makes himself seem an interesting person when he is pure evil. We see this when he befriends even a prostitute and her mother, a murderer herself, Ogata projects a man of any interest in them as he supports both of their confidence with these simple assurances. Although what is exceptional in Ogata's work is that he manages to be both convincing that he would persuade both to trust him as even still his manner is that of a man just barely putting the effort in with them. Ogata though has the power of charisma here that even when seeming slightly dismissive there is something still captivating within his state. Of course always in contrast to this is when we see Enokizu in his most private moments where he is also at his most disturbing. In multiple scenes, we see Enokizu as he interacts with his victims after they're already dead and in these moments Ogata's performance is that of a chilling disregard for any kind of life. Enokizu will manipulate the bodies or move around them really as though they are meaningless objects to them, stealing from them or moving them away from him just as an annoyance, certainly not any source of guilt of any kind. Ogata shows in these moments that even the people he interacts with, seemingly making some kind of connection, are just things for him to do with as he wishes in the end. 

The performance Ken Ogata's performance most reminds me of in a way is Richard Attenborough's portrayal of John Reginald Christie in 10 Rillington Place, in the especially disturbing detachment in terms of the reflection of the crimes. Ogata's work, like Attenborough, creates the portrait of this sort of evil that is innate to their very being and requires no effort. Ogata doesn't portray any of the killings as special to Enokizu, they are almost merely something to do, just as his thievery and con man plays are for him. Ogata shows this as evil as a way of life that is especially disturbing. There is no pull towards the act, no psychopathic shift or need, just a spirit defined by a complete callous disregard for humanity. Ogata's final scene is one final extraordinary moment for him when he is visited by his father. Again perhaps the closest attachment that should force humanity to be shown from him. Instead, when his father reveals his own feelings of guilt over the situation, Ogata in contrast is beaming with this most unnerving pride at the idea of being excommunicated by the Catholic church and being seen as this dreadful man. Ogata's delivery is that it is almost all meaningless to him. The only smallest chink in his state within Ogata's work is reflected by his relationship with both parents. First, his father tells him about the death of his mother, where Ogata's performance doesn't quite reflect true care, but almost as though Enokizu is attempting to show care as he did care for his mother on some level yet still can't quite bring himself to even care as a son. The most genuine humanity we get is when his son denounces him and spits in his face, where Ogata shows the only human he can muster which is just terribly vile hate he feels for his father. Ogata shows the truth of the man's heart at the moment which is a hateful distaste for the idea of care or affection, as he wishes death upon his father voicing his only regret sincerely. That regret is that he did not murder his own father. Ogata crafting a truly chilling portrait of a man's evil that is defined by an absence of any good in his soul, an evil that could only cease with his own demise. 

Alternate Best Actor 1979

And the Nominees Were Not:

Frank Langella in Dracula

 

Malcolm McDowell in Time After Time 

Steve Martin in The Jerk

 

Alexander Kaidanovsky in Stalker

James Mason in Murder By Decree

Predict Those Five, These Five or Both:

Ken Ogata in Vengeance is Mine

 

Patrick Dewaere in Série Noire

 

Ben Gazzara in Saint Jack

Klaus Kinski in Woyzeck

George C. Scott in Hardcore

Alternate Best Actor 1983: Results

5. Al Pacino in Scarface - The film treats too many sides of his character too thinly, but Pacino manages to give a rather effective flamboyant performance.

Best Scene: "Say Hello To My Little Friend"

4. Ken Ogata in The Ballad of Narayama - Ogata gives a very quiet but powerful portrayal of the emotions of a very stoic man.

Best Scene: It begins to snow.

3. Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story - Billingsley's gives a very funny performance that compliments the film's narration particularly well.

Best Scene: Seeing Santa.

2. James Woods in Videodrome -Woods, as usual, gives a very energetic performance, and manages to keep a certain humanity in the film no matter how strange it gets.

Best Scene: "Long live the new flesh"

1. Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone - Christopher Walken proves once again whenever he's really challenged in a role he absolutely delivers. The challenge of his role here is technically not the complexity, his character is purposefully average in most ways, but never making his character seem simple. It's a great performance that deserves mention alongside his work in The Deer Hunter.

Best Scene: Johnny meets his old girlfriend's husband.

Overall Rank:

1. Tom Courtenay in The Dresser
2. Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone
3. Robert Duvall in Tender Mercies
4. Gerard Depardieu in Danton
5. Wojciech Pszoniak in Danton
6. David Bowie in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
7. James Woods in Videodrome 
8. Ben Kingsley in Betrayal 
9. Alan Bates in The Return of the Soldier
10. Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story
11. Albert Finney in The Dresser
12. Om Puri in Ardh Satya
13. Tom Conti in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence 
14. Jeroen Krabbe in The Fourth Man
15. Jeremy Irons in Betrayal
16. Ken Ogata in The Ballad of Narayama 
17. Keith Gordon in Christine 
18. Gene Hackman in Eureka
19. Tom Conti in Reuben, Reuben 
20. David Villalpando in El Norte
21. Eddie Murphy in Trading Places
22. Tom Cruise in Risky Business   
23. Anthony Perkins in Psycho II
24. Charles Martin Smith in Never Cry Wolf
25. Jean-Louis Trintignant in Confidentially Yours 
26. Bruno Ganz in In the White City
27. Al Pacino in Scarface   
28. Mark Hamill in The Return of the Jedi
29. Erwin Leder in Angst
30. Gene Hackman in Uncommon Valor
31. Clint Eastwood in Sudden Impact 
32. Mel Brooks in To Be Or Not To Be
33. Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places  
34. Michael Caine in Educating Rita 
35. Omero Antonutti in El Sur
36. Kevin Kline in The Pirates of Penzance 
37. Paco de Lucia in Carmen 
38. Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom
39. William Hurt in Gorky Park
40. Anthony Higgins in The Draughtman's Contract
41. Ross Harris in Testament 
42. Oleg Yankovsky in Nostalgia
43. Peter Riegert in Local Hero
44. Matthew Broderick in WarGames
45. Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again
46. Nick Nolte in Under Fire 
47. Woody Allen in Zelig 
48. Jonathan Pryce in The Ploughman's Lunch
49. Christian Patey in L'Argent
50. Rutger Hauer in Eureka 
51. Steve Martin in The Man With Two Brains
52. Rodney Dangerfield in Easy Money 
53. Nicolas Cage in Valley Girl
54. Mandy Patinkin in Yentl 
55. Jackie Chan in Project A
56. John Stockwell in Christine
57. Eric Roberts in Star 80
58. Sean Penn in Bad Boys
59. Matt Dillon in Rumble Fish
60. Alan Arkin in The Return of Captain Invincible
61. Timothy Hutton in Daniel  
62. Vidal Peterson in Something Wicked This Way Comes
63. Shawn Carson in Something Wicked This Way Comes
64. Christopher Reeve in Superman III 
65. C. Thomas Howell in The Outsiders
66. Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Vacation
67. Llan Mitchell-Smith in Daniel
68. Nicholas Gledhill in Careful, He Might Hear You
69. Norman Chui in Duel to the Death
70. Rex Smith in The Pirates of Penzance
71. John Travolta in Staying Alive
72. Richard Gere in Honorary Consul 
73. Richard Pryor in Superman III 
74. Desi Arnaz Jr. in House of Long Shadows
75. Dennis Quiad in Jaws 3-D
76. Roger Moore in Octopussy

Next Year: 1983 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 1983: Ken Ogata in The Ballad of Narayama

Ken Ogata did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Tatsuhei in The Ballad of Narayama.

The Ballad of Narajama depicts the harsh day to day life of a small Japanese village where all elderly go to a mountain to die when they turn 70. I have to admit I was allowed a particularly interesting view of this film as I accidentally watched the original 1958 version first. I will admit I took longer to catch my mistake than I should have, curse you restoration, I caught wise a few minutes in when a Kurosawa regular showed up but by then I thought I ought to finish it anyway. It was interesting though to see the original which was done in a stylized Kabuki fashion, beautifully shot at that, and the remake which is shot on location taking a bit of grimier more realistic approach to the same material.

Both versions tell the story of the son and the mother as the mother becomes very accepting of the final trip to Narayama whereas the son is hesitate. That is only the center point of the film though as it also tells various other stories involving the hardship of the village life before the time comes for the mother's trip. The 83 version has even more side characters including Tatsuhei's loutish brother who takes up considerable time in this version in his attempts to get laid even if it involves doing it with animals. The son's role is somewhat limited in the first half of the film, although Ogata is give a bit more to do than Teiji Takahashi who played the role in the original film. Both actors take a fairly similair approach though which is portraying Tatsuhei as a rather stoic figure. For most of the film Tatsuhei is a very subdued to presence as he's just a man trying to go day to day to care for his family in difficult circumstances.

There certainly are many problems for poor Tatsuhei as he has an obnoxious son, his aforementioned brothers, the impending fate of his mother, and just the problems of being a poor peasant to deal with. Ogata handles his part certainly well within its fairly tense limitations. Whenever we see Ogata we understand what the man is going through, and Ogata even makes Tatsuhei humble way of dealing with things wholly understandable. Ogata portrays Tatsuhei as honestly just a man who bears the difficulty of his life, Ogata presents the face of a man who knows how things are just as he knows that there really is not anything he can really do to change it. Ogata makes Tatsuhei the man of the world he should be, and although I don't think Ogata's performance always makes the greatest impact in these scenes, I do find he stands out just as he should.

Even when something more dire occurs such as retribution when one family steals from the others, which involves burying the family alive. Ogata suggests the severity of this punishment in his expression yet still stays reserved which fits Tatsuhei's character. Ogata strikes up the right balance since he's not a meek man really more of a dutiful one. There is a internal strength that Ogata properly exudes from Tatsuhei even though he never does speak out against various things, and not because he's a coward rather because he finds it to simply be the way things are. The brief moments of stronger emotions are well quite brief for most of the film. Ogata always makes them completely honest and wholly poignant by showing them almost having to pierce through the armor contentment he tends to wear otherwise. These moments though are rather few and far between and Tatsuhei is not truly focused upon as lead until the last act of the film.

The final act is when Ogata has to deliver his mother to her resting place with her silently riding on his back for a long journey. This is highlight for Ogata's performance as he does do an exceptional job of reflecting the intense emotions going through Tatsuhei as he must understand that he is bringing his mother to die. Ogata begins keeping the modesty of Tatsuhei intact although always subtly suggesting how this is tearing Ogata apart. Ogata is particularly affecting in one moment where Tatsuhei takes a break and loses his mother thinking she has gone home. Ogata is quite wonderful in so naturally suggesting the happiness of  a son who loves his mother, only to have it dashed when he finds her ready to continue her journey moments later. Ogata manages to be so moving by being so delicate in his transition from the moment of hope to once again facing the inevitable his mother seems to support.

Tatsuhei finally does break down when he's finished the journey and brings his mother to her final resting place. Ogata very much has earned Tatsuhei's emotional devastation by this point and quite powerfully shows just how much the man loved his mother, and is being torn apart by this love and his perceived duty. This is an interesting performance to examine as what Ogata achieves so well is creating the essence of this sort of man completely. You never need to guess about his Tatsuhei you always understand him no matter what the situation. It's an excellent portrayal of a pure naturalism as he makes Tatsuhei so honest in every element of the film, and even though the film focuses so rarely directly on him Ogata still completely Tatsuhei as a character. There is never a moment that seems false or untrue for the man straight to his final scene. Tatsuhei after leaving his mother goes home. Ogata shows no outrage over it, but instead he is so heartbreaking by portraying Tatsuhei as accepting the horrible reality of his life. This is not a performance really about big moments but rather creating a man true to life.

Alternate Best Actor 1983

And the Nominees Were Not:

Peter Billingsley in A Christmas Story

Ken Ogata in The Ballad of Narayama

Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone

James Woods in Videodrome

Al Pacino in Scarface