Alternate Best Actor 1968: Results

5. Leonard Whiting in Romeo and Juliet- Whiting gives an earnest performance even though he is overshadowed by most of the cast around him.

Best Scene: Romeo sees Juliet for the first time. 

4. Boris Karloff in Targets- Karloff gives an entertaining performance that is a very nice reflection on his entire career.

Best Scene: The old monster stands up to the new one. 

3. Zero Mostel in The Producers- Mostel gives an enjoyable performance that leads his film well being a comedic as well as likable con man.

Best Scene: Max and Leo first meet. 

2. Walter Matthau in The Odd Couple- Matthau gives an entertaining performance which succeeds in creating a memorable dynamic with his co-star Jack Lemmon.

Best Scene: Oscar is finally pushed too far by Felix's behavior.

1. Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in The West- Fonda easily wins from this line up, but I am not sure about the entire year yet. As I will probably be watching the Lion in Winter again soon I'll be able to be sure then. Anyway Fonda is at least gives one of the greatest performances of 1968 by turning his usual screen persona into a very memorable and chilling villianous turn that helps makes his film as great as it is.

Best Scene:  Frank and Harmonica's duel.

1. Burt Lancaster in The Swimmer
2. Nicol Williamson in The Bofors Gun
3. Charles Bronson in Once Upon a Time in the West
4. Peter O'Toole in The Lion in Winter
5. Jack Albertson in The Subject Was Roses
6. Tatsuya Nakadai in Kill! 
7. Max von Sydow in Shame
8. Alan Bates in The Fixer
9. Alan Arkin in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
10. David Warner in The Bofors Gun
11. Walter Matthau in The Odd Couple
12. Terence Stamp in Toby Dammit
13. Robert Shaw in The Birthday Party
14. Toshiro Mifune in Hell in the Pacific 
15. Nicol Williamson in Inadmissible Evidence
16. Ossie Davis in The Scalphunters
17. Anthony Perkins in Pretty Poison
18. Martin Sheen in The Subject Was Roses  
19. Lee Marvin in Hell in the Pacific
20. Burt Lancaster in The Scalphunters
21. Anthony Quinn in The Shoes of the Fisherman
22. Max von Sydow in Hour of the Wolf
23. Boris Karloff in Targets 
24. Richard Burton in Where Eagles Dare  
25. Harvey Keitel in Who's That Knocking At My Door
26. Malcolm McDowell in If....
27. Peter Ustinov in Blackbeard's Ghost 
28. Clint Eastwood in Hang Em High
29. Jean-Pierre Leaud in Stolen Kisses
30. Jack Lemmon in The Odd Couple
31. Steve McQueen in Bullitt
32. Cliff Robertson in Charly 
33. Sidney Poitier in For Love of Ivy
34. Jean-Louis Trintignant in The Great Silence
35. David Hemmings in The Charge of the Light Brigade
36. Terence Stamp in Teorema 
37. George Segal in No Way to Treat a Lady 
38. Jean-Louis Trintignant in The Man Who Lies
39. Peter Sellers in The Party
40. Etsushi Takahasi in Kill!
41. Ron Moody in Oliver!
42. Hywel Bennett in Twisted Nerve
43. Duane Jones in Night of the Living Dead  
44. Fred Astaire in Finian's Rainbow
45. Rod Steiger in The Sergeant
46. John Marley in Faces 
47. Vincent Price in Witchfinder General 
48. Henry Fonda in The Boston Strangler
49. Leonard Whiting in Romeo and Juliet
50. Laurent Terzieff in Woman in Chains
51. Clint Eastwood in Where Eagles Dare
52. Frank Sinatra in The Detective
53. Keir Dullae in 2001: A Space Odyssey
54. Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes 
55. Bernard Fresson in Woman in Chains
56. Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair 
57. Dick van Dyke in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 
58. Franco Nero in The Mercenary
    
59. Dean Jones in Blackbeard's Ghost 
    
60. Omar Sharif in Funny Girl 
61. Laurence Harvey in A Dandy in Aspic
62. John Philip Law in The Sergeant
63. Ian Ogilvy in Witchfinder General
64. Tim O'Kelly in Targets
65. William Sylvester in 2001: A Space Odyssey
66. Rod Steiger in No Way to Treat A Lady
67. Mark Lester in Oliver!

Next Year: 1968 Supporting 

Alternate Best Actor 1968: Leonard Whiting in Romeo and Juliet

Leonard Whiting did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Romeo Montague in Romeo and Juliet.

Romeo and Juliet is a very well made adaptation of the Shakespearean play which has some very inspired moments particularly the Tybalt Mercutio duel. I would say the only weakness of the film is that Romeo and Juliet, despite being probably his most famous, is far from Shakespeare's greatest work.

Romeo like the play itself is far from Shakespeare's most compelling work. He is fairly simple in comparison to the likes of Hamlet, Macbeth or Othello. This at least partially comes from the fact that Romeo and Juliet starts out lightly enough, at least compared to his other tragedies, and Romeo initial problems seem quite small. His problem at the beginning is not that his father has been murdered, but just that he is searching for romance. This is not exactly on the same level of other Shakespearean protagonists.  His troubles really are not at all pressing, unlike those of someone like Hamlet, but Romeo certainly treats as pressing even if it does not deserve to be.

Really the main aim of the actor in these early scenes is not to make Romeo come off as a complete twit. There is no reason to really sympathize with Romeo's want of love as he is very young, and there is obviously plenty of time for the man. Leonard Whiting though avoids making his lonely heart seem to be much by just giving a genuine performance as Romeo. It is not that he really makes Romeo's want for love any less of a bit of foolish endeavor particularly the way he goes about it, but he is genuine in bring to life this youthful exuberance that makes his love make sense in that he plays Romeo as he should be a foolish teenager.

Whiting is earnest in his role that works for Romeo as he goes head first into a love affair with Juliet Capulet despite that their families are feuding. He and Olivia Hussey as Juliet have an effective chemistry together on the level of a foolish love that certainly is full of life, although not overly complex. This works though and does succeed in creating the relationship that leads the two to rush right into marriage after only knowing each other for such a brief period, but as well the sort of relationship that leads them to such tragic circumstance. The two create the proper passion that is overwhelming between the two, but as well the lack of maturity that causes such a tragic path.

Whiting's performance is fairly simple but fitting to Romeo. He has a low key a  charm in the role, and he has the right amount of energy in his portrayal of this youth lost to love. Whiting though is overshadowed though anyway by almost everyone else he comes across whether it is Michael York as Tybalt, John McEnery as Mercutio, or particularly Milo O'Shea as Friar Lawrence. They really have the more interesting characters though, and in a way it is not Romeo's place to stand out in some scenes particularly during the duel of Tybalt and Mercutio where he trying to get between them the entire time. I'm not excusing Whiting for being overshadowed but the film does work just fine with Romeo handled in such a way.

After the fatal duel between Mercutio and Tybalt there are scenes for Whiting to shine a little more on his own. He is good in the duel against Tybalt as he shows it just to be blind rage again that causes him to launch his attack which supports the situation. His scene right after though is his weakest as O'Shea completely owns the scene over Whiting, and Whiting comes off a little weak as he espouses Romeo's insanity. His insanity is only temporary which leads him to the point where he thinks Juliet is dead leading to his own suicide. Whiting handles the suicide scene in an appropriate fashion for Romeo by delivering his final despair in a moving but unassuming matter for the immature Romeo. On a whole this really is a fitting performance for the Romeo written by Shakespeare. There are shaky moments in his performance, he is outshone by most of the cast, but for the most part this performance works for the film.

Alternate Best Actor 1968

And the Nominees Were Not:

Walter Matthau in The Odd Couple

Zero Mostel in The Producers

Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in The West

Boris Karloff in Targets

Leonard Whiting in Romeo and Juliet