Best Scene: Seizure
Best Scene: First meeting the princesses.
Best Scene: Recovering from his wound.
Best Scene: Waiting inside during the deportation.
Best Scene: The battle.
Next Year: 1965 Supporting
Showing posts with label Zbigniew Cybulski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zbigniew Cybulski. Show all posts
Thursday, 28 December 2017
Alternate Best Actor 1965: Results
Best Scene: Seizure
Best Scene: First meeting the princesses.
Best Scene: Recovering from his wound.
Best Scene: Waiting inside during the deportation.
Best Scene: The battle.
Next Year: 1965 Supporting
Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Alternate Best Actor 1965: Zbigniew Cybulski in The Saragossa Manuscript
Zbigniew Cybulski did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Alfonso van Worden in The Saragossa Manuscript.
The Saragossa Manuscript is not a film that one can easily describe what it is about, it's no surprise to learn that David Lynch holds the film in high esteem, other than there are many stories, stories within stories, and the reality of each isn't always exactly the most understandable. I would say the film is fascinating, the first part of I suppose I could more easily say is quite great, I would probably recommend taking a break though before heading on to the second half which can become quite dizzying.
Well about seven years after his breakout role in Ashes and Diamonds, we find Zbigniew Cybulski once again. In that earlier film Zbigniew Cybulski's performance was fashioned over James Dean, which sadly came to be came prophetic with Cybulski's early death. Cybulski though didn't die as young as James Dean so he continued as an actor, and here we see him a very different role, as a closer to middle aged man. Cybulski in no way plays into that Dean idea here, which would likely be ill-fitting to a man living during the Spanish Inquisition. Cybulski, while not playing the role as James Dean, is actually a very modern presence given the time period still. This is not at all ill-fitting towards the film. In fact Cybulski's approach is very welcome towards the film and in a way help to ease some of the film's mind bending through his approach. Cybulski quite honestly gives a comedic performance here, even though his character goes through torture at the hands of the inquisition, seemingly demonic forces, and all sorts of far more serious subjects to be sure. There's quite a lot going on around the poor Captain of the guards Alfonso, and Cybulski's performance actually acts as a bit of balancing factor to keep it all from it all becoming perhaps too much.
Cybulski's performance, which is often to play Alfonso as the audience at any given point, has what one could call sort of a precursor to a Lynchian style of humor. In that Cybulski's performance often is within some horrifying scenes however these scenes will often become suddenly hilarious without distracting from the scene. This is from Cybulski's work which is notable in that he basically plays the part as a normal guy in this situation with no great ambitions other than for nothing bad to happen to him, and perhaps indulging with some "fair" maidens who claim he's the first man they've ever seen. Cybulski for example, in the scene of meeting these two strange princesses who live in a cavern, and want him to drink out of a skull, portrays a blend of curiosity with bit of a bashfulness of a man who believes he's hit an unexpected jackpot. The potential horror elements naturally being assuaged due to the most intriguing prospect at the center of it all. Cybulski brings the right lack of shame in this indulgence and he is rather amusing just to watch deal with this entanglement of sorts. Of course this entanglement never seems to end well when he always wakes up at the end of it among corpses.
Now one major similarity between his work here and the last time I reviewed him in Ashes and Diamonds, is the fact that despite being lead in both films, he's just barely lead in each. This film once again does devote the most time to his story however this is not saying a great deal in the scheme of the film which gets lost in its stories among stories among stories. Once it really gets going in the stories we are only granted a brief moment with him where he is just as confused as ever that is before the film's finale which seems answer a few of the questions though only with a few more questions. Cybulski's performance offers a bit stability in two ways. One being that he doesn't change within the story always portraying his role as a man just trying to figure what is going on the same way the audience really is, the other being by offer a bit respite in the humor that comes from such worldly approach within the surreal environment. This is a good performance by Zbigniew Cybulski however I must say once again that it is a limited one and the unquestionable takeaway from this film is of the vision from director Wojciech Jerzy Has. Cybulski's work though is still an important part of that vision though it is unquestionably overshadowed by it.
Well about seven years after his breakout role in Ashes and Diamonds, we find Zbigniew Cybulski once again. In that earlier film Zbigniew Cybulski's performance was fashioned over James Dean, which sadly came to be came prophetic with Cybulski's early death. Cybulski though didn't die as young as James Dean so he continued as an actor, and here we see him a very different role, as a closer to middle aged man. Cybulski in no way plays into that Dean idea here, which would likely be ill-fitting to a man living during the Spanish Inquisition. Cybulski, while not playing the role as James Dean, is actually a very modern presence given the time period still. This is not at all ill-fitting towards the film. In fact Cybulski's approach is very welcome towards the film and in a way help to ease some of the film's mind bending through his approach. Cybulski quite honestly gives a comedic performance here, even though his character goes through torture at the hands of the inquisition, seemingly demonic forces, and all sorts of far more serious subjects to be sure. There's quite a lot going on around the poor Captain of the guards Alfonso, and Cybulski's performance actually acts as a bit of balancing factor to keep it all from it all becoming perhaps too much.
Cybulski's performance, which is often to play Alfonso as the audience at any given point, has what one could call sort of a precursor to a Lynchian style of humor. In that Cybulski's performance often is within some horrifying scenes however these scenes will often become suddenly hilarious without distracting from the scene. This is from Cybulski's work which is notable in that he basically plays the part as a normal guy in this situation with no great ambitions other than for nothing bad to happen to him, and perhaps indulging with some "fair" maidens who claim he's the first man they've ever seen. Cybulski for example, in the scene of meeting these two strange princesses who live in a cavern, and want him to drink out of a skull, portrays a blend of curiosity with bit of a bashfulness of a man who believes he's hit an unexpected jackpot. The potential horror elements naturally being assuaged due to the most intriguing prospect at the center of it all. Cybulski brings the right lack of shame in this indulgence and he is rather amusing just to watch deal with this entanglement of sorts. Of course this entanglement never seems to end well when he always wakes up at the end of it among corpses.
Now one major similarity between his work here and the last time I reviewed him in Ashes and Diamonds, is the fact that despite being lead in both films, he's just barely lead in each. This film once again does devote the most time to his story however this is not saying a great deal in the scheme of the film which gets lost in its stories among stories among stories. Once it really gets going in the stories we are only granted a brief moment with him where he is just as confused as ever that is before the film's finale which seems answer a few of the questions though only with a few more questions. Cybulski's performance offers a bit stability in two ways. One being that he doesn't change within the story always portraying his role as a man just trying to figure what is going on the same way the audience really is, the other being by offer a bit respite in the humor that comes from such worldly approach within the surreal environment. This is a good performance by Zbigniew Cybulski however I must say once again that it is a limited one and the unquestionable takeaway from this film is of the vision from director Wojciech Jerzy Has. Cybulski's work though is still an important part of that vision though it is unquestionably overshadowed by it.
Sunday, 10 December 2017
Alternate Best Actor 1965
Lou Castel in Fists in the Pocket
Charlton Heston in Major Dundee
Orson Welles in Chimes at Midnight
Jozef Kroner in The Shop on Main Street
Zbigniew Cybulski in The Saragossa Manuscript
Monday, 9 June 2014
Alternate Best Actor 1958: Results
4. Zbigniew Cybulski in Ashes and Diamonds - Cybulski gives a solid portrayal, even infusing some James Dean mannerisms naturally, of a young devoted soldier who slowly sees there is potentially more to life, even if I do feel his performance is overshadowed by the film as a whole.
Best Scene: Maciek expresses his hesitations to his superior.
Best Scene: The General charges to stop the enemy's pursuit.
Best Scene: Jimson and Coker in the boat at night.
Best Scene: Scottie sees Madeleine "resurrected".
- James Stewart in Vertigo
- Toshiro Mifune in The Rickshaw Man
- Chhabi Biswas in Jalsaghar
- Alec Guinness in The Horse's Mouth
- John Mills in Ice Cold in Alex
- Toshiro Mifune in The Hidden Fortress
- Sidney Poitier in The Defiant Ones
- Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones
- Danny Kaye in Me and the Colonel
- Eli Wallach in The Lineup
- Gary Cooper in Man of the West
- Gustaw Holoubek in The Noose
- Shin Saburi in Equinox Flower
- Paul Newman in The Long, Hot Summer
- Dirk Bogarde in A Tale of Two Cities
- Gregory Peck in The Bravados
- Clark Gable in Teacher's Pet
- Zbigniew Cybulski in Ashes and Diamonds
- Paul Massie in Orders to Kill
- David Niven in Separate Tables
- Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- Clark Gable in Run Silent Run Deep
- Burt Lancaster in Run Silent Run Deep
- Vince Edward in Murder By Contract
- Andy Griffith in No Time For Sergeants
- Jean Gabin in Maigret Sets a Trap
- James Stewart in Bell Book and Candle
- Michael Redgrave in The Quiet American
- Nikolay Cherkasov in Ivan the Terrible Part 2
- Spencer Tracy in The Last Hurrah
- Gerard Philipe in The Lovers of Montparnasse
- Maurice Ronet in Elevator to the Gallows
- Alan Ladd in The Proud Rebel
- Max von Sydow in The Magician
- Teiji Takahashi in The Ballad of Narayama
- Montgomery Clift in The Young Lions
- Charlton Heston in Touch of Evil
- John Mills in Dunkirk
- Heinz Rühmann in It Happened in Broad Daylight
- Jacques Tati in Mon Oncle
- Elvis in King Creole
- John Gavin in A Time to Live and A Time To Die
- Minoru Chiaki in The Hidden Fortress
- Kamatari Fujimara in The Hidden Fortress
- William Holden in The Key
- Peter Cushing in Horror of Dracula
- Seiji Miyaguchi in The Stakeout
- Bernard Lee in Dunkirk
- Cary Grant in Houseboat
- Burt Lancaster in Separate Tables
- Youssef Chahine in Cairo Station
- Glenn Ford in The Sheepman
- Michael Craig in Sea of Sand
- John Gregson in Sea of Sand
- Steve McQueen in The Blob
- Kenneth Moore in A Night to Remember
- Farid Shawqi in Cairo Station
- Dean Martin in The Young Lions
- Montgomery Clift in Lonelyhearts
- Gregory Peck in The Big Country
- Cary Grant in Indiscreet
- Frank Sinatra in Some Came Running
- Tony Curtis in Vikings
- Kirk Douglas in Vikings
- Russ Tamblyn in Tom Thumb
- Al Hedison in The Fly
- Rossano Brazzi in South Pacific
- Marlon Brando in The Young Lions
- Yul Brynner in The Brothers Karamazov
- John Kerr in South Pacific
- Curd Jurgens in Me and the Colonel
- Paul Guers in A Tale of Two Cities
- Spencer Tracy in The Old Man and the Sea
- Tab Hunter in Damn Yankees
- Kerwin Mathews in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
- Louis Jourdan in Gigi
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Alternate Best Actor 1958: Zbigniew Cybulski in Ashes and Diamonds
Zbigniew Cybulski did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a BAFTA, for portraying Maciek in Ashes and Diamonds.
Ashes and Diamonds is an effective film about members of the Polish Home Army who target a Polish communist leader right at the very end of the second World War.
Zbigniew Cybulski plays one of the young soldiers who we see in the opening of the film as they gun down a couple men in car who they assume to be their target. Cybulski in this early scene plays Maciek as simply an energetic young solider who gets a thrill and almost some glee out of shooting the men and following the orders of his superior. The men quickly retreat from the scene leaving others to discover that the men were not the communists. The rest of the film depicts as Maciek and his superior wait as they are slowly given the chance once again to make an attempt on the life of the communist. In the mean time though Maciek is allowed some time to think of things over and is allowed to mind things other than what his current mission is.
Cybulski became known as the Polish James Dean after this film because of the way in which he plays Maciek, that unfortunately also became prophetic since Cybulski also ended up dying young in an accident. Cybulski only lightly takes on the mannerisms of Dean, and is nothing like Martin Sheen's more encompassing Dean influenced work in Badlands. No Cybulski only even really shows them when Maciek is interacting with his romantic interest in the film Krystyna who is the barmaid at the hotel in which they stay at until it is time to make their move again. The direction Andrzej Wajda apparently gave Cybulski was to play the part as if his character had watched Dean's films despite that technically being impossible. The whole idea might sound pretty problematic all together, but the way Cybulski brings Dean's mannerisms into his performance actually does work.
Cybulski only does his Dean mannerisms when Maciek is trying to act cool toward Krystyna, and basically it is a bit of a put on as he actively is trying to be cool. Cybulski actually plays it entirely naturally even in its technically artificiality, as it comes off as something someone would actually do when they emulate the coolness of a movie character to try to be cool himself. Whenever Cybulski's does use the mannerisms it is only at times that make sense and even then he's pretty subtle about the whole. Did Cybulski need to bring these mannerisms into his performance? Not necessarily, but I suppose they add a little more to Maciek as a character anyway. Maciek is not always trying to be all that cool with the lady though, and in these moments is where Cybulski's creates the arc that Maciek goes through during the course of the film.
Maciek's relationship with Krystyna causes changes in him as Maciek basically sees that there is more to life than his current mission. Cybulski in his early scenes was cool but seemed defined by his actions, as he spends time with Krystyna Cybulski shows Maciek as a man who starts to gain substance. He rather effectively eases back on the cool, to begin to show some genuine growth in the man as Maciek sees there is more to life. Cybulski eases very nicely into Maciek's changes as he portrays it as more of a realization than a revelation. Later on when Maciek kills again Cybulski earns the change in Maciek. In the new killing Maciek loses that extreme enthusiasm that was so pronounced the first time, and is rather powerful as he shows that the new experiences in Maciek has made it so his enthusiasm of the kill simply is impossible now.
The only problem with this performance is that it is limited due to the nature of the film. This is absolutely Andrzej Wajda's film as the film is not simply about Maciek's journey or the assassination. Andrzej Wajda takes a considerable time examining the whole atmosphere of the setting and even fairly minor characters are their due. Cybulski I would say is only barely lead as the film takes its time with all the other characters, making it so Maciek's transformation is one facet of the larger canvas of the film. Zbigniew Cybulski deserves credit for giving a compelling performance with what he does have and makes Maciek's story believable. Cybulski's performance is overshadowed by the film as a whole, but it is definitely a good performance that adds to the strength of the film.
Zbigniew Cybulski plays one of the young soldiers who we see in the opening of the film as they gun down a couple men in car who they assume to be their target. Cybulski in this early scene plays Maciek as simply an energetic young solider who gets a thrill and almost some glee out of shooting the men and following the orders of his superior. The men quickly retreat from the scene leaving others to discover that the men were not the communists. The rest of the film depicts as Maciek and his superior wait as they are slowly given the chance once again to make an attempt on the life of the communist. In the mean time though Maciek is allowed some time to think of things over and is allowed to mind things other than what his current mission is.
Cybulski became known as the Polish James Dean after this film because of the way in which he plays Maciek, that unfortunately also became prophetic since Cybulski also ended up dying young in an accident. Cybulski only lightly takes on the mannerisms of Dean, and is nothing like Martin Sheen's more encompassing Dean influenced work in Badlands. No Cybulski only even really shows them when Maciek is interacting with his romantic interest in the film Krystyna who is the barmaid at the hotel in which they stay at until it is time to make their move again. The direction Andrzej Wajda apparently gave Cybulski was to play the part as if his character had watched Dean's films despite that technically being impossible. The whole idea might sound pretty problematic all together, but the way Cybulski brings Dean's mannerisms into his performance actually does work.
Cybulski only does his Dean mannerisms when Maciek is trying to act cool toward Krystyna, and basically it is a bit of a put on as he actively is trying to be cool. Cybulski actually plays it entirely naturally even in its technically artificiality, as it comes off as something someone would actually do when they emulate the coolness of a movie character to try to be cool himself. Whenever Cybulski's does use the mannerisms it is only at times that make sense and even then he's pretty subtle about the whole. Did Cybulski need to bring these mannerisms into his performance? Not necessarily, but I suppose they add a little more to Maciek as a character anyway. Maciek is not always trying to be all that cool with the lady though, and in these moments is where Cybulski's creates the arc that Maciek goes through during the course of the film.
Maciek's relationship with Krystyna causes changes in him as Maciek basically sees that there is more to life than his current mission. Cybulski in his early scenes was cool but seemed defined by his actions, as he spends time with Krystyna Cybulski shows Maciek as a man who starts to gain substance. He rather effectively eases back on the cool, to begin to show some genuine growth in the man as Maciek sees there is more to life. Cybulski eases very nicely into Maciek's changes as he portrays it as more of a realization than a revelation. Later on when Maciek kills again Cybulski earns the change in Maciek. In the new killing Maciek loses that extreme enthusiasm that was so pronounced the first time, and is rather powerful as he shows that the new experiences in Maciek has made it so his enthusiasm of the kill simply is impossible now.
The only problem with this performance is that it is limited due to the nature of the film. This is absolutely Andrzej Wajda's film as the film is not simply about Maciek's journey or the assassination. Andrzej Wajda takes a considerable time examining the whole atmosphere of the setting and even fairly minor characters are their due. Cybulski I would say is only barely lead as the film takes its time with all the other characters, making it so Maciek's transformation is one facet of the larger canvas of the film. Zbigniew Cybulski deserves credit for giving a compelling performance with what he does have and makes Maciek's story believable. Cybulski's performance is overshadowed by the film as a whole, but it is definitely a good performance that adds to the strength of the film.
Monday, 2 June 2014
Alternate Best Actor 1958
Alec Guinness in The Horse's Mouth
Christopher Lee in Horror of Dracula
James Stewart in Vertigo
Toshiro Mifune in The Hidden Fortress
Zbigniew Cybulski in Ashes and Diamonds
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