Best Supporting Actor 1977: Peter Firth in Equus

Peter Firth received his only Oscar nomination so far for portraying Alan Strang in Equus.

Peter Firth plays Alan Strang, frankly a strange boy who blinded several horses. Why did he blind them becuase of some sexual as well as religious connection he has with the horses. Alan Strang is quite a troubled boy because of his parents who can barely understand his weird obsessions as well as the fact that he himself can barely understand his own obsession. After blinding the horses he finds himself in a hospital being helped by a Dr. Dysart (Richard Burton), who has some problems of his own that he confronts while attempting to treat Strang by finding out what exactly happened.

I must say that there certainly is a problem with just how bad the film is because every time I watch the film again all of the performances just impress me less and less as I see them as basically a victim to their awful film. The film wants Firth to be constantly troubled so he is giving the same "I'm troubled" look for most of the film. Although it is technically not incorrect or poorly done by the third time I see it it holds absolutely no emotional impact for me.

Firth is required to do a whole lot in the part and is forced into some awkward scenes, and no I am not referring to his buck naked scenes. I am more referring to when he recounts his first encounter with a horse where he seems to be playing himself at a very young age though Firth looks exactly the same. Firth shows some clear effort but he is unable to make the scene seem any less awkward than it is.

Firth does not stop there though having his worship scenes particularly the one at night where he whips himself. Firth in these scenes certainly shows a striking passion, a passion to what though is the question. There is always a disconnection, and Firth although shows the passion the film is lacking in its ability to make it seem meaningful in any actual fashion.

I really felt this way about the entire characterization of Strang. Firth is technically correct in his portrayal of obsession, as well as Alan's inescapable pain, but it just never quite amounts to anything moving or even completely emotionally convincing. Firth always stays as a bit of a victim of his the terrible film he is in. He never is bad, but this performance never really impresses me for a moment despite his many efforts.

Best Supporting Actor 1977: Mikhail Baryshnikov in The Turning Point

Mikhail Baryshnikov received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Yuri in The Turning Point.

The Turning Point is a drama about two former ballet competitors and friends. One who retired and daughter is becoming a ballerina herself, well the other is still the prima ballerina in their former company.

This nomination is one of those odd ones that seems to have been entirely who the person was rather than their performance. Baryshnikov was a famous ballet dancer, and the academy wanted to be cool or something so they decided to nominate him for his performance. Mikhail really does very little in the film to begin with besides dance.

His dancing skills do not come into play at all with this nomination becuase whether or not he can dance have nothing do with whether or not he can act. The truth is he can't act at all. Whenever he is not dancing he makes basically the same face that is probably best described as trying to convey some sort of emotion it is quite hard to tell what the emotion is suppose to be I would say that it is unlikely that Baryshnikov knew himself.

It is actually quite hard to notice him most of the time in the film, his performance really is quite forgettable. The only really notable thing about him which is his Russian accent. His accent that he frankly never seems to be able to even go over sometimes making some of his dialogue as stilted as possible, since he seems to have a hard enough time just saying the words let alone adding any sort of meaning to them. This is one bad performance that certainly wants more out of it than Baryshnikov gives. It wants him to be some sort of pompous yet irresistible man. Baryshnikov comes off as neither instead he just comes off as a man who simply cannot act in the least. There is not single moment in his performance where he comes off as even competent in this terrible performance.

Best Supporting Actor 1977: Jason Robards in Julia

Jason Robards won his second consecutive Oscar from his second nomination for portraying Dashiell Hammett in Julia.

Jason Robards plays alcoholic writer Dashiell Hammett who is the lover of Lillian Hellman (Jane Fonda). Robards portrays Hammett with his usual exhausted charm of sorts. It certainly works for the part of Hammett, who is suppose to be fairly world weary in his own way. His low key charm in the role certianly allows it to make sense that Hellman and Hammett would be together in the film.

Robards creates Hammett as he should be and his chemistry is interesting with Fonda. Robards finds the right tone in their scenes to be a mentor, a critic as well as her lover. Robards shows how Hammett simply prods and pushes Lillian in his own way sometimes quietly sometimes a little louder. Robards is very natural in showing Hammett easy but effective manner in which he motivates Lillian that is both warm with some coldness, gentle but with some harshness.

The only problem I really have with the performance has nothing do to with the performance but the film itself. The film only is slightly interested in Lillian's and Dashiell's relationship, it is always far more interested in an overarching fashion Lillian relationship to the titular Julia. I find that this is unfortunate as despite being given less of a focus Fonda and Robards more fully realize their relationship than Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave do.

I wish they had been given much more time in the film, since Robards shows such promise all throughout this performance. Watching this performance almost feels like parts of a great performance, but the whole is missing. The missing part unfortunately is not do to Robards, but the film never bothered to let Robards fulfill the rest of the role, which he surely could have.

Do not get me wrong though this is a very good performance actually, that I only wish had been given more importance to the film as whole. Do to this it is only bits and pieces of a great characterization and some parts are only briefly mentioned when they could have been fully explored. Such as his whole inability to write which is said but not explored. It is a good performance though, but I do think it could ahve been great if only the film had allowed for it.

Best Supporting Actor 1977: Maximilian Schell in Julia

Maximilian Schell received his third Oscar nomination for portraying Johann in Julia.

Julia depicts the relationship of playwright Lillian Hellman and her childhood friend Julia who has troubles in Nazi Germany.

Maximilian Schell has an extremely small role that I doubt would have every been nominated if it had not been played by Maximilain Schell. Johann is a man working for an anti-Nazi underground who acts as the liaison for Julia to Lillian. He gives Lillian a letter from Julia, than gives her some information on their organization, and a plan for Lillian to smuggle in money into Germany for the movement.

Johann acts a man to move forward the plot, and that is it. There really is nothing to the man other than what he says. Schell adds nothing more than would or should expect frankly from this sort of role. He says his lines as he should, he is as he should be but there is nothing remarkable about how he does any of it. The role of Johann could have easily been played by any competent character actor. The simple truth is this character never should have been nominated there simply is not anything special about it. There is not a single memorable aspect, or notable aspect of Johann he just does his part and leaves never to be scene again. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Schell's performance, but there is not any reason it deserved recognition.

Best Supporting Actor 1977

And the Nominees Were:

Peter Firth in Equus

Maximilian Schell in Julia

Jason Robards in Julia

Alec Guinness in Star Wars

Mikhail Baryshnikov in The Turning Point

Best Supporting Actor 1988: Results

5. Dean Stockwell in Married to The Mob- Stockwell plays his part as he should be but it never amounts to anything that special. I think I was actually more impressed by his single scene performance in Tucker as Howard Hughes.

4. Martin Landau in Tucker: The Man and His Dream- Although he has a rather limited part Landau makes the most out of his performance.

3. River Phoenix in Running on Empty- Phoenix gives an appropriately quiet and effective lead performance.

2. Alec Guinness in Little Dorrit- As usual with Guinness, Guinness naturally gives a layered and effective performance. Guinness easily shows the various facets of his character as well as makes his progression that seems unnatural natural.

1. Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda- Kline gives an extremely enjoyable and entertaining performance. Although broad comedy can easily be done wrong Kline never gets it wrong for a moment in his hilarious performance.

Deserving Performances:
Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda
Alan Rickman in Die Hard

Best Supporting Actor 1988: Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda

Kevin Kline won his Oscar from his only nomination so far for portraying Otto West in A Fish Called Wanda.

A Fish Called Wanda is crime caper comedy about various jewel thieves, and an English Barrister trying to get the best of each other.

Although one criticism of the Oscars that usually comes up is that they do not reward enough comedies, and comedic performance. This really is not at all true for the supporting actor category where many of the winners are either comic relief characters  in some way, have a lot of humor in a dramatic performance sort of characters, and even characters who are full completely just about completely comedic such as Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier, and Kevin Kline in this film.

Kevin Kline plays one of the jewel thieves Otto who is a weapon specialist who claims to be the brother of the female thief Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis), even though he is actually not her brother but rather her lover. This is a completely insane by Kline that does not have an ounce of subtly in it, every reactions is very broad, and makes itself known. Although I do not usually go for performances like this this one is just about perfect because Kline is in a broad comedy, not a drama or even dramedy. Although in broad comedy one could still blunder with the wrong material, for taking the material in the wrong way. Luckily for Kline the material is quite good, and to Kline's own credit he knows exactly how to play it. Kline simply makes the moment of every line and every moment he has. Kline never lets his performance for a moment slow down and is always putting a little humor in every sly smile, broad physical gesture, or look. 

Kline is just hilarious whenever he can be. A comedic performance like this really is one of the hardest type of performance to say why it is so funny. Kline simply gets it right from his spot on timing, to his perfect expressions. He makes Otto the perfect pompous idiot who thinks he is a genius just because he happens to read a lot of different philosophers. It is just a hilarious unique characterization that absolutely works. I suppose my favorite two scenes though are scenes with Micheal Palin (whose performance is my favorite in the film) as Ken the animal loving, inept hitman, and stuttering fellow thief. First Otto's interrogation of Ken is just perfect, than only topped for me by their final face off against each other at the end. I cannot help but laugh as the two play off each other so well. This is simply a great comic performance from Kevin Kline that makes the most of everything he has and does not falter once as a performance like this can so easily.