Alternate Best Actor 1998: Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Se...

Shah Rukh Khan did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Amarkant "Amar" Varma in Dil Se...
 

Dil Se... was a bit surprising about a radio journalist becoming infatuated with a woman who just might be a terrorist.
 

Returning to Shah Rukh Khan, one of the most well known stars of current day Bollywood, in yet another romantic leading man turn though considerably different from his work in 94. As per usual, especially with requests, I tend to go in blind to a film, so it is safe to say I really was in for more than a few twists with this film. As the opening was one that seemed like it was going to be one thing, as we see Khan with an overeager, though effectively portrayed as such, demeanor as he happens upon a beautiful woman we will come to know as Moina (Manisha Koirala), who seems fearful yet is blunt in her rejection of him, which Khan presents as his Amar as mostly taking in stride but most certainly more than a little impacted by the seeming intensity of the interaction. Khan manages to set up his hopeless romantic with enough of a charm if also the sense the man perhaps goes a bit too head first into such notions. Khan I find just hits the right balance between the sides of the character to find a likeability within the character while still indeed being slightly overbearing but not going too far to become too overbearing for us to empathize with as we get started with this very atypical romance. 

The atypical romance that has its first wrinkle as we follow Amar later on as he is working as the radio host, where Khan has a strong presence as the man with the passion to attempt to find his goal, which ends up being a combination between the romantic and surprisingly the political as he goes about interviewing an extremist militant group and runs into Moina again, who once again does her best to push him away despite his persistence. And while one can argue he's maybe a little much in his continued pursuit, it speaks to the charisma of Khan that he brings you along with this regardless, because there is this certain manner of honesty within his performance that helps ease it away a bit. It perhaps helps even more that he quickly is beaten for his interest by two random men who claim relation to Moina but rather suggest that she and the men may be tied to the terrorist group. The real challenge of Khan's performance begins to reveal itself within this kind of whiplash of elements between an unlikely love story and a very dramatic story of one falling into extremists. Particularly tricky because the shifts aren't in acts really, but rather in the first half the film rather quickly shifts between romantic overtures and some very serious ideas regarding Moina's extremists views and what fueled them. 

Khan to his credit is able to maneuver this effectively within his performance that manages to create cohesion by always presenting Amar with the defining trait of his passionate demeanor no matter what the situation may be in a given circumstance. With Khan managing to find some kind of connection in showing the nature of the man taking kind of the love above else approach that manages to go from overbearing to overwhelming in a way that does work. Where Khan manages to show the way his intense passion carries him through and where his performance consistently emphasizes the sincere concern he has for Moina as much as he is intrigued by her. The swing then, as quick as it is, too quick I'd say, Moina admits her own affection for him openly though she is constantly burdened by her state of existence, though doesn't feel phony by the way Khan just so much exudes the intense interest in every aspect of her and does feel so sincere as the man unquestionably in love. And I think what works in contrast to this is Khan's chemistry with sort of the simpler alternative love interest of another young woman, Preeti (Preity Zinta), where the two do also have chemistry. The chemistry though is of an easy warmth between the two, that is low key but affectionate, however distinctly different from the fraught and intense chemistry we see between Khan and Koirala. 

And to think I knew where the film was going would be wrong, as Moina doesn't escape her extremists beliefs and instead ingratiates herself within Amar's world as an agent in her group. Something Amar works on trying to break her from, which from Khan is a great scene where he has her listen to her spoken dreams of a life together, where Khan's performance is wonderful by the amount of direct empathy you see in his eyes in trying to purge her from her hate. When though she counters with her very real trauma at the hands of the government soldiers years ago. Khan is also great because he manages to show the sense of understanding the man has for her very real pain, but with this calm yet potent insistence that no matter the past her violent past is not what will help the world. But again to turn again as the film goes even more towards full thriller, where when Moina is going to go forward as a suicide bomber and Amar ends up needing to face both the terrorists and the police to face her. Khan is terrific though in not becoming the action hero suddenly, even if he does action hero things, as he goes through the emotional and physical wringer in his quest though with the sense of his passionate love behind it all. Khan is moving in showing the physical degradation of it all though in his eyes still the ever potent determination that the man refuses to give up and allow Moina to become the killer. Leading to a climax I definitely didn't see coming, but regardless made powerful by Khan's performance where he shows the man who is at the end of his rope in some ways in the level of emotional desperation he brings, the physical  exhaustion behind it all, but still this purity of the man heart that defines him....there's all song and dance scenes that are purposefully her completely separate of a piece though related as fantasies though given the subject matter are particularly extreme in their contrast. So Khan's performance in these scenes is very different, but hey certainly brings a very different energy effectively, if it isn't exactly as a singular piece with the right of the film. 

Alternate Best Actor 1998: Hugo Weaving in The Interview

Hugo Weaving did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Edward Rodney Fleming in The Interview. 

The Interview follows the police trying to get a confession out of a suspected murderer...and rather tired police station politics that undermine the investigation.

Hugo Weaving is an actor who if you only ever watch Hollywood productions one would think he could only play a certain constricted villain type, where if you go to see his home Australian work you immediately have a greater variety of roles and chances for him to express his range as a performer. One such role can be found here in the role in The Interview, despite the fact that he's playing a suspected murderer, the part of Fleming isn't as a cackling villain. Rather his character is portrayed rather empathetically in the early scenes of the film whereas the police are presented in turn as rather cruel and abusive as we see them accost Fleming in his home, arresting him with guns drawn to his face, without explanation given and causing the man to wet himself in fear. Weaving delivers what can best be described as a visceral vulnerability, in that there is no ego or vanity in the depiction of this man, rather Weaving presents Fleming in this scene very much as the victim. He's nearly petrified in fear in his physical manner, he speaks as though he's just eeking out the smallest attempts at protesting his innocence, he is wavering in the states of confusion over what is going on with him and he's minimalized in his embarrassment over his state of needing replacement clothes. Weaving shows a man who seemingly could just simply be a man in a state of distress, which only begins as the "interview, more so interrogation begins. Weaving's performance again brings this sympathetic flair of what is a lost man in many ways, as he speaks with this real anxiety within everything as he speaks of only a lack of knowledge of any charge. When they speak of his daily routine, there is a quiet powerful somber quality to Weaving's performance as the man speaks of going to a local market as a chance to speak to people with this earnest but broken connection given the context in which he is revealing this pain. Something that Weaving cultivates in his performance as the police bring up a driving incident when he was young, with Weaving being rather moving in creating the sense of potent disbelief in Fleming as his eyes are that of a lost man unable to quite comprehend what is going on. 

After meeting with a lawyer finally, who tells him to say nothing until the police are required legally to release him, the police offer Fleming food and more so attention and suddenly we see a shift in the character. A shift that may happen too fast script wise, however performance wise Weaving is great in this shift, because he doesn't suddenly turn on the Weaving as a villain approach, something he certainly could do, rather he presents this connection to the attention granted to him. Weaving begins as Fleming begins to recount the alleged crime with a keen interest and his delivery is that of a man who is very much relishing the opportunity for storytelling. Weaving accentuates words and moments, with this understated kind of glee and his eyes are looking at the men with this sort of reaction to a kind of fascination. Weaving presents a man so much enjoying the way he is now the center of the minds of these men, and is suddenly a man of importance, even though the importance is attached to murder. The murder itself Weaving delivers as just the details of the event, no more, no less. Rather Weaving very much is the man playing for his audience, and in turn Weaving is quite captivating as Fleming becomes very much a showman for both the police and the audience. However the film then turns again to be about our central boring inspector and his interrogation methods, where the next time someone asks Fleming about something, he becomes again the fearful man. A difference however is Weaving let's see more performance due to the on a dime switch between the styles of the man as he becomes suddenly very articulate in his denials and his inability to understand why he is being persecuted for his innocence. Leading to sort of the summary moment of the character revealing his true nature in his scene as he leaves the police station, after his interview is ruled as inadmissible, where he walks and a diabolical smile finds itself onto Weaving face. Perhaps an indicator of what Hollywood will see him as for much of his career there, but regardless still here is an effective moment of his performance. A performance that is greater than his film, which really is only compelling when Weaving is onscreen. That's despite the part being very much written to whatever is needed per the plot point of the less interesting aspects of the film about the police officers, rather than what should've been the meat of the piece, the actual interrogation. Regardless, Weaving carries his weight and more, by delivering a captivating and chilling performance, even as he can't quite hold the whole thing up on his own. 

Alternate Best Actor 1998: Sean Gullette in Pi

Sean Gullette did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Maximillian "Max" Cohen in Pi.

Pi follows a man trying to make sense of the universe through mathematics which slowly drives him mad. 

Pi is an ambitious filmmaker's first film which comes with a few different things typically, including a lead actor who may or may not be part of their ongoing filmography. Sometimes you have a Harvey Keitel, where a great actor begins with a great filmmaker, sometimes, not quite so much. And I'll say Pi falls into the latter with Sean Gullette in the lead role as the mathematician whose obsession with numbers goes to biblical levels. Gullette's performance for much of the film is fairly one note of this sort of generalized paranoid intensity in and around everything. He doesn't really change much between his performances whether he is talking to his mentor (Mark Margolis who is the best part of the film), random people wanting to exploit him along the way, or random orthodox Jewish men who play into his math mania. Gullette certainly carries that intensity well enough, but I wouldn't say there are any great layers to his work. He keeps a very similar manner with just staring as though he's constantly thinking about his quest, and is a bit limiting for the character. He doesn't quite invite us in so to speak by building towards the paranoia, he's basically there the whole time, and the film just progresses from there from scene to scene. Gullette often is just kind of an aspect in what Aronofsky is doing, a bit like Jack Nance in Eraserhead, however I both prefer Nance and Eraserhead on the whole than Gullette's whose performance does feel a tad similar to. Gullette's work does eventually shift in the third act when everything in the film seems to be building in intensity as everyone seems to want a piece of his mind and his obsession only gets that more vicious. Unfortunately to me that just led Gullette to kind of start yelling all of his lines, again not with layers within the yelling just to tell us that the man is at an extreme and little more than that. I wouldn't say he's bad, it works up until a point, but again it doesn't make us feel as though there is a true progression here, more of a jump, making so a big shocking moment for the character at the end, just feels like something that happens rather than one more step towards insanity. Gullette doesn't give a bad performance, but he doesn't give a great one either. He very much just feels part of Aronofsky's vision that doesn't have life beyond that to any notable extent. He exists in this state of extreme, which again is a note that one can make magic out if one delivers a true greatness, but this isn't that performance. 

Alternate Best Actor 1998

 And the Nominees Were Not:

Christopher Lee in Jinnah

Sean Gullette in Pi

Vinícius de Oliveira in Central Station

Bob Hoskins in Twenty Four Seven

Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Se..

Predict those five, these five or both:

John Hurt in Love and Death on Long Island

Han Suk-kyu in Christmas in August

Peter Mullan in My Name is Joe

Hugo Weaving in The Interview

Matthew Lillard in SLC Punk!

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1945: Michael Redgrave in Dead of Night & Boris Karloff in The Body Snatcher & Results

Michael Redgrave did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Maxwell Frere in Dead of Night.

Dead of Night tells a series of supernatural tales.

One such supernatural tale is a doctor recounting a most unusual criminal case featuring a ventriloquist performer Maxwell Frere and his dummy Hugo. This is indeed the original horror dummy story that would influence others, yes Erich von Stroheim also was a bit dummy obsessed in The Great Gabbo, but the dummy's nature was more generalized craziness than horrifying madness. Although this film is a series of spooky tales, that one could say has a campfire style, none of the performers treat the material as anything less than something worthwhile, particularly not Michael Redgrave. Redgrave brings as much devotion as we'd later see from Anthony Hopkins in Magic in terms of portraying this very specific role, though Redgrave doesn't do the voice. Although even without that touch, Redgrave's performance is fascinating to watch in his first performance in tandem with the dummy Hugo, as Hugo entertains the crowd and Redgrave's Maxwell goes along with it. Redgrave portrays a few things at once. One being his performance as ventriloquist where he just so slightly is mouthing to be believed that this may be just the act of the man, as Hugo goes around entertaining, but watch everything Redgrave does as Hugo speaks to the audience. Redgrave is creating this sense of a piercing anxiety in the man in every conversation, and this very specific awkwardness as though Maxwell is behind the joke every time. Redgrave leaves the ambiguity if this is a clever act as he plays the "dummy" or if it is a man that genuinely doesn't know. This seems to come to light when they speak to another ventriloquist where Hugo acts as though Maxwell may be worthless, where Redgrave brings all the intensity of the sense of an immediate betrayal of an underlying being mistreated by his boss as he lashes out and slaps Hugo. Maybe the act still, but Redgrave depicts a man very much distraught at the notion. When the man comes to see both in their dressing room, where Hugo invites the man to take over. Where Redgrave then is seething in emotional distress, and a pure mania in his eyes. A man with a terrible fixation as he speaks about Hugo with this sense of dread and despair almost at the idea of Hugo moving on from him. Redgrave makes all of this eerily tangible, which could be ridiculous, but here Redgrave makes it terribly real in its strange way. There's a physical brilliance in the moments where Redgrave is in the sphere of Hugo, where there's a subtle stiffness to Redgrave almost as though he moves a bit as the dummy himself, in the way he hangs himself at a bar matching Hugo, much more than just as a man would and Maxwell is the dummy. Although a short within anthology, Redgrave doesn't waste a moment in creating this increasing insanity and descent, as he acts, perhaps as Hugo's arm, as he shoots the other ventriloquist, calling him a "dirty thieving swine", with a completely deranged performance which is altogether amazing. As Redgrave devotes fully to the idea, as particularly when now in jail they bring Hugo back to him, and Redgrave is outstanding in the way he first acts in this sudden fear, then discovery, and a near jubilant happiness of his old partner finding him worthy. Before Redgrave acts as almost a beaten partner, as he reacts as a dejected and such potent fear as Hugo says he'll rid himself of Maxwell, and Redgrave is such a brilliant festering mess of a man as he lashes out against his abuser. Even his final moment, where Maxwell is fully the dummy, Redgrave, physically sells it more so than the voice, in the chilling artificial mask of a smile as he "performs" as Hugo fully. Redgrave delivers the horror of this segment by somehow both giving into the absurd insanity of this notion while at the same time convincing one of its reality by presenting as the portrait of the breaking point of a degraded and abused partner. 

Boris Karloff did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying cab-man John Gray in The Body Snatcher.
 

The Body Snatcher follows a respected doctor, his new assistant, and the cab-man he hires to provide him with cadavers.
 

Theoretically in the long line of creepy Boris Karloff performances as a titular character of one sort or another, and to be fair to Karloff's he's often good regardless of the quality of the film. This one is a little different in that Karloff is just *that* good here. Playing a non-supernatural role, and one where his makeup is relatively limited, more striking really is his costume which is just a great look for a character regardless as this cab driver from a certain time, who we actually meet in somewhat humble circumstances as he gives a ride and helps out a little girl to visit the respected surgical professor, Dr. Wolfe MacFarlane (Henry Danielle). Karloff doesn't change his voice to any monstrous thing here, rather he seems to almost try to emphasize even more this certain English delicacy within,  to the point I'd say he sounds most similar to his narration from The Grinch Stole Christmas, and as narrator not as the Grinch. And it is with a masterstroke of this decision because Karloff has never been creepier than he is here in portraying John Gray. Karloff is so gentle with the little girl with his bright smile as he helps her in that you just know there can't be anything good that is going to come from all this. And the truth of this becomes quite clear when the next time we see Gray he's dropping off someone else at the doctor's office, with reception by our bland hero (required for all horror films of this time it would seem) Donald Fettes, although this time Gray is dropping off a corpse. Karloff though has just as much of a bright smile, and just as much of this light way of speaking that instantly is bone chilling in the ease about it. We soon find out that Gray has become the corpse provider for Dr. Wolfe, as we see him talk to the doctor at the inn, and the genius of Karloff's performance becomes all the more evident.
 

The scene between Gray and Wolfe, whom Gray calls Toddy as a nickname is just amazing because of Karloff. Karloff's manner is incredible here because technically everything he says, except the use of Toddy, even his physical way of almost bending down to the man, it is all of this servile manner, as though he is the most grateful servant to be able to speak to a "great" man like the doctor. Yet as courteous and modest as Karloff makes Gray, it is all this genius subversion where just *how* gentle he is in his voice, and his gracious eyes always have this glint that you know this is all a lie, even as he speaks to with a truth. It is absolutely an outstanding portrayal of this sort of hectoring as nothing he is saying, other than again the overly familiar use of Toddy, isn't being respectful, yet the way Karloff fashions it, he is respectful while being terrifyingly threatening and penetrating with just how "respectful" he is. And it has to be said this is one of those performances that is just magnetic in such an unusual way, that the moment Karloff appears, you can't take your eyes off of him, because he's so fascinating here in presenting John Gray's particular evil. And that's before we even know the real evil of Gray, as perhaps he's just a grave robber at this point, and our boring younger surgical student thinks so when he asks Gray to find a corpse to help heal a crippled little girl. To which Gray listens out to hear a homeless alms singer in the distance. Karloff's expression as we see Gray perhaps fully as himself as it grows this sudden ideal as an immediate prey to be found and there is a horrifying clarity upon his face. Something that is all the more disturbing when he comes over with the dead corpse of the poor woman, and Karloff comes with that genial quality as though he were delivering milk to the surgical student. We are granted a little more insight when the doctor's other assistant Joseph (Bela Lugosi, which you know a doctor is quite suspicious when he has Karloff and Lugosi working for him), comes to Gray with knowledge of his murder. To which Gray initially seems to invite him into the whole idea, telling him with the story of Burke and Hare who were real life serial killers who provided cadavers via their victims, which Karloff delivers every word of this tale as though this is a wonderful fairy tale with his whole sprite manner. Karloff is devilishly sinister as he slowly twists the notion and then turns to Joseph with clearly a different intention than a partner as he stares at him. Karloff provides the utmost vile menace but with the most "pleasant of smiles" before going in for the more literal kill. We only technically get the truth of Gray's motivation when the doctor tries to basically beg him, where Karloff changes his tone so slightly and with such potent intensity as he now speaks so calmly yet directly of the satisfaction he gets from being able to mentally torture the "superior" doctor. Karloff relishing in every word he articulates and dominates the scene by portraying so calmly yet viciously the man's motivation, which is less blood lust and more of the most diabolical of class warfare. Karloff IS this film in a way few performances are, in that the film really wouldn't be much, but Karloff is such a powerful presence that he makes the whole film worth watching because he's worth watching. He is captivating every moment he's onscreen, to the point the film is captivating every moment he's onscreen, because he makes his fiendish cab-man a most charismatic villain, though in own uniquely fiendish way.

Updated Overall

Next: 1998 Lead

Alternate Best Actor 1945: Results

5. Danny Kaye in Wonder Man - Somewhat disposable Kaye work, not bad, but he's been much better.

Best Scene: Police station.

4. Errol Flynn in Objective, Burma! - Flynn is almost entirely onto something as the more casual approach to playing a military commander, even if the execution isn't quite perfect. 

Best Scene: The death of the correspondent.

3. Roger Livesey in I Know Where I'm Going - Livesey's presence offers a very unique and effectively off-beat take on the romantic stranger type.

Best Scene: Boat ride home.

2. Pierre Brasseur in Children of Paradise - Brasseur brings such potent charisma portraying so effectively one man in the film not weighed down by anything rather elevated by it all.

Best Scene: Ad-libbing.

1. Laird Cregar in Hangover Square - Good predictions Tim, Omar, 8000's, Calvin, Matt & Tahmeed. Cregar delivers one final dynamite portrayal of insanity, this time though with a passionate edge that offers a sense of avenues he may have been able to explore had his career not been tragically cut short.

Best Scene: Final concert.

Updated Overall

Next: Reviews of Redgrave & Karloff.

Alternate Best Actor 1945: Errol Flynn in Objective, Burma!

Errol Flynn did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Captain Nelson in Objective, Burma!.

Objective Burma depicts a platoon being sent on a mission to destroy a Japanese radar station. 

A performance by Errol Flynn I typically see is how much he relaxes in a part. As the more relaxed Flynn is typically the more his charisma comes out and the more you just believe him. When he's trying to actively sell something then that is where it comes off as the most phony and forced out of his performances. Flynn's performance here is notable then because it is perhaps his most relaxed in a way, though in a way that you might not expect either. In the early scenes it adds up enough where Flynn gives kind of an unknown accent, but regardless he stays with it, so I never minded it regardless. But what more so he brings is this ease about his whole performance that is remarkable in creating this innate sense of leadership in his Captain with his platoon by portraying the way the man always seems to be calming within his troops. What is surprising is that the calm is brought out by being this superman, rather Flynn plays the part as normal guy but a normal guy who just takes everything in stride. There's little comic asides that he doesn't sell like big one liners, but rather purposefully easing away at the tension of the obvious life or death situation they're all in. Flynn's performance is reassuring in the right way as you see how his Captain is commanding his men's spirit in a way by compelling them into going into the mission with a reserve that understands the stakes but is not overwhelmed by them. His work surprised me in that Flynn is often the leader and in this instance he did it with even greater ease, then the ease I expect from his better performances. 

 

When the mission actually begins is where I actually was all the more taken aback by what Flynn is doing in this performance, particularly within the war genre at this time. The platoon leader, or really any soldier at this time was usually within a certain kind of performance of the stoic leader, the fierce warrior, that sort of thing, where Flynn very much instead here plays him just like a guy on a mission, which is kind of fascinating in a way, and perhaps more pioneering than I imagine perhaps he even intended. With Flynn very much playing moments as casually as can be considered appropriate per the war setting, as he's not going into these big emotional swings rather he paints this portrait of consistency that is rather remarkable at times. Because it isn't that Flynn is playing it without thought or connection to what is going on in the situation, rather he is entirely is, but what is going on, is it is woven within his performance in this way that creates the sense of reality. There are moments where men die, even men are brutally killed in one sequence, and the Captain is always the man of calm. Flynn's performance though isn't as though he doesn't care, rather what Flynn does with some fairly modest reactions and internalized moments in his eyes, conveys that all that hardship is going through the Captain, he's just insisting on being strong for the men no matter what happens. His delivery here tends to keep that calm we had at the start, but he does change throughout, in that it is a bit more stressed within it, yet Flynn's performance conveys the intensity as pressure however not something that ever breaks him. Flynn's performance punctuates moments impressively with that subdued emotion, which consistently realizes the real horror of the situation, but without overtures. However, having said all this, I wouldn't say this is flawlessly executed as such, even if intriguing in its imperfect infancy of a concept. Perhaps part of that is the material which is close to something special, but not *quite* there, and even Flynn as well, who has tendency to stiffness if he doesn't fully believe himself, which is mostly avoided here, though not entirely. Regardless, a good performance on its own terms and worth taking a look at this performer.