I've been looking forward to a few of these performances and films for a long time and I'm glad I can finally cross them off my list. Really starting to get into some bonafide classic films and I'm loving it.
1976 Best Supporting Actor
Jason Robards - All the President's Men
Oh, you know I was looking forward to this performance. Now, I wasn't looking to shred it apart, but I was very intrigued by what exactly Robards was going to bring to the table. This was his first of two straight Supporting Actor wins and I strongly disliked his second win. It was a win that shouldn't have even been nominated so how was this going to shake out? Luckily, this is the Robards that I was always expecting to see in all his nominations but never got. Just a strong, confident, effortless performance that highlighted why he was such a good actor. In this, he plays editor Ben Bradlee who eventually oversees Woodward and Bernstein and is the man that focuses their investigative process. He knows what more needs to be done for the story and what needs to be excised and eventually stands behind his guys one hundred percent when they start rocking the boat. He definitely has this presence that sort of hangs over the film. After he's introduced where he just shreds their initial story, you wonder how he's going to react when they bring him their next article after hours and days and weeks of writing. You hang on to your seat along with Woodward and Bernstein as to whether what they have is good enough or not. And then when he gets mad and wants them to work their sources and angles harder, you feel his passion. When he backs them when they kick the hornets nest, you feel his pride and editorial protection for lack of a better term. He wants them to succeed and he knows they are on to the next huge story in American history but has to guide them to it. That's what Robards brings for this performance and it's about fucking time! I was worried we might get another unearned win but I do think he fully earns this win. It's crazy that he is the lone representative of the men in this film because there could have been two other nominees in Jack Warden and Hal Holbrook, stretches, sure, but great acting no doubt. I am all for this win even though I have the rest of the field to watch, too, but finally Robards delivers for me and I couldn't be happier about it.
Ned Beatty - Network
I actually really liked this performance. Just as with Beatrice Straight's performance, Beatty is in only two scenes with the first scene being super brief before he gets to his own shouting scene. Seemingly everyone in this film at some point gets to dramatically shout and Beatty was rewarded for his turn. But his performance is so much more than just plain old yelling. He plays the Chairman of the fictitious broadcasting company, UBS, and in this one scene (in which he only worked one single day on the film for) he gets to lay into Howard Beale (Peter Finch). I think on the surface a lot of people will just see the shouting but there's a lot more to Beatty's version. Beatty is more demonstrative and in control, very succinctly enunciating his speech (the writing of the film was rightfully called hyper-articulate by another reviewer) and hammering home his points. He also uses Beale's own words against him from the first speech Beale gave about being on TV and speaking the truth. There's a moment in Beatty's speech where he is shouting but then calmly asks Beale if he is getting through to him and then proceeds to more calmly talk to him in a blatant power move by standing over him in dark lighting like he is the voice of God or at least someone of power to be listened to. Beatty is so deliberate in his speech and his movements and his bearing that once you look past the yelling and shouting you can actually find a real performance there. That's why I liked the performance so much because Beatty actually did something with the words besides just reciting them. I mean, his tone and vocal inflections and all that are used in combination to give this powerful message about Beale needing to do as he and the company want him to. So this does past my test of short performances of whether it leaves a lasting impact on the film because it sets in motion the assassination later on and because I wanted more of Beatty in the film. This is a performance worth paying attention to a little more closely than usual.
Burgess Meredith - Rocky
I think you remember this performance more because of the sum of it's parts. He was in a couple Rocky films and you remember him as the manager ringside laying into Rocky Balboa and having that rough voice. But take it in the context of only this film. Meredith doesn't care about Rocky because he's not a contender and then when Apollo Creed pulls Rocky's name out of a book and decides to fight him, Meredith comes crawling back like a little bitch. I think too many people remember this role as being a fun one where Meredith is Rocky's manager, but remember in this film he was a groveling piece of shit who wanted Rocky only when he had a title fight by chance. So forget Meredith in this film because he's an awful person and Rocky calls him out on it when he comes by his apartment begging to be his manager. Rocky toys with him about being a money grubber before saying okay. But the fact remains is that Meredith, who you may remember from those Lipton Ice Tea commercials, isn't as magnanimous as you may think. I hate his character. All he does is screech at Rocky and doesn't even really train him in this film, yet takes the credit. Rocky trains himself mostly. And the dude never really offers up anything worthy of an actual performance. I say that not as a hater of him but as an Oscar watcher. He's a manager but he never really has any strong moments. He exists on the periphery of the story and is never strong in this film as you remember him to be. Subsequent films, yes he is, but here he is just an opportunist. I think too many people have a romantic notion of the film and it's actors.
Laurence Olivier - Marathon Man
I will admit that while watching this film, I had no idea at first who Olivier was playing. I know what he looks like, sure, but he's older here and I didn't think he was going to be the villain in this and didn't think he would look so different. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I didn't know what old Olivier looked like. It's interesting that his last two nominations were for films about Nazis (along with The Boys from Brazil). In the latter he was hunting them down, in this one he is essentially a playing a version of Dr Josef Mengele. He's an evil Nazi dentist who comes to America because his brother is killed in a traffic accident and was holding a stash of diamonds or something. Olivier comes and is confronted by Roy Scheider is a government agent but Olivier kills Scheider. Dustin Hoffman is Scheider's brother and the agency feels like he was told what Scheider knew about the dentist, but doesn't know anything. And from there it's a weird action thriller of Hoffman and Olivier. Which sounds pretty rad, right? But it's kind of an absurd, messy film that feels like it belongs in the 80s but probably could only be done in the 70s. And it is gorgeous to look at with a ton of great scenes and probably should have been nominated in Best Cinematography. Olivier is perfectly evil. He's menacing enough in his first couple scenes and especially the famous scene where he drills Hoffman's teeth and keeps saying "Is it safe?" over and over. I think that plus him being Olivier got him nominated because after that scene, he is mostly a pathetic figure. Going around trying to get his diamonds and lashing out at Jews, he is mostly on the run until Hoffman finds him again. There's a brief scene in some water area that Olivier tries to be menacing again for but doesn't quite pull it off. I like that he can be both scary and utterly pathetic looking in the same scene. It's decent but it's also Olivier, and we know he can do a lot better and that he's probably here on stature. Not sure this will win for me but I do recommend this film as it is pretty interesting even if Olivier isn't that strong in it.
Burt Young - Rocky
I know some people who really like this performance. Let's be clear: this ain't a winner. Young plays the sister of Adrian from "Yo Adrian, I did it!" fame (that's Rocky II). Adrian is the pet shop cashier who Rocky likes and then eventually dates. Young is her alcoholic dumb shit brother who wants a piece of the protection racket money that Rocky gets for being an enforcer. Young wants in to the game but Rocky denies him at every avenue. Young is also the guy who works at a meat packing plant who lets Rocky in so he can pound some frozen beef in a pretty famous scene. That's about all Young does. Is he effective in the performance? Yes. Is he good in the performance? No. Young is entirely forgettable and really shouldn't have been considered for an Oscar for that kind of performance. Young is just a classic drunk fuck up and while he plays the role perfectly, it doesn't mean he gives an award worthy performance. He just comes along for the Rocky ride and I can't take anyone seriously that thinks he ever had a shot or that he ever deserved a shot because he didn't and is a pretty wasted nomination. At least Meredith is a little more involved and a previous nominee. Young is only here because the Academy loved the hell out of the film. Five seconds after reading this you will forget who he is in the Rocky universe. Just a fun nomination but nothing else.
Well, this group was a little better than 1977. And, whew lad, was I harsh on Burgess Meredith! I guess I wasn't too happy about the Rocky Supporting characters because I didn't that any of them deserved to be nominated. Hell, I'd rather have Carl Weathers get nominated than the other two guys. But for real, Meredith really doesn't do much. His role expands in the sequels but is just an opportunist in this film and so that means Meredith doesn't do much besides be cantankerous. Sorry, not sorry. Young isn't any better, though I can appreciate what his role was about. Still don't think it should have been nominated. Olivier is up next and at first I didn't even realize it was him. He was a fun evil character but I don't feel like he had all that much to do in the film besides run and be evil Nazi guy. We all know Olivier is capable of delivering more than that. Beatty surprised the hell out of me. I really dug his one scene where he gets to yell but does so in a more controlled and purposeful way. I felt it wasn't just yelling and I liked that that short speech/scene had actual depth to it. Pretty good short nomination. Robards finally hits one home for me. The whole film is almost perfect and that goes for Robards, too, who is great as the editor. I was waiting for him to deliver and he did and it's a strong performance in an even stronger film. He is the easy winner for me. So if you take out the Rocky guys, you've got a pretty good year here. Hopefully 1975 is even better.
Oscar Winner: Jason Robards - All the President's Men
My Winner: Jason Robards - All the President's Men
Ned Beatty
Laurence Olivier
Burt Young
Burgess Meredith
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