My favorite category offering up five nominations that I haven't ever seen before. That's always exciting because it means I can possibly find a hidden gem here. Some interesting names and films, so let's dive into it.
1971 Best Supporting Actor
Ben Johnson - The Last Picture Show
This was one that I was always curious about because I didn't recognize the name and he's a winner in a film with a lot of recognizable names and a film that's considered a classic. And honestly when I started watching, I had to ask who exactly is Sam the Lion, which is Johnson's character. He owns a couple local places like the movie theater, billiards hall, and diner. He is this noble figure in the small town who always seems to do what's right. Johnson plays the character with lots of solemn looks and a quietness that can make it hard to remember he's the Oscar winner in the film. He's got a very natural, unassuming style and it makes sense when you find out Johnson was mostly a stuntman and world champion cowboy before acting. He has that quietly strong persona that works well for Sam the Lion and makes him wholly believable. It's a similar story and performance as seen from Richard Farnsworth in Comes a Horseman and maybe that's part of the reason I enjoy it. Johnson has this monologue in the film where he remembers old times while fishing at a lake that is the highlight of the performance and is his Oscar moment. It's one of those scenes that you can watch over and over because the acting is so real and you forget there's a script and not just Johnson talking about his own life. It's great stuff and cements a very good performance. This might easily be overlooked in the film and in the Oscar winners pantheon but Johnson is worth remembering and taking a look at again.
Jeff Bridges - The Last Picture Show
This is Bridges' first ever nomination and it's also a little sad because I don't get to further explore his history and find some new awesome performances from him. This is a young, baby faced Bridges who portrays a high school kid who is pretty popular and likable and dating the hottest girl in their small West Texas town. This is Bridges starting out and you can see those beginnings and traces of what will make him a great actor of his generation. He's charming and fun to watch and has so much energy in his performance that it's almost contagious. He also sticks out a bit in the film because a lot of the other characters are so depressing to watch. He goes through all the small town high school ups and downs where the hot girl dumps him, he fights, he has fun moments with his friends, and then has to come to grips with reality and move on from the town and join the Army. It's a great introduction to someone who will become a great actor. It might not be the winner this year but it shows you what will be possible in the future. It's a sympathetic performance in a great film and one you should check out to see where it all began.
Leonard Frey - Fiddler on the Roof
It still amazes me that Fiddler on the Roof was such a big hit in 71. A musical about poor Jewish farmers captured the zeitgeist of the country at the time and did well at the box office. It got a lot of awards love and I feel like Frey got swept up in all that love and landed himself a nomination. I can't say that he particularly stands out other than he feels like the most natural actor in the film. He was in the original London stage production, but his Motel the tailor comes off as being a very genuine character. It doesn't have the sheen of theatricality that most of the other performances do, which to me is a good thing. I think he really roots the film to the ground and keeps it from being such a fantastical musical. But I also wouldn't say he really wows or stands out other than his different acting style. He is perfectly fine in the role and I can't begrudge the nomination. It seems natural that he would get the nod, since his only real competition was the guy who was a university student and marries the middle daughter. His Motel character is someone we can kinda latch onto and root for, as we want him to marry Teyve's oldest daughter, no matter how meek and soft he comes off as. It's a fine performance and one that I'm glad to have seen even if it doesn't get me that excited to talk about.
Richard Jaeckel - Sometimes a Great Notion
I love when this project introduces me to a film that I never knew existed and it turns out to be really enjoyable. And the funny thing is, this is a Paul Newman directed and starring film with Henry Fonda, so you'd think this would be one I'd heard of, but nope. And I bet the same can be said for most everyone else reading this. Weird that this has become completely unknown. The story is based on a book by the guy (Ken Kesey) who wrote the book for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and tells the story of a logging family in Oregon who continue to work while the union loggers are on strike. It's a good film based off an epic book, so the film could be a little longer to explore in depth the family issues and the broader logging problems. But it works well for me and I'd recommend giving it a watch easily. Now, about Richard Jaeckel's performance. There is nothing in the beginning two-thirds of the film that is remotely nomination worthy. Jaeckel is the nephew of Fonda and they all live together in one house. Jaeckel is this good natured, always smiling and upbeat guy with a wife and a couple young kids. He mostly stays around the periphery speaking up to provide a positive voice since Fonda and Newman are grumpy and sarcastic. Nothing special until Jaeckel's final scene which is where he earns his Oscar nomination. Spoiler if you don't want to know what happens but there is an accident while out cutting trees next to a river bank and a tree falls and pins him down in the water. His head is above the water but the river is rising and the tree rolls on him. The scene initially plays with Jaeckel being his usual jovial and upbeat self telling Newman not to worry and cracking jokes. But there is this moment of sheer panic and terror that crosses his face the first time the log rolls on him and you forget you're watching a movie. The tension and increasing horror of the scene is tremendously played out by Jaeckel and Newman. You really feel for the two men being in an impossible situation of almost certain eventual death. It's a heartbreaking scene made more impactful because of Jaeckel's acting. Definitely worth the nomination for that scene alone and really that's all Jaeckel really gets to do in the film so it works out well for him.
Roy Scheider - The French Connection
Roy Scheider is an interesting actor. Growing up, I only ever knew him as the Sheriff from Jaws and had no idea he was a respected actor who was nominated for two Oscars and in a bunch of popular films. This project has allowed me to see him in a few of those films and see that he is not simply a one note actor. He has range and can play all kinds of characters. He really surprised me in All That Jazz, which cemented him to me as an actor's actor. He is tremendous in that film. I was interested to see what he brought to this nomination where all I knew was that he played a NYC cop. The film doesn't waste any time or effort on getting to know the characters. It's very matter of fact, so all we see of Scheider is when he's doing his job as a narcotics cop and partner to Gene Hackman. Scheider is perfectly supporting. I say that in a good way because Scheider does what you want from a character like his and he does it in a serious and gung ho manner. He and Hackman have a good chemistry that is believable but not delved into very much. He kinda reels in Hackman at times and that's all you can really ask for from his character. It also shows that Scheider is better than his role. He was destined to become more than just a bit player and his acting shines through a meager role. Not much to work with and a decent little performance and I feel like Scheider being in this film and Klute this year helps get him the nomination here.
Another strong year. There isn't a bad performance in the bunch. Frey is last but isn't bad by any means. He does well with what he's given and even adds a different style to the musical which I appreciate. Next up you can go either Scheider or Brdiges, it doesn't really matter. Both are serviceable to the story and are good but you know they can and will deliver better work in the future. But both are still indelible to their films. Jaeckel is the big surprise. I didn't know the film or him at all and here he is in second. He gets it solely because of his ending scene which is hauntingly effective and so damn good. And speaking of one scene being amazing, Johnson gets the win in part because of his monologue which goes to show that supporting performances can be won off just a single scene for me. All of these men were good and I'm always glad when that happens. Hopefully I can end the 70s on a similar high note.
Oscar Winner: Ben Johnson - The Last Picture Show
My Winner: Ben Johnson - The Last Picture Show
Richard Jaeckel
Jeff Bridges
Roy Scheider
Leonard Frey
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Supporting Actress 1971
There was a lot of time between this year and the previous year of 1972 for me. It's the usual life gets in the way and I get stuck on a film or two for awhile. But I always love starting off a new year with this category because it always gives me some films I would otherwise never hear about or know about at all. Sometimes I find that hidden gem, mostly it's bad films and boring performances. But I at least get to broaden my knowledge of film in general and of different actors and directors and see something outside the norm. I have seen none of these and I am eager to dive in again.
1971 Best Supporting Actress
Cloris Leachman - The Last Picture Show
I only knew Leachman as an older woman who would show up in random movies and TV shows I watched. Her talent has been evident even if some of the material she was in was not the best. So I was curious to see her win here in hopes of better understanding her as an actress. When you have multiple nominees from the same film and one of those wins, you pay extra attention to the winner since it must be special to not split any votes. Leachman is terrific, though. In a film about a small West Texas town, Leachman plays an unhappy married woman who is hooking up with a high school senior. Leachman is very restrained in the role and though you can feel her indignation emanating from her core, she remains calm and collected on the outside for most of the film. It's this quiet, resounding anger that permeates her performance that really makes you take notice. She's not onscreen all that much but when she is, she commands your attention. It's that small town wife who has been abandoned/unloved by her husband for so long that she just wants to feel wanted again. Her Oscar moment comes at the end of the film when this bubbling anger finally boils over and she explodes at Timothy Bottoms for using her. It's a powerful scene and truly memorable acting. I do think that scene cements the Oscar for Leachman but her whole performance is really something worth watching. It's strong dramatic work from a woman who was mostly known for her comedic skills.
Ann-Margret - Carnal Knowledge
I had no idea what this was going to be going into it. I had heard of the film before but just thought it was some early 70s free love type of thing. But it's actually a Mike Nichols film and stars Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, and Art Garfunkel of all people (and Rita Moreno and Carol Kane, for good measure). It has gorgeous cinematography when I was expecting some campy, crappy, exploitative film. I guess that's what I get for assuming. It tells the story of Nicholson and Garfunkel, two friends who are obsessed with sex and we see their different loves throughout their lives. It's like an X-rated Woody Allen film and it is freaking fantastic. All the actors are great but Ann-Margret really stepped into her role. I enjoyed her in Tommy, but that was just a fun, crazy film that she could let loose in. In this film, she plays an older lover of Nicholson and it's a very serious, dramatic role. It definitely feels like she is shedding her good girl image of all those teen films and Bye Bye Birdie roles. There are frank discussions of sex and if my research is correct, it's the first time a condom appears in a film and first time someone says the word 'cunt.' Back to Ann-Margret, though, she is fully invested in her character and has the dramatic chops to go toe to toe with Nicholson. The highlight is their fight in the bedroom and you can just sense the desperation and loneliness and frustration and helplessness emanating from her every pore. There is also another scene that really stands out to me when Nicholson leaves to take a shower and Ann-Margret is sitting up in bed and the camera just lingers on her while the shower goes. It's like you can see her thinking a million things as she stares vacantly around the room and it's just tremendous acting without doing much at all. I know when I saw/learned she was a twice nominated actress that I thought they might just be throwing her a bone because they liked her. But no, she earned this nomination and could quite frankly end up my winner. She just wants to be loved and cared for and puts up with an asshole Nicholson who just uses her for sex and you feel for her awful situation. This is a performance and a film that I can't recommend highly enough, go watch it.
Ellen Burstyn - The Last Picture Show
If you have been following my blog and have a good memory, you would know that I'm not the biggest Ellen Burstyn fan. I'm not sure I've really liked any of her nominated work save The Exorcist nomination. This was her first nomination so at least I'm done reviewing her work but it's actually not all that bad. She plays Cybill Shepherd's mother in the film and is dealing with not being the hottest thing in their small West Texas town. She's jealous of her daughter and meddles in her love life while still trying to be her old sexy, flirty self. Burstyn is actually pretty good looking in this film so that works with the character because I've never thought she was very attractive in her other work/real life. That is to say that she plays this mother holding on to her last remaining time of being sexy and she actually is. She is one of the louder roles in the film and makes a grand entrance and is allowed to let loose while other characters wallow in their own self pity. So Burstyn gets to enjoy herself and push the performance in some interesting ways as a desperate housewife. There's emotion in the performance but the arc is rather flat and Leachman gets the showier ending, though Burstyn gets a nice little wistful remembrance scene to work with. It's a decent performance from Burstyn that others will probably really love, I just wish I found her other work to be as decent as this is.
Barbara Harris - Who is Harry Kellerman and Why is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
This film holds the record for longest title of any Oscar nominee and just reading it is almost tiring. It's certainly one of those that I would never have heard of if not for this project and it is really different. It actually stars Dustin Hoffman as a famous musician who contemplates suicide and we go on this trippy ride that is leftover from the 60s. It's like a stream of conscious type film where there's all kinds of random moments. Some work, most don't. It becomes a little tedious after the intrigue of Hoffman film I've never heard of dies down and this is Hoffman at his most self indulgent. Luckily, the film has Harris to rescue it from bottoming out. She pops in as an actress auditioning for a role with Hoffman with about 30 minutes left and breathes much needed life into this dying film. I was enthralled with Harris. It's just a simple audition scene but she does so much in such a little amount of time that it's like this is from a completely different film. She is alive and she has the nervousness to her character that seems so genuine. It's great physical acting as well as great timing with her line deliveries. And she can act with just her expressions. It's really something to behold. Not even because the film meanders off and gets lost and Harris saves the day. It makes me want to watch anything else Harris did so I can see what I've been missing out on and if it lives up to this performance. Hoffman also smartly backs off and lets Harris steal the show in her two scenes. It's a very good performance in a short amount of time in a film that sorely needed it. Fun fact: this film features Shel Silverstein doing all the music and performing a song with Hoffman onscreen. Worth a watch for Harris and Silverstein.
Margaret Leighton - The Go-Between
I feel like I've written this same review about 30 times now and I'm at the point where I could just copy and paste without skipping a beat. This film isn't very good. It's boring with some awful young actors at it's core. Yet somehow this won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. I have no idea how, but it's really not enjoyable save for a few brief scenes. The title refers to a boy who visits his rich school friend for the summer (he's poor, obviously) and becomes the go-between messenger for various people in the house/area while his friend recovers from measles or some such illness. It trudges along and Leighton is the woman of the house. She sits at the head of the table and is the matron and acts like an older woman. For the whole film, minus the very end, she does nothing that stands out. It's a non-performance not even worth paying attention to, yet here we are. She gets nominated because at the very end of the movie, she bursts into the film with no trepidation and becomes this fiery, angry woman who wants to know where her daughter is and leads the kid who delivers messages to go find her. Well, she's banging a farmer from nearby and this whole outburst from the mother is completely unearned. Nothing prepares you for it and it's way too all of the sudden. And as quickly as we start to get something interesting, the film ends. I don't think it's very good, performance and film-wise. Maybe it's one of those a bunch of voters liked her/knew her, I dunno. But if you ever watch this and think she deserves to be here, please tell me what you see in this performance because I'd truly like to know. What a weird Cannes winner and pointless Oscar nominee.
Probably one of the better groups from this category I've had in awhile. There always seems to be that one performance that is just a head scratcher as to why it's even nominated. Leighton is definitely it for this year. Not much to the performance and just a waste of a spot. And it somehow won at Cannes? Okay then. Burstyn is 4th but not bad at all. I liked the performance but Leachman was better to me overall. And Burstyn being 4th means this is a pretty good year because I actually did like her. That film is for sure worth watching because it's an absolute classic. So then we have Harris at third which is a surprise for me. I thought that with the silly title and the fact that the film was more of an exercise for Dustin Hoffman that I wouldn't like her much. But wow did she surprise me! It was such a breath of fresh air and unexpected. You could probably just watch her scene and forget the rest of the film. Leachman actually comes in second for me. I liked her a lot and her end scene is truly powerful but Ann-Margret was so incredibly, unexpectedly amazing to me that she was my easy winner. I want to watch that film all over again because it's so good and because she is so good. Both of her nominations were entertaining, shame she couldn't win one! On to 1970!
Oscar Winner: Cloris Leachman - The Last Picture Show
My Winner: Ann-Margret - Carnal Knowledge
Cloris Leachman
Barbara Harris
Ellen Burstyn
Margaret Leighton
1971 Best Supporting Actress
Cloris Leachman - The Last Picture Show
I only knew Leachman as an older woman who would show up in random movies and TV shows I watched. Her talent has been evident even if some of the material she was in was not the best. So I was curious to see her win here in hopes of better understanding her as an actress. When you have multiple nominees from the same film and one of those wins, you pay extra attention to the winner since it must be special to not split any votes. Leachman is terrific, though. In a film about a small West Texas town, Leachman plays an unhappy married woman who is hooking up with a high school senior. Leachman is very restrained in the role and though you can feel her indignation emanating from her core, she remains calm and collected on the outside for most of the film. It's this quiet, resounding anger that permeates her performance that really makes you take notice. She's not onscreen all that much but when she is, she commands your attention. It's that small town wife who has been abandoned/unloved by her husband for so long that she just wants to feel wanted again. Her Oscar moment comes at the end of the film when this bubbling anger finally boils over and she explodes at Timothy Bottoms for using her. It's a powerful scene and truly memorable acting. I do think that scene cements the Oscar for Leachman but her whole performance is really something worth watching. It's strong dramatic work from a woman who was mostly known for her comedic skills.
Ann-Margret - Carnal Knowledge
I had no idea what this was going to be going into it. I had heard of the film before but just thought it was some early 70s free love type of thing. But it's actually a Mike Nichols film and stars Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, and Art Garfunkel of all people (and Rita Moreno and Carol Kane, for good measure). It has gorgeous cinematography when I was expecting some campy, crappy, exploitative film. I guess that's what I get for assuming. It tells the story of Nicholson and Garfunkel, two friends who are obsessed with sex and we see their different loves throughout their lives. It's like an X-rated Woody Allen film and it is freaking fantastic. All the actors are great but Ann-Margret really stepped into her role. I enjoyed her in Tommy, but that was just a fun, crazy film that she could let loose in. In this film, she plays an older lover of Nicholson and it's a very serious, dramatic role. It definitely feels like she is shedding her good girl image of all those teen films and Bye Bye Birdie roles. There are frank discussions of sex and if my research is correct, it's the first time a condom appears in a film and first time someone says the word 'cunt.' Back to Ann-Margret, though, she is fully invested in her character and has the dramatic chops to go toe to toe with Nicholson. The highlight is their fight in the bedroom and you can just sense the desperation and loneliness and frustration and helplessness emanating from her every pore. There is also another scene that really stands out to me when Nicholson leaves to take a shower and Ann-Margret is sitting up in bed and the camera just lingers on her while the shower goes. It's like you can see her thinking a million things as she stares vacantly around the room and it's just tremendous acting without doing much at all. I know when I saw/learned she was a twice nominated actress that I thought they might just be throwing her a bone because they liked her. But no, she earned this nomination and could quite frankly end up my winner. She just wants to be loved and cared for and puts up with an asshole Nicholson who just uses her for sex and you feel for her awful situation. This is a performance and a film that I can't recommend highly enough, go watch it.
Ellen Burstyn - The Last Picture Show
If you have been following my blog and have a good memory, you would know that I'm not the biggest Ellen Burstyn fan. I'm not sure I've really liked any of her nominated work save The Exorcist nomination. This was her first nomination so at least I'm done reviewing her work but it's actually not all that bad. She plays Cybill Shepherd's mother in the film and is dealing with not being the hottest thing in their small West Texas town. She's jealous of her daughter and meddles in her love life while still trying to be her old sexy, flirty self. Burstyn is actually pretty good looking in this film so that works with the character because I've never thought she was very attractive in her other work/real life. That is to say that she plays this mother holding on to her last remaining time of being sexy and she actually is. She is one of the louder roles in the film and makes a grand entrance and is allowed to let loose while other characters wallow in their own self pity. So Burstyn gets to enjoy herself and push the performance in some interesting ways as a desperate housewife. There's emotion in the performance but the arc is rather flat and Leachman gets the showier ending, though Burstyn gets a nice little wistful remembrance scene to work with. It's a decent performance from Burstyn that others will probably really love, I just wish I found her other work to be as decent as this is.
Barbara Harris - Who is Harry Kellerman and Why is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
This film holds the record for longest title of any Oscar nominee and just reading it is almost tiring. It's certainly one of those that I would never have heard of if not for this project and it is really different. It actually stars Dustin Hoffman as a famous musician who contemplates suicide and we go on this trippy ride that is leftover from the 60s. It's like a stream of conscious type film where there's all kinds of random moments. Some work, most don't. It becomes a little tedious after the intrigue of Hoffman film I've never heard of dies down and this is Hoffman at his most self indulgent. Luckily, the film has Harris to rescue it from bottoming out. She pops in as an actress auditioning for a role with Hoffman with about 30 minutes left and breathes much needed life into this dying film. I was enthralled with Harris. It's just a simple audition scene but she does so much in such a little amount of time that it's like this is from a completely different film. She is alive and she has the nervousness to her character that seems so genuine. It's great physical acting as well as great timing with her line deliveries. And she can act with just her expressions. It's really something to behold. Not even because the film meanders off and gets lost and Harris saves the day. It makes me want to watch anything else Harris did so I can see what I've been missing out on and if it lives up to this performance. Hoffman also smartly backs off and lets Harris steal the show in her two scenes. It's a very good performance in a short amount of time in a film that sorely needed it. Fun fact: this film features Shel Silverstein doing all the music and performing a song with Hoffman onscreen. Worth a watch for Harris and Silverstein.
Margaret Leighton - The Go-Between
I feel like I've written this same review about 30 times now and I'm at the point where I could just copy and paste without skipping a beat. This film isn't very good. It's boring with some awful young actors at it's core. Yet somehow this won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. I have no idea how, but it's really not enjoyable save for a few brief scenes. The title refers to a boy who visits his rich school friend for the summer (he's poor, obviously) and becomes the go-between messenger for various people in the house/area while his friend recovers from measles or some such illness. It trudges along and Leighton is the woman of the house. She sits at the head of the table and is the matron and acts like an older woman. For the whole film, minus the very end, she does nothing that stands out. It's a non-performance not even worth paying attention to, yet here we are. She gets nominated because at the very end of the movie, she bursts into the film with no trepidation and becomes this fiery, angry woman who wants to know where her daughter is and leads the kid who delivers messages to go find her. Well, she's banging a farmer from nearby and this whole outburst from the mother is completely unearned. Nothing prepares you for it and it's way too all of the sudden. And as quickly as we start to get something interesting, the film ends. I don't think it's very good, performance and film-wise. Maybe it's one of those a bunch of voters liked her/knew her, I dunno. But if you ever watch this and think she deserves to be here, please tell me what you see in this performance because I'd truly like to know. What a weird Cannes winner and pointless Oscar nominee.
Probably one of the better groups from this category I've had in awhile. There always seems to be that one performance that is just a head scratcher as to why it's even nominated. Leighton is definitely it for this year. Not much to the performance and just a waste of a spot. And it somehow won at Cannes? Okay then. Burstyn is 4th but not bad at all. I liked the performance but Leachman was better to me overall. And Burstyn being 4th means this is a pretty good year because I actually did like her. That film is for sure worth watching because it's an absolute classic. So then we have Harris at third which is a surprise for me. I thought that with the silly title and the fact that the film was more of an exercise for Dustin Hoffman that I wouldn't like her much. But wow did she surprise me! It was such a breath of fresh air and unexpected. You could probably just watch her scene and forget the rest of the film. Leachman actually comes in second for me. I liked her a lot and her end scene is truly powerful but Ann-Margret was so incredibly, unexpectedly amazing to me that she was my easy winner. I want to watch that film all over again because it's so good and because she is so good. Both of her nominations were entertaining, shame she couldn't win one! On to 1970!
Oscar Winner: Cloris Leachman - The Last Picture Show
My Winner: Ann-Margret - Carnal Knowledge
Cloris Leachman
Barbara Harris
Ellen Burstyn
Margaret Leighton
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)