Pretty pissed off writing this right now. This category was all finished and I was just making some simple edits, but because Blogger sucks so much, it somehow deleted the whole thing even though I didn't select all and delete or anything. Just deleted the whole article somehow and now I have to write all of these again. So my heart probably won't be in this one and I don't think I can match what I previously wrote, which sucks because this is such an incredible year for Best Actors. Just look at the names and the films and you already know it's gonna be great. Alright, let's get this over with so I can move on.
1962 Best Actor
Gregory Peck - To Kill a Mockingbird
I mean, come on, if you haven't seen this performance and film are you even really alive? I'm pretty sure everyone was made to watch this in high school. I appreciated it back then and I appreciate it now even more. It gets thrown into the discussion as one of the greatest acting performances ever and I truly believe it belongs in that discussion. Peck obviously plays Atticus Finch, a Southern lawyer defending a black man accused of rape and makes sure he gets a fair trial the best that he can. Peck's performance is almost mythical. He is stately and composed and just the model of what it means to be a perfectly good human being. He's forthright in trying to get justice for his client, steadfast in his morals and defending the man despite the town trying to pressure and intimidate him into quitting, and so patient and warm when dealing with his kids. It's so easy to just be mesmerized by the performance because it captures the character from the book perfectly and lives up to that ideal. Peck is someone you want to know or want to be because he is so good and righteous without being overbearing. Peck embodies the character and pulls off creating this perfect character. Easily one of the best of all time.
Burt Lancaster - Birdman of Alcatraz
Honestly, this is probably the toughest one of these to rewrite for me. Months have gone by since I saw it and then wrote my review and I can't remember all the specific details and feelings about the performance exactly. I love some Burt Lancaster acting. He has such a unique style and way he delivers his lines, it's almost comforting in a weird way. He plays a guy in prison who starts raising some birds and becomes a top bird subject matter expert writing books and all that. But then he is moved to Alcatraz where he isn't allowed to raise birds. This character is rather complex and Lancaster does a great job of trying to add depth and balance the complexity at the same time. The real Birdman (no, not Michael Keaton), Robert Stroud, murdered a couple people and was pretty much a psychopath. The film tries to point out that prison can change folks for the better and contribute to society, but dude is still a murderer who happens to be smart and has time to devote solely to birds. I think Lancaster plays the character a little too lightly to how he actually was and creates something that doesn't feel authentic. It is still a good performance, but doesn't feel true to who he actually was. But if you can throw that aside and just look at the film and performance as it is, it ends up being pretty decent. I think the performance survives mostly because Lancaster was a movie star and watching him mess with some birds turns into interesting stuff because he is the one doing it, not because the script or film really earns it. I do feel like it is required viewing because it always seems to come up on lists or is just referenced a lot in other mediums. I dunno, I felt like I had heard about this film a ton before I actually watched it. Lancaster is fine, but it was never winning in this stacked year.
Jack Lemmon - Days of Wine and Roses
If you follow this blog at all, you know I am a huge Lemmon fan, mostly due to this project. I just love his style from his comedic chops to the more serious fare like this. I also love a good film about alcoholism, because I think it's so hard to portray accurately without delving into kitschy cliches. This is a great film and probably more of a hidden gem that most people have never heard of before. The film is about Lemmon who is an executive of some sort who hits on a receptionist at his company who flat out denies him at first. But then agrees to a drink, though she doesn't really drink and he picks one out that she likes. They become an item and get married and they also become increasingly codependent on each other and alcohol. The film is about how alcoholism can slowly show its ugly side after awhile and how two people can become so invested in drinking because of each other. Lemmon has his frenetic style still on display but we see a lot more seriousness to his acting. When the character goes through various ups and downs with alcohol and getting sober, we really see Lemmon shine as the story gets more intense. And that's why I love the film and performance because it really doesn't gloss over anything or trivialize the negative things about being drunk or in an affected codependent relationship. It also doesn't have a happy ending which seems so true to life because alcohol fucks everything up and doesn't always lead to a satisfying ending. Lemmon is really strong in this film and if this was a lesser year without two of the greatest performances of all time, this would absolutely be in the running for a win. I highly suggest watching this film and seeing Lemmon for yourself.
Marcello Mastroianni - Divorce, Italian Style
This is the last review I had for the year and was just editing some stuff in this review which is what led to the whole damn thing getting deleted, so I blame Mastroianni for this mess. This one is at least a bit more fresh in my mind, so at least not trying to remember specifics for a film I watched like five months ago (because I'm so bad at consistency with this blog sometimes). First off, this nomination is probably a reaction from the Academy after Mastroianni became an international superstar for La Dolce Vita. The Academy has always been late in rewarding their foreign nominees and also for latching on to certain actors and nominating them a couple times. This was the first of his three nominations and it's a very light, comedic role. The film is about a guy who is annoyed by his current wife (who is pretty hot despite the almost unibrow) and instead wants to marry his 16 year old cousin. That's obviously creepy, but apparently there was a law or rule that if you catch your spouse cheating you can kill them, essentially. That pretty wild to me, but I guess a religious country like Italy needed some loopholes. Anyway, that's what the film is about, Mastroianni tries to come up with a way to get his wife to cheat so he can off her and marry the kid. It's lighthearted and goofy a bit and Mastroianni uses physical comedy well and combines that with his movie star good looks for a decent performance. When you look at the other four in this category, this just stands out as the weakest, though not because it's bad or anything. Worth seeing and maybe pairing with Marriage, Italian Style from a couple years later.
Peter O'Toole - Lawrence of Arabia
Just like I said with Gregory Peck, you've probably seen this performance and film before. It's also considered one of the greatest acting performances ever, too, and absolutely belongs up there with Peck. O'Toole obviously is the eponymous Lawrence, a British officer who unites some Ottoman tribes to fight in WWII. That's the very brief description, but the film is an epic and follows O'Toole as he plays Lawrence during his exploits. O'Toole disappears into the character through all facets of the film. From the young British officer, to the grizzled desert fighter, to the disillusioned man questioning all of the violence. He is perfect in all these aspects of the character and honestly is the only person that I can see playing this man - just like Peck and Atticus Finch. There are so many iconic moments in this film and O'Toole features prominently in most of them. What I like the most is that Lawrence isn't just some badass guy all the way through. O'Toole imbues the character with so much depth and nuance that we see the ups and downs of the character. His relationship and chemistry with Omar Sharif is fantastic and probably the highlight of the film and performance, they have such give and take with each other. I went way more in depth on my first review of O'Toole, but really this is a great performance on screen that was a mess behind the scenes. It was a long, arduous shoot and apparently O'Toole and others would be drunk and possibly were drunk/hungover in some scenes. The fact that he delivered an all time performance with that going on, tells you how great of an actor he is. One of the best performances of all time, no doubt.
It's a really crazy good category full of some of the best performances ever and some really intense roles. Mastroianni is the odd man out and I'd love to see who would have taken the fifth spot if the Academy didn't vote him in. Lancaster tries to salvage a great performance despite a maybe weak film, or at least a film that ignores it's truth. But Lancaster is good in the role and can't hate him for that. Lemmon is so damn good in his role as the alcoholic who gets sober. Just really great dramatic work from him that should be watched. Then it becomes a toss up between O'Toole and Peck. Who do you like more? Because that's all it really is. Both are iconic, all time great acting performances. I like Peck more because he just feels like the perfect dad. While O'Toole is this crazy ass man leading Bedouins and changing history. Peck it is, both are great. Need more categories like this across the board, because damn, what a group.
Oscar Winner: Gregory Peck - To Kill a Mockingbird
My Winner: Gregory Peck - To Kill a Mockingbird
Peter O'Toole
Jack Lemmon
Burt Lancaster
Marcello Mastroianni
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