Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1945: Mercel Herrand in Children of Paradise and Results

Mercel Herrand did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Pierre Francois Lacenaire in Children of Paradise.

Herrand comes in and out of the film as Pierre Francois Lacenaire an outlaw who passes his time around the theater world acting as a writer, or at least claiming to be but his true calling is that of crime. Lacenaire is a most strange sort of outlaw in that it does not seem to be that he needs to be an outlaw for monetary needs necessarily, but he rather finds that it is his true calling is to eventually be executed for his life of crime. Herrand's performance is quite remarkable in that he makes this very strange thief oddly believable even though he is basically an criminal who seems as though he eventually wants to be caught for his crimes as if it is some sort of destiny for himself.

Herrand's portrayal is an odd yet very compelling combination of things for his performance. He has a very low key yet substantial charm in the role as he is always a suave presence in every scene that he is in. There is even more to it then just that though as in most scenes he comes across as an amiable sort of man who is very easy to like, and he makes it extremely easy to see through Herrand's performance how so many of the character's would allow him to keep company with him even though Lacenaire is not exactly tight lipped about his activities. Herrand keeps this terrific magnetism in his work and he turns Lacenaire's particular method of living always something completely captivating to watch. 

Herrand though does far more than simply act as a charmer though and what makes this performance particularly striking is that he always keeps the criminal well in sight. Herrand even when Lacenaire is being charming carries himself with a very natural menace in every one of his scenes. When he appears in a room it is always a question on whether Lacenaire will treat who is calling upon with an assault or a friendly greeting because Herrand eyes creates a perfect mix of charming glance and a chilling glare. Herrand keeps one guessing at Lacenaire's motives for any moment making him one fascinating figure in the film who you always remember even though the character often takes long absences throughout the long story.

Herrand makes Lacenaire almost a time bomb in the film up until his very best scene in the film where Lacenaire decided to indulge in a little murder, and even after the murder decides to stay in Paris just because he does not wish to face a country executioner. Herrand is very chilling in the scene because everything that Lacenaire does in the scene from the killing which in itself seems for such a slight reason, to his choosing to stay is made entirely natural to the character through Herrand's performance. Mercel Herrand creates a very interesting portrait of this unique criminal who takes pride in basically creating notoriety as a criminal, something most successful criminals would try to avoid.

Some Other Performances:

Dan Duryea in Scarlet Street- Duryea played all of Fritz Lang's sleaze balls in the mid forties with his best portrayal of one being his somewhat limited role in The Ministry of Fear. Although that was the most limited character in a Lang film, but he had one great scene. Here he does not have any great scenes as he plays the one side of a sleazy couple who abuses an older man. Duryea is good in the role in just playing up the slime up of the character, and never suggesting that there is anything to the man other than his lack of morality. At the end of the film though his character finds himself in some great trouble. Duryea does makes you feel slightly sorry for the slime ball because he makes so easy to believe that no one would believe his innocence of the crime because well he just looks so guilty. 

Barry Fitzgerald and Walter Huston in And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie's characters are not always the most complex often defined by the broad strokes behind their profession leaving a challenge for the actor to make the character interesting even though there is not a great deal to them. Well this film version has two expert scene stealing actors with Fitzgerald and Huston. Both are quite adept at giving the right energy to the proceedings through their usual lively style of performance. They both give just enough fun and humor in their work while still being able to pull it back for the moments that need a bit more dramatic emphasis. Far from either of their best work, but nevertheless they both do a pretty splendid job.

Overall Rank:

1. James Dunn in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
2. Mercel Herrand in Children of Paradise
3. Michael Chekhov in Spellbound
4. Barry Fitzgerald in And Then There Were None
5. Robert Mitchum in The Story of G.I. Joe
6. Walter Huston in And Then There Were None
7. Sydney Greenstreet in Conflict 
8. Dan Duryea in Scarlet Street
9. Sydney Greenstreet in Christmas in Connecticut
10. Richard Haydn in And Then There Were Not
11. Freddie Steele in The Story of G.I. Joe
12. S.Z. Sakall in Christmas in Connecticut
13. James Gleason in The Clock
14. Susumu Fujita in The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
15. Pierre Renoir in Children of Paradise
16. Cecil Parker in Caesar and Cleopatra
17. Leo G. Carroll in Spellbound
18. Roland Young in And Then There Were None
19. Masayuki Mori in The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
20. Ted Donaldson in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
21. J. Carrol Naish in A Medal For Benny
22. Louis Salou in Children of Paradise
23. Lloyd Nolan in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
24. Ernest Thesiger in Caesar and Cleopatra
25. Herbert Lom in The Seventh Veil
26. James Gleason in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
27. Vito Annicchiarico in Rome, Open City
28. C. Aubrey Smith in And Then There Were None
29. Takash Shimura in The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
30. Vincent Price in Leave Her to Heaven
31. Howard Da Silva in The Lost Weekend
32. Stanley Holloway in Brief Encounter
33. Henry Travers in Bells of Saint Mary's
34. Mischa Auer in And Then There Were None
35. Kenichi Enomoto in The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
36. Cyril Raymond in Brief Encounter
37. Ray Collins in Leave Her to Heaven
38. Hugh McDermott in The Seventh Veil
39. Ward Bond in They Were Expendable 
40. Stephen Bekassy in A Song to Remember
41. Frank Sinatra in Anchors Aweigh
42. Stanley Holloway in Caesar and Cleopatra
43. Jack Holt in They Were Expendable
44. Stewart Granger in Caesar and Cleopatra
45. Eduardo Passarelli in Rome, Open City
46. Frank McHugh in A Medal for Benny 
47. Charles Drake in Conflict
48. Reginald Gardiner in Christmas in Connecticut
49. Dean Stockwell in Anchors Aweigh
50. William Gargan in Bells of Saint Mary's
51. John Emery in Spellbound
52. Ivan Triesault in A Song to Remember
53. Phillip Terry in The Lost Weekend
54. John Dall in The Corn is Green
55. Edmund MacDonald in Detour
56. Basil Sydney in Caesar and Cleopatra

Next Year: 1934 lead