Alternate Best Actor 1961: Results

5. Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in the Sun- Poitier tends go a little more theatrical at times than he needs to but for the most part Poitier gives an effective performance as a character that is far from the heroic roles he usually played.

Best Scene: The opening scene.

4. Clark Gable in The Misfits- Gable gives a moving portrayal of a individualistic cowboy past his prime that is worthy of being his swan song.

Best Scene: Gay goes to recapture the horses.

3. Dirk Bogarde in Victim- Although I do wish the film let Borgarde explore his character a little more, Bogarde still gives a powerful portrayal of a repressed homosexual.

Best Scene: Melville Farr reveals the truth to his wife.

2. James Cagney in One, Two, Three- James Cagney gives a very entertaining and incredibly energetic performance that could not be a better fit for the screwball comedy he leads.

Best Scene: MacNamara tries to solve all his problems in a few hours.

1. Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo - Well I did not even need to have a second to think of my favorite performance by a leading actor from 1961. This is one of the very best performances from Toshiro Mifune creating one of the most memorable heroes in cinema.

Best Scene: The Final Duel.

Overall Rank:

1. Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo
2. Stuart Whitman in The Mark
3. Paul Newman in The Hustler
4. Marcello Mastroianni in Divorce, Italian Style 
5. James Cagney in One, Two, Three
6. Dirk Bogarde in Victim
7. Clark Gable in The Misfits
8. Marcello Mastroianni in La Notte
9. Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in the Sun
10. Gregory Peck in The Guns of Navarone
11. Anthony Perkins in Goodbye Again
12. Warren Beatty in Splendor in the Grass
13. Yves Montand in Goodbye Again
14. Marlon Brando in One Eyed Jacks
15. Spencer Tracy in Judgment At Nuremberg
16. Rod Taylor in 101 Dalmatians
17. Fred MacMurray in The Absent Minded Professor
18. George Peppard in Breakfast At Tiffany's
19. Richard Beymer in West Side Story
20. Glenn Ford in Pocketful of Miracles
21. Horst Buchholz in Fanny

Next Year: 1961 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1961: James Cagney in One, Two, Three

James Cagney did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying C.R. MacNamara in One, Two, Three.

One, Two, Three is an entertaining screwball comedy about a Coca-Cola executive in East Berlin whose life is turned upside down when he must entertain his bosses daughter who goes off and gets married to a communist from West Berlin.

James Cagney gives his final lead performance in this film as he retired from acting due to his bad experiences while making this film and he did not come back to film until 20 years later for his supporting role in Ragtime. Although Cagney evidently did not have not have a very good time making the film, apparently especially due to the behavior of chronic over actor Horst Buchholz, that really can't be noticed in Cagney's performance. The part of C.R. MacNamara is one of the prototypical screwball comedy lead which tends to be a business man of some sort who has to orchestra some crazy scheme while craziness occurs all around him because of this plan. That is certainly the case with MacNamara who has to deal with his bosses flighty daughter, her sudden communist husband, the Russians, his oddball German staff, and his own family.

This may be an aging Cagney technically speaking but he has much energy that he had back when he was doing Yankee Doodle Dandy. Cagney really is one of the perfect actors for a screwball comedy as he just is always on in his scenes. The film never stops in its comic absurdity and neither does Cagney. There is plenty of dialogue for Cagney to get through the film and Cagney is a master of it. He does lose a single beat as he develops the right rhythm for the dialogue. It is not stop and Cagney is more than up to the task to keep it going with that constant fluidity needed for this kind of film. A good screwball comedy really needs to never stop its motions and Cagney makes more than sure of that. Cagney knows exactly how to deliver every line with expert timing and precision really getting the most possible out of the comedic potential in the script.

Cagney is always a physical performer as he rarely ever seems restrained in his movements. There is of course all his dancing in Yankee Doodle Dandy, but even when he's a gangster there is certain something extra he brings to the way he beats someone or even the way he shoots his gun. Technically here Cagney is just playing a relatively normal guy who technically does not have to do too many physical actions throughout the course of the film. That does not matter though because Cagney still has this way of accentuating every gesture even the way he walks has something very special to it. This absolutely works brilliantly for the part and the film itself as it makes it as though MacNamara is moving just as quickly as everything that is going around him. Cagney in doing so makes sure that he is never overshadowed by anyone or anything in the film leading it all the way through.

This technically speaking is probably not the deepest character he ever played as MacNamara's objectives are clear from the beginning, and even his problems with his wife over his affairs with his secretaries is basically just played for laughs. That is not a problem though as Cagney's whole performance is played for laughs and Cagney certainly derives plenty of those out of the material. He acts like a torpedo and delivers the screwball comedy right through its course and doing his best to avoid any faults. Cagney almost makes Buchholz tolerable because just how much he runs circles around him in every scene they share together so he at least makes the scenes still enjoyable. Cagney here pretty much utilizes almost everything that makes him stand out so well as a performer and that works incredibly well into making this one very entertaining performance to watch.

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Alternate Best Actor 1961: Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo

Toshiro Mifune did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying the samurai in Yojimbo.

Yojimbo is a fantastic film from Akira Kurosawa about a town divided by two criminal gangs.

Toshiro Mifune plays an outsider to this story as he plays a Ronin who happens to stumble upon this town who is made up of various criminals who work for either one gangster family or the other who try to control the town. This actually might be Mifune's quietest performance oddly enough since his performances in High and Low and The Quiet Duel had those moments of well earned reasonable emotional outbursts. Here Mifune shows considerable restraint in his creation of the samurai which is a remarkable one beginning right from the way he walks. It would be easy enough I suppose to simply walk normally, but Mifune playing the character as a wolf of sorts walks in this particular way. It comes off as completely natural to be sure but that little itch he gives the samurai makes him stand out in the way the samurai should stand out as it becomes clear he is far different from any other man in the town.

Mifune obviously was no stranger to the role of the heroic swordsman as shown through his performance in the Seven Samurai. In the Seven Samurai though he was a crazed man who was only a wannabe samurai in reality, who became very emotionally invested in the plight of the farmers he was helping. The nameless samurai here is a bit more distant but that is not to say Mifune plays him as a cold man. No, Mifune instead gives this character just a coolness factor to him. Everything that Mifune physically does in the role just has this effortlessness in creating just how well frankly awesome the character is. Before we even see just how great of a sword fighter he is Mifune obviously shows exactly how great of a sword fighter he is through the way he approaches the role. There is a pervasive confidence Mifune exudes with such ease, and never does even slightly approach into pompousness.

When the samurai first comes into town he finds out about the whole dynamic of the town and the gangs from a good restaurant owner who hates the ways of the criminals. The samurai therefore decides on a plan to make basically both sides of the town kill each other to rid the town of all of its negative influences. Mifune honestly could not be more bad ass than he is here as the samurai so calmly makes his decision through speaking the line akin to "I'll get paid for killing, and this town is full of people who deserve to die". Mifune delivers that we such a calm reserve, but in this reserve you can see that the samurai clearly means what he speaks. Through most of the film Mifune stays fairly reserved like that but it only adds to the fierce quality in the man. Mifune is able to be extremely imposing without even seeming to have to try, that's just how good Toshiro Mifune is here.

Mifune goes much further than simply being a tough guy with the samurai as he creates a certain mischievousness in his performance. Mifune plays it as that the samurai is not simply causing the deaths of the criminals because they are bad, but also that the samurai just really enjoys doing this. There is such a constant sense of fun in his performance, and a certain slyness that properly shows that the samurai is several steps ahead of everyone else in the town. That chin rub when looking over something is just perfect as Mifune basically let's the audience in on the fun of creating this havoc for the villains of the piece. This is a rather surprisingly humorous performance from Mifune as there is a certain comedic quality he brings in most of the scenes where he is tricking one of the sides. I particularly love his rather funny reaction of disgust when one side tries to get his support by offering him some female companionship.

Mifune even sometimes goes even more broadly comic with his performance yet he always keeps it within the confines of the samurai, who after all is a bit of a joker right down to the fake name he gives Kuwabatake Sanjuro which means "thirty-year-old mulberry field ". Mifune knows exactly when to go a little broader which occurs when the samurai watches the chaos between the two gangs, a chaos that he purposefully caused himself. Mifune is very entertaining as he basically shows the samurai, for a lack of a better word, trolling the criminals as he laughs in great glee at their various misfortunes that he has orchestrated. Again Mifune does this so well because he never makes the samurai seem distant toward the audience himself. Instead Mifune brings this relaxed and very welcoming quality that always allows the audience pretty much troll right along with him. 

Mifune's performance is not all fun and games though in that there is a very real threat from the criminals particularly a gun touting one (Tatsuya Nakadai), and the whole game becomes even more problematic when the samurai finds that there is a family of innocents caught in the crossfire. The samurai does go out of his way to help them but very coyly acts as though he does not care. Mifune plays these scenes particularly well by subtly suggesting that there is a heart in that cynical calm. These moments are very brief but Mifune brings just the right heart to them well still keeping that front as thought the samurai doesn't care. The samurai due to these actions must also lose that confidence he exudes in every scene when he is finally caught by one of the families in one of his double crosses and is receives a severe beating as he is interrogated for the location of the family that he helped. 

The scenes of the beaten samurai are expertly handled by Mifune as he very bluntly makes you feel the pain as he honestly shows the results of the beating. Although the samurai is not defeated mentally Mifune does quite brutally realize the severity of pain caused by the torture, and in doing so make it all the final duel all the greater impact. The final duel is technically quite absurd when you get right down to it as it is the sole samurai versus an entire gang and one of them even has a gun. Mifune makes it believable though through that undeniable strength he brings to the character. Mifune even more remarkable in this scene though as you see in his face a deadly conviction and that this killing is going to be his most personal. Mifune is great in the moments where the samurai attacks as he is almost like lighting in his manner as he has such a pronounced intensity in each stab yet he keeps it almost as an eloquent dance fitting for the intelligence of the samurai. 

Toshiro Mifune gives a brilliant performance here as he just so perfectly creates the character of samurai. Every awesome moment the character has is earned entirely by Mifune's equally awesome performance. Mifune carries the film incredibly well as he is perhaps at his most assured with his performance here. There is not a moment waste or ill used in this performance as he always brings something in the scene. Mifune makes the samurai one of the all time great onscreen bad-asses but even that is not enough. He really is absurdly entertaining in this film and brings the humor from the character so naturally with everything else that he must do. Mifune meets every challenge of the character giving such a memorable performance and making the lone samurai one of the best heroes of cinema. It seems like the greatest actors all have that one performance where they frankly get to show off a little this one's Mifune. That approach works flawlessly for the character, and this is easily one of the greatest performances by Toshiro Mifune. 

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Alternate Best Actor 1961: Dirk Bogarde in Victim

Dirk Bogarde did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Bafta, for portraying Melville Farr in Victim.

Victim is a decent enough film about a English barrister who attempts to find someone who has been blackmailing homosexual by threatening to out them at a time when it was technically illegal.

Victim is a notable film from this time as it deals with the issue of homosexuality going so far as to even saying the word and even has some homosexual characters who, although do not want to be outed due to the law against them, are obviously very comfortable with their lifestyle. Dirk Bogarde plays the lead role of the barrister Melville who follows the case after an acquaintance of his commits suicide after stealing money to pay for the blackmailing. Although Melville Farr is a lawyer this is not a simple case of him just wanting to find justice for a friend, and as the film proceeds it becomes fairly obvious that Farr and the man were not merely acquaintances. Farr tries to go about the case as some sort of outside observer but it soon becomes clear that, despite that he is married, Farr himself is a closeted homosexual as well.

It is interesting that Dirk Bogarde took on such a role since he himself was apparently a closeted homosexual in real life. There are many gay characters in the film but you won't find a single one of them playing the character with any obvious mannerisms to suggest this, Bogarde included. Instead most of the performances, Bogarde's included, are very withdrawn performances emotionally speaking. Melville Farr is a repressed man and that can be seen through Bogarde's performance. There is always a certain intensity that Bogarde carries himself with and suggests the secret of Farr in subtle and effective fashion before we even learn the truth from the story. Bogarde creates the right tension within Melville Farr that simply is a part of him due to his life where he is constantly hiding a part of himself, a part that is being prodded by these blackmailers.

The film is much more of a procedural than I really expected it to be as Farr goes from one closeted man to the next in an attempt to try and find who caused the death of his old lover. Bogarde is completely fine in the more standard moments as Farr investigates because even this Bogarde brings a certain subtext. In these scenes Bogarde suggests a visible efforts from Farr to try to act as though the case is a distant thought for him, while still suggesting that underlying tension in the man over his very direct connection with this problem. As it proceeds though Farr is not able to stay distant forever as some of the men he interviews seem to notice his interest is far more than that of the observer and his wife as well seems notice that perhaps his old tendencies never truly went away.

Bogarde shows Melville Farr as a man who is not happy to be gay as found in his violent outbursts at the other closeted men when they confront him. Bogarde does not make this simplistic though as shown in the scene where Farr's wife confronts him. Bogarde portrays incredibly well the extreme conflict in the man as when Farr reveals the truth about himself Bogarde suggests the desire in the man quite strong yet all covered with a self-hate. This could be seen as the film trying to get off easy, for the time, by making the man not want to be a homosexual. Bogarde thankfully does not play the part that way. He gives a greater depth by creating a fuller portrait of this sort of repression found in the man. Bogarde shows the want but also the hesitation making the confusion in the man fully realized.

This is a strong performance by Dirk Bogarde although I do wish the film had been structured differently. The whole blackmail procedural just never becomes that interesting, and is a pretty simple bad guys need to be stopped type of plot. The most fascinating aspect of the film is the exploration of the central character and Bogarde certainly does his best to bring the complexity needed for such a character. It is obvious though that there was far more to explore with the character than the film takes him simply since it pretty much gives favor to the plot over the character study. The film could have still kept the plot but it needed to work more closely with delving into Melville Farr's personal connection than it ends up doing. Nevertheless Bogarde still gives a rather remarkable performance that only seems to be held back by the limitations set upon him by the film itself.

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Alternate Best Actor 1961: Clark Gable in The Misfits

Clark Gable did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Gay Langland in The Misfits.

The Misfits is a solid enough film about the relationship between a younger divorcee and three somewhat off men who try to maintain their independence by catching wild mustangs.

Misfits is particularly notable film as it is one of the last films of Montgomery Clift, the last completed film of Marilyn Monroe, and the final film of Clark Gable. Clark Gable portrays Gay Langland a cowboy who is still trying to keep to his old ways even as the world is so obviously changing around him, and making his independent ways far more difficult to achieve. Gable in his later performances still tried to keep his old charm, in films such as Teacher's Pet for example, while it obviously his face could not hide his age. This film is quite a bit different as Gable seems to embrace his age more here as he adjusts his performance here considerably, and although he certainly has his charm in this case he changes from his old days.

Gable still brings plenty of charm but he plays it through his character of Gay quite brilliantly. He has a rougher quality to it suggesting Gay's background as a cowboy, but as well Gable suggests the age of Gay in his performance. Gable still lights up a room with his presence to be sure but it it not quite a bright as it always was. Gable wears the right sort of somberness in his performance. It is not even anything that is even slightly overpowering in his performance but Gable brings it subtly in his performance. Gable makes it a very natural facet to Gay that is simply an essential part of the man alluding to his own history that has brought him to this point in his life. You never are told what Gay has gone through but you can see some of it simply through Gable's face.

Clark Gable carries himself very well in the film and never seems out of place with Eli Wallach, Clift or Monroe. Gable even manages to create some pretty believable chemistry with Monroe as the rather sensitive divorcee Roslyn and despite their age difference their relationship actually seems believable. Gable of course has that charm which helps in making the relationship have a foundation, but he goes even further creating some honest warmth even in the somewhat rough exterior of Gay. Gable manages the right balance between realizes both the tough individualistic qualities in Gay, but as well the softer more likable qualities that would make Roslyn fall for him. The central relationship is realized very well by Gable and Monroe and it never seems odd or wrong for Gay and Roslyn to be together.

When the men decide to round up Mustangs for a quick profit conflict arises since Roslyn learns that the captured Mustangs will be sold off to butchers. Gable is quite strong though in portraying the conflict within Gay himself as he is constantly trying to reason the use of the Mustangs to Roslyn. What Gable does so well is show the strong enthusiasm in the catch, portraying the sense of Gay living the life he wants to live for the moment. Gable brings this moments down in just the right way though by making Gay's reactions to Roslyn's reactions very natural, and most of all true to the character. Although I feel Roslyn's objections are written in too much of a heavy handed and one note fashion, Gable does make up for it by realizing a complexity in the conflict through his performance as Gay.

Gable is excellent in the final scenes of the film after the Mustangs have been released due to Roslyn's objections but Gaye still ties them up to only release them again. This might seem odd, but Gable makes it absolutely convincing with Gable conveying the undying belief that Gay has in himself to still make his own decisions. Gable is quite moving by showing a desperation in Gay that it is not even his pride that make Gay perform this seemingly odd action, it is a need to keep onto his own life that he loves so dearly. Gable personifies the old west individualism beautifully here, and I could have easily seen him in Melvyn Douglas's role in Hud. Unfortunately Gable died before this film even found release but it is a performance worthy to mark the end of the legendary career of Clark Gable.

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Alternate Best Actor 1961: Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in The Sun

Sidney Poitier did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe and a Bafta, for portraying Walter Lee Younger in A Raisin in The Sun.

A Raisin in The Sun is about the trails of a poor black family when it seems their lives may be improved by an insurance payment. As a play adaptation it is pretty much by the numbers for the time, particularly in the use of its score, but the material itself is strong enough to make the film worth watching.

Sidney Poitier is playing rather far from his usual type here as Walter Lee Younger is neither a hero or really even that good of a man. In fact it would be easy enough to call him a bit of a jerk. Poitier in turn gives a performance that is rather different from most of his performances from the time. Firstly he practically rids himself of that substantial charm that made him such a star to begin with. Poitier smartly does this though as Walter Lee really simply is not a man worthy of Poitier's charisma, and it would be wrong for Poitier to approach the part in his usual way. Instead from his first scene we see a very different Sidney Poitier since the first scene depicts Walter Lee complaining about his current plight but in a way where his hatred is very much directed at his exasperated wife Ruth (Ruby Dee).

It is very interesting see Poitier in a genuinely unlikable role like this and Poitier does not appear out his element as he creates Walter Lee as a man who pretty much has some sort of problem with everything in his life. The initial scene of Walter harassing Ruth is well done by Poitier because he really establishes it as a very casual manner to it. Poitier does not make Walter Lee's behavior out to be that of a monster, but rather in his performance Poitier very much makes it a reflection of Walter Lee's own defense mechanism. Walter Lee hates so many things about his life but rather living with it in himself he takes it out on his family instead. Poitier shows this through his performance as he makes Walter Lee's behavior have a wavering intensity fitting for just his standard attitude to attempt to deal with his life. 

Poitier is rather good at capturing the behavior of Walter Lee which runs a certain gambit yet is always controlled by that general frustration toward his life. There will be moments where Poitier brings some warmth and joy when times seem somewhat happy. Poitier handles this well though by keeping always an underlying unpleasantness reinforcing the idea that Walter Lee is driven by his frustrations. Poitier builds his around this idea quite well and makes every action of Walter Lee's seem believable. In the moments where Walter is basically just wallowing in self pity Poitier shows Walter Lee in these moments as having been overwhelmed by his frustrations to the point that he can't get over them merely by complaining or harassing someone else.

I have to say that I do have a problem with this performance it is that Poitier does fall a bit on the theatrical side of things a little too often. Walter Lee should be a loud a boisterous jerk anyway, but at times the loudness feels much more like Poitier's acting than what should be coming from the character. This is fairly surprising I suppose as Poitier usually has considerable restraint in his performances, but then again his characters more often are pretty restrained men which is not the case here. Poitier definitely does not bad because of this but it definitely is noticeable here. That is a shame though because Poitier does indeed have such an effortless quality in his other performances that result in definitely more refined performances than this performance which does not come off as nearly as assured.

Honestly the weakness of Poitier's work seem very much the nature of the film's direction which just tries a little harder than it needs to a certain times. Poitier for the most part though does gives an effective performance that makes his character's actions understandable even if some scenes he could have toned his performance down a little for a stronger impact. This is an intriguing performance to be sure as Poitier does play against type and in terms of playing against type Poitier definitely succeeds. The shortcomings of his work come from somewhere else entirely, and perhaps it simply was because he was reprising his stage role so he did not really attune himself for film in this case. Either way this still stands as a good, if imperfect performance, that suggests Poitier was capable of playing flawed characters.

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Alternate Best Actor 1961

And the Nominees Were Not:

Clark Gable in The Misfits

Dirk Bogarde in Victim

Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in The Sun

Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo

James Cagney in One, Two, Three

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