Alternate Best Actor 1978: Results

5. Christopher Reeve in Superman- Reeve has some weaknesses in his performance but it is hard to think of an actor more fitting for the role of Superman.

Best Scene: Superman sees that he has failed.

4. Dustin Hoffman in Straight Time- Hoffman gives a solid performance that overcomes the fact that he doesn't exactly fit the part, although it seems he could have gone further with the role.

Best Scene: Max confronts his worthless driver.

3. Anthony Hopkins in Magic- Hopkins is quite effective in portraying all acts of a man and his puppet who he is a little too friendly with.

Best Scene: Corky tries not to use Fats for five minutes.

2. Donald Pleasence in Halloween- Pleasence gives a great performance that adds so effectively to the atmosphere of dread found in his film.

Best Scene: Dr. Loomis describes Micheal Myers.

1. Peter Ustinov in Death on the Nile- Good Prediction Psifonian, feel free to name a year and a performance. Peter Ustinov is an absolute delight as Poirot acting as a witty entertaining guide for the audience to follow through the murder mystery.

Best Scene: Poirot reveals the murderer.

Overall Rank: 

1. Robert De Niro in The Deer Hunter
2. Jon Voight in Coming Home
3. Peter Ustinov in Death on the Nile
4. Donald Pleasence in Halloween
5. Gary Busey in The Buddy Holly Story
6. Anthony Hopkins in Magic
7. Donald Sutherland in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
8. Dustin Hoffman in Straight Time
9. Robert Shaw in Force 10 From Navarone
10. Christopher Reeve in Superman
11. Laurence Olivier in The Boys From Brazil
12. Gregory Peck in The Boys From Brazil 
13. John Travolta in Grease
14. Warren Beatty in Heaven Can Wait
15. Richard Gere in Days of Heaven
16. Roy Scheider in Jaws 2 
17. James Caan in Comes a Horseman
18. Harrison Ford in Force 10 From Navarone
19. Ugo Tognazzi in La Cage aux Folles
20. Michel Serrault in La Cage aux Folles
21. George Segal in Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe 
22. Mark Hamill in Corvette Summer
23. Michael Caine in The Swarm
24. Brad Davis in Midnight Express
25. Christopher Guard in The Lord of the Rings
26. John Travolta in Moment by Moment

Next Year: 1978 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1978: Christopher Reeve in Superman

Christopher Reeve did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman in Superman.

Superman is a very entertaining super hero movie about Superman's origin to his first foe in Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman).

The casting of Superman is not actually an easy task in that there are a great deal of criteria that must be met. Firstly the actor needs to look the part of the all American man who stands up straight and has an honest face. Then the actor actually must be able to actually act. These two features are harder to come by then it might seem as the unfortunate truth is most of the best actors do not necessarily have an honest face, although I have to say Toshiro Mifune could have possibly been a perfect Japanese Superman in the 50's but I digress. It is a tricky case of casting but this film did seem to have the right man for the job with Christopher Reeve.

Christopher Reeve has just an honest look about him. There's no dark edge to him and he simply wears Superman's suit well. The suit does not seem strange with Reeve wearing as the values espoused by Superman are supported by Reeve's face. In terms of every action scene again Reeve fits the strength of the character. Reeve is not overly bulky here but he has just the right amount to seem graceful when he flies, and forceful when Superman needs to show off his strength. Physically speaking Reeve is just perfect for the role. He is everything Superman needs to be from the posture, to his face, his voice, even his hair completely just is Superman.

Well Reeve is the part physically but what of the other requirement which is the acting. Well Reeve, after Superman, proved himself to not be much of an actor. In all the his other roles Reeve has a certain awkwardness on the screen and tends to always be out acted like the way Morgan Freeman did in Street Smart. The funny thing is the awkwardness is still here in his portrayal of Superman's alter ego Clark Kent, who in this version is shown to be a nervous wimp. The awkwardness though is nicely played for laughs as the nerdy Clark Kent, and gives a rather enjoyable comic performance in all of the scenes as the purposeful antithesis of Superman.

As his performance as Superman, for the most part, Reeve delivers in just being the boy scout he should be.  Every heroic line has Reeve's delivers like a purely good man no matter what, so even when he is dealing with thieves is still is relatively gentle with them. This approach really does work particularly in the montage where Superman first shows himself, and really brings the hero that everyone could easily like and look up to. The approach though finds some problems though when he finally faces down to Superman's arch nemesis Lex Luthor. Reeve's attempts to be imposing fail rather miserably, and Hackman does completely own their scene together. 

Having a scene stolen you from Gene Hackman actually might be a bit of an honor but the point is that Reeve clearly can only go so far in the role when it comes to making Superman all that forceful. Of course Reeve does make up for it a bit with the big dramatic scene at the end when Superman finds he can't save everybody. Reeve does deliver and, although he might not make what Superman does believable, he does make it a whole lot less ridiculous through the emotional impact he brings to his scene through his heartfelt portrayal of Superman's grief. 

This is far from a perfect performance by Christopher Reeve as there are always the awkward line readings here and there. Luckily most of the awkwardness comes in the form of Clark Kent which are quite fitting for that character. It is clear even in this performance that Reeve is a limited actor, but where he succeeds with in Superman he really does succeed. Reeve just has the right look, the right unassuming charm, and the right style for the role. Although there are weaknesses here and there in his portrayal of the Man of Steel it is hard to see who would have been a more fitting actor to play Superman.

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Alternate Best Actor 1978: Anthony Hopkins in Magic

Anthony Hopkins did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Bafta and a Golden Globe, for portraying Charles "Corky" Withers and his dummy Fats in Magic.

Magic is an effective enough version of that vaudeville old tale of the disturbing relationship between the ventriloquist and his dummy.

Anthony Hopkins is best known for portraying rather grand roles such as presidents, princes, kings, and of course a cannibalistic psychopath. The first act of this performance though is a very different type of character for Hopkins as Corky seems to be a fairly average Joe just trying to make it as an entertainer. It is rather strange to see Hopkins such a down to earth role like he is at the beginning, but Hopkins probably gives one of his natural performances in these early scenes. Hopkins is just really good in conveying just the basic desire for success and the frustrations in Corky with his failure he suffers just as the films opens.

There still does not seem to be too much trouble even when observing the stage performance of Corky. Hopkins plays Corky as a bit of a charmless sad sack on the stage as he tries his card tricks. This is the right approach though as Hopkins correctly makes the dummy Fats the star of the show with the loud boisterous mouth he gives the dummy. In the act Hopkins makes Corky the one who is dominated by the dummy which certainly plays off into where Corky ends up going as the film continues on. Hopkins though makes the act between Corky and Fats a convincing comedian routine of sorts with Fats being the loud mouth cracking jokes while Corky is the straight man who performs all the tricks. 

Everything still seems to be decent enough for Corky even though he is a little too adamant about his refusal to take a medical exam before performing a pilot. Corky though instead seeks out, in the Catskills, his old high school crush Peggy (Ann-Margret). Hopkins does something very different in his scenes with Ann-Margret and that is he is actually incredibly charming as he tries to woo her. In fact Hopkins is so warm and affection in this scene that it actually made me wish the film did not take the very dark turn it takes soon afterwards. Hopkins drifts in what seems more akin to Hannibal Lecter type of material though as Corky seems to talk to Fats all the time, even when he is not doing his act.

Hopkins's performance though is not at all like his later psychopathic work as Corky is someone who doesn't want to be a psychopath but can't help it. Hopkins's best scene in the film comes when his agent (Burgess Meredith) tests him by asking Corky not to do Fats voice for just five minutes. Hopkins is terrific in this scene as he internalizes the madness of Corky into a terrible pressure that he can't help but feel. The idea that a man simply can't help but plays with his dummy might seem farfetched. Hopkins in this scene absolutely delivers on the idea in this scene showing that Fats is an irresistible urge that he just has to do whether he likes or not. Although whether Fats is supernatural is up to debate, Hopkins effectively humanizes the problem.

After that scene though Corky's insanity gets out of control. Hopkins, although he is portraying a murderer with a split personality, does not turn this into a villainous performance. Rather the last act of Hopkins's work is a big mess, although a big mess in the right way. The last act is basically Corky fighting with himself or with Fats, if Fats really is alive, to attempt to retain control while everything gets out of hand. Hopkins is good in these scenes, but I would be lying if I did not think these are actually the least interesting scenes of his performance. More then anything these are scenes after scenes of explosive emotions of either Corky getting worse or trying to come back to sanity all the while Fats continues as the controller.

The final scenes of the film are a solid showcase for Hopkins as portrays the unbridled craziness in Corky as he keeps going back fourth toward the deep end until the point where he ends it all suddenly. Hopkins does end on a high note as Corky shares some final words with Fats. Hopkins plays the last scene in an oddly tender fashion where Corky and Fats depart in the only way they possibly could. This is a very good performance by Anthony Hopkins that is very different from his later performances. It is another performance from this year though that I feel comes close to greatness but does not quite reach it as I still could not help but think how the original choice, Gene Wilder, would have been in the role.

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Alternate Best Actor 1978: Peter Ustinov in Death on the Nile

Peter Ustinov did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for Bafta, for portraying Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile.

Death on The Nile is a far more enjoyable Agatha Christie adaptation than its predecessor, Murder on the Orient Express, by having a far less dour tone and a much better Poirot as its lead. This time the murder concerns a spoiled heiress on a steamer in Egypt. 

Albert Finney played the role of the famous Belgian sleuth in Murder on the Orient Express in a rather unimpressive performance. Finney's performance tries so hard with the hard accent he gives Poirot and his mannerism that makes him seem at least partially constipated. Finney never really gets past just the character creation of Poirot and his interactions with the other characters always have a little too much distance. I like Albert Finney as an actor but Peter Ustinov makes Finney look like a rank amateur with his performance as the great detective who always seems to find himself among a group of people with murder on the mind.

Ustinov takes a rather light accent for the role that he feels rather natural and flows well in the way he speaks as opposed to Finney who gets dangerously close to sounding like Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. Ustinov's approach works far better in that is not at all off putting which goes even further with his approach as Poirot which is far more welcoming in style then Finney was. Peter Ustinov's Poirot for the portion of the film before the murderer is a man who intakes a great deal of information as well as is told a great deal of information that will be important in the murder case. The way Poirot is able to be such a successful ease dropper is made far more believable because the warmth he brings to his version of Poirot.

Ustinov is rather interesting in that he is almost fatherly at times to one of the murder suspects, but this approach really works for his Poirot. His Poirot is not some distant snooty figure, but rather someone to confide in which makes much more sense for a sleuth of his style. Ustinov is able to insert himself in each situation in the right natural way because his Poirot is a very pleasant man to be around, and even though he is a detective Ustinov makes it convincing that people who ponder a crime would confide in Poirot. Ustinov though as well is very good in being the observer in these early scenes and succeeds in showing the way every little bit of information given is recognized by Poirot. 

Poirot is the smartest man in the room which is a given and Peter Ustinov makes this a given with his performance. Ustinov has the perfect wit in the role of Poirot which he uses both to be very entertaining in the part, but as well as a low key way to suggest the intelligence of Poirot. Ustinov handles every scene where Poirot exchanges words with someone else, especially when he is investigating the murder, a delicate dance where Poirot always outsmarts them, but Ustinov always makes it in such a way that the witness sometimes might not even know it. Ustinov is very effective by keeping a more sardonic sword there, that he unsheathes in just the right way when Poirot needs to offend.

Ustinov's strongest scene of course comes when Poirot does his gathering of suspects in one room scene. Ustinov is like the ring master as a plays every moment with just the right style, giving every revelation the impact it should. Ustinov commands the scene without question and does an excellent job of mixing things up during the course of revealing the murderer. He brings humor with the quick little comments that Poirot makes throughout the course, as well as is imposing in the right way making it clear that Poirot will find his man, but perhaps most importantly he really delivers in the final revelation. It takes a turn to the tragic and Ustinov is quickly and naturally shifts to a dramatic poignancy that gives the end of the story the power it needs.

Ustinov is simply a great guide through the film and makes Death on the Nile a enjoyable murder mystery throughout its course. Ustinov's version of Poirot really lets us in on his investigation and especially the fun from figuring out the murderer. Ustinov's take on Hercule Poirot is a far more reserved approach when it comes to a character as a whole from his slight accent to even the way he looks in the role, this approach works very well for the detective who everyone knows yet no one still seems to notice. Ustinov always remembers the character but also goes about giving just an entertaining performance to follow from the meeting of the other characters, the murder, and the solution. Peter Ustinov is just delightful as Poirot and it is no surprise that he ended up reprising the role for another feature film and several tv movies.

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Alternate Best Actor 1978: Dustin Hoffman in Straight Time

Dustin Hoffman did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Max Dembo in Straight Time.

Straight Time is a pretty effective film about a ex-con who tries to go straight but finds too many factors against him. Also it's hard to go wrong when both M. Emmett Walsh and Harry Dean Stanton are in the film.

Dustin Hoffman is not the first actor that comes to mind when thinking of a hardened criminal, but Hoffman commits himself admirably to the role of Max Dembo even though his accent he uses is very inconsistent. What is more important though his his physical portrayal of Max Dembo in which Hoffman carries himself as man who is at least slightly on edge due to his past in crime and the time that he spent in jail. Hoffman carries the right sot of intensity with him to suggest the criminal past, and really early on in his performance is able to rather believable in the role of the career criminal.

Hoffman excels best though in the early scenes of the film where Max is trying to make in the real world while dealing with a particularly vindictive parole officer (Walsh). Hoffman regulates his charm properly to create a fairly sympathetic portrayal of Max as a man who is just trying to do the right thing while he is facing a constant discrimination. Hoffman downplays his usual screen presence in the right way here to establish the state of Max who really is trying his very best to do straight time. Hoffman brings just the right uncomfortable quality in Max to suggest the barrier in Max created by his life.

Due to a misstep and the behavior of the parole officer it is not long before Max falls back to crime. The moment where Max falls back is a rather sudden outburst opposed to a slow descent. Hoffman handles the scene very well by playing it as a hair trigger outrage over the constant unrelenting pressure put upon him by the parole officer. The outburst easily could have seemed like far too much given the jump he takes which is quite an extreme one to say the least, but Hoffman makes the scene convincing through both the why he sets up Max's personality but as well delivery in terms of the emotions of the moment.

Once Max starts though he does not stop and fully returns to crime even going so far as to do armed robberies in daylight. Max joins up with his friend Jerry (Harry Dean Stanton) to do the jobs and this is where a slight problem comes for Hoffman. The problem being that I feel that Harry Dean Stanton steals every single scene he shares with Hoffman even though Jerry is not even all that much of a character as written. Hoffman though is still completely solid in the scene but I do feel he probably could have brought just a little more to the idea of obsession which drives Max to take bigger and bigger risks.

After the obsession brings him to down a very dark path Hoffman is good in portraying Max's reactions to his situation where any hope is gone. What Hoffman reveals in his performance is that Max's choices are something he is unfortunately much more comfortable then he should be. At the beginning of the film Max is trying to find a new lease on life, but at the end that lease is well spent but he is not a different man then he was at the start. Hoffman's fairly calm portrayal of Max at the end instead rightly shows that where Max ends up is where he has been working to his whole life which has been a series of crimes and imprisonments.

Hoffman's work comes to a bit of a impasse where he seems deadlocked in his approach which never quite finds the greatness, I think this role was capable of, but still gives an effective performance which leads Max down the bitter path that his character finds himself in. Hoffman in every scene does deliver exactly as he should in conveying his character's journey even though he never quite makes the leap to turn his very good performance here into a great performance on the same level of his work in Midnight Cowboy for example. This is still a strong performance by Dustin Hoffman even though he never completely reaches the full potential of the role.

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Alternate Best Actor 1978: Donald Pleasence in Halloween

Donald Pleasence did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Dr. Samuel Loomis in Halloween.

Halloween is a very effective slasher film about an escaped mental patient Michael Myers who seeks to relive his murderous past one Halloween night.

Donald Pleasence actually is not in this film a great deal and I would not argue if someone placed him in supporting for this year. Pleasence though only leads his scenes as they are basically the only scenes without the ominous camera that seems to suggest the vision of the killer. Pleasence plays the doctor who try to treat Michael Myers in the mental institute and later becomes the one who sees that Myers needs to be locked up tight for the protection of everyone. After Myers escape, Pleasence is the hero of the film by being the man trying to track him down and stop him.

The casting of seasoned actors in horror films, with otherwise fairly unknowns in the cast, is quite a common occurrence. What is also a common occurrence though is that veteran actors makes quite known they are only doing for a paycheck and give a terrible performance like Richard Burton in the Exorcist 2 for example. Donald Pleasence though does not such thing bringing the utmost conviction with his performance that neither plays the role just to ham it up, or just to look visibly bored. Pleasence has a very important part in basically bringing the substance to the situation, and adding to the film's grim atmosphere.

Pleasence really brings a dramatic weight to every one of his scenes as Loomis tries his best to warn everyone about the threat that Michael Myers holds for everyone. Some of the lines he has honestly could have gone very wrong as some are rather extreme and quite close to being absurd as written. Pleasence though says every line he has with the utmost conviction and not only make them seem to be natural things that Loomis would say, but he also really gives them a genuine power through his performance. Pleasence finds the truth of every line and completely carries the screenplay as it might of faltered with a lesser actor.

One thing that Pleasence does extremely well here is create Dr. Loomis into his own character even though he really does not have any personal scenes to tell where Loomis has come from. Pleasence makes Loomis as clearly a nervous man who has been changed by his experience. Pleasence suggests this state through his physical performance where he has Loomis always seems a bit on edge although because of that he is the one man ready for the monster that is Michael Myers. Pleasence is incredible because without even showing any scenes in his past gives a portrait of a man who has been shaped through his time with a patient that has made it so he has seen evil incarnate.

A great scene for Donald Pleasence is when he tells his story quickly to a cop and how he came to know that Myers needs to be stopped at any cost. The pronounced yet subtle fear Pleasence is able to convey is remarkable. When Pleasence as Loomis describes the complete lack of morality that he saw in Michael Myers, Pleasence vividly creates the image of Myers for us. Pleasence creates just through his words the hollowness of Michael Myers and creates a greater depth to the monster then would otherwise be there. Pleasence, who barely even interacts with the monster, fleshes out Myers more as a character through his portrayal of the haunted Loomis.

Pleasence plays a most unorthodox hero in that Loomis is a step behind Myers until the end as well as that he does not interact with our heroine Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) until the very last scene. Pleasence though is exceptional in this role in portraying the intense yet very quiet drive in Loomis to try and stop Myers before he goes on a killing spree. Pleasence in an unassuming yet passionate fashion builds perfectly to the moment in which Loomis finally finds Michael and immediately takes action. The ending does not seem rushed in slightest because Pleasence in his scenes properly builds to the moment.

Pleasence delivers in each of his scenes building the atmosphere of the film brilliantly and bringing more to the part of Dr. Loomis then perhaps even the director John Carpenter expected him to. Pleasence serves all the needs of the story to bring substance to the horror story and realizes Loomis fully as a character who could easily have thrived as a character even beyond the strict confines of this film's story. His performance easily could have been the lead to a straight drama just about a doctor dealing with the criminally insane in down to earth fashion. This is just a terrific example of an old pro giving it his all and putting to shame actors who do not give even the slightest effort in this type of role.

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Alternate Best Actor 1978

And the Nominees Were Not:

Anthony Hopkins in Magic

Donald Pleasence in Halloween

Dustin Hoffman in Straight Time

Christopher Reeve in Superman

Peter Ustinov in Death on the Nile

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