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: 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

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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Alternate Best Actor 1964: Results

5. Michael Caine in Zulu- Caine makes a misstep with his characterization at the beginning of the film, but makes up for it through his more assured performance later in the film.

Best Scene: The volley.

4. Dirk Bogarde in King & Country- Bogarde gives a very solid and rather unique performance as a soldier who slowly grows more invested into his case even if that growing investment means a growing personal shame.

Best Scene: Captain Hargreaves questions his superior after the trial.

3. Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars- Eastwood is terrific in his creation of the Man with No Name who can be enjoyably deadpan but is as well can bring emotional poignancy when necessary.

Best Scene: The final duel.

2. Tom Courtenay in King & Country- Courtenay gives a heartbreaking portrait of the end result of an endless time in the trenches of World War I.

Best Scene: Private Hamp tells why he deserted.

1. Richard Attenborough in Guns at Batasi- Good Prediction RatedRStar. Attenborough gives two great performances this year with his moving portrayal of a weak man in Seance on a Wet Afternoon and his absurdly entertaining performance as Major Lauderdale a man with unshakable resolve.

Best Scene: The Major refuses to give up his arms.

Overall Rank:

1. Richard Attenborough in Guns at Batasi
2. Peter Ustinov in Topkapi
3. Tom Courtenay in King & Country
4. Anthony Quinn in Zorba the Greek
5. Peter O'Toole in Becket
6. Richard Attenborough in Seance on a Wet Afternoon
7. Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove
8. Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars
9. Dirk Bogarde in King & Country
10. Burt Lancaster in The Train
11. Sean Connery in Goldfinger 
12. Peter Sellers in A Shot in the Dark
13. Richard Burton in Becket
14. Stanley Baker in Zulu
15. Richard Burton in Night of the Iguana
16. Sean Connery in Marnie
17. Henry Fonda in Fail-Safe
18. Alan Bates in Zorba the Greek
19. Cliff Robertson in The Best Man
20. Kirk Douglas in Seven Days in May
21. Michael Caine in Zulu
22. Vincent Price in The Last Man on Earth
23. Maximilian Schell in Topkapi
24. Henry Fonda in The Best Man
25. Peter Finch in The Pumpkin Eater
26. Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady
27. Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins
28. Fred MacMurray in Kisses for My President
29. Don Knotts in The Incredible Mr. Limpet
30. Tommy Kirk in The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
31. Ringo Starr in A Hard Day's Night
32. Paul McCartney in A Hard Day's Night
33. John Lennon in A Hard Day's Night
34. George Harrison in A Hard Day's Night
35. John Call in Santa Clause Conquers the Martians
36. Victor Stiles in Santa Clause Conquers the Martians
37. Leonard Hicks in Santa Clause Conquers the Martians

Next Year: 1964 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1964: Dirk Bogarde in King & Country

Dirk Bogarde did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Captain Hargreaves in King & Country.

Dirk Bogarde plays a very similar role to Kirk Douglas's character Colonel Dax in Paths of Glory. Bogarde plays Captain Hargreaves who has been appointed to defend the deserter Private Hamp (Tom Courtenay) in front of the court marshal. Like Douglas's character in the earlier film, Hargreaves is basically fighting an already lost cause as the military brass seems to have had their mind made up already. Although they are similar in job they are very different in that Douglas's character is a much more steadfast individual as well as is 100 percent behind his men completely from the beginning where the path of Hargreaves is a bit different particularly due to the way in which Bogarde portrays the character.

Technically speaking, for much of the film, Hargreaves is a character who is going through the proper motions of defending Hamp. He first finds exactly what Hamp did, and then tries to tell Hamp what the Private will have to do to be able to live. At first Bogarde portrays Hargreaves as very much a man going through the motions of his job, and even in that there is a slight derisiveness in his performance and suggests at the moment that Hargreaves really does not care about Hamp's all that much. This changes though as he learns the story of Hamp's desertion and Bogarde is very effective in showing the change in Hagreaves in a subtle and rather believable fashion. It is not a major change of nature for Hargreaves, but Bogarde rather portrays it as Hargreaves recognizing that Hamp speaks the truth.

Bogarde of course gets the courtroom scenes, although this courtroom is little more than a tent above their very muddy and dingy surroundings. Bogarde excels in these scenes as he shows Hargreaves doing his very best to try to save Hamp life by pressing the issue of Hamp's condition before the desertion as well as Hamp's years of service. Bogarde approach is a bit different than say Kirk Douglas's performance in Paths of Glory, or Jack Thompson's in Breaker Morant. There is a different in Bogarde as there is less of strong moral indignation in his portrayal of Hargreaves's defense. Bogarde instead suggests more of an internal shame in Hargreaves, in that even as he gives a strong passion to Hargreaves arguments there is always a suggestion of the own guilt Hargreaves feels in the situation.

Bogarde's portrayal of the court defense is essential to where his character foes for the end of the film after it seems that Hamp will be executed. Captain Hargreaves, rather then bitterly chewing out his superior did as Colonel Dax did in Paths of Glory, is far more somber in his reaction especially because of Bogarde's approach to the part. In his scene where he confronts his superior Bogarde stays very meek and rather than stressing any hatred for the decision shows rather a feeling of guilt toward his own complicity in the fate of the doomed Hamp. It is a different take that might not have the fierce power found in Douglas's work, but Bogarde is moving in his own right by making Hargreaves part of the process rather than a hero within the film.

In terms of the two lead performances of the film Tom Courtenay does leave the strongest impression among the two with his exceptional performance, but that is not really anything against Bogarde's work. Dirk Bogarde gives a strong performance on his own even if his presence is sometimes secondary to Courtenay, but Borgarde works very well with him and their scenes together are remarkable. Bogarde's might not even be the very best performance of this type but it is a unique example of it. This film is bleak, even bleaker than similar films like Breaker Morant or Paths of Glory which both have a little hope in them somewhere, and Bogarde's take with his character adds to this bleakness by not even allow hope to glimmer from the one source it would be possible from. Bogarde's approach does not make this film an easy one to sit through but his unorthodox method is certainly an interesting one.

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Alternate Best Actor 1964

And the Nominees Were Not:

Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars

Michael Caine in Zulu

Richard Attenborough in Guns At Batasi

Dirk Bogarde in King & Country

Tom Courtenay in King & Country

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Alternate Best Actor 1963: Results

5. Marcello Mastroianni in 8 1/2-  Mastroianni gives a good performance but he is always overshadowed by the man he is suppose to be portraying. 

Best Scene: Guido speaks with his wife.

4. Steve McQueen in The Great Escape- McQueen as the Cooler King is all about the cool which he brings in his trademark fashion.

Best Scene: Hilts goes to retrieve his ball.

3. Tom Courtenay in Billy Liar- Courtenay gives a complex and entertaining performance as a man who lies to hide his insecurities.

Best Scene: Billy tries to speak with his mother after his grandmother's death.

2. Dirk Bogarde in The Servant- Bogarde gives a brilliant performance showing the layers come off of what seems to be just a normal unassuming butler.

Best Scene: The Sevant reveals his true nature to his employer.

1. Toshiro Mifune in High and Low- This year came down between Bogarde and Mifune for me. It comes very close for me as I do love Bogarde performance, but I will go with Mifune's work which I found the most moving of all the performances this year. Mifune gives a poignant performance as a man who chooses to do good no matter how much harm it will cause. His portrayal of the moral decision moral on fuels the entire film and Mifune made it so I remembered even during the second half of the film in which he only occasionally appears. 

Best Scene: King Gondo makes his final decision on the ransom.

Overall Rank:

1. Toshiro Mifune in High and Low
2. Dirk Bogarde in The Servant
3. Paul Newman in Hud
4. Tom Courtenay in Billy Liar
5. Sean Connery in From Russia With Love
6. Steve McQueen in The Great Escape
7. Richard Attenborough in The Great Escape
8. Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field
9. Richard Harris in This Sporting Life
10. Albert Finney in Tom Jones
11. James Fox in The Servant
12. Cary Grant in Charade
13. Marcello Mastroianni in 8 1/2
14. Rod Taylor in The Birds
15. Gregory Peck in Captain Newman M.D.
16. Dick Van Dyke in Bye Bye Birdie
17. Jack Lemmon in Irma La Douce
18. Stathis Giallelis in America America
19. Fred MacMurray in Son of Flubber
20. Todd Armstrong in Jason and the Argonauts
21. Tom Tryon in The Cardinal 
22. Richard Chamberlain in Twilight of Honor 
23. Richard Burton in The V.I.P.s
24. David Niven in The Pink Panther
25. Richard Burton in Cleopatra
26. Rex Harrison in Cleopatra

Next Year: 1963 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1963: Dirk Bogarde in The Servant

Dirk Bogarde did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning a Bafta and placing second for NYFCC, for portraying Barrett in The Servant.

The Servant is an intriguing film about the relationship between a young rich man Tony (James Fox) and his butler although I do not think the ending is the weakest part of the film.

Dirk Bogarde plays the butler and his performance is what makes the film. This is not a simple butler in any respect as we from the first scene where he walks in on his new prospective employer. As he walks in his face is that of a harder man with a bitterness and a definite attitude toward the man and his surroundings. When Tony though notices Barrett there is an immediate change in Barrett as Bogarde portrays Barrett the butler. In just this subtle change in manner we see almost tow different men in this one man. Bogarde sets up this dynamic instantly and with just the way he walks in the room sets the stage for his character's path which is a fascinating one to watch.

As the butler Bogarde turns Barrett into a gentleman's gentleman. His face is that of kindness and consideration. When asked if he enjoys the work he says with a nice smile that he does and Bogarde portrays Barrett's manner is being something that Tony would entirely believe. His posture and his face is that of the servant who loves to do his job in his own meek way. He will come in and out of rooms with his eyes in a most pleasant stare as he observes and takes care of his employer. Everything about Bogarde's performance is that of the type of man who seems perfect for his job, he is always modest and humble.

Bogarde's Barrett is not only that of the butler though and although in his performance he makes it entirely believable that Tony would accept him there is that underlying feeling that there is more to Barrett that it might seem there should be. When he is not in the eyes of Tony or when he is out Bogarde portrays a very different Barrett. This Barrett is almost the opposite of the other man. Bogarde makes him a harsh fellow with unsavory eyes and expression. He is even quite vulgar in his harsh manner that does not mind telling someone exactly what he thinks. He is forceful and rather frank and this Barrett shares almost nothing in common with the other.

The genius of Bogarde's performance is that he does make this all in one man. It does not seem unnatural or unbelievable at any point. He creation of the facade is something special that Bogarde uses as something that shows the nature of Barrett. He is a man putting on just a show when he is the butler who puts it on with his kind face, but the real man is nothing like the kind butler. This dynamic that Bogarde is rather disconcerting if only because he does it so well. It would be one thing if there was not the connection, but Bogarde makes the connection. The unnatural change in the man is made completely natural in Bogarde's portrayal which is what makes it so striking.

As the film proceeds though the true nature of Barrett is revealed to Tony and Bogarde is quite powerful in the way he adjusts his performance when this occurs. There is no holding back in any way when it comes to the less savory qualities of Barrett and any notion of the kind servant is lost. Borgarde is fierce and uncompromising in his portrayal of Barrett finally unleashes his discontent with his employer that he has only bottled up until now. The moment is given the punch it needs due to the extreme nature of the change that Bogarde portrays in Barrett, but as well due to that Bogarde does entirely succeed in showing this as the truth revealed more than anything else.

Interesting enough after he is fired Barrett quickly asks for his job again and this is a short but pivotal scene for Bogarde. Bogarde places the facade again of sorts as that kind face returns as he grovels for his return, but it is not exactly the same man. He is not nearly as well put together in his butler style, and shows it as a mix of trying to put it on through desperation but within that desperation is an inability to really be the butler we saw the beginning. It is an effective scene due to Bogarde as he portrays both Barrett's inability to really maintain his original act that he had created, but as well he shows the movement toward a Barrett who is more truthful pulling back from the extremes he forced himself in at the beginning.

Anything left of the facade is gone by the next scenes which are a strange set of scenes where the relationship between Tony and Barrett quite dramatically. They become more like two bickering buddies rather than master and servant, but more importantly than that Barrett is the dominate buddy. Bogarde's work here is remarkable as he shows the true Barrett who is much more casual than before. He is no longer the nice faced servant or the bitter man filled with repression. He refutes both into just a far more normalized man that absolutely works and makes sense to be the result for Barrett. Bogarde's performance is that of man who just pretty much does not care any more and just might as well get along in his own way.

The whole set up of the servant and the master changing roles could easily have seemed rather forced, but it does not feel this way at all due to Bogarde's performance. What Bogarde shows to be the main reason for this change in relationship is merely his greater force in personality. They both appear as very different versions of their earlier selves both being far more emotionally charged. Bogarde shows this as the strength of Barrett's personality is able to win out but importantly also portrays this personality as something else from the original embittered man. He is able to say anything he wants therefore he can do anything he wants and Barrett makes him in the end have the emotions as before but it a way both much more muted since he can express them whenever he wishes.

This is a great performance by Dirk Bogarde that creates a fascinating character out of the servant. The transition of his character in both his relationship to the master but as well his own personal transition is intriguing in the unique fashion that Borgarde portrays it. This is an amazing characterization by Bogarde, the way Bogarde's reveals the layers of his character as well as rids himself of them is outstanding. He always remains believable in the role despite the long leap his character takes from his entrance to the end. There is not a skipping point but rather a full realization of not only what the servant becomes but as well why he was the way he was from the beginning.

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Alternate Best Actor 1963

And the Nominees Were Not:

Toshiro Mifune in High and Low

Dirk Bogarde in The Servant

Steve McQueen in The Great Escape

Tom Courtenay in Billy Liar

Marcello Mastroianni in 8 1/2

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