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: 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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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1963: Results

5. Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther- Sellers is by far the best part of his film giving a hilarious turn that steals every scene he is in.

Best Scene: Clouseau takes the witness stand. 

4. Donald Pleasence in The Great Escape- Pleasence adds a lot in his little turn giving one poignant portrait of a man who wants to escape a prison escape even when his eye sight begins to fade.

Best Scene: Blythe thanks Hendley. 

3. Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love- Shaw is a great Bond villain. He is great as the silent menace, but he is something really special when he finally opens his mouth.

Best Scene: Colonel Nash reveals himself to be Red Grant. 

2. Brandon De Wilde in Hud- De Wilde is essential to his film being the man in the middle and creates a powerful reactionary performance by showing both how he deals with the men around him and as well how they change him.

Best Scene: Lon reacts to Hud and Homer's fight. 

1. Tsutomu Yamazaki in High and Low- My win for the supporting this year also goes to the great film High and Low. Yamazaki's performance as a kidnapper is one that only gets better the more I think about it. Despite the limitations for most of his film he creates a great complex villain, but as well in his last scene somehow manages to be heartbreaking in his portrayal of a desperate man.

Best Scene: King Gondo meets with Ginjirô Takeuchi.

Overall Rank:

1. Tsutomu Yamazaki in High and Low
2. Melvyn Douglas in Hud
3. Brandon De Wilde in Hud
4. Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love
5. Donald Pleasence in The Great Escape
6. Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther
7. James Garner in The Great Escape
8. Tatsuya Nakadai in High and Low 
9. Claude Rains in Twilight Of Honor
10. Kenjiro Ishiyama in High and Low
11. Phil Silvers in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
12. Walter Matthau in Charade
13. Dick Shawn in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
14. James Donald in The Great Escape
15. Isao Kimura in High and Low
16. Spencer Tracy in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
17. Bobby Darin in Captain Newman M.D.
18. Pedro Armendáriz in From Russia With Love
19. Terry-Thomas in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
20. Stanley Adams in Lilies of the Field
21. Johnathan Winters in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
22. Hugh Griffith in Tom Jones
23. John Huston in The Cardinal 
24. Nigel Green in Jason and the Argonauts 
25. Roddy McDowall in Cleopatra
26. Paul Lynde in Bye Bye Birdie
27. Buddy Hackett in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 
28. Mickey Rooney in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
29. Charles Bronson in The Great Escape
30. John Leyton in The Great Escape
31. James Coburn in Charade 
32. Jesse Pearson in Bye Bye Birdie 
33. Peter Falk in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 
34. Eddie Anderson in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World   
35. David Warner in Tom Jones
36. Tatsuya Mihasi in High and Low  
37. Jim Backus in  It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 
38. Robert Duvall in Captain Newman M.D.
39. Angus Lennie in The Great Escape
40. Tony Curtis in Captain Newman M.D.
41. Jimmy Durante in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World  
42. Sid Caesar in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
43. Gordon Jackson in The Great Escape
44. George Kennedy in Charade
45. Milton Berle in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 
46. Ned Glass in Charade
47. Nick Adams in Twilight of Honor
48. Ossie Davis in The Cardinal
49. Dan Frazer in Lilies of the Field
50. Heinz Weiss in The Great Escape
51. Peter Bull in Tom Jones
52. Jacques Marin in Charade 
53. George Devine in Tom Jones
54. Ralph Nelson in Lilies of the Field
55. James Coburn in The Great Escape
56. Cecil Kellaway in The Cardinal
57. Eddie Albert in Captain Newman, M.D.
58. Bobby Rydell in Bye Bye Birdie
59. Martin Landau Cleopatra
60. Hume Cronyn in Cleopatra
61. George Cole Cleopatra
62. Robert Wagner in The Pink Panther
63. Richard O'Sullivan in Cleopatra

Next Year: 1980 lead

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1963: Donald Pleasence in The Great Escape

Donald Pleasence did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe RAF "The Forger" in The Great Escape.

The Great Escape as a large ensemble with so many characters getting their own little spotlights throughout. Most of the cast is quite solid even if the accents used by Charles Bronson and especially James Coburn are a little questionable. The most poignant personal story belongs to Pleasence who plays Colin Blythe who is rather different than every other man int he camp in that he is much more of the bookish type who worked a desk job and only happened to be in the camp because he went for a joy ride in a plane that happened to be shot down. He does serve a very important part in terms of the escape as he is the one who makes the fake documents to help all the escapees.

Donald Pleasence takes great care in his creation of Blythe as a rather sensitive tea drinking fellow who has found himself in the wrong place. Pleasence is very good because he avoids any parody in his portrayal of his manner. Characters like this quite often are used for comic purpose. He gives instead an earnest depiction of this man who would rather be watching birds, and comes off as always rather sweet in his depiction of Blythe that as well suggests the man's past. He doesn't overplay this sweetness either making it a natural part of his character. He also though does show the usefulness of Blythe within the camp portraying a certain cunning that always exists in the same man who wishes he could have milk with his tea. Pleasence, along with pretty much the entire cast, creates a nice sense of camaraderie in his performance. There is always the sense that there is no selfishness in his work and there is a certain devotion in Pleasence performance that suggests properly that Blythe honestly wishes to help all the men escape.

The main conflict of his story though comes in that Blythe is losing his eyesight and it seems he will be unable to attempt escape. Pleasence is very good in these scenes not only in his portrayal of the physical nature of his poor eyesight which he portrays as Blythe always attempting to focus though he can't, but as well the quiet disappointment in Blythe that he portrays so unassumingly that he makes it all the sadder. Blythe is allowed to go because a fellow pow Hendley (James Garner) volunteers to take him along. Pleasence and Garner are an unlikely pair to be sure but they actually have a certain chemistry that really works well in their scenes together. They create a great deal of sympathy for their plight and makes their story possibly the most powerful. Although they are very low key in their portrayal of it their little friendship ends being quite moving particularly their last scene together. Pleasence exit is short but appropriately heartbreaking in that he still portrays Blythe as his pleasant optimistic self even as he faces death. Blythe's story could have easily been a throwaway one but Pleasence gives such an emotionally genuine performance that he makes Blythe one of the best parts of the film.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1963

And the Nominees Were Not:

Tsutomu Yamazaki in High and Low

Brandon De Wilde in Hud

Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love

Donald Pleasence in The Great Escape

Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther

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