Alternate Best Actor 1945: Results

5. Trevor Howard in Brief Encounter- Although overshadowed by Celia Johnson Howard still fulfills his part well through his considerable charm and honest chemistry with her.

Best Scene: Alec and Laura declare their love for one another.

4. Cornel Wilde in Leave Her to Heaven- Best his actual nominated work in every way through his endearing work for most of the film and his powerful performance at the end.

Best Scene: His courtroom testimony.

3. James Mason in The Seventh Veil- Although his role is very limited Mason still steals it through his ability to make his character's bitterness something truly palatable.

Best Scene: Nicholas ignores Francesca's marriage plans.

2. Edward G. Robinson in Scarlet Street-Robinson gives a moving depiction of a meek man abused to the point of insanity.

Best Scene: Christopher is haunted in his room.

1. Jean-Louis Barrault in Children of Paradise- Barrault gives a wonderful portrayal of both his character's stage portrayal of a romantic mime, but as well the subtle differences found in the equally romantic and charming but much more flawed real man off the stage.

Best Scene: Baptiste recreates a mugging through a pantomime.

Overall Rank:

1. Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend
2. Jean-Louis Barrault in Children of Paradise 
3. Claude Rains in Caesar and Cleopatra
4. Pierre Brasseur in Children of Paradise 
5. Edward G. Robinson in Scarlet Street
6. James Mason in The Seventh Veil
7. Cornel Wilde in Leave Her to Heaven
8. Trevor Howard in Brief Encounter
9. Aldo Fabrizi in Rome, Open City
10. Denjuro Okochi in The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail
11. Marcello Pagliero in Rome, Open City
12. Robert Walker in The Clock
13. Burgess Meredith in The Story of G.I. Joe
14. Robert Montgomery in They Were Expendable
15. John Wayne in They Were Expendable
16. Humphrey Bogart in Conflict
17. Paul Muni in A Song to Remember
18. Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh
19. Tom Neal in Detour
20. Bing Crosby in The Bells of Saint Mary's
21. Cornel Wilde in A Song to Remember
22. Dennis Morgan in Christmas in Connecticut
23. Arturo de Cordova in A Medal for Benny
24. Gregory Peck in Spellbound

Next Year: 1945 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1945: James Mason in The Seventh Veil

James Mason did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Nicholas in The Seventh Veil.

The Seventh Veil is a decent enough film about the life of a suicidal pianist Francesca (Ann Todd), although the ending is certainly more than a little questionable.

Ann Todd was not much of an actress as there never seems to be much of a drive in her performances rather she often seemed quite content just to kind of be there. Luckily this does mean she would usually not be actively bad so to speak, and if there was a great performance around her she definitely would let that performance flow freely. That was certainly true for Claude Rains in The Passionate Friends, and here in this film we have the other Mr. Jordan James Mason. Mason is only barely lead in this film and if one were to put him in supporting I would not raise much of argument. Nevertheless Mason has the second largest role in the film as the second cousin and legal guardian of Todd's Francesca.

Nicholas is a bitter man who who has a limp and seems to not care for much of anyone Francesca included. Although Mason wasn't particularly old at the time that never comes into play though as Mason makes Nicholas's palatable from the instance he is on screen. Nicholas is not a villain so to speak as he's more of a colossal jerk. Mason is one of my favorite actors though because of how he is able to enliven any scene he is in with his mere presence which he definitely does here. Many scenes require Mason just to come in and say a few cold dismissive words, really Nicholas could have been pretty forgettable, but Mason delivers every line with such an fierce cynicism that you can feel Nicholas's hatred toward the world as almost an underlying element in the film in every scene.

Nicholas is not all bad though as he finds that Francesca has a talent for the piano something he also knows although only well enough to be a teacher to Francesca. Mason is good in these scenes as well because he really does not lighten up still carrying that intensity as Nicholas just been bitter for too long to ever truly be happy. Mason does adjust his performance every so slightly to accentuate the passion that Nicholas does have for the piano, although even that he mostly hides in his fierce hatred of all things. Mason creates the right dynamic though to show how Nicholas would pressure Francesca to become a better pianist yet still never comes even close to becoming a good mentor. Nicholas always remains a pretty bad mentor and that is really part of the fun with Mason's performance.

I probably would not have said the film was decent enough if it were not for Mason's somewhat infrequent appearances in the film as he really does make the movie with his portrayal of Nicholas. He completely asserts himself  in terms of meeting the demands of the role which is to show how Nicholas could drive Francesca to suicide. Mason definitely brings the needed viciousness and coldness to show this, but he does manage to more than that in his usual Mason way as it is quite entertaining to watch him perform in the scene. My favorite of his being when Francesca tells Nicholas she is being married and Nicholas cuts her down by completely ignoring her. Mason is so brilliantly precise in the moment that even in seeming ignorance can Nicholas seem brutal in his coldness.

It definitely would have been nice if the film had been about Nicholas, or if the film had frankly spent much more time in creating the teacher student dynamic rather than rushing through it then there probably would have been potential for a truly great performance from James Mason. Mason unfortunately only has so much to work with here as Nicholas is both a bit underwritten and underused throughout the film, and this becomes exceedingly noticeable with the ending the film when out of nowhere they decide Nicholas and Francesca were meant for each. Now Mason handles the final scene well naturally inserting just a little bit of regret within the bitter man, but he hardly could make that ludicrous revelation work. This is still very compelling work from Mason, and I do think the whole film would have been disposable if it were not for him.

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Alternate Best Actor 1945

And the Nominees Were Not:

Jean-Louis Barrault in Children of Paradise

Trevor Howard in Brief Encounter

Cornel Wilde in Leave Her to Heaven 

James Mason in The Seventh Veil

Edward G. Robinson in Scarlet Street

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Alternate Best Actor 1966: Results

5. Oskar Werner in Fahrenheit 451- Werner gives a fairly effective performance as a man who goes to a cog in the machine to a free thinker but the power of his work is somewhat muted when the director basically takes over for him at the end of the film.

Best Scene: Montag confronts his wife and her friends.

4. David Hemmings in Blow-Up- Hemmings gives a good performance as a photographer in a haze who is forced to drift out of it when he discovers something unusual in a photograph.

Best Scene: Thomas tries to tell his agent about the murder. 

3. James Mason in The Deadly Affair- James Mason gives a great and surprisingly emotionally charged performance as a government agent who lives through too many double crosses in both his professional and private life.

Best Scene: Dobbs figures out who his wife's most current affair is with.

2. Tatsuya Nakadai in The Sword of Doom- See Wallach's summary.

Best Scene: Ryunosuke "confronts" his past.

1. Eli Wallach in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly- Good Prediction Psifonian. Well this was not an easy choice to make as this year came down to Eli Wallach's and Tatsuya Nakadai's performances for me. Both are brilliant very physical performances that both excel in leading films even though they technically play reprehensible characters, in Nakadai's case extremely reprehensible. They are both outstanding in very different ways with Wallach giving a hilarious and very entertaining performance, and Nakdai is absolutely magnetic while being uncompromising in his depiction of the evil nature of his character. To try to decide between the two I re-watched my favorite scenes of each of their performances well that did not help either only reassuring the fact that I love both of their performances. I have to choose one though therefore I choose Wallach... I guess for the moment right now at this second.

Best Scene: Tuco meets with his brother.

Overall Rank:

1. Eli Wallach in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
2. Tatsuya Nakadai in The Sword of Doom
3. Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
4. Michael Caine in Alfie
5. Paul Scofield in A Man For All Seasons
6. James Mason in The Deadly Affair
7. Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
8. Tatsuya Nakadai in The Face of Another
9. Peter O'Toole in How To Steal a Million
10. David Hemmings in Blow-Up
11. Lee Marvin in The Professionals
12. Burt Lancaster in The Professionals
13. Adam West in Batman
14. Jack Lemmon in The Fortune Cookie
15. Jean-Louis Trintignant in A Man and a Woman
16. Oskar Werner in Fahrenheit 451 
17. Steve McQueen in The Sand Pebbles
18. Alan Arkin in The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming
19. Charlton Heston in Khartoum
20. Zero Mostel in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
21. Franco Nero in Django
22. Carl Reiner in The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming

Next Year: 1966 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1966: James Mason in The Deadly Affair

James Mason did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Charles Dobbs in The Deadly Affair.

The Deadly Affair, although not quite on the level of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, or The Spy Who Came in From The Cold when it comes to John Le Carre adaptations, is a solid film about an aging British agent who tries to find the truth behind the apparent suicide of a British government employee who was accused of being a communist spy.

James Mason plays Charles Dobbs but in reality this is George Smiley. The character apparently was only renamed because the rights to the character was bought by Paramount studio when it produced The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. Mason therefore was the first to portray the master spy as a leading a character though a year before he was rather briefly portrayed by Rupert Davies in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. Smiley was later portrayed by Alec Guinness and even more recently Gary Oldman both portrayed him as a very quiet man emotionally although Oldman properly separated his performance from Guinness's by changing the nature of Smiley's reserved nature.

The great James Mason takes a very different approach from either Oldman or Guinness by giving actually a rather emotional performance as Smiley although for accuracy I will call him Dobbs from now on. Mason's performance as Dobbs actually might be one of the most emotionally charged by the actor which is definitely quite an interesting take on the character especially considering the vastly different fashion in which Oldman and Guinness would portray the character. Mason as Dobbs gives a fascinating performance as the career spy who in the beginning of the film seems to be just taking on a formality when he is tasked with interviewing the government worker whom someone has accused of being a traitor.

Now Mason does not give a wildly loud performance obviously since this is James Mason after all, but Mason shows what occurs around most definitely bares down on Dobbs throughout the film starting with when he learns that the man whom he had a calm conversation with had suddenly killed himself with the explanation being his confrontation with Dobbs. Mason gives an interesting vibe to his performance clearing not making Dobbs a bitter or completely jaded government agent even though he is indeed a long standing one. Mason's choice is made well here because he uses to change the dynamic of the film itself by giving such a heartfelt turn in his portrayal of his character who easily could have gone the other way.

A very effective moment early on is Mason's portrayal of Dobbs attitude when he first learns of the worker's suicide as well as the claimed reason behind it. Mason has Dobbs in a strong disbelief that any result of this every should have happened and is truly taken aback by the way everyone seems to be accepting the alleged explanation of what has occurred. What Mason does is bring the motivation in Dobbs and why even though the case has been "solved" that he would continue to investigate. Mason is able to bring the motivation through his performance where he makes vivid the disappointment and confusion that Dobbs feels when learning of the fate of the man. It is not something just strange to him as Mason plays it, it is something he must follow to the bitter end.

Although more tender in attitude than his successors in the role Mason still plays Dobbs as a shrewd spy particularly as the investigation continues its course. Mason is one of the master of cool calculation so he fits the part splendidly. Every twist and turn that Dobbs figures out through tracking down and pulling together the various elements seems an inevitability due to his style in any scene where he and his team are doing detective work or he is interviewing one of the suspects. Mason always succeeds in showing the collection and deciphering in Dobbs in natural and convincing fashion. He has the right assurance in his performance and Mason give the right subtle indication to allow us to see the way the master spy is always collecting information even when it seems like he is just having a normal conversation.

Of course Dobbs is not always on the investigation as a large part of this film focuses on Dobbs's relationship with his unfaithful wife Ann (Harriet Andersson). Mason is fantastic as Dobbs basically must just act as an observer to his wife's behavior which seems incessant. Mason is brilliant in portraying the very specific fashion in which Dobbs deals with it which is that he seems to allow it through his own inability to voice his objections to her behavior. Mason is very effective by showing the strain this brings in Dobbs and interestingly how it seems to tear him completely apart inside while he seems to always attempt to keep a pleasant face about it the entire time. Mason creates the perfect dynamic through the insufficient manner he takes in these matters and his entirely assured manner he takes in his job. 

Mason builds on this odd dynamic as he makes Dobbs have such a devotion and drive in his job yet at home being barely unable to speak at times in his emotional vulnerability. Mason is entirely convincing in his portrayal of this and makes the conclusion of the film particularly powerful when Dobbs discovers the man behind the whole plot is actually both his old friend and his wife's lover. When he finally confronts him in this scene it is a particularly special moment for Mason as he continues in Dobbs is usual style of keeping it together as the spy at first but when he gets his chance to strike there is something else that seems to come out and Mason seems to suggest that for a moment we see the true level of anger and hatred that Dobbs had been holding back inside himself over his wife's infidelity. What only adds to this powerful moment is the way Mason convincing shows that Dobbs quickly gathers himself leaving him to only mourn the loss of his friend.

Mason's performance as the renamed George Smiley is probably not quite as iconic as the spectacle sporting work of Guinness and Oldman but that does not mean it is not a great performance in its own right. Mason on paper already seems the perfect fit for the part and frankly he probably still would have been solid in the role even if he just coasted in the part. Mason goes all the way in his portrayal of Charles Dobbs here giving a compelling portrait of the government agent who is the master at deciphering the complex games of international deception yet is weak willed when it comes just to confronting his wife over her wrongs against him. Mason gives a different and effective take on the character of George Smiley that brings us not only strings us along into the dark world of deceit he inhabits but as well poignantly portrays the emotional strain that this causes in this man.

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Alternate Best Actor 1966

And the Nominees Were Not:

James Mason in The Deadly Affair

Eli Wallach in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Tatsuya Nakadai in The Sword of Doom

David Hemmings in Blow-Up

Oskar Werner in Fahrenheit 451

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Alternate Best Actor 1952: Results

5. James Mason in 5 Fingers- Mason creates an effective villain by emphasizing the cynicism of his character bluntly.

Best Scene: Diello finds out he's been had.

4. Laurence Olivier in Carrie- Olivier gives a strong performance playing a doomed romantic.

Best Scene: Hurstwood confesses his love to Carrie.

3. Michael Denison in The Importance of Being Earnest- Denison gives a hilarious turn that always has brilliant timing and brings the humor out of his material.

Best Scene: His reactions to the final revelations.

2. John Wayne in The Quiet Man- Wayne gives a winning performance that capitalizes on the best of his on screen persona.

Best Scene: Remembering the fatal fight.

1. Takashi Shimura in Ikiru- I should quickly say that I added what I thought was the best scene from each performance simply for fun. This year came down to Wayne and Shimura, although Denison was right behind them as I loved his performance as well. I have to say I hate and love these years as I hate to have to choose to between two performances I like equally but I hate to have to choose. Either way my choice goes to Shimura's powerful performance that is a heartbreaking and inspiring depiction of a dying man.

Best Scenes: "Gondola no Uta" the first and the last time.

Overall Rank:

1. Takashi Shimura in Ikiru
2. John Wayne in The Quiet Man
3. Michael Denison in The Importance of Being Earnest
4. Laurence Olivier in Carrie
5. James Mason in 5 Fingers
6. Dirk Bogarde in Hunted
7. Charlie Chaplin in Limelight 
8. Marlon Brando in Viva Zapata!
9. Orson Welles in Othello
10. James Stewart in Bend of the River 
11. Gary Cooper in High Noon
12. Kirk Douglas in The Bad and the Beautiful
13. Ray Milland in Thief
14. Burt Lancaster in Come Back Little Sheba
15. Alec Guinness in The Card 
16. Jack Palance in Sudden Fear
17. Michael Redgrave in The Importance of Being Earnest
18. Richard Burton in My Cousin Rachel 
19. Micheal MacLiammoir in Othello
20. Kirk Douglas in The Big Sky
21. Jose Ferrer in Moulin Rouge  
22. Gene Kelly in Singin in The Rain
23. Charlton Heston in The Greatest Show on Earth
24. Cornel Wilde in The Greatest Show on Earth
25. Gregory Peck in The Snows of Kilimanjaro 
26. Robert Mitchum in Angel Face
27. Bob Hope in The Road to Bali
28. Bing Crosby in The Road to Bali
29. Dewey Martin in The Big Sky
30. John Whiteley in Hunted

Next Year: 1952 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1952: James Mason in 5 Fingers

James Mason did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Ulysses Diello in 5 Fingers.

5 Fingers is a good enough thriller about the valet to an English ambassador who sells secrets to the Nazis.

James Mason plays the main character who is the spy who has no hesitations in making a deal with the Nazis to trade his employer's secrets for money. Mason is such a cool customer it is no surprise that he was cast as a spy where that sort of attitude is a must. Ulysses is not exactly your usual sort of spy in that he does not work for anyone in the way one would usually expect. He does not work for the Nazis in the traditional sense as an agent he technically is always a freelance, he does not have a connection directly to the Nazis he only corresponds with them to give the information he has only so he can get the money that he wants.

What the main feeling that Mason conveys in his performance as Diello is a truly intense cynicism in his performance. When he talks to the Nazis and deals with them for the money there is not any passion in giving the secrets. Mason does not suggest in any way that he wants to hurt the British Empire or help the Nazis. Mason instead plays him as a man who does not care, the only thing he cares about is the money. Mason is brilliant with just how brutally cynical he is in his characterization of Diello. There is nothing optimistic or positive in his portrayal in anyway, and it is all the more chilling because there isn't a passion in the evil he is doing either.

Mason portrays him as completely unscrupulous man and tells us exactly why he would act this way through his demeanor that feels no love for almost anything. Mason adds to this even more by portraying Diello as quite a different man in his role as the valet. Mason does not over do it as a big fascade in any way, but really just makes him a pretty pleasant sort of servant. He is entirely unassuming does not suggest any cynicism just a man you would not necessarily notice in any way, and he is convincing that he could go unnoticed as long as he does. As Diello in his mode on the valet he is the speck in the room that can hear and listen to the secrets well never seeming like he could ever leak them.

Diello does care about one thing in that he tries to win over an equally unscrupulous Countess (Danielle Darrieux). Mason is very good in these scenes because we do see a little more to Diello although Mason very much underplays it. He does it well to suggest that he does care for the Countess, and there is a slight warmth, but slight because his nature forbade him from offering any more. His attachments comes to bite him as the Countess betrays him several times. Each time Mason is terrific showing a vulnerability in his otherwise thick hide in excellent moments where we see just how much the revelations of his betrayal do cause him pain.

Mason though does show that Diello tries to keep up his style of cynicism and he is quite excellent in the late scenes as he tries to play off both the allies and the Nazis and get off Scot free doing so. Mason absolutely knows how to be the devious sort that Diello is. He plays the scenes with an assured intelligence as well as a certain pleasure. The pleasure is adds so much to these scenes and adds just the right extra element of villainy in the man. Mason lets us see that the smugness of the man enjoying being able to trick basically the whole world, and in doing so being able to make himself a nice lump sum of cash at the same time.

Diello in a twist finds himself the fool, and because he made Diello so smug we as the audience can quite enjoy him losing all of his assumptions as Mason leaves him almost a loss for words. He does leave with a last laugh of sorts when he finds out the Countess who betrayed him has suffered the same fate as him. Mason final gesture is a perfect end for his character as we see the nature of the man one more time who will forget his unfortunate circumstance to entertain himself with the thoughts of the suffering the woman who has betrayed him. That final action really sums up Mason's performance. Mason never asks for sympathy, nor does he earn it instead he gives a compelling turn simply by emphasizing just how much a cold bastard Diello really is.

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Alternate Best Actor 1952

And the Nominees Were Not:

John Wayne in The Quiet Man

Michael Denison in The Importance of Being Earnest

Takashi Shimura in Ikiru

Laurence Olivier in Carrie

James Mason in 5 Fingers

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Alternate Best Actor 1951: Results

5. Farley Granger in Strangers on a Train- Granger gives a good performance that is likable well never avoiding the weaker aspects of the character. The film belongs to his co-star though.

Best Scene: Guy meets Bruno. 

4. James Mason in the Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel- Mason gives a strong assured performance despite being in a somewhat thankless role.

Best Scene: Rommel gives his final goodbye to his family.

3. Kirk Douglas in Ace in the Hole- Douglas gives a slick and sharp performance that succeeds in portraying both his character's immorality and the eventual conscience he gains.

Best Scene: Chuck finally gains morality. 

2. Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train- Walker gives an amazing villianous turn in this film that is both chilling and a delight to watch.

Best Scene: Bruno stalks Guy's wife. 

1. Alastair Sim in Scrooge- Good Prediction Koook160, and Michael Patison. Sim gives a great performance as the often played Ebenezer Scrooge. He succeeds in every aspect of the role from the cold business man through his transformation than finally an exuberant man who has found a new lease on life. This really is just a matter of having to put someone in first place at the moment. I am not one hundred percent sure of this decision, as each time I think of Walker's performance I feel like I should give him the win. Although this is hardly my final decision the win goes to Sim for the moment.

Best Scene: Scrooge takes up his Nephew's invitation after all. 

Overall Rank:

1. Alastair Sim in Scrooge
2. Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train
3. Montgomery Clift in A Place in The Sun
4. Alec Guinness in The Lavender Hill Mob
5. Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire
6. Kirk Douglas in Ace in the Hole
7. James Mason in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
8. Alec Guinness in The Man in the White Suit
9. Kirk Douglas in Detective Story
10. James Mason in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
11. Arthur Kennedy in Bright Victory
12. Masayuki Mori in The Idiot
13. Farley Granger in Strangers on a Train
14. Humphrey Bogart in The Enforcer
15. James Cagney in Come Fill The Cup
16. Cary Grant in People Will Talk
17. Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen
18. Gene Kelly in An American in Paris
19. Fredric March in Death of a Salesman
20. Robert Taylor in Quo Vadis

Next Year: 1951 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1951: James Mason in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel

James Mason did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Field Marshall Erwin Rommel in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel.

The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel is a film with strong moment thanks mostly due to a certain performance in the film, but it probably would have benefited from a more personal approach to the subject matter at times as well as a more convincing actor in the role of Adolf Hitler.

James Mason gave another performance this year in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman as a man cursed to live forever. In that film Mason was quite good at being charming while still being haunting as well in the role. Just like Kirk Douglas Mason did not settle with one good performance, but as well appeared in this film as Nazi strategist Erwin Rommel. Mason does not do a German accent, no one does in this film which was the style at the time, and it hardly matters much to his performance. This obviously is not a one hundred percent accurate depiction of Rommel in any way, but that does not stop Mason from making Rommel a compelling character.

Although Mason doesn't do an accent he does adjust his presence that is fitting to Rommel. Where in many films Mason is able to be both informal, and formal at the same time he is very strict in his style. He makes Rommel a firm man accentuating this through his up right posture, and straight forward demeanor. Mason is really very different here as Rommel, but he still has that same strong presence although properly reworked to show the man's roots as a true soldier. Mason portrays Rommel as above all else a very firm man, who you would know is a soldier even when he is not in uniform. He makes Rommel the career soldier this man should be.

Early in the film Rommel is very much the loyal officer as he openly defends Hitler's military choices. Mason does this quite well in an entirely direct fashion. Mason makes Rommel first and foremost a man who must follow his orders. Mason handles this well by up front about it and showing it is something just right within his training as a professional soldier. Mason succeeds in pressing this professionalism in every aspect whether it is following an order by Hitler, or setting out his own strategy to fight. Mason makes Rommel an efficient man, and believable as the sort of adversary that would not only be feared by the Allies but would even respect him to a certain degree.

The process of most of the film is that Rommel slowly realizes that Hitler would rather all Germans die than ever surrender. Mason is excellent in this because he never rushes this aspect. Mason moves through the process well because he takes his time. He begins with his only questioning Hitler's insanity, and at first he is more of saddened by them than angry over them. Mason builds to a more hostile opposition well that he infuses properly with feelings of disbelief over the absurdity of the orders, as well as a great deal of sadness in seeing the way Hitler insists on going about the end of the war. Mason portrays this strongly by showing it as an honest collapse of the faith of a man who has always been loyal before.

Mason builds powerfully to the end of the film where Hitler decides that Rommel is a traitor and must either commit suicide or be killed. Mason is very moving in his last scenes as he brings out quietly the passionate determination in Rommel to refute these charges, and always supporitng that he loves his country. This film has quite a few short comings one being that Rommel deserved far more personal moments with a lesser actor than Mason this ending could have really fallen flat. Mason manages to bring the weight to the scene anyway, and great deal of poignancy which is a true testament to his talent as an actor. This role honestly does not do Mason a lot of favors, but he manages to give strong assured performance nevertheless.

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Alternate Best Actor 1951

And the Nominees Were Not:

Kirk Douglas in Ace in the Hole

James Mason in The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel 

Alastair Sim in Scrooge

Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train

Farley Granger in Strangers on a Train

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