Alternate Best Actor 1958: Results

I decided not to review Christopher Lee in Dracula since he definitely was not lead. If you predicted the four in the correct order I've given you the win.

4. Zbigniew Cybulski in Ashes and Diamonds - Cybulski gives a solid portrayal, even infusing some James Dean mannerisms naturally, of a young devoted soldier who slowly sees there is potentially more to life, even if I do feel his performance is overshadowed by the film as a whole.

Best Scene: Maciek expresses his hesitations to his superior.

3. Toshiro Mifune in The Hidden Fortress - Mifune gives one of his simplistic leading turns in a Kurosawa film, but nevertheless it is a rousing portrayal of heroics.

Best Scene: The General charges to stop the enemy's pursuit.

2. Alec Guinness in The Horse's Mouth - Guinness gives a great performance that is both a hilarious and oddly poignant depiction of a strange artist.

Best Scene: Jimson and Coker in the boat at night.

1. James Stewart in Vertigo- Good Predictions JackiBoyz, mcofra7, RatedRStar, Connor Olen, and Michael McCarthy. Stewart gives perhaps his darkest and certainly one of his best performances. Stewart's portrayal is an uncompromising and truly haunting depiction of a man overwhelmed by obsession and fear. 

Best Scene: Scottie sees Madeleine "resurrected".

Overall Rank:

1. James Stewart in Vertigo
2. Alec Guinness in The Horse's Mouth
3. Toshiro Mifune in The Hidden Fortress 
4. Paul Newman in The Long, Hot Summer
5. Toshiro Mifune in The Rickshaw Man 
6. Clark Gable in Teacher's Pet
7. Sidney Poitier in The Defiant Ones
8. Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones
9. Zbigniew Cybulski in Ashes and Diamonds
10. David Niven in Separate Tables
11. Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
12. Clark Gable in Run Silent Run Deep
13. Burt Lancaster in Run Silent Run Deep
14. Spencer Tracy in The Last Hurrah
15. Montgomery Clift in The Young Lions
16. Charlton Heston in Touch of Evil
17. John Mills in Dunkirk
18. Minoru Chiaki in The Hidden Fortress
19. Kamatari Fujimara in The Hidden Fortress
20. Peter Cushing in Horror of Dracula
21. Bernard Lee in Dunkirk
22. Burt Lancaster in Separate Tables
23. Steve McQueen in The Blob
24. Kenneth Moore in A Night to Remember
25. Dean Martin in The Young Lions
26. Montgomery Clift in Lonelyhearts
27. Gregory Peck in The Big Country  
28. Frank Sinatra in Some Came Running
29. Tony Curtis in Vikings
30. Kirk Douglas in Vikings 
31. Rossano Brazzi in South Pacific
32. Marlon Brando in The Young Lions
33. Yul Brynner in The Brothers Karamazov 
34. John Kerr in South Pacific
35. Spencer Tracy in The Old Man and the Sea
36. Tab Hunter in Damn Yankees
37. Louis Jourdan in Gigi

Next Year: 1958 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1958: James Stewart in Vertigo

James Stewart did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying John 'Scottie' Ferguson in Vertigo.

Vertigo is excellent film about an ex-police detective with a crippling fear of heights who, as a private detective, takes on a case about his old friend's wife who has been behaving very bizarrely.

James Stewart in the 30's and the early 40's was best known for portraying the romantic aw shucks or the passionate young man fighting for a good cause. After his service in World War II Stewart's choice in roles changed considerably, and the whole process of his career can be seen through his performance in It's A Wonderful which starts out relatively light but goes into darker territory as the film proceeds. Stewart would continue into darker roles in his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock such as Rope and Rear Window as well as his collaborations in Anthony Mann's westerns where he would play bitter deeply cynical characters. Stewart's darkest role though perhaps came in his final collaboration with Hitchcock in this film Vertigo, where it was not just the film around him that was bleak in nature, but also Stewart's own performance.

Technically speaking Stewart's performance does contain some of his mainstays such as his considerable charm in his scenes with Scottie's ex-fiancee Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes) who he is still on good terms with. Stewart mediates well though and does not overplay his hand, and is always completely fitting to the tone that Hitchcock creates around him. Stewart brings just enough of his charm really to make it so he kind of grounds Scottie in these early scenes. At first Stewart perhaps even shows us that Scottie is a likable enough guy and perhaps not completely unlike perhaps the reporter he played in Call Northside 777. This actually adds considerably to the overall effect of his performance because Stewart gives us the Stewart style we know and love to show Scottie as a normal guy who we can invest our interest in but the genius of this performance is that this is all perhaps a ruse once we begin to follow Scottie down his investigation.

Vertigo is an interesting film in not only the way the mystery unfolds, but as well by the way that changes one's perspective on the film on re-watch. In the first viewing, without knowing the twist of the film, we follow Stewart as he follows the wife of his client Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak) as she visits various odd places around San Francisco. Stewart's performance here is especially reactionary in nature yet he does so much within these confines. Stewart's is excellent in portraying as Scottie starts out the case as just a confused observer of the odd behavior that Madeleine does. The whole thing seems to become stranger though as it seems Madeleine is visiting places that were important to a woman who died the same age that Madeleine happens to be. This whole concept seems particularly absurd but on first watch Stewart grounds it through his performance that shows the whole way Scottie is processing the odd behavior.

What Stewart does especially well in these early scenes is reflect what the case does to Scottie as he continues to follow Madeleine and even eventually begins to interact with her after he must save her when she jumps into a river seemingly in a trance. Stewart mainly just through his reactions develops this interest in her as he basically is allured by her in every way. Stewart is effective by playing it as almost something primal in him. Stewart completely becomes overwhelmed of this quality in his performance even though there interactions are more than a little sparse they never seem lacking because of the way he expresses Scottie almost entrancement with the woman. Stewart's performance work especially well for the film because in the first viewing Stewart brings so much investment in his portrayal that the whole possession by the dead woman seems plausible in some way, but his performance works in a whole different fashion when you learn the truth about this story.

The truth being that the whole Madeleine story is completely false in nature and Scottie is merely being strung along by it. Stewart's performance works equally well as we are able to see it as the cruelty it is, particularly since Stewart honestly portrays how thoroughly Scottie is swept into the tale. Stewart's performance becomes more than simply a man stricken by the confusion of what going on and instead we see a man being slowly driven to a madness by this trick that is being played upon him. The whole idea only becomes worse when it appears Madeleine commits suicide off a high bell tower and Scottie is unable to prevent it because of his vertigo. Stewart's portrayal of the vertigo itself I think perhaps is one of the most memorable reactions in film history. Stewart's portrayal of the vertigo is flawless in creating the absolute fear in Scottie. Stewart gives it so much power though by as well suggesting his realization of his failure along with the petrifying terror as Scottie can do nothing but watch as Madeleine commits suicide.

Stewart's performance continues to be quite powerful by honestly creating Scottie's damaged psyche as he continues to live even with his failure and Stewart is fantastic in expressing how basically broken Scottie is by the events that transpired. It is not simply a man left to be confused by happen that Stewart shows, but rather he brings the true weight of the even through his performance as we see that Scottie could never be the same after what has happened to him. Stewart shows this Scottie as a man truly lost in the event himself, and even though the film is rather swift in dealing with both Scottie mental breakdown and recovery Stewart never loses his step. In the breakdown, which could have been a time to overact, Stewart is absolutely haunting in his was of internalizing the pain in Scottie, Stewart never yells once yet you can feel him screaming inside as Scottie remembers what happened. Stewart even manages to make the recovery believable, simply by showing that Scottie has hardly gotten over what has occurred.

The final phase of the film shifts as Scottie is surprised to find a woman who greatly resembles Madeleine named Judy. It was said that Stewart was miscast in this role as he plays the romantic lead with Kim Novak who was half his age. The thing is though I don't find this to be a romantic performance in anyway, least of all the way that Stewart plays the part. Scottie claims to have fallen in love with Madeleine and perhaps that is what he believes, but Stewart does not show this to be true love by any means. Rather Stewart gives a much darker portrait of instead a obsession after all the woman he thinks he loves was merely playing a part, and he seemed to have fallen in love with only an image a false image. Stewart is quite startling as he brings his performance into the depths as Scottie forces this other woman to change everything about her to suite his image of the only woman he could love which is the image of Madeleine. 

One of the best moments in the film is when Scottie finally finishes sculpting Judy into Madeleine. Stewart's reaction again is perfection as his eyes suggest that of a man whose seen a ghost come back to life right before his eyes. In the moment that he embraces her is especially powerful as Stewart brings out so much desire and the full extent of Scottie's unshakable obsession as he has re-created what he never truly had. It is a curious moment and even rather unsettling because Stewart intensity is so great and he never makes a romantic moment. It is always something far more unsettling as Scottie has not made the woman he has loved, or even recognized Judy as the woman he has loved, but merely made his false memory come back to life for him. This is a phenomenal performance by Stewart as he gives such a profound depiction of both the creation of Scottie's 'love' and the terrible result of the way it twists his mind. Stewart never compromises his character giving such a tragic yet chilling portrait of this man's delusion.

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Alternate Best Actor 1958

And the Nominees Were Not:

Alec Guinness in The Horse's Mouth

Christopher Lee in Horror of Dracula

James Stewart in Vertigo

Toshiro Mifune in The Hidden Fortress

Zbigniew Cybulski in Ashes and Diamonds

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1952: Barry Fitzgerald in The Quiet Man and Results

Barry Fitzgerald did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Michaeleen Oge Flynn in The Quiet Man.

I would choose Victor McLaglen as Will Danaher out of the official Oscar nominees for 1952, but actually his performance is not even my favorite performance from this film. The Quiet Man has a strong supporting cast with one of Ford's old favorites Ward Bond giving a very enjoyable performance as the Irish villages priest, as well as Arthur Shields, Barry Fitzgerald's brother, gives a nice warm performance as the one man who knows Sean Thornton's (John Wanye) secret, and all just the small bit parts are nicely chosen in a way in which they create a very unique atmosphere. Then there is Barry Fitzgerald who plays Michaeleen Flynn who is the town's carriage driver, the match maker, and the bookie.

This is actually quite a different performance from Fitzgerald's Oscar winning performance in Going My Way, which was actually fairly understated work as a modest man. Michaeleen is many things, but one thing he is not is modest. Fitzgerald plays the scene stealing performance of the film and knows that fact. I have to say that this actually could have been easily one of those parts that is a little too much, and a little too lively of a character for his own good, but that is not the case because of Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is an extremely endearing presence and he has such a wonderful charm with his rather particular accent as well as just his whole manner in this performance.

Fitzgerald makes Michaeleen the little man who always stands out as well as stands in everyone's business, and Fitzgerald is a great deal of fun as Michaeleen tries to orchestrate the marriage for Sean and Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O'Hara) despite the strong objections of her brother. One Fitzgerald's best moments is when he convinces Will Danaher that getting ride of his sister will allow himself to get a wife is perfectly played. Fitzgerald is so gentle in slyness yet has a the right impact to make completely believable that Michaeleen would be able to pull the trick over on Danaher without a hitch to his plan.

Fitzgerald adds so much with his performance, and one of these reasons for this is he has a great dynamic with John Wayne. Where Wayne often is The Quiet Man, Fitzgerald often is not. They both react to one another in a marvelous fashion, and Fitzgerald has some marvelous moments when Michaeleen gently and often in a comedic fashion will correct or inform Sean about something about Ireland. Fitzgerald combines some nice jabs at the Yank as they refer to Sean as, but alone with that Fitzgerald is always very welcoming in his performance showing a genuine friendship as well.

Fitzgerald is excellent in meeting the tone of the film as well as in part creating that tone with his performance. The tone being that it is mostly a comedy, but a comedy that allows some seriousness. Fitzgerald maneuvers this possibly the most as he will go from being entirely amusing to conveying some drama in a single scene. The reason is works in Fitzgerald's performance is he never overplays the comedy even though he is very funny throughout the film. By not overdoing it though and important not becoming just a caricature, when Michaeleen does express some honest grief over the mess that he in part has created Fitzgerald does make it honestly moving without compromising his character.

This is all around just a great example of what a supporting performance should do. Fitzgerald whether it is through just a quick momentary reaction to something like his brilliant one for when Thornton knocks out Danaher, or something more when tells the whole crowd stand neutral for the big fight between Thornton and Danaher he always makes these moments to be properly humorous all the while still making this all fit into the story beautifully. Fitzgerald makes every scene all the better with his terrific work here that creates just a very likable character from Michaeleen Flynn which complements the whole film in simply a wonderful fashion.

Other Performances From This Year:

James Stewart in The Greatest Show On Earth- Stewart has actually a very bizarre role as a clown who never takes off his makeup and the reason is that he actually hiding from the police as he use to be doctor who had to run from the law because he euthanized is wife. Really Stewart's whole story is quite odd in the schemes of things of the film that is pretty light weight otherwise. Stewart though does sell his performance nevertheless and is easily the best part of this otherwise weak film. He is quite good suggesting the underlying secret in his character quite well throughout the film, while seeming just to be a supportive friend the rest of the time. Stewart's performance makes his character seem less pointless because his performance is entirely solid, although his impact is diminished a bit I must say when all the other characters seem to forget that he existed after Buttons is taken away at the end.

Donald O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain- I have to confess I do not really care much for Singin in the Rain. I don't mind that people enjoy it, but I personally don't really like this kind of musical. It also does not help matters that I've never cared for Gene Kelly doing his Gene Kelly thing. O'Connor's performance as Kelly's character's friend Cosmo Brown is very much like Kelly's except his character never has any "dramatic" moments and is most just there to brighten things up. I will definitely give O'Connor credit he does everything to brighten things up, and his seemingly infinite energy particularly the Make Em Laugh number where he is literally running up the walls. He contorts his face, sings gleefully, jumps up and down and all around in this performance. The only problem was this performance just does not entertain me personally, and I can see he definitely is trying very hard to, and I can at least see why people love this performance even if I don't.

Arthur Kennedy in Bend of the River- Arthur Kennedy plays Emerson Cole a mysterious man whose James Stewart's character comes across just before he is about the be hanged. Kennedy actually is pretty good in the role early on having a certain likability even while his character seems like he might be just a little too good with his knife and gun. He finds the right tone for his character early on as he balances that efficiency with killing along with a certain friendly attitude. This goes away unfortunately in the third act of the film when Cole goes full villain is not the highlight of his performance but in fact the low point. He becomes just kind of one note and everything he built on earlier is completely forgotten about. Kennedy overall does give a decent performance but it is a missed opportunity because of the last third.

Toshiro Mifune in The Life of Oharu- This is a rather different character for Mifune. One big difference is it a small supporting part, his part in the Idiot was rather large in comparison, and Mifune exists the picture only twenty five minutes in. This character is also very different in that Mifune plays a meek character. Even when he played the doctor in The Quiet Duel he might have been quiet but he still had a strong will. In this film though Mifune plays a page named Katsunosuke who has an affair with a higher class prostitute and is executed after the affair is discovered. This is a short simple character, but I will give Mifune the credit he deserves for trying to get the most from the character as well as being believable as the page. For once Mifune actually is pretty meek and not all that distinct of a personality here, but doesn't just slip into the background either. Mifune in short screen time does manage to show us a foolish romantic and shows him to basically plead with woman Oharu to have an affair. Mifune although meek makes it believable because he is only genuine in these pleads. Quickly he is caught and executed, but Mifune still has a strong scene as Katsunosuke expresses grief not for himself, but rather the unloved Oharu. He is believable in this selflessness of character, and finds the right power in the man's last action. This obviously is not up there with Mifune's lead performances, but this is a good performance from him nevertheless.

Overall Rank:

1. Barry Fitzgerald in The Quiet Man
2. Victor McLaglen in The Quiet Man
3. Anthony Quinn in Viva Zapata!
4. James Stewart in The Greatest Show on Earth
5. Toshiro Mifune in The Life of Oharu
6. Arthur Shields in The Quiet Man
7. Ward Bond in The Quiet Man
8. Arthur Hunnicutt in The Big Sky
9. Jack MacGowran in The Quiet Man 
10. Arthur Kennedy in Bend of the River
11. Buster Keaton in Limelight 
12. Eddie Albert in Carrie
13. Donald O'Connor in Singin' in The Rain
14. Harou Tanaka in Ikiru
15. Sean McClory in The Quiet Man
16. Nigel Bruce in Limelight
17. Miles Malleson in The Importance of Being Earnest
18. Shinichi Himori in Ikiru
19. Charles FitzSimons in The Quiet Man 
20. Francis Ford in The Quiet Man
21. Herbert Marshall in Angel Face
22. Lloyd Bridges in High Noon
23. Michael Rennie in 5 Fingers
24. Jim Backus in Angel Face
25. Leo G. Carroll in The Snows of Kilimanjaro
26. Leon Ames in Angel Face
27. Henry Morgan in Bend of the River
28. James FitzSimons in The Quiet Man
29. Thomas Mitchell in High Noon 
30. Joseph Wiseman in Viva Zapata!
31. Dick Powell in The Bad and the Beautiful
32. Henry Morgan in High Noon
33. Gilbert Roland in The Bad and the Beautiful
34. Jay C. Flippen in Bend of the River
35. Lon Chaney in High Noon
36. Ichiro Sugai in The Life of Oharu
37. Barry Sullivan in The Bad and the Beautiful
38. Walter Pidgeon in The Bad and the Beautiful
39. Ray Teal in Carrie
40. Alan Reed in Viva Zapata!
41. Walter Hampden in 5 Fingers
42. Rock Hudson in Bend of the River
43. Jukichi Uno in The Life of Oharu
44. Otto Kruger in High Noon
45. Bobby Watson in Singin' in The Rain
46. Richard Jaeckel in Come Back, Little Sheba
47. Millard Mitchell in Singin' in The Rain
48. Steven Geray in The Big Sky
49. Lawrence Tierney in The Greatest Show on Earth
50. Douglas Fowley in Singin' in The Rain
51. Jim Davis in The Big Sky
52. Lyle Bettger in The Greatest Show on Earth

Next Year: 1938 Lead

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Alternate Best Supporting 1948: Results

5. Lionel Barrymore in Key Largo- Barrymore gives a good performance who brings appropriate weight to the situations of his film.

Best Scene: Temple literally stands up to Rocco. 

4. Robert Ryan in Act of Violence- A limited but effective turn of man filled with hate but also haunted by horrors.

Best Scene: Joe tells about his connection with Frank. 

3. James Stewart in Rope- Although he was miscast Stewart though still gives it his all and manages to still deliver an effective turn.

Best Scene: Cadell sees what his theories has created. 

2. Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo- The role fits like a glove and Robinson properly delivers as the villainous gangster.

Best Scene: Rocco tries to ignore the hurricane. 

1. Alec Guinness in Oliver Twist- Guinness is almost invisible in his role as Fagin through his natural depiction of the character's age and particular manner. He only adds to through his ability to be warm and charming while being an evil schemer.

Best Scene: Fagin catches Oliver looking at his treasure chest. 

Overall Rank:

1. Walter Huston in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
2. Alec Guinness in Oliver Twist
3. Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo
4. James Stewart in Rope
5. Robert Ryan in Act of Violence
6. Lionel Barrymore in Key Largo
7. Ward Bond in Fort Apache
8. Enzo Staiola in Bicycle Thieves
9. Cecil Kellaway in The Luck of the Irish
10. Richard Conte in Call Northside 777
11. Lon Chaney Jr. in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
12. Bela Lugosi in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
13. Richard Haydn in Sitting Pretty
14. Dan O'Herlihy in Macbeth
15. Denis O'Dea in The Fallen Idol
16. Jack Hawkins in The Fallen Idol
17. Basil Sydney in Hamlet 
18. Leo Genn in The Snake Pit  
19. Reisaburo Yamamoto in Drunken Angel
20. Charles Bickford in Johnny Belinda
21. Walter Brennan in Red River
22. Henry Stephenson in Oliver Twist
23. Stanley Holloway in Hamlet
24. Thomas Gomez in Key Largo  
25. Bruce Bennett in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
26. Marius Goring in The Red Shoes
27. Victor McLaglen in Fort Apache
28. Lee J. Cobb in Call Northside 777
29. Cedric Hardwicke in Rope 
30. Terence Morgan in Hamlet
31. Anthony Newley in Oliver Twist
32. Burt Lancaster in Sorry Wrong Number
33. Robert Newton in Oliver Twist
34. Felix Aylmer in Hamlet
35. Walter Burke in The Naked City
36. Francis L. Sullivan in Oliver Twist
37. Roddy McDowall in Macbeth
38. Norman Wooland in Hamlet
39. Berry Kroeger in Act of Violence
40. Stephen McNally in Johnny Belinda 
41. Harry Lewis in Key Largo
42. Alfonso Bodoya in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
43. Alan Napier in Johnny Belinda
44. John Rodney in Key Largo
45. Ed Begley in Sorry Wrong Number
46. Barton MacLane in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
47. John Ireland in Red River
48. Monte Blue in Key Largo
49. Oskar Homolka in I Remember Mama
50. Jose Ferrer in Joan of Arc
51. John Agar in Fort Apache
52. Mark Stevens in The Snake Pit
53. Glenn Strange in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
54. Douglas Dick in Rope
55. Frank Ferguson in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Next Year: 1963 lead

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1948: James Stewart in Rope

James Stewart did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Rupert Cadell in Rope.

Rope is about two young men (John Dall and Farley Granger) who kill a man they deem inferior and hold a dinner party with the body still in their room to prove the "perfection" of their crime. Rope is an interesting enough film but it is definitely lesser Hitchcock, and the "one shot" gimmick adds nothing to the film.

Apparently James Stewart thought himself miscast in this film as a college professor who does not mind telling people about his idea that murder should be acceptable by certain people. Now I will get to Stewart in a moment, but I will say who would have been perfectly cast in the part would have been James Mason. Yes this might be a bit of a conflict since Mason is mentioned by name in the film, but he would have been perfect in creating that pompous entitlement, but as well would have been articulate as well as properly sardonic when he is required to espouse about his various theories. To see Mason deal with the crisis of conscious really would have been something to see.

Well Mason was clearly not cast and Stewart was given the part which is quite a change from his previous roles. He usually played the passionate man fighting against something or the ah shucks romantic. The end of Its A Wonderful Life suggested a darker side to Stewart though which was something that he tapped into for much of the rest of his career after World War II. Stewart perhaps was miscast though as he is definitely not someone you think of as a college professor with some delusions of grandeur. Of course it is a testament to Stewart as an actor that he does try to compensate for the fact that he really does not fit the part all that well particularly early on. 

Cadell at first is very much the intellectual who does not mind flaunting his intelligence purely for fun. Stewart actually does something very well here which he dials back on his usual vocal manner. He takes away the warmer qualities of his voice that make you feel welcome instead having a much colder style here that is fitting for Cadell. Stewart is not exactly how you might picture the pompous type but he is still able to get across the nature of Cadell nevertheless, in fact Stewart's natural likability probably helps with his characterization. Cadell quietly makes fun of people but no one really takes offense and Stewart makes this work through his style of smugness.

Stewart is actually rather subtle about Cadell's sense of superiority. He makes there is his sometimes aloof manner and sometimes sarcastic delivery, but he never is overt about it. He kind of eases into it even when he describes his ideas about murder it just something he can talk about calm and coolly. This is not how I would exactly envision this type of man, but Stewart's approach actually does work getting across the nature of the character quite effectively. In fact Stewart's style shows a bit of a lack of thought in what Cadell says. This is not to say he has not thought out what he says well, but Stewart has it is something he has really thought the full implications of what he says.

Cadell role outside of being an inspiration of sorts for the two murderers is being the man who figures out what they have done. Stewart is excellent in portraying this aspect and does well to show Cadell slowly figuring out the scheme. His reactions are terrific throughout as he conveys the thought process in Cadell which is slowly pulling back the layers of the plan. Stewart is particularly strong when he interrogates the men in the way he seems still seems somewhat dispassionate but there is that incisive undercurrent as he keeps questioning them and seeing that there is clearly something that they are both hiding.

This leads to the point where Cadell finds out what they did and the last thing he feels is pride from his accomplishment. Instead Cadell has to face the shame of someone finally murdering based on his ideas of superiority. Stewart is a master of the passionate speech denouncing an evil and his speech in this film is no exception. He has a tremendous force about it and is perfect to finally slap the smug look off of the mastermind of the two killers. Stewart adds a little more though as Cadell's disgust is not only for what the killers have done but also due to his own guilt from his past words. Stewart makes the moment very powerful because he get across the hate Cadell feels for their actions in his words, but as well the shame he feels in his face.

This is a strong performance from Jimmy Stewart and it is a great example of an actor still performing well despite the role not being right for him. I would say that James Mason would have been much more fitting for the part, and if he had been the one with the role he very well could have been all time great. Stewart does not fit the role of the smug professor by any means Stewart just by his nature does not come off as that sort of guy. To his credit though Stewart tries his best to overcome the fact that he was miscast in the role. He still succeeds in the part by adapting it best he can to his on screen persona. It is not an absolutely perfect characterization because the right casting is necessary, but nevertheless Stewart still gives an impressive performance.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1948

And the Nominees Were Not:

Robert Ryan in Act of Violence

Alec Guinness in Oliver Twist

James Stewart in Rope

Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo

Lionel Barrymore in Key Largo

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