Alternate Best Actor 1944: Results

5. Eddie Bracken in Hail the Conquering Hero-Bracken gives an enjoyable performance and handles his final dramatic speech well, but his best performance of the year was in the other Preston Sturges comedy he starred in.

Best Scene: The "hero" tells the truth.

4. Peter Lorre in The Mask of Dimitrios- Lorre really does not have a character so it is to his testament that he still gives an effective and enjoyable performance.

Best Scene: Cornelius finds the smuggler in his room.

3. Ray Milland in Ministry of Fear- Milland leads this thriller effectively throughout and delivers when needing to delve in his character's dark background.

Best Scene: Stephen tells about how he murdered his wife.

2. Edward G. Robinson in The Woman in the Window- Robinson gives a subdued and effective performance as the lead in a noir who is frankly to old for a noir.

Best Scene: The professor tries to come up with a way to kill a blackmailer.

1. Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity- Good Prediction Michael Patison, JackiBoyz, RatedRStar and moviefilm. (I should note I allowed the correct prediction apply in terms of Milland whether your prediction correctly placed him for The Uninvited or Ministry of Fear) MacMurray wins this year without a second thought as his portrayal of the insurance salesman whose lusts get the better for him stands easily as the strongest leading performance of the year.

Best Scene: Keyes lights the match of Neff.

Overall Rank:

1. Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity
2. Laurence Olivier in Henry V
3. Charles Boyer in Gaslight
4. Laird Cregar in The Lodger
5. Alexander Knox in Wilson
6. Edward G. Robinson in The Woman in the Window
7. Ray Milland in Ministry of Fear
8. Eddie Bracken in The Miracle of Morgan's Creek
9. Claude Rains in Mr. Skeffington
10. Gregory Peck in The Keys to the Kingdom
11. Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not
12. Van Johnson in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
13. Peter Lorre in The Mask of Dimitrios
14. Ray Milland in The Uninvited
15. Eddie Bracken in Hail the Conquering Hero
16. Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace
17. George Sanders in The Lodger
18. Dana Andrews in Laura
19. Spencer Tracy in The Seventh Cross
20. Bing Crosby in Going My Way
21. Cary Grant in None but the Lonely Heart
22. Zachary Scott in The Mask of Dimitrios

Next Year: 1944 Supporting

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Alternate Best Actor 1944: Ray Milland in Ministry of Fear

Ray Milland did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Stephen Neale in Ministry of Fear.

Ministry of Fear is an effective thriller about a man who accidentally stumbles upon a Nazi espionage scheme.

The last two times I have reviewed Ray Milland was for his fiendish performance in Dial M For Murder and his harrowing performance as an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend. Milland's performance in this film and to an even greater extent in the haunted house film The Uninvited gives what can be viewed as a more traditional leading man turn by Milland. I chose Ministry of Fear out of the two performances though because it does present a little more of a challenge for Milland, although both films are examples of Milland's abilities in playing a fairly straight forward role.

Milland is quite good in both roles having a real ease in the parts and is quite able to have just a natural charm opposed to that brilliantly slimy charm that he had later in Dial M for Murder. Milland work here reminds me of Robert Donat's work in 39 Steps. Although there is a far lesser emphasis on humor, as this is not a Hitchcock thriller, when there is a chance to lighten things up a bit Milland is always able to pull off quite smoothy and never compromises the more the serious tone of the film.

Both the Uninvited and Ministry of Fear relies largely on Milland to carry the film often without even having a great deal to say. Milland though has a very strong screen presence and with great ease acts as a guide for us to follow through the plots of both films. Milland is always able to add just the right weight to any scene whether it is finding one more double cross set by Nazis or witnessing the howls of the ghostly specter. Milland is always able to assert himself just enough, to allow the story to play out as it should while keeping the audience invested in his character too.

I did choose Ministry of Fear over the Uninvited because there is a dark streak to Milland's character in this film. His character holds a secret which is that he mercy killed his wife. The film leaves this only a small part of the film, and it seems like an element of the film that should have more time devoted to it. This really is not a problem because Milland, alluding his later work in The Lost Weekend, completely delivers in the few scenes that delve into Neale's past. The scenes are quick and very much to the point but Milland completely delivers in giving the moments the impact they need.

Milland in Ministry of Fear and The Uninvited completely delivers on being an interesting and entertaining leading man to follow through both films with their twist filled stories. In both film he gives a nicely assured work and in the most serious scenes of Ministry of fear he certainly gives a strong indication to the greatness he would achieve one year later in the Lost Weekend. Neither Ministry of Fear or The Uninvited feature Ray Milland's best performance by any measure, but both are a strong indication of his talent as an actor. They also show what a shame it is that he rarely remembered for anything other then his very much deserved Oscar win.

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Alternate Best Actor 1944

And the Nominees Were Not:

Peter Lorre in The Mask of Dimitrios

Edward G. Robinson in The Woman in the Window

Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity

Ray Milland in Ministry of Fear

Eddie Bracken in Hail The Conquering Hero  

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