Best Actor 1979: Results

5. Al Pacino in ...And Justice for All-Al Pacino gives a good performance, and remains a realistic and emotionally powerful presence in a rather stupid film. 

4. Roy Scheider in All That Jazz- Scheider has the right charm and right type of presence in this film, but I believe the self-indulgent film holds his performance back.

3. Jack Lemmon in The China Syndrome- Jack Lemmon gives a strong performance and shows his character emotional disintegration as his conscience grows on him.

2. Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer- Dustin Hoffman gives an authentic and very realistic performance. A strong performance which work incredibly well with the rest of the cast especially Justin Henry. 

1. Peter Sellers in Being There- Peter Sellers creates an incredibly memorable character through his finely attuned performance as Chance. He keeps his character consistent, and his whole creation of Chance is simply wonderful.

Deserving Performances:
Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now

Best Actor 1979: Dustin Hoffman in Kramer VS. Kramer

Dustin Hoffman won his first Oscar from his fourth nomination for portraying Ted Kramer in Kramer VS. Kramer.

Kramer Vs. Kramer is an effective family drama with an effective story, and great acting.

Dustin Hoffman portrays Ted Kramer a successful workaholic advertising executive who is very much surprised by his wife divorcing him, and leaving him to take care of their son by himself. The first scene is brilliantly portrayed by both Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Hoffman's reaction is perfect in his at first disbelief of the situation, than his realization, and than quick attempt at reconciliation. Both actors are perfectly attuned to each other showing the couples history in just this one scene, showing their relationship, and clearly giving a vivid idea of it before we came in on it.

After this strong opening scene the film portrays Ted attempting to deal with his job, and raising his son at the same time.  Hoffman gives and interesting and realistic performance as we follow him through his new life as a single father. Hoffman very good because he does not show this as easy at all for Kramer, and also he shows that he is not at all a perfect father. The relationship between Kramer and his son (Justin Henry) is brilliantly handled by both actors. Both actors show a natural real relationship between father and son, that is not at all perfect.

Their relationship changes and grows and both actors show their gradual change incredibly well. From their first moments together where they fight with one another, these scenes are incredibly well handled by Hoffman and Henry because they handle the realistically fight, but afterward are both incredibly authentic in their apologies. Their relationship grows and Hoffman and Henry show a realistic and very authentic father and son relationship which contains a whole lot of authentic heart, that does not seem at all forced but instead is completely natural and very effective. There relationship growth and change is perfectly handled, and their relationship makes the ending moments of the film all the more effective.

Their relationship is challenged though when Kramer's ex-wife returns and wants custody of their son herself. Hoffman is perfect in showing Kramer's passionate want to keep his son, and his anger at his ex-wife. Hoffman is incredible strong in the courtroom sequences. From his incredible strong and perfectly attuned reactions to first Streep's testimony sequence, but Hoffman is heartbreaking in his own testimony scene. Also very good is his final talk with Justin Henry which really shows how far their relationship and has come, and how strong the actors are in their roles. Overall Hoffman's performance is a strong, realistic, and very authentic one.

Best Actor 1979: Peter Sellers in Being There

Peter Sellers received his second and final Oscar nomination for portraying Chance the Gardner in Being There.

This now is the third time I have watched Being There, and although I do like its opening very much, I think it wears its welcome as the story becomes harder and harder to believe, even though I must say they get a whole lot out of a single joke.

Peter Sellers performance here is one very much about character creation and character persistence. Chance is not a character who changes at all since he is in fact a simple mentally retarded man. Sellers' creation of Chance is perfectly done by him. Everything aspect of Chance is finely attuned, to make Chance an endearing character. His whole manner in his very particular manner of walking and moving, and that simple Stan Laurel voice perfectly amplify the emptiness of which the character is.

Peter Sellers makes every motion and movement of character completely fit with that character, from his very gentle way of speaking, and moving, to his way of always turning toward the television. Sellers shows that is simply where Chance sees everything and knows everything therefore he turns to the television for any sort of idea or thought. He imitates what he sees in a slow, completely childlike way, in which he just follows what he seems to see it as right.

Sellers does something very important as Chance and that is because he stays completely consistent throughout the performance. He never tries to show an actual change in Chance which is important, he shows that Chance will not change in his personality for this is the way Chance is and always will be. If Chance changed at all it would be incorrect for the character, and Sellers always keeps with the character, and keeps with the proper way of the character throughout the film.

Sellers makes Chance into a fully realized and believable as a character, he makes Chance somehow real despite the strangeness of Chance. He also manages to add a certain amount of heart to Chance despite Chance never showing any overt emotion. He somehow makes Chance charming, without Chance trying to be due to his simple but incredibly effective characterization of Chance. Sellers even more amazingly actually makes the plot believable for about half the movie, because of this unique characterization. The second half not being believable is not his fault, the story just simply takes it further than it really can go.

Chance does not change really except in a very small way which is earned by Sellers, since he showed Chance slowly learn this change from others and television, which is his emotional recognition of death. Sellers slowly shows this very much earned change, which is with the character because he shows a childlike recognition of death at the end of the film which Sellers makes very effective, and consistent with Chance.

Now Sellers lacks a character ark and Chance really only has one very minor change throughout the performance, and one could easily say this is not really an extremely challenging character, since he does not change. Chance is a simple character but he could have easily gone completely wrong with another actor. Sellers though finds the right tone for his performance, and brilliantly creates Chance into an endearing and effective character.

Best Actor 1979: Jack Lemmon in The China Syndrome

Jack Lemmon received his sixth Oscar nomination for portraying Jack Godell in The China Syndrome.

The China Syndrome is not a great film, as it is message is heavy handed at times, but it does make for a fairly effective thriller at end.

Jack Lemmon portrays Jack Goddell who is one of the main supervisor who works at a Nuclear power plant. He is first introduced in the film when the plant has what seems to be a minor problem, and he appears to help deal with it. Slowly the problem escalates into a full threat to the entire plant. Lemmon gives a terrific performance in this opening scene, as he goes from taking care of business as usual, but slowly begins to freak out as he sees the problem becoming worse. Lemmon's performance is excellent here because it exemplifies the escalation  of the problem with his emotional disintegration.

After his rather strong opening scene Lemmon comes in and out of the film, as he at first takes his company's stand on the incident which is to pretend that almost nothing really happened, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the plant itself. Lemmon is very strong in a moment where he has to lie to a news reporter (Jane Fonda). Lemmon is very strong in showy the facade he puts on but with the clear indication that he really knows he is lying and that he knows there is in fact something very wrong with the plant.

Slowly though he soon finds out that the plant has serious problems which the officials of the plant know. Lemmon presents Godell growing frustrations brilliantly since he shows the frustrations effect him very deeply, since it basically challenges his own life's work. This leads to a climatic scene where he tries to get the truth out about the plant rather dramatically by taken command of the central control room. Lemmon is absolutely terrific in these moments as attempts to control the situation to get the word out, but also starts to break down due to all of the pressure around him. His last moment in which he freaks out at the end very end is chilling due to Lemmon. Lemmon gives a strong realistic performance which succeeds in properly amplifying emotional strength of the film by really becoming the soul of the film.

Best Actor 1979: Roy Scheider in All That Jazz

Roy Scheider received his second and final Oscar nomination for portraying Joe Gideon in All That Jazz.

All That Jazz has interesting moments, but it is a rather self-indulgent semi-autobiographical effort by Bob Fosse, especially at the end of film.

Scheider portrays Joe Gideon who obviously is suppose to be Bob Fosse himself. Gideon is a talented choreographer, and musical director, but also a womanizer, and indulging in far too many drugs, drink, and smoking. It is certainly stranger to Scheider in this role as this manic flamboyant man, which is an extreme far cry from some of his other far more straight laced character such as the detective in the French Connection, or the Police Captain in Jaws. Scheider is very much against type, but he does not seem to be miscast though.

I think Scheider actually fits the role well enough, and is believable with the technical aspects of the performance. He completely is believable as Bob Fosse, and he does show the right amount of semi slimy charm, along with the right amount of energy he puts into everything. I really had no problem whatsoever with what Scheider did I thought it always lined up well with the character and just seemed right in the part in his various situations. He also handled the characters disintegration well at the end.

Now I did not think this was an amazing performance though, and I think that this is because this really is a director's film. All the actions, all the characters are always completely moved sometimes almost randomly by Fosse. Now most films are in control obviously not by the actors, but a film like this and its stylistic flourishes really almost seem to put the actors in a back seat in a way, and this includes Scheider. His performance never controls the film, and I never really felt an emotional drive with his performance because Fosse clearly drove for particular emotions with the direction and not the acting on the forefront, especially at the end of the film. Not that Scheider is not good he is, but the film just limited his performance for me.

Best Actor 1979: Al Pacino in ...And Justice for All

Al Pacino received his fifth Oscar nomination for portraying lawyer Arthur Kirkland in ...And Justice For All.

...And Justice for All is a very stupid movie, which hammers in its point very heavily with a blunt point. It strangely wants to be a serious court room drama but with wacky court room antics, and a wacky suicidal judge, now wacky and suicidal usually do not go together except in maybe crazy comedies, but they do in this movie. Now the movie is definitely stupid, but I will admit I sort of enjoyed it, despite many one dimensional characters, constant cliches, and its serious tonal problems.

Al Pacino plays a real crusading lawyer one that might just be a super lawyer. He cares about the real justice, the search for truth for everyone. He does not like miscarriages of justice, he does not like mistreatment of prisoners, he does not like mean judges to the point of punching them, and he does not like moral law commissions which do not go after the real problems within the system. Pacino actually is fine even if his character is really written in a very unspectacular fashion at the beginning of the film. Pacino has his work cut out for him to not make his character seem like a really pretentious jerk Well Pacino can't stop him from being still far too pretentious, but he makes him somewhat likable pretentious guy.

Pacino is fine with his dealings of the wacky court dealings in the first half of the film, from his comedic law partner, to freaking out on a helicopter ride with the suicidal judge (Jack Warden), to romancing a woman on that law commission he dislikes so much. All of the court dealings, and the romance especially are contrived in someway, but Pacino does do a fine job in keeping at least some sort of reality no matter how unrealistic some of the scenes can be. Pacino is never really amazing here, but it is interesting to see Pacino be able to do more of a star leading man performance which a little unusual for Pacino especially portraying such just a super guy like Arthur Kirkland.

The second half of the film just about everything that could go wrong for Arthur does go wrong for him. The film really lets Pacino's character have it here, ruining basically everything he is trying to do, and trying to ruin the character's whole career. Pacino is good as he slowly becomes more and more stressed out, due to everything basically crumbling around him, he shows his character's passion and sadness well, and I gotta say his pretentiousness really started to be less annoying closer to the end. Anyways the film sort of haphazardly leads to a big dramatic opening statement by Pacino. Pacino delivers the big scene incredibly well, and makes it a satisfying ending, even if it is a stupidly written one. Overall Pacino gives a good performance in a dumb movie.

Best Actor 1979

And the Nominees Were:

Jack Lemmon in The China Syndrome

Peter Sellers in Being There

Dustin Hoffman in Kramer VS. Kramer

Roy Scheider  in All that Jazz

Al Pacino in ...And Justice For All