Best Actor 1983: Results

5. Tom Conti in Reuben, Reuben- Conti's first scene is absolutely brilliant 5 material in my book, he has the perfect charm, and intelligence in that scene, he is also great in his last scene, but between these two scenes his performance becomes a bit redundant, and just not all that interesting.

4. Micheal Caine in Educating Rita- I like Caine's performance and he realistically portrays the tired, disinterested nature of the character. He just is not given enough to do though, and the very nature of the character forces him to be almost an entirely reactive character.

3. Albert Finney in The Dresser- This was a somewhat difficult choice to make, as Finney is very good in portraying his domineering, as well as very much vulnerable actor, extremely well. It is a very challenging role especially in the constant pain of Sir only alleviated briefly by his duties for the show. but Finney meets the challenge well. 

2. Tom Courtenay in The Dresser- Courtenay is flawed in a minor fashion, in that some of his physical movements seem planned, yet for me he still topped Finney because of the pure energy, and effectiveness of everything else he did in the role. He made the dresser a fascinating character, and made a lasting impression with his heartbreaking final speech showing how much Sir meant to Norman.

1. Robert Duvall in Tender Mercies- This was an extremely easy choice for me,  He never strikes a single false note with Mac Sledge, he is always completely on the mark, without every seeming to act, which is an outstanding achievement. This is a brilliant performance by Duvall, that never comprises for a cheap trick, but always stays true and honest to his character, creating one of the best performances of this kind or any kind.

Deserving Performances:
Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone

Best Actor 1983: Robert Duvall in Tender Mercies

Robert Duvall won his Oscar from his fourth nomination for portraying Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies.

Tender Mercies is an incredibly quiet story about a has been country singer, and his finding of a new life in a rural town.

Mac Sledge makes this the third character so far that is a drunkard. Luckily he is only a drunkard for basically the first scene of the film, something that is sometimes forgotten by modern descriptions of this film. He only has one scene, off camera, where he is actually being an alcoholic, with his fighting for a bottle, but that is all just noise which does give an indication to what Mac Sledge has being doing for many years before his arrival to a rural gas station and motel run by a young widow and woman Rosa Lee (Tess Harper).

After this initial scene we finally see Duvall as Sledge, and he creates a just about perfect characterization of this ex-country star. It really is fascinating because this is a the type of performance where I really never felt I saw Robert Duvall, only ever Mac Sledge. He does not do this with any makeup or overt mannerisms, but rather with a quiet incredibly subtle performance.

The voice Robert Duvall uses for Mac Sledge is perfect, because it is so incredibly natural. He does not all ever seem to force his accent, but rather this is how Mac Sledge talks, simple as that. The same is also true for his whole manner, and demeanor for Mac. It certainly is quite different from many of Duvall's other performances, particularly The Great Santini, it certainly is a distinct manner but one which is created with the utmost authenticity by Duvall, that does not feel like acting, but rather that it is just a real person.

Something that I find absolutely fascinating about this performance is the deep emotional range Robert Duvall displays as Mac. It is particularly fascinating because only raises his voice at the very beginning of the film, and briefly again later in the film. Duvall shows absolute emotional honesty through his entire performance, but through always going for a quiet subtle performance. This is one performance that is almost entirely through his eyes of Sledge, since his actual emotional outbursts are rare and short when they do occur.

It is not that his character is at all a repressed man, Duvall rather shows that Mac's way is naturally of quietness. It is outstanding though how emotionally effective some of the slightest, smallest facial expressions, and eye movements Duvall makes can be. A moment of anger and frustration Duvall internalizes brilliantly when he is told his song he has written is no good, Duvall channels Sledge's frustrations without fault, and always with pure realism.

More powerful than his moments of anger though are Mac's moments of happiness, or reflection of his life. Duvall creates the history of Mac Sledge through his eyes, his face, and manner, which I think are best shown in particular moments such as when he finally sees his daughter again in a long time. Duvall does not over express Sledge's happiness, but he makes it clear showing it in a deeper more true to life fashion.

This minimalistic approach is amazing, because of how incredibly effective  it is, and it makes even some of the film that seems almost impossible on the page work. I think in particular Mac's love relationship with  Rosa Lee, they marry basically instantly even off screen, yet it seems entirely natural to the flow of the film, because Duvall shows Sledge's love for the moment not in broad strokes but in an understated and entirely truthful fashion.

One aspect of his performance that should be noted is his singing in the film. Duvall is indeed entirely believable as a singer, and makes Mac's past believable as well, but more importantly is his performance of the songs in the film. Duvall makes each of his songs powerful and honest not because of his fine singing, but because he shows the way Mac puts his heart and soul into his songs infuses his feelings with the songs turning them into one.

Duvall performance punctuations every single moment of this effective film, with emotional honesty. He never strikes a single false note with Sledge, he is always completely on the mark, without every seeming to act, which is an outstanding achievement. This is a brilliant performance by Duvall, that never comprises for a cheap trick, but always stays true and honest to his character, creating one of the best performances of this kind or any kind.

Best Actor 1983

And the Nominees were:

Michael Caine in Educating Rita

Tom Conti in Reuben, Reuben

Robert Duvall in Tender Mercies

Albert Finney in The Dresser

Tom Courtenay in The Dresser

Best Actor 1980: Results

5. Jack Lemmon in Tribute- Lemmon's whole performance seems like Oscar baiting at its worst. It is hammy all the way, which might be okay if it worked, but it does not.

4. Peter O'Toole in The Stunt Man- I actually upped O'Toole rating because I thought about my main criticism, that I wanted more of him, that is hardly a criticism. His performance is pretty much a supporting, and a very funny and effective one as a crazed director.

3. Robert Duvall in The Great Santini- I genuinely liked Duvall portrait of the abusive Bull Meechum. He created an interesting family dynamic through his performance, and never turned his character into a one dimensional figure which it easily could have been.

2. John Hurt in The Elephant Man- I can easily see the philosophy behind giving Hurt the win here. He certainly is by far the most pleasant of the characters here, which is funny since it shows how low the other characters are since Merrick is such a nice man despite being given such a hindering deformity. Also Hurt's performance is brilliant in how much emotion he conveys through only his eyes and his voice, and also how honestly human he is as John Merrick.

1. Robert De Niro in Raging Bull- De Niro performance is quite a remarkable achievement. He creates a fascinating complex portrait of a man who at heart is simple thug. He takes this thug though a realizes a complete human being, who is made by De Niro to be both frighteningly effective in his exterior anger and jealousy, and subtly honest in Lamotta's hidden sensitivity and vulnerability. Simply a great performance.

Deserving Performances:
Donald Sutherland in Ordinary People

Best Actor 1980: Robert Duvall in The Great Santini

Robert Duvall received his third Oscar nomination for portraying Lieutenant Colonel Bull Meechum in The Great Santini.

The Great Santini is an interesting and effective portrait of a family with a domineering and abusive father, at least for awhile it peters out at the end, also it has a sub plot involving a black local being harassed by racist whites which seems like it came from another movie.

Duvall portrays the father of a family Bull Meechum a hot shot, gung-ho, marine fighter pilot, who treats his family just like he would treat soldiers under his command. It the early moments or any scenes where he is around other Marines, Duvall is quite hilarious with how over the top of a character Meechum is. The character is over the top, but Duvall is a good enough actor though to be able to portray the flamboyant Meechum without ever over acting. Quite a challenge but Duvall pulls it off with ease and humor.

Meechum is a character that could have been portrayed incredibly one dimensional, since the way the character acts is suppose to be sort of a one dimensional meat head, and he could have been easily played that one, or as a one dimensional villain due to his abusive nature toward his family. Duvall never portrays the character either way. I think in particular the abusive nature of the character is well portrayed by Duvall.

Duvall could have easily been just hammering in the abuse, or always showing Meechum as ready to do it constantly. It could have become a performance only on the surface, but Duvall carefully shows that there's much more to Bull Meechum's abuse, than only anger. Duvall carefully shows that this is just the only way Meechum has really learned how to deal with his family, and does not really have the ability to show them love. I think it is interesting because much of his cruelty comes from his belief that he is doing his family a service to make them better people. Duvall shows it as a systematic process, to make them a stronger group.

It would have been easy to show Meechum as having no love for his family, but Duvall subtly shows small instances of love Bull has for his family even when he is acting quite not so. Duvall shows that Meechum does have a limit for himself, and can sense when he has gone to far. Duvall shows this but never says this since Bull would never actually admit it. He does show also that he tries to give his children a good life, and can even be charming in some scenes such as when he first shows off the house to his children. These little charming moments, Duvall realistically mixes them in with the angry ones incredibly.

Duvall possibly shines best though in portraying Bull's specific relationship with his son Ben (Micheal O'Keefe). Bull pressures his son the most, and fights with him the most as well. It is sometimes an intense relationship, and Duvall is especially domineering, and forceful. Also in a moment where Ben finally beats him at basketball Bull is quite the sore loser and attempts to get an emotional reaction from his son anyway he can. A terrific scene of Duvall's, because he is just a completely real honest jerk, no movie acting about, making the scene a lot more effective than if he tried to make Bull some sort of villain rather than a cruel actual human being.

Even better moments are his quiet ones where he does show a restrained fatherly love for his son. Duvall never really indicates it directly but shows it there, and he naturally mixes in a warmness with a coldness that is incredible. His personal best moment though may certainly be a moment where he finds out he is wrong and his son is right. It is an outstanding scene for Duvall when Bull sees he is wrong, and his change and reaction is simply amazing. Overall Duvall has many incredible moments in this performance that easily could have been a one note character. Duvall creates a real portrait of a man, and somehow even creates sympathy for a man who is anything but sympathetic.

Best Actor 1980

And the Nominees Were:

Peter O'Toole in The Stunt Man

Robert Duvall in The Great Santini

Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

John Hurt in The Elephant Man

Jack Lemmon in Tribute

Best Supporting Actor 1972: Results

5. Robert Duvall in The Godfather- Duvall is perfectly fine in the somewhat limited role of Tom Hagan. He is always exactly as Hagan should be, and does show more to him when he has the chance.

4. Eddie Albert in The Heartbreak Kid- Albert gives an enjoyable mostly reactive deadpan performance. He was not given that much to do, but I thoroughly enjoyed everything he did do.

3. Joel Grey in Cabaret- Grey's performance is a brilliant energetic performance, that creates an incredibly memorable character and makes for a very entertaining and interesting performance.

2. James Caan in The Godfather- Caan gives the best supporting performance in the Godfather, with his absolutely brilliant portrayal of Sonny handling every various aspect of Sonny from his particular charisma to his hair trigger trigger temper brilliantly.

1. Al Pacino in The Godfather- Al Pacino performance is lead, but he would have been deserving of that win as well for his astounding performance as Micheal Corleone. A true masterpiece of acting by Pacino that brilliantly shows an astounding transformation of a man that is amazing to behold due to Pacino.

Deserving Performances:
John Cazale in The Godfather

Best Supporting Actor 1972: Robert Duvall in The Godfather

Robert Duvall received his first Oscar nomination for portraying Tom Hagan in The Godfather.

Tom Hagan is the informally adopted son of Vito Corleone(Marlon Brando) who acts the crime family's lawyer and consigliere. Hagan is the most level headed of the sons of Vito who always keeps his head, and always keeps in mind that everything that is happening must be taken as business rather than as something personal.

Robert Duvall is good here in his role as a reasonable man. He shows Tom Hagan as not an unemotional man, but rather a man who keeps his head despite being threatened or otherwise. Hagan is a character who mostly does take care of business carefully, and Duvall properly shows Hagan as a level headed man.

Tom Hagan is the least complicated of the Corleone sons since he does always stay fairly mild mannered, only only really raises his voice when he is trying to calm down the hot headed Sonny (James Caan). Although the nature of the role prevents Duvall from giving a great performance, his performance is more than satisfactory for the part, and still completely embodies exactly what Tom Hagan should be in the film. He keeps his character interesting despite being the most reasonable, Duvall has the right quiet persuasion and presence in the film.

Also in his few chances to show off a little more of Tom Hagan, Duvall does his best. Two scene in particular one where he must tell of some very bad news to Vito, is well handled in that Duvall shows Hagan more emotional side with the right amount sadness about the loss in the family. The other scene is when Hagan actually becomes a little more emotional questioning the loss of his rank in the family. A short moment but again well handled showing a little more of Hagan. Overall not a great performance but certianly a good one which simply adds just even more to the film it is in.

Best Supporting Actor 1972

And the Nominees Were:

Al Pacino in The Godfather

James Caan in The Godfather

Joel Grey in Cabaret

Robert Duvall in The Godfather

Eddie Albert in The Heartbreak Kid

Best Supporting Actor 1979: Results

5. Melvyn Douglas in Being There- Melvyn Douglas is not bad ever in Being There but he never really does anything in the film. He has some nice talks and he plays the part as it should be but his character really requires nothing of him.

4. Mickey Rooney in The Black Stallion- Mickey Rooney is a very nice presence in this film. He plays a standard mentor/teacher role much better actually than he needed to. I like how he stayed quiet and just was a good part of the film.

3. Frederic Forrest in The Rose- Forrest is very good here and adds a lot to the film. I like how he underplays his role and shows a realistic portrait of a man who has gotten in a relationship with a women he cannot fully understand.

2. Justin Henry in Kramer Vs. Kramer- Henry is just about perfect in his role but he is always spot on. He is always real and seems really like a kid in this situation not some false movie kid. An important role to the film and Henry is completely up to his task.

1. Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now- Robert Duvall takes a risky approach to an odd ball of a character and his risk completely pays off. Duvall is perfect as Col. Killgore. He some how never seems false in a role of pure insanity. He is excellent because he makes Kilgore the most fascinating part of Apocalypse Now despite the shortness of his part. Robert Duvall therefore joins Laurence Olivier, Rod Stieger and Walter Huston as actors with two wins from me.

Deserving Performances:Frederic Forrest in Apocalypse Now
Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now

Best Supporting Actor 1979: Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now

Robert Duvall received his second Oscar nomination for portraying Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now.

Apocalypse Now is a fascinating film because it is not some standard anti-war film, but it rather shows a fascinating portrait of war like no other.

Robert Duvall's nomination here is interesting, because he actually not is not in the film for that long of time, and he is only in the film near the beginning. He makes no reappearances, he is just one of the stops on Captain Willard's (Martin Sheen) journey to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Kilgore's scenes are quite possibly the strongest scenes in the film, showing Kilgore's far more organized and strong attacks. A uniform army opposed to the later scene in the film. Almost all the other stops I felt Willard still held the most attention and this is because of Robert Duvall.

Robert Duvall does not have a lot of time but he makes the most of it with his performance Kilgore. From the moment he is introduced I am fascinated by him. Duvall is perfect with his absolutely perfect posture at first. Always in command physically, never does he not seem to be in full command of the situation since Duvall shows that no one can stand taller about himself than Kilgore. I like the way Duvall speaks in all of these scenes with almost always slight yell into his voice as if Kilgore is always giving out orders. Duvall simply is completely in control of all these scenes because he as Kilgore is such an incredibly strong presence. Duvall creates that aura which Willard mentions about Kilgore. It really appears that nothing can touch Kilgore because of Duvall.

Kilgore represents a more romanticized view of war, and Kilgore looks upon the war in a more romantic sort of way. Duvall makes Kilgore's view of war and battle completely realistic with his straight and consistent approach to Kilgore. Kilgore is in fact insane so much so that he almost casually goes through battles more interested in talking about surfing than being involved in the battle at times. Duvall is fascinating in playing this insane man as a man whose mannerisms and such are perfectly sane, but his actions are constantly crazy. Such as when he shows such concern for a incredibly wounded man by letting him drink out of his canteen, but then instantly forgets about the man after hearing something about surfing.

Duvall is excellent and interesting throughout his performance showing his comradeship with his men well in the camp fire scene and again Duvall is always perfect at showing his views. His best scene is the famous line of the smell of napalm. This line would not be quite as famous if it were not for Duvall's absolute perfect way of stating it. The way he states this line is much like the rest of the performance.Duvall leaves a powerful memory and creates an incredibly memorable character as Kilgore. He never seems false despite the insanity of Kilgore and the risky nature of the performance, which is a true achievement.

Best Supporting Actor 1979

 And the Nominees Were:

Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now

Frederic Forrest in The Rose

Melvyn Douglas in Being There

Justin Henry in Kramer Vs. Kramer

Mickey Rooney in The Black Stallion

 Who do you Pick? What do you predict my ranking will be?