The Frontrunner Who Wasn't: Best Actor, 2000

As sometimes happens, the biggest news about the Best Actor nominees was the absence of a shoo-in and the presence of a dark horse.

The great film scholar Nick Davis was writing about the Oscars in 2000, and his predictions for the nominees cite Michael Douglas as a lock and probable winner, with Harris tenth. This is, of course, just one voice, but he was not alone: as Inside Oscar 2 relates, "The year's biggest surprise was the failure of Michael Douglas to be nominated," while "Harris especially was a bit of a surprise...he hadn't received any critics awards and hadn't been up for a Golden Globe or SAG award." 

Douglas had also missed at the SAG Awards: remember, Benicio del Toro was up for Lead there (and won), but also nominated was the incredible young find from Billy Elliot, Jamie Bell, who went on to win the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. Alas, like Douglas, he missed out with Oscar, and, like Harris, he missed out on the Globes. Not that getting a nomination there is a guarantee: in addition to Douglas, the entire Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy roster was left off the Oscar ballot: no Jim Carrey for Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, no George Clooney for O Brother, Where Art Thou? (he won the Globe!), no John Cusack for High Fidelity, no Robert De Niro for Meet the Parents, and no Mel Gibson for What Women Want!

Who did get in alongside Harris? The obvious locks were Gladiator's Russell Crowe, leading the now Best Picture favorite, and Cast Away's Tom Hanks, who many felt could have been the frontrunner had he not already won twice before. The critical praise was enough to get Before Night Falls' Javier Bardem through, and while he never won any prizes, Quills' Geoffrey Rush was a constant throughout the season. With Douglas gone, it was anyone's guess which one would win, and I'm sure there was a clenching of bettors' sphincters when Marcia Gay Harden picked up her Oscar earlier in the ceremony. Was the Academy suddenly hot for Pollock, as Roger Ebert guessed they might be?

No, as it turns out:

Here's how I'd rank them, if I had a ballot:

Casting Coup Week: The Robe

Casting Coup Week continues with our second nominee of 1953 -- the winner of Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color and of Best Costume Design, Color. Yes, it's the Cinemascope Christian epic THE ROBE.

Be sure you check out Andrew's picks as well!

Magnificent Mother, Ho-Hum Hood

MOTHER

It's been a while since I've watched a mystery with so many twists and turns, so many thrills, such spellbinding performances, that I'm taken in. Instead of trying to guess whodunnit, looking for the clues, trying to sort out what the twist will be in my head, I was instead transfixed by the amateur sleuth of the title. She fell in and out of danger, made mistakes, bullied police officers, came to conclusions both right and wrong, and danced. Yes, danced -- the film opens with a mesmerizing dance number, not without purpose, that pretty much served as an offer to the Silver Screener to fall in love with cinema once more.

And it worked! For Bong Joon-ho's Mother is a masterful thriller, one of the proud few that not only bamboozled me, but left me gasping, gripping the arms of my chair (apologies to my seatmate), leaning forward as the goose pimples formed on my arms and legs. Anchored by a spectacular performance by Kim Hye-ja, the film follows a long-time widow who gets her Miss Marple on when her son - a dimwit convincingly portrayed by Won Bin - is accused of the murder of a schoolgirl. Helped by neither the careless police nor her forgetful offspring, Mother takes it upon herself to find the truth.

As I say, Hye-ja's performance is breathtaking. Mother is overbearing, caring much too much for her son, their relationship just shy of Oedipal. Her tenacity in proving her son's innocence is, of course, the driving force of the film, and her obsession leads her to actions that are by turns brave, alarming and pathetic. Hye-ja is delicate with her movements, dainty and ladylike, her hands often folded together nervously. Her face can be kind, ruthless, broken....or crazed. It's one of those ingenious performances that manages to balance sincerity with camp. And again, that dance.

Joon-ho has assembled a fine ensemble that can play dark comedy without being ridiculous. Besides Mother and son, we also get the handsome, ne'erdowell friend of the accused (Jin Goo); the well-meaning but tired detective (Yoon Je-moon); the crazed grandmother of the victim (Na Mun-hee); the friend who helps in Mother's sleuthing (Jun Mi-sun); and various villagers, policemen, biddies and schoolgirls. It's like Korea's own St. Mary Mead...though, as Miss Marple would say, "Human nature is very much the same everywhere."

Except for that final, overlong, irritating tracking shot, Joon-ho and cinematographer Hong Kyeong-pyo make their coverage effective and haunting. Seeing Mother walk from camera left to camera right, a wide expanse of mountain and wheat above, behind, and below her...it would give any cinephile a total filmgasm. "It's just her!" it bellows, an obvious cry, but effective nonetheless. And that sometimes suspenseful, sometimes fun score by Lee Byung-woo, enhances the feel of it all. I caught myself humming the tune bookmarking the film, a sure sign of excellence, right?

Refreshing, suspenseful, and overall glorious. Is it overlong? Mayhaps, but I could easily watch it again.


ROBIN HOOD

...which is probably more than I can say for Ridley Scott's OK prequel to the legend of England's most famous outlaw. Funny: I remember genuinely enjoying myself while in the theater, but it's not exactly incredible. It's not as bad as some would have you believe, but it's easily forgettable. That's a real shame, because the film seems to have everything going for it. The actors are fine, the cinematography beautiful, the score memorable and effective. There's nothing really wrong with Robin Hood, per se...but you wouldn't recommend it to people. I keep forgetting I've seen it, even though I remember getting excited at the climactic battle scene, laughing with the Merry Men, and once again appreciating a fine Cate Blanchett performance. But it's all so paint-by-numbers, you know? And the only thing I remember of Russell Crowe is in the trailers. He's good, but he's also slightly miscast.

Wait for HBO.

Pros/Cons: Fantastic Mr. Fox, State of Play

FANTASTIC MR. FOX

Pros: Clever/funny screenplay, stellar voice work, great score (Alexandre Desplat) and soundtrack, a funny and catchy original song that actually progresses the plot, great production design/costumes

Cons: Too short

Comments: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Michael Gambon and Wally Wolodarsky (as opossum Kylie) are the true stand-outs. For the first time since The Royal Tenenbaums, Wes Anderson's oddly anachronistic touches fit naturally. I have to see this again.


STATE OF PLAY

Pros: Great chemistry between Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams, majority of actors bring their A-game, suspenseful and thrilling without resorting to car chases, actually had me at the edge of my seat, Robin Wright Penn

Cons: Final "twist" trifle annoying and out of nowhere, Helen Mirren plays one note, intrusive score, story needs more room to breathe

Comments: I feel like there was so much that wound up on the cutting-room floor, especially for poor Jeff Daniels. When is that guy going to get a break? I do think Russell Crowe is one of the most consistently watchable actors working today. I would have liked to see this done with Ed Norton in the Ben Affleck role, though. That would have been interesting.

Casting Coup: Casablanca

*Flashback to 2008, when I first started Casting Coup Month on my livejournal. Casablanca finished out the first week. I'm just glad I managed to come up with an international cast. Carice Van Houten is still my ideal Ilsa (besides Ingrid Bergman), but the rest of the cast is pretty good, if I say so myself.*

CASTING COUP MONTH makes its slow progress through the Oscar/AFI lists with what many call the greatest romance of all time, what AFI called the greatest screenplay of all time, and which many people prefer over The Godfather and Citizen Kane.

Casablanca (1943) follows the unfortunate Oscar rule: Your most iconic role is not your Oscar role. This was true for Humphrey Bogart, who lost Best Actor to Paul Lukas (Watch on the Rhine), but especially true for Ingrid Bergman. While she does have three Oscars to her credit, she wasn't even nominated for Casablanca; instead, the Academy nom'd her for For Whom the Bell Tolls, which she then lost to Jennifer Jones for The Song of Bernadette. And poor Claude Rains, nominated for four Oscars, a loser every time. This year, Charles Coburn won for The More the Merrier, marking an interesting event in Oscar's history. Rick, Ilsa, Louis, Sam, Major Strasser, they're all icons. Did anyone even hear of The More the Merrier before this post?

Alfred Newman (The Song of Bernadette) took home Original Score over Max Steiner, another example in which I've never heard the music of one but can hum the entire score of the other. Film Editing (Owen Marks) went to Air Force (George Amy), while Cinematography (Arthur Edeson) went to The Song of Bernadette (Arthur Miller). Despite Bernadette's domination in the technical categories, Casablanca won out in the end.

Best Screenplay (Julius J. Epstein/Philip G. Epstein/Howard Koch). Damn right.

Best Director (Michael Curtiz). Hell yeah.

Best Picture. Fuck me.

And then, of course, it was #2 on AFI's 1997 list of Greatest Films of All Time, Ever, then #3 on the 2007 list. Understandable, given the increase of respect for The Godfather. But still, I say Casablanca is the bigger crowd-pleaser. It's a love story! An exotic location! Nazis! Remade in Bollywood (but what hasn't been?), and as two television programs, in 1955 and 1983. Countless movies and TV shows have parodied and paid tribute to Casablanca. I have the action figures. It's just an amazing piece of film.

Which is why I'm afraid of the backlash that may occur. One shouldn't mess with Casablanca. But I'm going to, anyway:

YVONNE
Who is She: A woman Rick tosses aside, she's a little footloose and fancy-free, and even goes to the Cafe with a German officer. But, like most of the characters, she is better than she seems.

Originally played by: Incandescently beautiful Madeleine LeBeau


My Choice:

Sexy-and-a-half Monica Bellucci (Shoot 'Em Up, The Passion of the Christ)


SACHA
Who is He: The bartender at Rick's a witty, funny guy who also has eyes for Yvonne. He says "boom-boom-boom-boom" really fast and it's really awesome.

Originally played by: Leonid Kinskey


My Choice: The director of Gothika, believe it or not.

Mathieu Kassovitz (Amelie, Munich)


CARL
Who is He: A portly, kindly waiter at Rick's Cafe Americain, he knows Rick is a lot nicer than he appears.

Originally played by: S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall


My Choice:

Waldemar Kobus (Black Book)


SAM
Who is He: The piano player at Rick's, and--some might say--Rick's best friend. After all, Sam's been with him since Paris, and possibly before.

Originally played by: Dooley Wilson, though some drafts had Sam as a woman, to be played by Ella Fitzgerald


My Choice: A popular musician, a member of OutKast

Hollmann Award Nominee Andre Benjamin (Idlewild, Four Brothers)


UGARTE
Who is He: An Italian criminal in Casablanca, it is he who brings the letters of transit into the mix, thus setting off the whole chain of events that make Casablanca the amazing story it is.

Originally played by: BAMF Peter Lorre


My Choice: Well, he's more Spanish than Italian, but Lorre was Hungarian, so does it make a difference?

Javier Camara (Talk to Her)


SIGNOR FERRARI
Who is He: Owns The Blue Parrot, but he's also a member of the black market. He wants those letters of transit. He also wants Sam. As an employee.

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee Sydney Greenstreet (The Maltese Falcon)


My Choice: Well, he's more German than Italian, but Greenstreet was British, so does it make a difference?

Academy Award Nominee Armin Mueller-Stahl (Shine, Eastern Promises)


MAJOR HEINRICH STRASSER
Who is He: A Nazi, therefore, the villain.

Originally played by: Conrad Veidt, who was actually a Jewish refugee running from the Nazis when filming this movie.


My Choice:

The Great Bill Nighy (Valkyrie, The Girl in the Cafe)


CAPTAIN LOUIS RENAULT
Who is He: Prefect of police, he is a scoundrel, a drinking, womanizing, quipping Frenchie full of awesomeness and amazingosity. He's my favorite character, the one who gets all the best lines:

"I'm shocked--shocked!--to find gambling going on in this establishment."
Your winnings, sir.
"Ah, thank you."

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee Claude Rains (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Casablanca, Mr. Skeffington, Notorious)


My Choice: He's more French than Vichy-French, but Rains was British, so does it really matter?

Hollmann Award Nominee Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Munich)


VICTOR LASZLO
Who is He: A Czechoslovakian freedom fighter who arrives in Casablanca , also in pursuit of those pesky letters of transit. A good man.

Originally played by: Paul Henreid


My Choice:

Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen)


ILSA LUND
Who is She: Wife to Victor, ex-lover of Rick's, the woman's got a lot of baggage. But Lord, is she willing to do anything to get her husband to safety.

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight, Anastasia, Murder on the Orient Express)


My Choice:

Carice Van Houten (Black Book, Valkyrie)


RICK BLAINE
Who is He: The owner of Rick's Cafe Americain. Rick smokes and drinks and looks like he's about two steps away from shooting himself, but he has a heart of gold. His heart's just a little broken after being tossed aside by Ilsa back in Paris. Well, now Rick is the bad-assest man in Casablanca, and indeed, in Cinema History. Only Bogey could convince us with lines like "I stick my neck out for no one" and "Here's looking at you, kid."

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen)


My Choice:

Academy Award Winner Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man)

Okay, commentators. Have at. Only don't you dare disagree with Carice Van Houten.