Casting Coup Week: Julius Caesar

Andrew Kendall and I are prepping the way with a very special CASTING COUP WEEK! And our subjects: the Best Picture nominees of 1953!

We begin with Julius Caesar....

Winners' Circle

Oscar Season is hilarious. No matter how open a season seems at the beginning, no matter how many surprise nominations are thrown at us in the precursors, sooner or later everything falls into step. SAGs a few weeks ago, BAFTAs last night, plus DGA and PGA in between, confirmed this. You can talk about how Brad Pitt is due, Scorsese's a legend, Woody Allen's had his biggest hit in year, etc., etc., but sooner or later you gotta wake up and smell the inevitability. I gotta say though, when the inevitable is fun, gorgeous and moving....it's not the worst that could happen.

So, the awards run-down of the past couple of months.

GOLDEN GLOBES
Drama: The Descendants
Musical/Comedy: The Artist
Actor - Drama: George Clooney, The Descendants
Actress - Drama: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Actor - Musical/Comedy: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Actress - Musical/Comedy: Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Screenplay: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Score: Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Song: "Masterpiece", W.E.

SAG
Ensemble: The Help
Actress: Viola Davis, The Help
Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help

DGA
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

PGA
The Artist

BAFTA
Picture: The Artist
British Film: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Adapted Screenplay: Bridget O'Connor/Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Score: Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Cinematography: Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist
Editing: Gregers Sall/Chris King, Senna
Production Design: Dante Ferretti/Francesca Lo Schiavo, Hugo
Costume Design: Mark Bridges, The Artist
Makeup: The Iron Lady
Sound: Hugo
Visual Effects: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

So The Artist is the frontrunner. Winning big at the Globes, Guilds and BAFTAs will do that for you. Of course, there's the inevitable backlash, people claiming it's the light, safe choice. Because, really, what's safer than a low-grossing, black-and-white French silent film? Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer are locks, WGA still needs to announce, and Jean Dujardin quickly bested "frontrunner" George Clooney and "due" Brad Pitt.

The only real race now is in Actress, and it's between Viola Davis and Meryl Streep. It's always between [fill in the blank] and Meryl Streep, but this year saw a real knock-out performance from her, albeit in a film that's getting a mixed reception. Again. If we look at where Streep reigned, however, it's not too big a surprise: the Golden Globes have handed her numerous awards over the years, and The Iron Lady is (obviously) a much more BAFTA thing than The Help. Still, it's Streep's first BAFTA win since The French Lieutenant's Woman. This baby could go either way.


Oscar predictions to come, naturally.

All Smile(y)s

 Home from work, and ready to discuss the BAFTA nominees!

Creepy statue. It reminds me so much of:

Full list of them here, of course.

But first, let me say three things about the Golden Globes. One: I'm sorry my post was unreadable, but I've never posted using an iPod Touch before. God, it's hideous! Two: Ricky Gervais was tamer this year; ie, boring. It wasn't the most exciting show, but I guess it was all right. Eh. Three: Seven correct out of eleven. A passing grade, surely.

On to BAFTA. I watched the taped nominations just a moment ago (announced by Daniel Radcliffe and Holliday Grainger), and I have to admit that I was thrilled by a number of them! Many of the nominees are either shared by the Hollmann Awards, or just missed the mark. In order of their announcement:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain, The Help

Judi Dench, My Week with Marilyn 

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Carey Mulligan, Drive 

Octavia Spencer, The Help 

Tip o' the Hat: Chastain and Mulligan were also nominated for me, though it was Shame for the latter. I'm down with the Dench nom, she was a warm presence.

But What About...?: Zoe Wanamaker, who was one of the six ladies tipped by the Longlist as the Branch Leaders (individual branches select the longlist finalists in their respective categories, from which the entire Academy votes for the nominees).  I was hoping she'd be included so that others could see I'm not crazy.

What does this mean?: McCarthy has a lot of support among her peers, doesn't she? The SAGs, the BAFTAs...it's looking more and more likely that the Academy may bite.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn 

Jim Broadbent, The Ides of March

Jonah Hill, Moneyball 

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March 

Christopher Plummer, Beginners 

Tip o' the Hat: YES! Ides of March love! Go BAFTA! 

He values your loyalty.

 And even though he's become a fixture at this point, the more recognition Plummer receives for Beginners the better.

But What About...?: There was a slight chance that Longlister John Hurt might have made it for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but I suppose that was always a longshot.

What does this mean?: We've known for some time now that Branagh, Hill and Plummer are safe. Albert Brooks has missed out now with SAG and BAFTA. Hoffman could sneak in, but I don't expect this Broadbent nom to go anywhere.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants

The Help

The Ides of March

Moneyball

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Tip o' the Hat: Those last three titles make me swoon. Definitely the best adapted screenplays of the year. The Help's inclusion raised my eyebrows, but not critically so.

But What About...?: Oh, BAFTA, BAFTA, BAFTA. Two of your own films left out in the cold in favor of that terribly superficial Hawaii flick? Submarine was one of the best screenplays of the year, adapted or original, witty and moving and realistic and whimsical and masterful. MASTERFUL.

What does this mean?: Descendants and Moneyball are safe. The British contingent just may get Tinker Tailor and Ides the nods they deserve.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Artist

Bridesmaids

The Guard

The Iron Lady

Midnight in Paris

Tip o' the Hat: My own longlists included all these titles, so kudos.

But What About...?: What the hell does Mike Mills have to do to get some recognition? Plummer gives a magnificent performance in Beginners, but you know who gave him that character?

What does this mean?: That Kristen Wiig's Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay is safe and secure.

BEST DIRECTOR

Tomas Alfredson, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist 

Lynne Ramsay, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive 

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Tip o' the Hat: Solid list, this one. Ramsay was my sixth choice, just missing the cut. Glad someone recognized her.

But What About...?: You know, actually, this list is fine. Sure, I would nominate Woody Allen and Steven Soderbergh, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. You done a good job, BAFTA.

What does this mean?: Hopefully, some momentum for Alfredson, though Refn is more likely the beneficiary. Drive is becoming a bit of a phenomenon, really, so there's a chance for it in categories outside of Supporting Actor. Like Broadbent and Mulligan, I expect Ramsay's nomination to be a BAFTA thing. Hopefully, I'll we pleasantly surprised.

BEST ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo, The Artist 

Viola Davis, The Help 

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady 

Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn 

Tip o' the Hat: First, to my typing skills, which first had me reporting that Swinton was nominated for The Iron Lady and Williams for We Need to Talk About Kevin. I want to see those movies now! Second, to the inclusion of Bejo in Lead Actress. She was sixth on my own ballot, so she didn't make it, but my God! The woman is just DAZZLING as Peppy Miller! And she is the co-lead!

But What About...?: I still love you, Charlize Theron.

WE CAN BEAT THIS THING TOGETHER.

 What does this mean?: That the nay-sayers nay-saying Swinton's nom can nay-say no more.

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney, The Descendants 

Jean Dujardin, The Artist 

Michael Fassbender, Shame 

Brad Pitt, Moneyball 

Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 

Tip o' the Hat: Fassbender and Oldman. The right choice.

But What About...?: Gosling for Drive. Love for Mulligan, love for Refn, but no love for the Driver. Oy.

What does this mean?: Oh, God, I don't know. Conventional wisdom holds that Clooney, Dujardin and Pitt are safe for the Oscars, and God knows after that. Even if DiCaprio stays in play, there's still a fifth slot, and it would be between Fassbender and Oldman. Certainly it would be better to have both than neither, though, right?

BEST BRITISH FILM

My Week with Marilyn

Senna

Shame

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

We Need to Talk About Kevin 

Tip o' the Hat: We all knew that Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was going to rule at the BAFTAs. Does that change my excitement for every nomination it receives? Not at all.

What does this mean?: Senna's winning their documentary prize.

BEST FILM

The Artist

The Descendants

Drive

The Help

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 

Tip o' the Hat: DRIIIIIIIVE!!!!! TINKER TAILOOOOOOOOR!!! TOGETHER AGAIN!!!!!

I'll drink to that!

 But What About....?: Honestly, kind of thought the Brits would go more for Midnight in Paris. Also, those Director and British Film nominees gave me the slightest hope for We Need to Talk About Kevin...

What does this mean?: Everyone seems to have some love for The Descendants, with a few exceptions here and there. Hopefully, BAFTA members that overlap with AMPAS will help a film more in need of support, such as Drive or Tinker, Tailor.

Casting Coup Tuesday: The Towering Inferno (a DISASTERPIECE)

It's Disaster Film Month. If you want to watch alongside the Silver Screener, check out A Crack in the World on Netflix Instant tonight. Dana Andrews, Janette Scott and Alexander Knox. But for now...
 
We begin our special Disasterpiece Theatre edition of Casting Coup Tuesday with The Towering Inferno.

As the regulars know, I am not a huge fan of the film, which is disappointing since it's the most famous and awarded of a subgenre I adore. I see nothing wrong with a two-and-a-half-hour ensemble disaster flick (Independence Day clocks in at 2h33min and is masterful), nor do I have a problem with a disaster flick that takes itself seriously (it's how camp classics like The Swarm are born). No, the biggest crimes of The Towering Inferno are a lack of focus and a dull pace. Lead characters are poorly developed or quickly pushed aside, motivations are muddled, relationships are obscured, the editing is working against the thrills of the plot, etc.

The greatest shame is that The Towering Inferno should be amazing. The cast assembled is incredible, with most of the performances delivering. Steve McQueen, Richard Chamberlain and William Holden are best in show, along with surprising, brief turns from Sheila Allen and Susan Flannery. John Williams' score is better with repeated listenings, even if it doesn't measure up to Earthquake. I don't even hate that it's obviously two different books thrown together -- the buoy escape seems so dangerous that there has to be a backup plan, and even though keeping million-gallon water tanks on top of the roof seems...bizarre...I can totally accept that. Because it's outrageous. And that's the problem with The Towering Inferno: it gives you this outrageous situation and treats it with all the sobriety of Munich.

Which is why it needs a kick-ass remake. And isn't it fun to think about who can fill the shoes of the original actors? Click on the title below to continue....

DEATH TOLL: 5 (leads only)

ROMANCES: 4 (leads only)

Tony-Tony-Tony....

I can skip the BFCAs. And I've missed the Globes without missing them. And I watched The Pregnancy Pact instead of the SAG Awards earlier this year. But the Oscars and the Tonys? That shit, I take seriously. So I was horrified when I finally arrived home an hour late! Fortunately, I had already learned (and tweeted about) the WHOA win by Scarlett Johansson for Featured Actress in a Play (A View from the Bridge), and The Film Experience kept me updated as to Eddie Redmayne's win for Featured Actor in a Play (Red).

It's time I start putting money on these, man. Out of the 16 categories that I tried to predict winners for (not here, but to my friends in the real world), I managed to nail 13 (or roughly 75%)! I rarely do so well on my Oscar predix (I only got 17 out of 24 this year...actually, I guess that's close: 70.8%). Johansson and Redmayne were among the surprises, but let's see what else made me go "wha??" and what made me go "mm-HM".

Full winners here.

BEST PLAY
Red
Called it. Can't they elect someone to speak for all if/when they win? There's never enough time for anyone to say what they want to say.

BEST MUSICAL
Memphis
Called it. Up against a dance show, a concept album, and an atypical jukebox musical, the original Memphis was the one that had to win. Same problem as the above with acceptance speeches, though.

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Fences
Called it.

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
La Cage aux Folles
Called it. And why did they even nominate anything else?

BEST ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Viola Davis, Fences
Called it. Actually, I leaped around the office saying, "Viola's getting a Tony tonight!"

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music
WHOA! Clearly, she thought so, too. Got all Bullock-y up there, and I loved it. I love it when the stars lose themselves. Predicted Montego Glover for Memphis.

BEST ACTOR IN A PLAY
Denzel Washington, Fences
Called it. He should probably find out who the hell is about to honor him before he goes to awards shows.

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles
Called it.

BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge
 You ever predict something because you allow yourself one category you know will be wrong? Well, I did predict this, but it still shocked and elated me when she won!


BEST FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises
Called it. Either her or Angela, but I'd heard more people singing her praises. So, naturally.

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Eddie Redmayne, Red
Surprised. Thought this was going to be a Fences night with Stephen McKinley Henderson honored.

BEST FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet
Surprised. Thought Robin de Jesus in La Cage. Silly me, I had heard lots of positive things about Million Dollar Quartet!

BEST DIRECTOR - PLAY
Michael Grandage, Red
Didn't call this...but that's because I didn't actually try to predict this category, for some reason.

BEST DIRECTOR - MUSICAL
Terry Johnson, La Cage aux Folles
Called it. Who didn't? I kept hearing his La Cage was the best La Cage.

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Bill T. Jones, Fela!
A surprise to me. I did think Twyla Tharp would get it for Come Fly Away. Not based on much except that I knew the name. The first time I saw anything from either show was tonight.

Casting Coup: Network

Nashville is my favorite movie, bar none. But sometimes there's a difference between your favorite movie and what you consider to be the best movie. Ask me what I consider to be the best movie ever made, and I'll tell you Gone with the Wind. Ask me to name the second best movie ever made, and I'll say Network.

Written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet, Network is a dark satire on the television industry. It's one of the classics, famous for the lines "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" and "It's a big, fat, big-titted hit!" With each year, it becomes more and more relevant. Take the absurd idea of a reality show based around the actions of political terrorists. The idea does not seem so silly now: even A&E is mostly reality programming now, and there is an increasing number of shows focusing on outcasts, addicts and prisoners. The news has become a farce; what can you say when the most reliable reporting comes from Comedy Central, when the "anchors" of today are loud-mouthed puppets of one political party or another, when Nancy Grace has her own show?

Network is about the end of an era and the beginning of another. "Mad prophet" Howard Beale is a sick man, an anchor of the old school whose ratings are failing, a man who goes off the deep end and rants on air about truths best left ignored. Naturally, instead of anyone taking heed, his madness becomes an entertainment, making his show Number One in the country. But Beale is just one member of an ensemble that includes an old-school news president, a cold-hearted entertainment producer, an urban terrorist organization, and businessmen threatening to take over the studio.

The film was a critical and commercial hit. Looking at it now, its success during awards season was inevitable. The film garnered ten nominations, including Editing (Alan Heim, losing to Rocky), Cinematography (Owen Roizman, losing to Bound for Glory), Supporting Actor (Ned Beatty, losing to Jason Robards in All the President's Men), Actor (William Holden, losing to Peter Finch), Director (Sidney Lumet, losing to John G. Avildsen for Rocky) and Picture (losing to Rocky).

What it did win, though, it fucking earned: Peter Finch beat out co-star Holden for Best Actor, the first actor to win posthumously; he had died two months earlier. Faye Dunaway won her first and only Oscar for Best Actress, beating out Talia Shire, Liv Ullmann, Marie-Christine Barrault, and the great Sissy Spacek in Carrie. Beatrice Straight won for Best Supporting Actress the shortest performance to do so, at five minutes and forty second. This three-category acting victory was the last time such an event occurred, and ties A Streetcar Named Desire for most acting wins for a motion picture. Finally, Paddy Chayefsky won his Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, making it Number Three for America's greatest dramatist.

The idea of a remake is certainly intimidating, but it is not a completely foreign concept. George Clooney planned a live, made-for-TV movie after the release of Good Night, and Good Luck. Well, he talked about wanting to do one, at least, but it never seemed to get past the "now there's an idea" stage. The point is, the idea has come up before, and I think if one respects the original source material, it could be some pretty prescient stuff. Then again, the original already is, so why broke what ain't fixed?

It doesn't matter. Sometimes, it's just fun to fantasize.


THE GREAT AHMED KHAN
Who is He: The leader of the Ecumenical Liberation Army, an urban terrorist organization who film their acts of anarchism. They soon become the subject of a reality series called "The Mao Tse-Tung Hour".

Originally played by:

Arthur Burghardt ("Transformers", "G.I. Joe")

My Choice:

Alexander Siddig (Kingdom of Heaven, The Nativity Story)
The role of Khan is a silent one. He must clearly be the man in charge, and act with his eyes. Siddig's eyes have expressed love and deceit, sincerity and sardonic...ity. He's not so well-known that he would be distracting, either.


LAUREEN HOBBS
Who is She: A radical who acts as the vessel between Diana and Ahmed Khan. Despite proclaiming herself to be a "bad-ass commie nigger", she is not above making business deals with UBS.

Originally played by:

Marlene Warfield (The Great White Hope, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling)

My Choice: Academy Award/Golden Globe/SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress and SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (Doubt), Indie Spirit Nominee for Best Supporting Female (Antwone Fisher)

Viola Davis (Disturbia, State of Play)
Oh, I just love her. I want an actress who I know could do it, has a commanding presence, but whose presence would not take anyone out of the movie. Viola Davis has done three films since her Oscar nomination, but unless you're "in the know", no one is distracted by her brief roles.


LOUISE SCHUMACHER
Who is She: Max's wife of twenty-five years. Her big scene comes when she learns of his affair with Diana.

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress (Network)

Beatrice Straight (Poltergeist, Two of a Kind)

My Choice:

Joanna Gleason (Crimes and Misdemeanors, Boogie Nights)
This Tony-winning actress is one of "those". You swear you remember her from something, but you just can't quite place it. But she's wonderful in everything I have seen her in. She looks like your everyday kind of woman, and she could sell that monologue.


ARTHUR JENSEN
Who is He: The CEO of Communications Corporation of America, the company that happens to own UBS. When Beale denounces CCA's merger with a Saudi Arabian conglomerate on air, Jensen stops Beale with a wrath worthy of God.

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee for Bets Supporting Actor (Network), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (Hear My Song)

Ned Beatty (Nashville, Silver Streak)

My Choice:

Michael Cerveris (The Mexican, "Fringe")
This role is a one-scene spectacular with a monologue delivered as a sermon. I needed someone with a voice equal to that of a revivalist minister's. Is it any wonder that I chose Cerveris, he who won a Tony for playing John Wilkes Booth in Assassins and was nominated for the revival of Sweeney Todd?


NELSON CHANEY
Who is He: God, believe me, I don't remember his exact job. I know he tries to fight the exploitation of Howard Beale, works with Max on the news team, and is only briefly seen before he is booted out of UBS and the film. But his is an important role, one of the first who appear conscious-driven.

Originally played by:

Wesley Addy (Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Verdict)

My Choice: Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (Ghost World), Indie Spirit Award Winner for Best Supporting Male (Reservoir Dogs, Ghost World)

Steve Buscemi (Fargo, Monster House)
A bigger character, a bigger name. While mostly known for his more skeezy roles, Buscemi's a versatile guy. When considering him for Chaney, I thought about The Messenger and Monster House. They're the types of roles he does not usually get, but pack a whallop in their brevity. Hopefully, Buscemi can create a more memorable Chaney than Addy. Seriously, what does he do?


FRANK HACKETT
Who is He: The head of UBS, an opportunistic, excitable bastard whose worries are ratings. He appears soulless, firing members of the old guard while approving the exploitative ideas of the new.

Originally played by: Academy Award/Golden Globe Winner for Best Actor [in a Drama] (Tender Mercies), BAFTA Award/Golden Globe Winner for Best Supporting Actor (Apocalypse Now), Indie Spirit Winner for Best Male Lead and Best Director (The Apostle), SAG Award Winner for Best Supporting Actor (A Civil Action)

Robert Duvall (True Grit, Crazy Heart)

My Choice: Academy Award/BAFTA Award/Golden Globe/SAG Award Winner for Best Actor [in a Musical/Comedy] (Ray), Indie Spirit Nominee for Best Male Lead (Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story)

Jamie Foxx (Collateral, Dreamgirls)
I know his post-Oscar career has not been stellar, but I liked Jamie Foxx for a while. He kind of sleep-walked through his similar role in Dreamgirls, but Hackett is not a role you can just roll through. I have no doubt that he could bring the greedy passion required for the character.


DIANA CHRISTENSEN
Who is She: The cold head producer of UBS's entertainment programming. She is the one who sees the potential for a series based around Beale's ravings, and she is the one who comes up with "The Mao Tse-Tung Hour". Diana also begins an affair with news president Max Schumacher, while also coercing Hackett into putting news under the entertainment section, leaving her in charge of most network programming.

Originally played by: Academy Award/Golden Globe Winner for Best Actress [in a Drama] (Network), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Actress (Chinatown, Network)

Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde, Man of Faith)

My Choice: Academy Award/BAFTA Award/SAG Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress (The Aviator), BAFTA Award/Golden Globe Winner for Best Actress [in a Drama] (Elizabeth), Golden Globe/Indie Spirit/Hollmann Award Winner for Best Supporting Actress/Female (I'm Not There), Indie Spirit Winner for Best Ensemble (I'm Not There), SAG Award Winner for Best Ensemble (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)

Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Because of everyone else in her generation, only she can bring both the hot and cold, the passion, the sturm und drang, the ruthlessness of someone like Diana. And she's not afraid to make a character believably unsympathetic.


MAX SCHUMACHER
Who is He: The president of the news division at UBS. Schumacher is of the old guard, a friend of Howard Beale's. He begins an affair with Diana, falling in love with her. At the same time, however, he is morally opposed to UBS's exploitative use of Howard Beale's insanity as a ratings booster. Really the lead of the story.

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner for Best Actor (Stalag 17), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Actor (Network) and Best Foreign Actor (Picnic)

William Holden (Sabrina, Love is a Many-Splendored Thing)

My Choice: Academy Award/BAFTA Award/Golden Globe/SAG Award Nominee for Best Actor (Frost/Nixon), Indie Spirit Nominee for Best Male Lead (Starting Out in the Evening), SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (Good Night, and Good Luck, Frost/Nixon)

Frank Langella (The Twelve Chairs, The Box)
He really doesn't seem like he's over 70. Langella has a great voice, so one would expect him for Howard, but no. He is at his best, I feel, when he is stoic and calmer, the way Max Schumacher is. And if Diana's going to have an affair with an older man, it's going to be someone sexy. Like Frank Langella.


HOWARD BEALE
Who is He: The mad prophet of the airwaves. Given his two weeks notice due to declining ratings, Beale starts going on mad rants about the manipulations of television, the corruption of corporations, the bastardizing of the American dream. His breakdown is the catalyst for the film's events, yet it is also not completely mad: all that he says is devastatingly true, but all the people hear is entertainment.

Originally played by: Academy Award/BAFTA Award/Golden Globe Winner for Best Actor [in a Drama] (Network), BAFTA Award Winner for Best Actor (Sunday Bloody Sunday) and Best British Actor (A Town Like Alice, The Trials of Oscar Wilde, No Love for Johnnie)

Peter Finch (Far from the Madding Crowd, The Nun's Story)

My Choice: Academy Award/Golden Globe Winner and BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (Adaptation.), Indie Spirit Nominee for Best Male Lead (Lone Star), SAG Award Winner for Best Ensemble (American Beauty)

Chris Cooper (Seabiscuit, Where the Wild Things Are)
While known for his quieter roles in films like Capote, October Sky and Married Life, Cooper proved in Adaptation that he brings a lot more to the table. His voice certainly helps with the air of divinity surrounding his speeches. He's younger than Langella, but not so much so that their friendship is unbelievable. The role would eb different for him, but he has the power to pull it off.


THE NARRATOR
What is It: A dry, sardonic voice that takes note of the events with statistics and impassivity.

Originally played by:

Lee Richardson (Prizzi's Honor, The Exorcist III)

My Choice:

Bob Schieffer
Schieffer was a year-long replacement for Dan Rather on The CBS Evening News. His real claim-to-fame, however, is as the host of Face the Nation on CBS. The original team wanted Walter Cronkite to play Howard Beale; Cronkite turned it down. But the idea of using an authoritative voice, a news anchor, as one of the players in this drama is intriguing. And what better role for a news reporter than the narrator? I rarely watched Dan Rather, but I always tried to catch Schieffer, for I loved his voice, the Southern richness of it. Truth be told, though, if Walter Cronkite were still alive, this would be his role.


I tried my best. Was it good enough? Can you think of more suitable actors? Or is the whole idea just bullshit? Sound off in the comments!