Best Actor 1989

[Reza]

My picks for 1989:

Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot
Morgan Freeman, Driving Miss Daisy
John Hurt, Scandal
Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July
Matt Dillon, Drugstore Cowboy

The 6th Spot: Kenneth Branagh, Henry V

[Uri]

I'm starting to feel like Cato the Elder, but – Jeff Bridges, this time in Baker Boys, should be up there on anyone's list.

I totally agree with Tee's assessment of Cruse, although I don't perceive him as a bad actor but as a non actor who's usually bad, and the further he is out of his comfort zone (that would be Cocktail) the more embarrassing the outcome is. And here he's way out of his league.

There's this limited time frame, between the age of sixteen and sixteen and a half, when one may fine well groomed pretty boys admiring cardboard pseudo edgy teacher to be profound. Unfortunately, I was 27 when I saw Dead Poets Society.

Henry V was the second time I saw Branah acting, following his – and Thompson's – very exiting turns in Fortunes of War, and he quite lived up to my expectations as well as the stratospheric hype he was getting at the time. It's a pity he never really managed to replicate his achievement here. A properly charismatic turn worthy of the nomination it got.

Freeman was very good, overcoming the Sidney Poitier aspect of the character he was given to play, but still, the white guilt factor guarded Hoke more than it did Daisy, hence allowing Tandy a larger scope to work with, but Freeman was somehow hampered by Hoke's saintly nature. It's a credit to him that the result is as good as it is.

But I'm going with Dey Lewis too – it wasn't subtitled*, but still it was undisputedly the best performance of the year, in this European kind of way. One of the best results of an Oscar race ever.


* (Actually, for me each and every performance ever nominated for an Oscar was a subtitled one, including all of Hanks').

[FilmFan720]

I agree these polls are going up way too fast...I can barely catch up. I'll try to find time to post my thoughts on this in the next few days, but I still haven't made my mind up on 1988 yet!

[dws1982]

Morgan Freeman. I can see why so many gravitate towards Day-Lewis, but I don't like him much more in My Left Foot than I do in almost everything else he's done.

My favorite movies of 1989:
1- Black Rain (Shohei Imamura)
2- Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen)
3- Casualties of War (Brian DePalma)
4- Lonesome Dove (Simon Wincer)
5- Valmont (Milos Forman)
6- Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)
7- Enemies: A Love Story (Paul Mazursky)
8- Monsieur Hire (Patrice Leconte)
9- Driving Miss Daisy (Bruce Beresford)
10- Blaze (Ron Shelton)

[The Original BJ]

Agreed that Martin Landau deserved to be bumped up from support. James Spader and Matt Dillon were about as good as either got, though both are fairly limited performers overall; I might have nominated one or both of them, but I can’t say I’m crushed they were overlooked either.

I dislike a lot of things about Dead Poets Society, but the characterization of Mr. Keating may top the list. I just hate how the movie portrays him as an enlightened hero squashed by reactionary forces, when in fact, he doesn’t appear to be a very great teacher at all. If I had a professor who forced me to march around the quad during class spouting nonsense, I’d wonder when he was going to bother to teach me ANYTHING about goddamn English. I don’t think Williams is objectionable, but the overall concept of this character prevents me from warming to the performance as intended.

I’m aware that I’m probably the grouchiest around here when it comes to Driving Miss Daisy -- I think its race relations fantasy is groan-worthy. I can’t deny, though, that there were two impressive actors at its center, and when a great actor like Morgan Freeman shows up to work, you’re going to get a richer characterization than the material might deserve. Still, the Helpful Negro aspect of this character doesn’t give Freeman the room to make this great work.

My opinion on Branagh in Henry V is almost exactly the same as my opinion on Olivier in his film version of the play. In both cases, I think the actor gives a stirring performance, culminating in a rousing rendition of the St. Crispian’s Day speech. And yet, I think each actor’s work as a director is the real star -- Branagh’s handling of the battle sequence, especially that tracking shot, tops any moment he has as an actor.

I had a feeling I’d have to come to Tom Cruise’s defense here. Yes, he’s more a star than an actor, but on certain occasions he can rise to the challenge, and I definitely think he does so here. Incidentally, I met Ron Kovic a couple years back, and I was shocked at how well Cruise captured his overall geniality and charm, at least in the first portion of the film. Later, in the post-war segments, Cruise lets his character’s feelings of anger and betrayal simmer, so that when he erupts in moments of rage, we feel the heartbreaking power of a once hopeful youth coming to terms with so many dashed promises. I think Cruise’s work is quite commanding, and I fully endorse his nomination.

But I’m very glad he didn’t win, because Daniel Day-Lewis is at another level entirely. This is one performance that could have so easily felt like a stunt, but Day-Lewis somehow manages to make Christy Brown’s physical affliction feel almost naturalistic. It’s a grueling role, but there’s not a whiff of strain or over-exertion in Day-Lewis’s performance. It’s amazing, frankly, to realize that he was something of a surprise victor, because I think his work towers over this field. A marvelous accomplishment from a tremendous actor, and my easy Best Actor choice this year.

[Mister Tee]

Aren't we going a little fast all of a sudden? I thought two-a-week was the established schedule. Every other day makes it feel like too many wine-tasting parties without time to get sober again.

I'd emphatically not endorse James Spader as a replacement here. I thought sex lies and videotape was one of the most overrated films of the indie era.

If I had to throw in a replacement, I'd go for James Woods in the very enjoyable legal thriller True Believer. Robert Downey was quite good in the film as well.

I found Dead Poets Society pretty dreary middlebrow mush. Guys gathering in secret to read poetry -- talk about cutting edge! Robin Williams did a better job than he had in Good Morning Vietnam of integrating himself into normal human society, but he wasn't anything remarkable.

No way would I throw Kenneth Branagh off this slate, though I will acknowledge the best actor nomination was something of a bonus for his overall achievement with Henry V -- his directing is what's truly impressive (the "non nobis Domine" scene is one of my favorite cinematic moments of the decade). It's a very solid piece of acting, the sort he's been rather hard-pressed to replicate in recent times.

A sentence I heard someone use at the time about Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July sticks in my head -- "a bad actor trying hard". I think Cruise is a starkly limited performer, and, when he's effective, it's usually when a director understands his limitations (especially his blatant insincerity) and manipulates them to draw the character in that light (best example: Magnolia, but Rain Man and Jerry Maguire suffice). That's not the case here; Stone seems to think the guy can seriously act. A hundred other performers would have done this role more justice...but of course Tom was one of the few who could persuade a studio to back the film. I never believed he was going to win for this, despite the press.

Magilla is right that common wisdom said it was between Cruise and Morgan Freeman. Had that been the case, I have no doubt Freeman would have prevailed, and it wouldn't have been an ignoble pick. Freeman has, on the whole, been cast too lazily over the past quarter century, depriving us what might have been truly great performances. But that he is a wonderful, nuanced actor can't be denied, even with minor material, and here he, just as much as if not more than his co-star, makes this little two-hander work. His tiny reactions are a joy to watch.

I at the time defied common wisdom and picked Daniel Day-Lewis in Oscar pools (which helped my wife and me win a pretty big prize one agent gave out). My reasoning was, if people just saw the Day-Lewis performance, there was no way they were going to pass it up. The sheer physical feat he achieves is impressive enough, but the best part is how he doesn't shy away from making Christy Brown at many moments a real asshole -- the way he goads his nurse when she reminds him "I have a boyfriend" ("Oh yeah...I forgot"), or insinuatingly asks Fiona Shaw "How's Peter?". It's a very witty peformance, beneath all the sturm und drang. And, for me, the clear choice for best of the year.

[MovieFan]

Daniel Day-Lewis- My Left Foot. Williams should have swapped categories with Martin Landau in Crimes and Misdemeanors

[Big Magilla]

I agree Williams and Branagh should be replaced by Spader and Dillon, but Tom Cruise gives a very credible performance as Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourht of July, a film that was supposed to have been made ten years earlier with Al Pacino. He deserved teh nod.

The safe money at the time was was on either Cruise or Freeman. Day-Lewis was a surprise and a pleasant one. He gets my vote.

[ksrymy]

All of these are pretty worthy candidates.

I'd first eliminate Robin Williams. Even though I absolutely love Dead Poet's Society, it is the weakest performance here.

Next, Tom Cruise. He's in yet another sentimental war-is-bad film but, unlike the terrible Coming Home, this was based on an actual story. The Golden Globes really had a thing for Cruise as they gave him their Best Actor award this year, but I saw nothing too special here. Just a solid performance in a mediocre movie.

Then, I'd eliminate Kenneth Branagh. As much as I love Shakespearean actors and as great as Branagh's Saint Crispian's Day speech is, the other two outshine him. I think Branagh better directed the film than acted.

So it's between Freeman and Day-Lewis (as I assume this race will be). But I, in contrast to my Rain Man rant, I will pick Daniel Day-Lewis. For me, I hardly noticed he was acting. When I saw him I thought of Christy Brown not Daniel Day-Lewis. When I saw Morgan Freeman, all I could think of is "That's Morgan Freeman" and for me, I know a performance is great when I refer to the character before the actor.

I would have taken Williams, Cruise, and Branagh out and replaced them with James Spader in sex, lies & videotape, Matt Dillon in Drugstore Cowboy, and Colin Firth in Apartment Zero.