Best Supporting Actor 1978

[The Original BJ]

Comes a Horseman, despite the talent both in front of and behind the camera (Pakula, Gordon Willis), is not a very notable movie at all. Farnsworth is solid, in general, but not noteworthy enough to rate an Oscar for such a minor effort.

I actually sat next to Bruce Dern at a club not that long ago -- a mutual friend of ours was performing that evening. By all accounts, he's a very nice man. As to his Coming Home performance, it's easy to see why he got the nomination -- an emotional role as the wronged spouse in one of the year's big movies. But I think his work is a little hit-and-miss here; some of his moments are powerful, but others consist of just a lot of yelling.

I often smile when Jack Warden pops up in a movie, and he was funny, as usual, in Heaven Can Wait. But I'm afraid I can't see much of a point to his movie, not when Here Comes Mr. Jordan holds up perfectly well. I wouldn't vote for James Gleason in this role in his year, so it's hard for me to justify picking Jack Warden this go-round.

Midnight Express, in my opinion, is a fairly crackling thriller, with some real bite to it; John Hurt's tenderness offers a nice counterbalance to the all the grimness, though. He adds a lot of much-needed humanity to the film, and certainly earned his spot in this lineup.

But for me -- like most, I see -- it's Christopher Walken all the way. The Russian roulette sequence is beyond iconic -- I'd actually seen that scene numerous times before I'd even seen The Deer Hunter in its entirety -- and Walken's striking, off-the-rails work in that moment is chilling. But his performance throughout is very strong as well; the sensitivity of his earlier scenes gives his final moments more gravity, as we realize just how far his character has descended into madness. Walken has been a lot of fun in a lot of movies over the years, but this is his most powerful, full-bodied dramatic role, and one for which he won a well-deserved Oscar.

[ITALIANO]

Bruce Dern was - is - one of those not great but definitely not bad actors that American cinema is full of; they become familiar faces, but not many people remember their names. It's good, I guess, that Dern was nominated once; but that's all he deserved for his performance in that movie.

Richard Farnsworth's pathetic old cowboy - he has a justly famous scene, when he must use a chair to get on his horse - was actually the best aspect of the "dark", too ambitious "new" western Comes a Horseman. The nomination was certainly a tribute to his past as a great stuntman - and, like the movie itself, a nostalgic one. I'm sure that back then nobody must have thought that one day Farnsworth would be back, and in the Lead category, even.

Jack Warden is solidly professional as usual in Heaven Can Wait - he could have been nominated for any other movie he made in this period, when he was very active (and his movies, usually, high profile ones). But he's the kind of actor that rarely wins.

John Hurt had probably the most interesting, most human character in sight in Midnight Express - and he was the kind of fearless actor who could probably make any character seem more interesting and more complex than they really were, which is certainly the case here. Plus, he had that suffering-looking face which made him perfect for playing tormented roles. He has been better in other movies, but nobody can deny that he's impressively talented, and he should have been nominated more than just twice.

But the Oscar predictably went to Christopher Walken, mostly for his unforgettable, and even today somehow legendary, Russian roulette scene. I wouldn't say that Walken had the kind of career that this performance - and the Oscar - could have led to, but he's an extremely interesting, unique presence, one that American cinema could have used better. I'd love to vote for John Hurt, but not for Midnight Express - so Walken is my pick here.

[Sabin]

Haven't seen Comes a Horseman so I can't vote, and in truth I haven't seen Coming Home, Heaven Can Wait, and Midnight Express in so long it's just as well. That being said, I have enough of a grasp on the nominated performances of Dern, Hurt, and Warden that were I to vote, my choice would be Walken.

Doesn't seem like a year to get very enthusiastic about.

[Mister Tee]

and Barry Bostwick in what has become a very obscure film, Stanley Donen's Movie Moive.

A really witty piece of work, and one I'd love to get another look at, sometime.

[Big Magilla]

On the basis of performance I'd say Walken and Savage were fairly even, butit was the death scene that put Walken over the top. Either of the Deer Hunter boys would have been a good choice as would have made a fine choice as would have John Hurt in Midnight Express or Robert Morley in Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?.

Both Savge and Morley should have been nominated over Bruce Dern and Jack Warden. I'm on the fence about Richard Farnworth. It was a nice little performnace he gave in Comes a Horseman, but it's really the backstory of the stunt man making good that secured him the nod. My back-up choices would have been Michael Caine in California Suite and Barry Bostwick in what has become a very obscure film, Stanley Donen's Movie Moive.

[Mister Tee]

My favorite on the year was someone no one ever mentions: Michael Murphy in An Unmarried Woman. Murphy has the lack of vanity that lets him play unlikable guys without softening it to make the audience understand he's really a nice guy. I think he's just as good the follwoing year in Manhattan (where he played the Tony Roberts part with far more dimension than Roberts ever managed), but here's where I'd single him out.

I thought I'd have to dredge Robert Morley up myself, considering how obscure a movie Who Is Killing..? has become over the years, but I'm pleased to see other have already cited him.

And, yes, John Savage -- a mostly under-appreciated actor -- should definitely have been nominated alongside Walken. It's strange how some films generate double-nominees, and others with equal credentials never manage it.

Of the actual nominees:

Richard Farnsworth was something of a surprise nominee -- he'd received strong reviews, but his film was negligible, critically and commercially. I remember him being good, but the general torpor of the project didn't do anyone in it any favors.

Bruce Dern always struck me as the bus-and-truck version of his pal Jack Nicholson -- at least back then, he did much the same stuff Jack did, to less effect. I guess I don't mind him having a nomination somewhere along the line, but he's miles from ever rating a win.

I think Jack Warden gives a very fine, classic comedic supporting performance. I even thought, going into the night, that he'd win, based on years of service. But possibly many Academy voters -- along with me -- had too strong a memory of James Gleason in the corresponding role in Here Comes Mr. Jordan, and didn't find enough new to single Warden out.

John Hurt had been around since at least A Man for All Seasons, and had triumphed on TV as Quentin Crisp and Caligula, but this was his coming-out party in mainstream film. He adds a touch of delicacy to an otherwise blunt film, and gets consideration.

But I'll side with the Academy (and the current consensus here) and go with Christopher Walken. Nick is actually an atypical role for Walken's career -- apart from the late Vietnam sequence, he doesn't flash the borderline psycho for which he'll be most remembered. But his character's arc, from small-town boy to the shattered walking dead, is the most moving in The Deer Hunter (far more than the rather bland DeNiro character), and Walken is fully up to the task. For me, a clear choice.

[mlrg]

Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter

[Precious Doll]

I have never understood the huge acclaim for Christopher Walken in The Deer Hunter. I suspect some it may have something to do with the powerful Russian roulette scene which is the highlight of a good but overrated film. I have always been more appreciative of John Svavage's performance in the film myself.

My choices are:

1. Bruce Dern for Coming Home
2. John Savage for The Deer Hunter
3. David Warner for Silver Bears
4. Christopher Plummer for The Silent Partner
5. Chris Haywood for In Search of Anna

[Reza]

Yes this was Walken's best performance and he easily gets my vote.

My picks for 1978:

1. Robert Morley, Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?
2. Christopher Walken, The Deer Hunter
3. John Hurt, Midnight Express
4. Dudley Moore, Foul Play
5. John Savage, The Deer Hunter

The 6th Spot: Laurence Olivier, The Boys From Brazil

[MovieFan]

Walken. I did really like Farnsworth though, but Walken never gave as great of a performance as he did here, one of the best supporting turns to win the award

[ksrymy]

I haven't seen Farnsworth's performance, but I've never really enjoyed his work so I doubt it will influence me.

From those I have seen...

Bruce Dern was your go-to bad guy in the '70s and '80s but he doesn't do anything in Coming Home worth a nomination. He, but not so much as Milford, got swept up in the craze of the film. I will say that his death scene was pretty poetic though.

Jack Warden was very much an "Eh, who else is there to nominate?" kind of guy. He's a very reliable character actor, but he doesn't do anything of warrant here.

John Hurt turns a miserable film now famous for one scene into something worth seeing. Wise prisoner roles are always received well by the Academy and this may be the best one we've seen (yes, moreso than Morgan Freeman).

The only choice is Christopher Walken in his all-time greatest role.

My picks
___________________
1) Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
2) Robert Morley - Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?
3) John Hurt - Midnight Express
4) John Savage - The Deer Hunter
5) Michael Caine - California Suite

6) Dudley Moore - Foul Play