Nominees: Jesus Christ Superstar, Amarcord, The Last Detail, American Graffiti, Belladonna of Sadness, Paper Moon, High Plains Drifter, Duvidha, Kamouraska, Ana and the Wolves
Oscars pick: The Sting
Nominees: American Graffiti, Cries and Whispers, The Exorcist, A Touch of Class
One fun thing about this undertaking is watching the industry grow and change, different movements, directors, and actors. And the actor of the early 70s for me was Jack Nicholson. In Hal Ashby's Last Detail he plays petty officer "Bad-ass" Buddusky, who has the unpleasant task of escorting a young sailor to a Naval prison. It's a movie that's funny and shows some heart. Detail joins nominees like my much beloved Jesus Christ Superstar (a musical I've adored from the first album release on through its stage production).
At the top of the heap is a movie that's pure, unfiltered joy- Truffaut's Day For Night. Like Fellini’s 8 ½ it’s a movie about making a movie... though it lacks 8 ½'s surreal qualities. In fact, it was so straightforward at the start, I feared that it might turn out to be a bore. But as each scene unfolded, I was slowly and inexorably beguiled by the film's charms.
What makes Day for Night extra special was that it was made by a cineaste for cineastes (and cinephiles). For example – there's a scene where an actress can't get her lines right, and she wants to recite numbers as dialog as she did for Fellini. That’s a wonderful nod to those who know that for years, the Italians didn't have the equipment to film visuals and audio at the same time. They had to dub in everything –sound, dialog, and music- in post. So one could get away with speaking gibberish. Later in that same sequence, the camera pulls back you see pieces of paper tacked up and taped all over the set. These are the actress's lines, posted on cue cards, which is a trick Brando was famous for.
Actor tantrums, director's manipulations, dull moments between takes.... the studio cat! Above all though, this wasn't a cynical, bitter Godard-style take on the subject. This was a warm and funny tribute to the medium Truffaut loved with all his heart.
The Sting was a red-hot movie, in a year with several red-hot conversation starters, like the scary and sick Exorcist. There were a lot of productions that had people saying, "You gotta see this..." Sadly, on one occasion that buzz occurred after a death (Bruce Lee finally getting the attention he deserved).
While I thought The Sting was good, I wasn't fond of Bergman's highly touted Cries and Whispers. I thought it went overboard on the arty pretenses, rather self-conscious in its affectations - gaudy, as it devolved into something akin to art-house parody. And I say this as an admirer of the director’s work.
🎭 Finally: I know some feel Oscar made a blunder with its Best Actor selection; I've even been on sites where they rip Jack Lemmon's performance to shreds. I can't go along with that; Lemmon was phenomenal to my mind. Running the emotional gamut with his work, but never overplayed it. It's sincere, powerful... and yes some might call it Oscar Bait (and Christ I hate that term, because so what, it's also an incredibly committed and honest portrayal of a man at the end of his rope. It never came off like a Jon Lovitz 'Master Thespian' play for praise.).
Note: This category was overcrowded - a few I like who missed the final cut... Ryan O'Neal, Paper Moon, Edward Fox, The Day of the Jackal, and Robert Shaw, The Hireling
Actress? Oscar usually throws kids into the supporting pool, but with Tatum O'Neal, you can't even evoke the side-kick rule. If anything, Ryan's the sidekick... she's the boss. And she's also my Best Actress in a Leading Role. With Tatum placed in her correct category, I needed a supporting player. There were plenty of good ones, but it was the -sometimes- underappreciated Candy Clark who stood out among the crowd. It’s not an outsized performance, but it is a memorable one. In that, she brought personality and levels to what could have been a throwaway part (the blond bimbo who's there just to give Toad something to do). She’s a unique construct - in the way she moves and delivers her lines and in the odd things she talks about (goatsuckers). Debbie is funny/peculiar, a little restless, and -as evidenced in what she says to Toad at the end- a sweet person.
Best Actor: Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger
Honorable Mentions:
Vincent Price, Theatre of Blood * Robert Mitchum, The Friends of Eddie Coyle * Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail * Carl Anderson & Ted Neely, Jesus Christ Superstar * Sean Connery, The Offence * Balraj Sahni, Garm Hava * Edward Woodward, The Wicker Man * Al Pacino & Gene Hackman, Scarecrow * Donald Sutherland, Don't Look Now
Actress? Oscar usually throws kids into the supporting pool, but with Tatum O'Neal, you can't even evoke the side-kick rule. If anything, Ryan's the sidekick... she's the boss. And she's also my Best Actress in a Leading Role. With Tatum placed in her correct category, I needed a supporting player. There were plenty of good ones, but it was the -sometimes- underappreciated Candy Clark who stood out among the crowd. It’s not an outsized performance, but it is a memorable one. In that, she brought personality and levels to what could have been a throwaway part (the blond bimbo who's there just to give Toad something to do). She’s a unique construct - in the way she moves and delivers her lines and in the odd things she talks about (goatsuckers). Debbie is funny/peculiar, a little restless, and -as evidenced in what she says to Toad at the end- a sweet person.
Best Actor: Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger Honorable Mentions:
Vincent Price, Theatre of Blood * Robert Mitchum, The Friends of Eddie Coyle * Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail * Carl Anderson & Ted Neely, Jesus Christ Superstar * Sean Connery, The Offence * Balraj Sahni, Garm Hava * Edward Woodward, The Wicker Man * Al Pacino & Gene Hackman, Scarecrow * Donald Sutherland, Don't Look Now
Honorable Mentions:
Florinda Bolkan, A Brief Vacation * Sarah Miles, The Hireling * Julie Christie, Don't Look Now * Geneviève Bujold, Kamouraska * Ellen Burstyn & Linda Blair, The Exorcist * Ana Torrent, The Spirit of the Beehive * Geraldine Chaplin, Ana and the Wolves
Supporting Actress: Candy Clark, American Graffiti
* Note: Badlands played in one festival in 1973, but didn't go wide until 1974... which is the year I'm placing it in.
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