Alternate Best Actor 1960: Results

5. Robert Mitchum in The Sundowners- Mitchum gives as usual a good performance that always stays very light but fitting to the film.

4. Max von Sydow in The Virgin Spring- Sydow although takes awhile to have his moment is quite powerful in his depiction of a father's grief and vengeance.

3. Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita- Mastroianni acts as an effective guide as for the audience through the decadence in Rome, as well as gives an effective portrait of a man slowly giving in to it.

2. Albert Finney in Saturday Morning and Sunday Night- Finney gives a raw and powerful performance as a frustrated young man who could care less of societal expectations.

1. Anthony Perkins in Psycho- Congratulations to both Michael Patison and Maciej for their correct predictions please feel free to name a year and a performance. This year was incredibly close for me not between Finney and Perkins, but between Perkins and Olivier. Perkins after all gives an outstanding performance as Norman Bates being truly terrifying in his chilling portrait of a deranged man. I still will have Olivier remain the winner for the moment since I really need to watch the Entertainer again to be sure because the two are definitely close. It would be easy to hand Perkins the win since he is amazing, but I could not cheat my favorite actor like that.

Overall Rank:

1. Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer
2. Anthony Perkins in Psycho
3. Burt Lancaster in Elmer Gantry
4. Albert Finney in Saturday Morning and Sunday Night
5. Jack Lemmon in The Apartment
6. Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita
7. Kirk Douglas in Spartacus 
8. Max von Sydow in The Virgin Spring
9. Dean Stockwell in Sons and Lovers
10. Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind
11. Yul Brynner in The Magnificent Seven
12. Robert Mitchum in The Sundowners
13. Rod Taylor in The Time Machine
14. Burt Lancaster in The Unforgiven 
15. Paul Newman in Exodus
16. Jules Dassin in Never on Sunday
17. Frank Sinatra in Ocean's Eleven  
18. Stuart Whitman in Murder Inc.
19. Fredric March in Inherit The Wind

Next Year: 2003

Alternate Best Actor 1960: Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita

Marcello Mastroianni did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Marcello Rubini in La Dolce Vita.

La Dolce Vita is an interesting even if overlong film that is an episodic story of the various moment in the life of a tabloid journalist.

La Dolce Vita is very Federico Fellini's picture from beginning to end. It is a director's picture the whole way through controlling the film with his remarkable imagery, and the actors are very much in service of their director. The characters are there very much to suit the points of the director's scene more than they are to create their own incredible characterization. This true just about down the line for the most part, it is even true to some degree for the leading man of Marcello Mastroianni, although he is allowed developments of sorts even though they are relatively limited. There is actually plenty of time for him still as this is a long film, but Marcello's story is hardly the only focus of the film.

Mastroianni acts as our guide through the various journey's into the very particular culture of the wealthy in Rome. Mastroianni has a very particular role in so many scenes which is being a watcher rather than the actor in many scenes. After all Marcello is a journalist in the film and his point is to observe for his articles not to be the person who the articles are about. As the observer Mastroianni is effective at being one. He brings attention to himself to only the right amount. Marcello is there always, he might not be the most flamboyant individual in many scenes, but he is always interesting to watch and Mastroianni effectively brings us into his observer status.

Mastroianni is his usual charming self, even though it is in a way purposefully muted here. Unlike in say Dark Eyes where he was all about romantic gestures, Mastroianni portrays Marcello's various romantic encounters with women in a very downplayed way. Marcello is constantly having affairs with women, but even when he approaches them with proclamations of the love his method is something that is almost depressed at times. This actually works terrifically for his character though who in terms of his romantic associations is a little bit like Albert Finney's performance from this year.

The most important part of Marcello's life as a journalist is how little pleasure that Mastroianni shows in all that Marcello does whether it is being in a party or wooing one of his romantic conquests. It is simply something he just does and goes along with. Everything that comes with it Mastroianni shows that Marcello only takes it in stride. It does not matter what it is even being attacked over getting involved with one of the many women he gets involved in. Mastroianni shows a very strong hesitation and exasperated in Marcello what he does. This is not from any pain that he has in the past really, but rather Mastroianni effectively shows that it simply comes from his whole sort of life.

Mastroianni carries his tired look at his life well most of the film without overdoing it to the point in which it becomes tiresome, he rather shows well the type of man that can come from living in the certain sort of decadence that Marcello stays in. Marcello is not always tired though and there are some very important moments in Mastroianni performance that are quite notable. One set of scenes in particular are when his father comes to visit him, and Mastroianni is very good in showing a very different side to Marcello. Mastroianni is very quiet in these scenes but moving as he portrays a tenderness in Marcello that hints at perhaps the possibilities of a different life for him, as Mastroianni makes it clear Marcello honestly does care about his father.

There are two other important scenes for Marcello's character outside of his normal spectrum. One consists of a fairly brutal fight with his clinging girlfriend where Marcello fights against moving away from his current life. Mastroianni is louder here than most of his other scenes as he brings to life the anger in him of not having any idea what he really wants, only that what he has really is not it. The other important scene for him comes when a tragedy occurs involving one of Marcello's friend. In this scene we see him lose his tired exasperation finally and there almost seems to be clarity in him over what has occurred. Mastroianni is almost silent here but he is very powerful in showing how deeply affected Marcello over what has happened.

Mastroianni performance ends in a final long scene where years later after the other action Marcello seems to have final done something. What that something is the is only going further into his the life of decadence, and Mastroianni is amazing in this final scene in showing just how pathetic Marcello finally has become. Before where he seemed tired here Marcello seems ready collapse in Mastroianni's depiction. There is not really even the slightest joy in him now which seemed to occasionally appear before. There is almost nothing left in Marcello now but the decadence which he tries to go further and further into, as Mastroianni portrays a drive to get something out of it, but there is nothing there. It is an incredible end to this effective work from Mastroianni which moves in a wonderful harmony with the film.

Alternate Best Actor 1960

And the Nominees Were Not:

Robert Mitchum in The Sundowners

Albert Finney in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 

Anthony Perkins in Psycho

Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita

Max von Sydow in The Virgin Spring

REVIEW: La Dolce Vita

(dir. Federico Fellini, 1961)

Over and over again, La Dolce Vita has been vetted as a masterpiece and as Fellini's most outstanding work.  Entertainment Weekly thought so much of it, that Dolce landed at #6 on their list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, behind the likes of Raging Bull, Chinatown, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, and The Godfather.  Pretty good company, huh?

It stars Marcello Mastroianni, one of Italy's great actors and the recognizable face from Fellini's equally famous follow-up, 8 1/2, as journalist and Man About Town Marcello Rubini.  The film is broken down into a series of 7 days complete with dawn, afternoon, and night; often, and most interestingly, the blurry line between the transition of these times is jumped.  In true Fellini fashion, the audience is told to accept the minute magical elements, and trust that it's part of the theme.  The most wonderful of these moments feature Mastroianni and Swedish-cum-Marilyn Monroe look-a-like Anita Ekberg (as film superstar, paparazzi magnet, and resident life-loving bimbo Sylvia) wading in the Trevi Fountain in the middle of the night.  Sylvia seemingly christens Marcello with a trickle of water, and boom suddenly we go from night to dawn.

The film focuses on the new (new as in, late 50s early 60s) moral standard of Italy, and often finds juxtapositions with the prior moral standard of the ruling Catholic Church.  The Church's presence isn't surprising, given that somewhere in most Fellini film you're bound to stumble on the Catholic Church and probably Catholic Guilt.  But nevertheless, the film opens with the second coming of Christ, or as Fellini frames it, a helicopter flying a statue of outstretched Jesus through Rome.  

Marcello and Sylvia in the fountain

But what's so fascinating about the film is how well the new moral order comes to order, and how unaffected Marcello seems by it.  For starters, he cheats on his fiancée in the first scene of the film, tries to seduce Sylvia, participates in a quasi-seance, and is seduced by a self-proclaimed whore.  If his actions weren't enough, he is surrounded by immorality, from his fiancée nearly overdosing to one of his dearest friends committing suicide.  And as we settle in for the final scene of the film, we see that Marcello's moral wall has come crashing down when   trying to liven up a late-night party   suggests a striptease and public sex take place.  In this final scene, he proceeds to literally feather a drunk girl as he violently tell her to sober up.

As smart, rich, and clever as it was, I couldn't make myself love it.  It didn't have the heart most other Fellini films have, and I thought it unusually cold.  Sure the ending may be hopeful, but it's also one of total doubt for the future not only of this man, but of the Italy he represents.  The segments never totally blended together for me, and I found it rather difficult to know when a new one has landed.  I imagine that's no mistake on Fellini's end, since giving the film a fluidity could suggest a mirroring of Marcello's lifestyle.  One aspect of the film I did adore, though, were the Oscar-winning costumes (a rare feat in that category for a modern-day film, the award is usually taken by heavy period pieces).  Marcello's suits were killer, and Sylvia's dress was...breathtaking, for a myriad of reasons.  If you like this, or want to test the waters with other Fellini works, I suggest 8 1/2, I Vitelloni, and Satyricon.  GRADE: B

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