5. Clifton Webb in Three Coins in a Fountain- Webb is a bit wasted in his film, but he does well to create a warmer take on his most frequent role as a snobbish intellectual.
4. Raymond Burr in Rear Window- Burr certainly gets help from his director, but in very key moments his performance as well amplifies power of his character within the film.
3. Peter Lorre in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea- Lorre is a very likable and lends some very nice lighthearted relief in his film as the endearing sidekick Conseil.
2. Fred MacMurray in The Caine Mutiny- MacMurray makes for an excellent villain playing the part with such charm that he tricks you into thinking that he is not even the villain.
1. Van Johnson in The Caine Mutiny-Johnson gives the best performance not nominated for an Oscar this year through his moving down to earth portrayal of a man who tries to do the right thing despite tremendous pressures all around him.
Peter Lorre did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Conseil in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Peter Lorre despite his long career as an actor was never nominated for an Oscar. Although to be sure he probably was not in consideration for this performance it is still worth looking at. When one refers to playing against type one would usually says a villainous performance from a actor who tends to play heroic performances. Peter Lorre in this film is the opposite case who commonly played monsters villains even apparently commenting that the giant squid in this film had the role that was usually given to him. In this film though Lorre does not play a villain by any means in fact one could easily argue he is the most positive character in the film.
Where James Mason's Nemo is too hell bent on his revenge, Kirk Douglas's Ned Land perhaps is a little to quick to becomes an adversary to Nemo, and Paul Lukas's professor is perhaps just a little to eager to sympathize with Nemo, Conseil for the most part just wants to do what is best for all of three of them who ended up on Nemo's submarine. This is a supporting performance in the most traditional way, in that Conseil is a wholly supportive character. He never has his own personal scenes and he is always very much a sidekick at first of the professor than later Ned's.
Lorre simply is (as RatedRStar correctly said) adorable in the role as Conseil and is just a warm very likable presence throughout the film. He might be the least important figure out of the four stars of the film, but he still leaves his own mark on the film in his own way. He is a very nice warm presence and it is really something special within in the film. He lightens things up in the film in just the right way despite never really feeling like an sort of comic relief. Lorre though shows well his under utilized talent of some nice comedic timing here and there in his down to earth reactions to the strange events occurring around. I particularly like when he demands a "fair trial" aboard the submarine.
His two relationships in the film are with the professor and Land. His relationship with the professor is appropriate enough, but he becomes Ned's friend when he sees that the professor is too wowed by Nemo's discoveries for his own good. Lorre and Douglas have excellent comedic chemistry with one another, and their interactions are some of the more enjoyable parts of the film. Whether it is the two of them running from cannibals, the repeated hair tossing gag, or when Douglas lets Lorre do a retribution punch to confirm their friendship they are always a great deal of fun together. Their lighthearted moments really work well, and are effective in the way they properly balance against some of the weightier scenes involving Mason's Nemo.
Lorre here is a quiet charmer with this performance and does well to make Conseil a low key but entertaining part of the film. His moments are small and short in regards to film, but I have to say I liked everything Lorre did in the role. This certainly is far from his more complex performances earlier in his career, but that does not mean this is not a performance worth mentioning. Lorre does his very best in making what could have been a truly throwaway side kick character, but instead makes Conseil a very warm and endearing character in the film. This simply is a treat for any Lorre fan as one can see that he could be just as much of a loveable teddy bear, as he could be a fierce monster.
The Constant Nymph(1943). A romantic drama. Cast Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith, Brenda Marshall, Charles Coburn, May Whitty, and Peter Lorre. It was adapted by Kathryn Scola from the Margaret Kennedy novel and play by Kennedy and Basil Dean, and directed by Edmund Goulding.
After, composer Lewis Dodd's latest symphony does not go over very well in London, he goes to visit an old friend musician, Albert Sanger. One of Sanger's four daughters Tessa, falls in love with Lewis and dreams of helping him follow his dream as a composer.
The very ill Sanger has kept his daughters away from society and now worries about what is to become of them. He asks Lewis to inform the girls wealthy uncle, Charles Creighton, if he dies. When the girls play a song that Lewis wrote for them, Sanger tells Lewis that, the beautiful melody is better than his more intellectual work.
Some time later, Sanger dies. Lewis sends for Creighton, who arrives with his beautiful daughter Florence and Kate travels to Milan to study music and Toni marries wealthy Fritz Bercovy. Lewis and Florence fall in love and when they announce their engagement, the frail heartbroken Tessa faints after hearing the news. Creighton arranges for Tessa and Paula to attend school in England and Lewis and Florence marry.
Six months later, Lewis is frustrated by Florence trying to take over his career and the couple quarrel constantly. When Tessa and Paula run away from their school, Lewis leaves to look for them, not attending the party that Florence has planned to introduce him to her friends. Lewis, later finds them home waiting for him. Paula leaves to join Fritz and Toni, who is pregnant and Tessa stays with Florence and Lewis. When Tessa hears Lewis' latest composition, based on the song that he wrote for her and her sisters, she believes it is not his best work.
Later, Tessa encourages Lewis to put sentiment back into his music and with Tessa's help, Lewis changes his composition. Florence, now knows that Tessa is her rival and tries to get rid of her. The night of the first performance, Lewis realizes that he is in love with Tessa and asks her to go away with him, but Tessa refuses because he is married to her cousin. The excitement of Lewis' proposal and the premiere of his composition causes Tessa to have another fainting spell, and Florence insists that Tessa stay home, rather than attend the concert. Will Lewis' concert go well and will Florence decide to let him go?
Fun Fact: Alfred Hitchcock was considered for directing this film. Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville was one of the writers of The Constant Nymph 1928 version.
A very romantic film, with beautiful music by Erich Korngold. Alexis Smith as the unloved wife gives a perfect performance, as does Joan Fontaine and Charles Boyer. The supporting actors are also very good, including Charles Coburn, Peter Lorre, Brenda Marshall, Dame May Witty, and Jean Muir. You will need plenty of Kleenex for the very touching ending.
Brenda Marshall (September 29, 1915 – July 30, 1992) Marshall made her first film appearance in the 1939 Espionage Agent. The following year, she played the leading lady to Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk. After divorcing actor Richard Gaines in 1940, she married the actor William Holden in 1941 and her own career quickly slowed. She starred opposite James Cagney in the 1942 film Captains of the Clouds. The Constant Nymph (1943) was a popular success but she virtually retired after this, appearing in only four more inconsequential films. Among these, she played scientist Nora Goodrich in the grade-B 1946 cult classic Strange Impersonation.
435. (16 Oct) The Beast with Five Fingers (1946, Robert Florey) 38
There's a definite novelty in a movie about a violent disembodied hand, but it's clear that since Peter Lorre is the soul it's torturing that it's probably all in his mind. When the twist finally comes around that it is indeed all imagined, it's pretty frustrating that the movie is so boldly pointless. There are some gothic horror elements that make this briefly fun, but it's an almost instantly forgettable B-movie.
