Smackdown

The category is Best Supporting Actor and the year is 1977. So let's see my ranking for this very weak year, which did not offer any legendary performances (at least no in this category), but I chose to do it because this one was the eastiest to decide.

1.Jason Robards in Julia: No doubt, he won for the same performance twice, but this is one of the rare examples when the second one is better. I think that Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave steal the show in Julia, but Jason Robards manages on his own and he was able to create a memorable character. I think his best scene is the big moment of Jane Fonda in the end, in which he's able to show how amazing he is in it without threataning Fonda's performance. So great character actor, deserved win.
Grade:****

2.Alec Guiness in Star Wars: I'm so sorry for this terrific actor. He hated this performance of his, so I won't embarass his memory by giving him the #1 place. I can really appraciate this performance, because he's able to be decent with such an awfully written character.He said those cheesy lines as if they were worth something. I guess being good in a well-written part is easy, but in this kind of role, it's a miracle. Something comes to my mind which was said by Walter Huston: "Hell, I ain't paid to make good lines sound good. I'm paid to make bad lines sound good."
Grade:**

3.Peter Firth in Equus: Oh, this movie was such a phony one. And sometimes I felt the same with the performance of Peter Firth. Sometimes I felt that it was fake, I think he did not always make the right decisions and I think that Richard Burton outshined him. His big scene was nothing memorable for me either, so some people might adore this performance, I just could not really like it. I might need to rewatch Equus.
Grade:**

4.Maximillian Schell in Julia: Hmmm, what was he doing in this movie? Well, nothing maybe? For the first time I did not even recognise him and I really did not care about his performance. I really think that Schell is an excellent actor, who gave a great performance in Judgment at Nuremberg, but this nomination was quite an undeserved one. I just don't think that I should waste more time to this performance, which could have been great had he had more to do.
Grade:*

5.Mikhail Baryshnikov in The Turning Point: Oh, how much I hated The Turning Point and this great ballet dancer is simply awful in it. His nomination is sooooo pointless. He did not do anything or what he did was so unremarkable, that I was simply appaled that he got this nomination. Well his dancing is excellent, but his acting does not exist.
Grade:-

I am apologizing for not finding a decent picture of Robards.

P.S: I am not going to able to write an entries until next Saturday because I will be skiing in France next week.