Proving once again why they are the greatest cinemablog on the Web, Dirty Harry of Libertas posts his list of the The Five Greatest Performances on DVD (Male):
When I watch an actor work, I watch the eyes. You can spot a liar in the eyes and bad actors are liars. Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts are three of the most overpraised liars in film history. In their eyes, you see Divas. You see stars who can’t wait to read their reviews. You never see their characters. They don’t believe a word they’re saying. And neither do I.
And “method†isn’t a requirement. Jimmy Stewart, Ginger Rogers, Spencer Tracy and many of The Greats may not have hid behind big noses and push-up bras to bait Oscar voters but you always believed them. So, with my standard in mind I offer what I believe to be the five greatest male performances in film history, and thankfully, they’re all available on DVD.
Here they are, but you’ll have to go to Libertas to read the reasoning behind each selection. I’m in 100% agreement on 1-3, and I don’t have any qualms with 4 and 5, but I have a feeling that after I dwell on it a bit longer, I’ll probably come up with an alternate or two for those spots.
- 5) Jack Lemmon in The Days Of Wine and Roses (1962)
- 4) Montgomery Clift in A Place In The Sun (1951)
- 3) Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
- 2) Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972)
- 1) John Wayne in The Searchers (1956)
