Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Best Actor

The fourth in this year’s Academy Award series. These are my picks for who should have won in the major categories. There is nothing in the 2000’s and I have stayed away from commonly discussed controversies. This one is for Best Actor, 1943. And, it’s personal. The nominees (with an asterisk by the winner):

Humphrey Bogart – Casablanca

Gary Cooper – For Whom the Bell Tolls

*Paul Lukas – Watch on the Rhine

Walter Pidgeon – Madame Curie

Mickey Rooney – The Human Comedy

Recreating his Broadway role, Lukas won for this “important” film dealing with the fight against the Nazis. It is distinguished by having the screenplay adapted by Dashiell Hammett from a play by Lillian Hellman. But, for me, it’s filled with too many speeches on the evils of the world which overshadow the drama.

Now, “Casablanca” as well deals with the fight against Nazis but doesn’t present itself as a message film. It has romance, drama, self-realization, and self-sacrifice. The world weariness that Bogart portrays turns into a call to action. His transformation in the movie is subtle and yet packs a wallop.

He delivers some of the greatest lines in film history with a mix of blasé indifference, sly sarcasm, and raw emotion. This is my all-time favorite film. The performances, writing, and direction have made it a continuel classic.

I’ll finish the series with Best Picture. You might be surprised at the year I choose.