Thursday, February 8, 2007

Will "Venus" mean Oscar for Peter O'Toole?

The latest film to star screen legend Peter O'Toole is being tauted as the film which possibly give 'Lawerence' his first Oscar. He has been nominated 45 times:)

When I was in Atlanta a few weeks ago, I saw an article by "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" film critic Eleanor Ringel Gillespie which said: "You must see Peter O'Toole." You just must. No excuses."

Gillespie added in her review of the film, which is directed by veteran Roger Michell ("Notting Hill," "Enduring Love"), that: "The ruined beauty of O'Toole permeates every frame of 'Venus,' a movie that exists for almost no other reason than to allow us to worship at the altar of this incomparable actor."

O'Toole has often given great performances in year's where many actors gave standout performances. In 1962, the year he was nominated for "Lawerence of Arabia," the then 28-year-old O'Toole lost to Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar for "To Kill a Mockingbird."

In 1983, O'Toole's delirious, brilliant performance in "My Favorite Year" was overshadowed not only by that year's Oscar winner Ben Kingsley ("Gandhi"), but also by Paul Newman ("The Verdict") and Dustin Hoffman ("Tootsie"). Newman did not win his first Oscar until "The Color of Money" in 1987.

All of this begs the question, should Oscar be more about rewarding someone who has been giving great performances for a long, long time, or should it be more about giving the award for a terrific performance regardless?

This year, O'Toole's main challenger is Forest Whitaker who played the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland."

Perhaps, a tie would be most fitting but that has not happened in quite a long time.

"Venus" is playing in most markets now.

It will begin its run at the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke tomorrow.

Additional sites:

http://www.ajc.com

http://www.grandintheatre.com

 

 

No comments: