best actor Oscar 1974

Al Pacino, hands down.

Tough race. I'm torn between Hoffman, Nicholson and Pacino. All were unimprovable.

Art Carney is perfect in Harry and Tonto. Pacino, Hoffman, and Nicholson played Pacino, Hoffman, and Nicholson like they always do.

Brother, R3. What an idiotic "observation."

I would have chosen Gene Hackman for The Conversation. But of the five nominated, I'd go with Carney.

And I would have punted Finney and Hoffman for Hackman, and Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein.

You, R5, and every Academy voter over 80, circa 197475.

Pacino over Nicholson. The other three performances are very quite good, but Pacino’s Michael Corleone and Nicholson’s Jake Gittes are two of the most iconic roles in cinema.

And even though Art Carney had no business beating either (and I’d probably rank him fifth of those five), Harry and Tonto is an underrated movie and Carney gives a strong performance. If you watched Harry and Tonto without knowing his competition, you’d probably think he was a deserving winner. And in another year, he probably would have been.

Chinatown is my all time favorite movie. Jack for the win.

But I can't think of another race that has three performances as good as Jack, Pacino, and Hoffman. My god what a year.

Art Carney gave an unexpectedly quiet and touching performance to voters who knew him as Ed Norton. He caught them off guard and totally deserved the win.

Carney was in every frame, and he was wonderful and the film was a huge hit.

Pacino and Nicholson should have tied for best actor that year. They both gave performances that will last until the end of time.

Wow, what a good list. Movies are now about everything but the acting.

There's something for every movie lover on that list.

[quote]Pacino and Nicholson should have tied for best actor that year. They both gave performances that will last until the end of time.

Maybe they did and cancelled each other out.

Pacino and Nicholson went up against each other again when they were nominated for Dog Day Afternoon and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, respectively. I would've given that one to Pacino. In fact, I would've given them both to Pacino even though I revere Chinatown, but then again I revere Godfather Part 2 also. What a decade for movies!

Releases are so different now too. There wasn't an "Oscar Season". You just had to open before the end of the year. "Harry & Tonto" opened in August and at least in the NY area played exclusively in NYC and anyone on Long Island, in Jersey and the boroughs had to go to "they city" to see and it didn't go "wide" until December. Then it played way into 1975 as an Oscar winner and as a double feature. In fact all those Best Actor movies were exclusive NY engagements for months. That was a prestige release.

I agree completely, R16, especially about giving it to Pacino for Dog Day Afternoon. His best performance, I think. He deserved it both years.

[quote]Pacino, Hoffman, and Nicholson played Pacino, Hoffman, and Nicholson like they always do.

Except we didn't know that yet about Pacino in 1974.

It's a ridiculous statement about either Pacino or Nicholson, and patently untrue. Pacino was the height of restraint and conteplation in that part, early in his career, and not at all later what he was known for.

*contemplation

How in god's name did Pacino play himself?