2. Humphrey Bogart - The Caine Mutiny
Speaking of understated performances, here's a great one. Humphrey Bogart is part of a large group of great actors who only received one Academy Award over the course of their careers. This doesn't seem like a big deal; however, in most cases, such actors win their sole award for one of their lesser performances. This was the case with Bogey. While Bogart's portrayal of Charles Alnutt in The African Queen isn't a horrible performance, it dances on the edge of overacting. It certainly isn't worthy of a Best Actor award. A far more deserving performance is the the one Bogart would deliver three years later in the 1954 film adaptation of Herman Wouk's novel The Caine Mutiny. In The Caine Mutiny, Bogart portrays Philip Queeg, the captain of the USS Caine, a minesweeper stationed in the South Pacific during World War II. At first glance, Queeg seems to be a tough, no-nonsense captain, the kind of man who attains high military ranks and lots of medals. However, after a series of strange events, the Caine's crew becomes convinced that their captain's stoic personality is a facade for a huge amount of insecurity and paranoia. Things come to a head during a typhoon, during which Queeg's paranoid rantings and actions put the lives of the crew in danger. Seeing this, Stephen Maryk (Van Johnson) relieves Queeg of his command. Queeg is outraged; he presses charges against Maryk and the rest of the Caine's crew. The military brass is initially supportive of Queeg; however, after Queeg's paranoia comes out during the court-martial, they begin to think differently. Bogart's performance is a masterpiece of restraint. It would have easy to play Queeg as a lunatic, chewing the scenery to shreds in the process. However, such a performance would have ruined the film, making it into a comedy. Bogart understood this. As a result, he plays Queeg's paranoia very quietly. He takes care to not point out Queeg's insecurities and paranoid delusions to the audience. Instead, he plays them as if they were normal behavior. Even when Queeg's paranoia comes out entirely, Bogart doesn't go for scenery-chewing. Rather, he slowly ramps up the intensity of his performance throughout the scene. He does it so subtly that we don't even notice until the end of the scene. Bogart performance in The Caine Mutiny is easily one of the best of his career. Sadly, Bogart lost the Best Actor award to Marlon Brando's not-so-hot performance in On The Waterfront. While Brando's talent keeps his work in On The Waterfront from descending into total mediocrity, it's not one of the highlights of his career.