MovieChat Forums > Ryan's Daughter (1970) Discussion > Mills should not have won.

Mills should not have won.

posted 15 years ago by j1977
13 replies | jump to latest

Mills' character of Michael in this film is up there on the list of performances that are so over the top they're offensive. It's up there with Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffanys. He doesn't utter a single word, which is fine, but his facial expressions are so hammy and he looks so ridiculous, its just a shame that he won the award. One of Oscar's biggest mistakes. Should've gone to Gene Hackman in I Never Sang For My Father.

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[–] Hancock_the_Superb 15 years ago

Trevor Howard, Leo McKern and even Barry Foster were far more deserving amongst actors who were in the film.

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[–] onepotato2 14 years ago

omg. Hackman was friggin terrible in that godawful movie. 'Sang' had no effect on movies. Seems like that's a resonable criteria.

It is deservedly obscure today.

[–] nigeltext 13 years ago

All due respect onepotato2, I couldn't disagree more. 'Sang' may or may not have influenced film...but anyone with aging parents could see it as a spot on representation of the frustrations that time of life brings to both parent AND offspring. And I thought Hackman nailed it.

Also, in my opinion, the character of Michael was one of Ryan's Daughter's few flaws and I also feel Mills didn't deserve an Oscar for same.

"What's wrong with a little good, clean violence?"

[–] lastmidnite2 12 years ago

I grew up in a neighborhood with a mentally challenged man who behaved exactly like Mills. Too bad nobody let this poor soul know he was "over the top". Mills won a very well deserved Oscar.

[–] nigeltext 12 years ago

Very fair point.

But I'm gonna' stick with Gene Hackman every day and twice on Sunday. ;)

Absolutely loved this movie though. One of my fav director's of all-time. Cheers!

"What's wrong with a little good, clean violence?"

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Tristan-21 9 years ago

If you want an Oscar, do a holocaust movie or play some defective. Those bleeding hearts adore retards and cripples. Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Leo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape... there must be more.

The difference is, Hoffman couldn't act his way out of a paper bag. Even in Rain Man and Papillion, he was pretty much just playing himself with an affliction. John Mills, on the other hand, did a lot of great work for which he never won anything. This one made up for that.

[–] wwestar 8 years ago

He also won because he remebered the rule and never went FULL RETARD.

[–] rascal67 8 years ago

DiCaprio didn't win an Oscar for Grape. Hoffman should have been regulated to support for Rain Man and Cruise should have been nominated lead and won. Mills was fine in Ryan's Daughter, yet I feel that Trevor Howard was better as a support performer.

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[–] FeinMess 8 years ago

Gene Hackman should have been nominated for Best Actor and not Supporting Actor for I Never Sang for My Father - if you watch the movie - he is in every scene, while Melvyn Douglas who was nominated for Best Actor conversely should have received a supporting nomination. Gene was great in INSFMF and it remains one of his most underrated, unheralded and least known great roles.

No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn ..... JM

[–] Typewriter-Blues 8 years ago

I would have preferred Trevor Howard to have won the Oscar. He was outstanding as the priest!

I wish Gene Hackman had been nominated as Lead Actor alongside Melvyn Douglas in I Never Sang for My Father. I think him winning Supporting Actor would be akin to Tatum O'Neal winning Supporting Actress for Paper Moon.

[–] tnsprin-2 8 years ago

There are a few different versions of the movie that show his performance. I saw the early version (first run at the Ziegfeld in NY). In that they showed much more of his performance and he clearly deserved the award. Other cuts of the movie, esp. the general release, made it less obvious.