"Asked for his thoughts on his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, Leonardo DiCaprio told reporters Thursday that he really hopes he screamed and cried good enough in The Revenant to win the Oscar." It's Onion (link), of course. But, on a serious note, do you think that Leo finally deserves Oscar? I'd like to see that, but I think he may lose to Eddie Redmayne.
Leo'll probably end up smiling and clapping while dying a little bit inside. Just like the other times.
If Justice is to be served, and by Justice I mean my general ambivalence toward any self-congratulating award ceremony and my entirely (ir)rational preference for everything British, DiCaprio will hopefully be sobbing empty-handed into his million-dollar paycheques for at least another year. On a more serious note, I haven't seen The Revenant yet, but that aside, I actually don't think he's that good an actor. He's had some good roles, sure, and he can act, but there are far better ones out there. He's certainly not an actor that draws me to see films. That said, I don't think I'd go to any film just because a certain actor is in it. For entertainment's sake, therefore, I'd like him not to win, which means he probably will win. A maybe I should root for him to win so that he doesn't? But then fate would simply double-bluff me and let him win anyway! Argh! Simple answer: who cares! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I recall a film by Richard Harris called A Man Called Horse that had this similar type of script to it. So all they did was update that film to make this one. A Man Called Horse by Dorothy M. Johnson was originally published as a short story in Collier's magazine, January 7, 1950, and was reprinted in 1968 as a short story in her book Indian Country. It was later made into a Wagon Train episode in 1958 and into a film in 1970 with Richard Harris in the lead role as John Morgan and Manu Tupou as Yellow Hand. Plot summary[edit] The protagonist is a Boston aristocrat who is captured by a Native American tribe. Initially enslaved, he later comes to respect his captors' culture and gains their respect. He joins the tribe by showing his bravery and, later, gets back his dignity by marrying his owner's daughter, killing rival Indians and taking their horses. Taking the native name "Horse" (he was treated as a horse), he becomes a respected member of the tribe. WIKI
I'm not sure the plot is close enough to be called an update. First the story of the Revenant is based on a true story - albeit with considerable poetic licence with regard the antagonist (Tom Hardy's character). I'm not sure about A Man Called Horse, but I think it is purely fiction. Second, Revenant has no element of the protagonist acclimatising to another culture - it is simply a tale of survival through harsh environments driven by a desire to see revenge. They may both be westerns, and about a single person's tale of survival, but that's really as far as the similarities go.
I think Eddie Redmayne deserves the Oscar. His role in the Danish Girl was subtle and nuanced, and it left you wanting to see more of the character of Lily who he played so well. Truly there just wasn't that much dramatic acting or character development in the Revenant. The Onion got it right. Alot of grimacing and screaming, but is that acting?