Bright Victory (1951)
Arthur Kennedy was honored by the Academy five times for his performances, but none was more deserving than his only leading nomination for Bright Victory. I’m very happy that he was nominated, but I do feel sorry for him that he had such competition that year and didn’t end up taking home either the Oscar or the Rag awards. I urge you to see his performance. If you’re already a fan, you’ll be happy to see him carry the movie, and if you’re neutral or don’t have a very high opinion of him, you’ll be very impressed.
Art stars as a blinded soldier, and his journey through rediscovering his world and facing a new life is remarkable. There’s a heartbreaking scene when he first finds out he’ll never see again when he wanders his way into the restroom and unknowingly faces the mirror. He paws the surface in front of him and tells himself to remember his mother’s face. He sobs then manages to find a razor on one of the sinks and tries to slit his wrists. Bright Victory doesn’t feature a lead as cheerful as Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives. Art is despondent, angry, scared, and pitiable. He completely abandons his family and his girl because he’s ashamed of his handicap, and even as he makes new friends and explores a new romance, he’s not perfect. His best friend at the veterans’ hospital is James Edwards, and while they play, talk, and go out together, Art doesn’t know James’s skin color. He makes a racist comment and hurts James deeply. There’s more than just blindness Art has to overcome, and it’s a true experience to watch him try.
This is a tour-de-force performance by an underrated actor. Spencer Tracy was often called “a baked potato” because his performances had no frills, but there were many other men who shared that same quality, including Arthur Kennedy. Had this movie not come out the same year as Death of a Salesman, A Place in the Sun, Night Into Morning, A Christmas Carol, He Ran All the Way, and Ace in the Hole, Art would have undoubtedly and easily swept up every award.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Juhi Thaker" for posting!
More Rock Hudson movies here!
Art stars as a blinded soldier, and his journey through rediscovering his world and facing a new life is remarkable. There’s a heartbreaking scene when he first finds out he’ll never see again when he wanders his way into the restroom and unknowingly faces the mirror. He paws the surface in front of him and tells himself to remember his mother’s face. He sobs then manages to find a razor on one of the sinks and tries to slit his wrists. Bright Victory doesn’t feature a lead as cheerful as Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives. Art is despondent, angry, scared, and pitiable. He completely abandons his family and his girl because he’s ashamed of his handicap, and even as he makes new friends and explores a new romance, he’s not perfect. His best friend at the veterans’ hospital is James Edwards, and while they play, talk, and go out together, Art doesn’t know James’s skin color. He makes a racist comment and hurts James deeply. There’s more than just blindness Art has to overcome, and it’s a true experience to watch him try.
This is a tour-de-force performance by an underrated actor. Spencer Tracy was often called “a baked potato” because his performances had no frills, but there were many other men who shared that same quality, including Arthur Kennedy. Had this movie not come out the same year as Death of a Salesman, A Place in the Sun, Night Into Morning, A Christmas Carol, He Ran All the Way, and Ace in the Hole, Art would have undoubtedly and easily swept up every award.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Juhi Thaker" for posting!
More Rock Hudson movies here!