1936 – Paul Muni
The Story of Louis Pasteur
Hmmm… I’m ok with Paul Muni’s nomination for Best Actor, but I’m not so sure about his win. Did he do a good job? Yes, of course he did. He was Paul Muni, and I‘ve never seen him turn in a bad performance. But was the role worth the nomination? I don’t know. Did the role demand much of the actor? Did Muni have to stretch himself, dig deep and give us something extraordinary? I’m skeptical. So then I have to look at what he was up against. Gary Cooper in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Walter Houston in Dodsworth, William Powel in My Man Godfrey, and Spencer Tracy in San Francisco. Hmmm… I don’t know.
One thing I can say for Muni is that he completely transformed himself for this role. I mean physically, I would not have recognized him as the same actor who was in I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang or The Valiant. And apparently, as an actor who got his start in live theatre, Muni did his own makeup, and did an incredible job! Kudos to you Mr. Muni. But it wasn’t just his physical appearance that made him stand out from his previous roles. It was his movements, his mannerisms, his vocal production. He completely inhabited the character of Louis Pasteur.
In fact, there were several things within the narrative that gave Muni the opportunity to shine a little, not the least of which was the film’s climax, where Pasteur is recognized for his amazing accomplishments and the lives his work was responsible for saving. He gives an inspirational speech that was both powerful and humble at the same time, and Muni delivered it with passion and conviction.
The only problem with the role is that there is no real character arch. Pasteur is introduced in the beginning as a hard-working and honest scientist who genuinely cares about the welfare and betterment of humanity. He cares more about his work than his reputation. And he remained steadfastly true to that character throughout the entire film. In the end he was exactly the same. He was depicted as a saint with no discernable flaws. Muni played it well, but the character was a little dull to watch because he was almost unbelievably perfect. But I suppose that wasn’t Muni’s fault, and he did an admirable job bringing Pasteur to life.