ALBERT FINNEY
                                                     Part One

It’s hard to know where to start in detailing the career of the late Albert Finney, who left us recently at 82. He was one of those Brits who could do American accents perfectly. He was nominated for Oscar five times and never won. Not even one of those Lifetime Achievement award deals. Perhaps the fact he never went to the Oscars and publicly disdained awards had something to do with it.
He first appeared on moviegoer radars as Arthur in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960). In the 60's the British were churning out darkish dramas they named Kitchen Sink Movies and this was one of the best ones. This one, like most, dealt with a working man trying to make it under trying circumstances. It was, again like most, in black and white and uniformly grim. 
But for something completely different, Mr. Finney lit up the screen as Tom Jones (1963), the raunchy Henry Fielding hero who tries to overcome his humble birth. The film has unusual features. It starts as a silent with no talking, then has the actors break the “fourth wall” and speak directly to the audience. It also contains probably the sexiest eating scene ever portrayed on the screen. It won four Oscars, including Best Movie. Mr. Finney was nominated, but struck out.
Another big change of pace for Finney came seven years later when he played the title character in Scrooge. There are lots of versions of A Christmas Carol and this is frankly not one of the best. But Finney is splendid as the miserly Ebenezer.
Another losing Oscar nomination came Albert Finney’s way in the 1974 version of Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express. Finney appears as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot surrounded by a stellar cast including Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman and John Gielgud. The detective must sort out a murderer among dozens of suspects on a snowbound train. The 2017 version of this film is just as good, by the way. 
Though not up to the standard of the Broadway play, the movie version of Annie (1982) is pretty good. Albert Finney plays Daddy Warbucks and he can actually sing a little. Quite honestly Carol Burnett virtually steals this movie as the much put-upon head of the orphan school, Ms. Hannigan. Unfortunately, Aileen Quinn just isn’t very good in the title role- where was Andrea McCardle when they needed her?
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are fine for 12 and up. More Albert Finney highlights next time.