Before seeing the 2003 adaptation of The Singing Detective at the Chicago International Film Festival a couple years back, I was not familiar with the original BBC TV mini-series. The reason for the film’s lukewarm reception was exactly why I found it compelling: the story and structure of the film were unabashedly camp and irreverent. A washed out and cantankerous writer sits in a hospital bed while suffering from a disgusting — and possibly psychosomatic — skin condition, living vicariously in his imagination through the main character of his pulpy detective novels, complete with ridiculously overstaged musical set pieces. Based upon the novelty and quality of the film adaptation, I was skeptical but curious of several claims that the original BBC production was significantly better.
Sure enough, after seeing the original 1986 production on DVD, there is no question that the Brits got this one right the first time around. While the cinematic remake (with Robert Downy, Jr., in the lead role) still serves as a fascinating comparison, the tonal orchestration in the mini-series is flawless, integrating difficult themes — abandonment, infidelity, poverty, self-image, and guilt — with ruthless comedy such that neither the tender nor the funny elements are sacrificed at the other’s expense. And as Phillip Marlow, Michael Gambon displays a range that few actors possess. He is able to convey more through his facial expressions (and there are times when his character can do no more) than many actors can with dialog. While he has often played a miscreant with underlying complexity (), the role of Phillip Marlow shows his mastery of revealing the layers with precision and subtlety. Downy, Jr., makes Marlow a caricature, whereas Gambon creates a person: a vile man with whom we cannot help but empathize in the end. The supporting cast — and the longer format’s ability to use them — also make for an experience that a two-hour screenplay could not even hope to match.
Here are this morning’s Oscar-nominated films, alphabetically. The nominees for foreign language film and documentary feature are compiled at the end of the list. (Short format nominees are listed in a 
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