Corruption of power and an assignation both of these things seem to go hand in hand. At least when it comes to be the Best Picture winner of 1949 Columbia's All the King's Men. This noir film gives us a glimpse into the lives of government and money. It shows us that it may look glamourous and, sometimes, a clean cut business but it shows how much greed can take control.
This is the story of a man named Willie Stark who wanted to run for the office of county treasurer. He was running, and ultimately lost, the race against the candidate of a major corporation in the local area. When the cheap bricks that the company was using to build the school cause the death of a bunch of kids during the fire drill, a lot of the people started to rally behind Stark to run in the next election so they could get an honest man in office. When he wins the election he starts his way up the political ladder. When he gets the governorship he starts using all of the blackmail that he had learned about over the years to keep the office. When this happens everyone around him either becomes a friend or an enemy.
This film nominated for seven awards that night and it won three of them. It beat out MGM's Battleground, Paramount's The Heiress, and 20th Century Fox's A Letter to Three Wives and Twelve O'clock High. It was also selected to for preservation by the National Film Registry in 2001.
I have to say that I was really shocked by how much I enjoyed this movie. It was a little long and slow in some parts but it was a really interesting story of how this man went from literally the bottom of the barrel to on the verge of running for president. The story was interesting from the very start and it never stopped until the end. I thought that this would have been a lackluster drama but it was far from. I would have to say I would give this film another go someday and I would enjoy it all the more the next time around.
Monday, July 31, 2017
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Best Picture of 1948: Hamlet
Ghosts, murder, fear, revenge, swordfights, and love can all be found in the Best Picture of 1948 Hamlet.
Hamlet, the son of a king, is lost and forlorn about the death of his father. When the Ghost of his father shows up and tells him that he was murdered and his death was not an accident. Hamlet is also very upset that his mother had remarried a month after the death of his father. Knowing now who killed his father and why he is on a path of revenge to avenge the death of his father.
This film was received with wide amount of praise and criticism. Praise coming from not only beating out: Warner Brothers' Johnny Belinda and The Treasure of Sierra; Independent Producers The Red Shoes; and 20th Century Fox's The Snake Pit for Best Picture but it also was the first movie where the Director directed himself in an Oscar winning performance. This film is also the only film to win Best Picture and the Golden Lion. The criticism was came from the fact that this version of Hamlet cut out two hours of dialog and two main characters.
Hamlet, the son of a king, is lost and forlorn about the death of his father. When the Ghost of his father shows up and tells him that he was murdered and his death was not an accident. Hamlet is also very upset that his mother had remarried a month after the death of his father. Knowing now who killed his father and why he is on a path of revenge to avenge the death of his father.
This film was received with wide amount of praise and criticism. Praise coming from not only beating out: Warner Brothers' Johnny Belinda and The Treasure of Sierra; Independent Producers The Red Shoes; and 20th Century Fox's The Snake Pit for Best Picture but it also was the first movie where the Director directed himself in an Oscar winning performance. This film is also the only film to win Best Picture and the Golden Lion. The criticism was came from the fact that this version of Hamlet cut out two hours of dialog and two main characters.
I could not stand this film! I really am not a huge Shakespeare fan to begin with but I could not stand this film! I had the hardest time trying to stay awake through the film. I really wish that any other film that came out that year would have won. That way I wouldn't feel like I wasted two hours of my life.
Friday, July 28, 2017
Best Picture of 1947: Gentleman's Agreement
One of the most controversial movies of the 40's won the Best Picture at the 1947 Awards. That film is call Gentleman's Agreement. The story was one that several people did not want to be made because the story is about anti-Semitism. Being that several movie heads were Jewish, and the fact that the Hollywood Blacklist was starting to breathe down their necks, it was a very risking move to make this movie and to release it at this time.
The story is about a journalist named Philip Green, who comes to New York to start writing for a magazine. This magazine is all about speaking and finding the truth about what is going on in America. The head of the magazine wants him to write an article about anti-Semitism but Philip is having a heard time figuring how to write about this story. Not because of the subject matter but because he can't figure out how to make the story feel human, and an active problem in the U.S.. That is until he decides to pretend to be Jewish for six months to begin to understand what actual Jews go through in their lives. This ends up being the best and worst time in his life to do the story in that way. He has a child in school, and he recently got engaged to the wonderful niece of the head of the magazine. They all know what he is doing for his story but that doesn't stop them from trying to protect them from friends and people in their personal lives. Many people accept him, at first, because his last name is not Jewish and they don't think he is. As it gets slowly revealed that he is, many people's opinions change about him. Some for the good, like that of his secretary at the magazine who tells him that she is Jewish as well and had to change her name to even be considered for the job. Some for the worse, like his Fiancé's friends from out of town who act like the are accepting of people but do not allow Jew to live in their neighborhood.
This story would not have been made if the producer of the film, Darryl F. Zanuck, when he was refused membership into the Los Angeles Country Club because he was Jewish. The kicker about this encounter is the fact the Zanuck is not Jewish at all. When this happened to him he turned to the novel that this book is based off of and turned it into the Best Picture that we have here today.. People in the industry, and that were Jewish, begged Zanuck not to make this film. Not because they were ashamed of their culture but because they didn't want to stir the pot with this issue. However, Zanuck defeated the odds of the film ever getting released and was able to have his film showed by the world.
I have to say this film does get you thinking. I don't believe this film even begins to touch the amount of horrendous acts the were committed to Jew during this time. However, this film does a great job of getting people to think about the people around them, how people have to hide, how people have tobe very careful about where they are and what they are doing. It does a good job of trying to have people to put themselves in other's shoes. It's a great movie to get the conversation starting about issues that are right under their nose. I believe that is why this film was a great pick to win this award.
The story is about a journalist named Philip Green, who comes to New York to start writing for a magazine. This magazine is all about speaking and finding the truth about what is going on in America. The head of the magazine wants him to write an article about anti-Semitism but Philip is having a heard time figuring how to write about this story. Not because of the subject matter but because he can't figure out how to make the story feel human, and an active problem in the U.S.. That is until he decides to pretend to be Jewish for six months to begin to understand what actual Jews go through in their lives. This ends up being the best and worst time in his life to do the story in that way. He has a child in school, and he recently got engaged to the wonderful niece of the head of the magazine. They all know what he is doing for his story but that doesn't stop them from trying to protect them from friends and people in their personal lives. Many people accept him, at first, because his last name is not Jewish and they don't think he is. As it gets slowly revealed that he is, many people's opinions change about him. Some for the good, like that of his secretary at the magazine who tells him that she is Jewish as well and had to change her name to even be considered for the job. Some for the worse, like his Fiancé's friends from out of town who act like the are accepting of people but do not allow Jew to live in their neighborhood.
This story would not have been made if the producer of the film, Darryl F. Zanuck, when he was refused membership into the Los Angeles Country Club because he was Jewish. The kicker about this encounter is the fact the Zanuck is not Jewish at all. When this happened to him he turned to the novel that this book is based off of and turned it into the Best Picture that we have here today.. People in the industry, and that were Jewish, begged Zanuck not to make this film. Not because they were ashamed of their culture but because they didn't want to stir the pot with this issue. However, Zanuck defeated the odds of the film ever getting released and was able to have his film showed by the world.
I have to say this film does get you thinking. I don't believe this film even begins to touch the amount of horrendous acts the were committed to Jew during this time. However, this film does a great job of getting people to think about the people around them, how people have to hide, how people have tobe very careful about where they are and what they are doing. It does a good job of trying to have people to put themselves in other's shoes. It's a great movie to get the conversation starting about issues that are right under their nose. I believe that is why this film was a great pick to win this award.
Best Picture of 1946: The Best Years of Our Lives
Contemporary Social Issues, the trending theme of over the last few Oscars, is what made the 19th Annual Academy Awards so memorable. Over the years movies that were nominated dealt with the war, alcoholism, and religion. Now, with our boys back home and life slowly starting to get back to normal then next issues that needed to be talked about were our veterans. The Best Years of Our Lives, the Best Picture Winner that year, did an excellent job of discussing just that.
The war had finally ended! After many lost year, and many miles traveled, three soldiers are on their way home to Boone City. After waiting for a flight back home for a few days Al Stephenson, Fred Derry, and Homer Parrish wind up on the same flight heading back to the small town and talking about finally being home. We learn, very briefly, about their lives, their battles, and the struggles that they are worried about coming home to. Upon getting home they find that they have some adjusting that needs to be done. Al has to learns that his children are practically grown and has to get to the know them all over again, Fred has to find his newly wed wife and search for a "grown up" job in order to pay for her high class lifestyle, and Homer, who lost both of his hand in the war, has to prove that he is still himself and try to adjust to the civilian life. With so much more confusion in the world, and their personal lives, they wonder if some of the things they want are really worth fighting for or if they need to take a step back and readjust what they need.
This is not only a truly special story, but how the Academy honored it something that does need to be mentioned. Samuel Goldwyn wanted to produce a story about veterans coming home and adjusting to civilian life after reading an article in Time about that very issue. He brought in Mackinlay Kantor, a former war correspondent, to write the screenplay. He got together some of the greatest actors and actress, such as Myrna Loy, Fredric March, and Virginia Mayo, to play the parts. If that was not enough the film was nominated for six other awards that night as well. The most interesting of these would be the nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Harold Russell played the part of Homer Parrish, the boy he lost both of his hands in the war. The reason that this was interesting was because Harold was actually a WWII Veteran who did loose both his hand in the war. He was also not a professional actor of any kind. The fact that he was even nominated was astonishing! Many people in the Academy thought that is was going to be a long shot for him to win so they made him an Honorary Academy Award for inspiring his fellow vets. Later that night it was announced that he did win the Academy Award from Best Supporting Actor, to everyone's enthusiastic surprise, and has become the only person in history to win two Awards for the same performance. The Best Years of Our Lives beat out very notable movies to win the award that year. The other four movies nominated were: Two Cities Films' Henry V, RKO's It's a Wonderful Life, 20th Century Fox's The Razor's Edge, and MGM's The Yearling.
I have to say that this movie really touched my heart. Especially learning about all of the honors is received, and how it came to be made it more special. This film is even relevant to what is going on today with soldiers leaving and coming home. Technology has advanced to help them to adjust but the problems that they face when they come home are still the same. There is no switch that can be flipped to make someone automatically adjust to their old lives. In fact after war lives are never the same again. I think that this is one of those films that everyone needs to see just once in their lives. the cast was amazing, the set were too, and the script could not have been any better. I give a 10 out of 10!
The war had finally ended! After many lost year, and many miles traveled, three soldiers are on their way home to Boone City. After waiting for a flight back home for a few days Al Stephenson, Fred Derry, and Homer Parrish wind up on the same flight heading back to the small town and talking about finally being home. We learn, very briefly, about their lives, their battles, and the struggles that they are worried about coming home to. Upon getting home they find that they have some adjusting that needs to be done. Al has to learns that his children are practically grown and has to get to the know them all over again, Fred has to find his newly wed wife and search for a "grown up" job in order to pay for her high class lifestyle, and Homer, who lost both of his hand in the war, has to prove that he is still himself and try to adjust to the civilian life. With so much more confusion in the world, and their personal lives, they wonder if some of the things they want are really worth fighting for or if they need to take a step back and readjust what they need.
This is not only a truly special story, but how the Academy honored it something that does need to be mentioned. Samuel Goldwyn wanted to produce a story about veterans coming home and adjusting to civilian life after reading an article in Time about that very issue. He brought in Mackinlay Kantor, a former war correspondent, to write the screenplay. He got together some of the greatest actors and actress, such as Myrna Loy, Fredric March, and Virginia Mayo, to play the parts. If that was not enough the film was nominated for six other awards that night as well. The most interesting of these would be the nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Harold Russell played the part of Homer Parrish, the boy he lost both of his hands in the war. The reason that this was interesting was because Harold was actually a WWII Veteran who did loose both his hand in the war. He was also not a professional actor of any kind. The fact that he was even nominated was astonishing! Many people in the Academy thought that is was going to be a long shot for him to win so they made him an Honorary Academy Award for inspiring his fellow vets. Later that night it was announced that he did win the Academy Award from Best Supporting Actor, to everyone's enthusiastic surprise, and has become the only person in history to win two Awards for the same performance. The Best Years of Our Lives beat out very notable movies to win the award that year. The other four movies nominated were: Two Cities Films' Henry V, RKO's It's a Wonderful Life, 20th Century Fox's The Razor's Edge, and MGM's The Yearling.
I have to say that this movie really touched my heart. Especially learning about all of the honors is received, and how it came to be made it more special. This film is even relevant to what is going on today with soldiers leaving and coming home. Technology has advanced to help them to adjust but the problems that they face when they come home are still the same. There is no switch that can be flipped to make someone automatically adjust to their old lives. In fact after war lives are never the same again. I think that this is one of those films that everyone needs to see just once in their lives. the cast was amazing, the set were too, and the script could not have been any better. I give a 10 out of 10!
Best Picture 1945: The Lost Weekend
The 18th Academy Awards was one for the books. The first Academy Awards to be held after World War II, Hollywood went all out in order to celebrate many successes. It did not come and go without it's dramas as well. One of which being Joan Crawford. Ms. Crawford claimed that she had Pneumonia and could not attend that night, however, she really didn't show up because she thought that she was not going to win the award for Best Actress and didn't want to be embarrassed. Well, it ended up that she did win the award and it was delivered to her in bed that night. However, it would be Billy Wilder who would walk out of the Awards with the top honor of that night. It would be his movie The Lost Weekend that would win the Best Picture that night.
This is of a man who was supposed to go out of town, back home, on a long weekend with his brother. We think that he the movie is going to be about the travel back home, we quickly learn that that is not the case. Don, an author, is trying to get his girlfriend, Helen, and is brother, Phillip, out of the house before they leave for the trip. He says that he would like to rest and would like some time alone in order to be well rested for the trip. However, we soon learn that he is actually hiding liquor and would like to drink it without being yelled at by his loved ones. Don is an alcoholic. He has tried giving up before, and Phillip has done everything in his power to help him, but nothing seems to kick the habit for real. So, when Phillip finds out what he is doing he gets mad a leaves to go home alone and leave Don to make his choices as he will. Helen, who is head over heels in love with Don, doesn't want to give up hope of Don just yet. She tries to reason with Don, and tries to get more help, but nothing works to change his mind. Thus, Don sets himself up for a long lost weekend of drinking, misery, and reflecting on how he got to this position in life in the first place.
This film had it's troubles when it was first test released. This drama was very much a comedy when it first tested. People laughed at Don's performance for being overly dramatic. The film was looked over again and figured that they needed to musical score. They weren't originally going to release with one but seeing that the audience needed a little help getting into the mood of the film. it seemed to have done the trick because this film beat out: MGM''s Anchors Aweigh, RKO's The Bells of St. Mary's, Warner Brother's Mildred Pierce, and United Artists' Spellbound to win the top award of the night. It was also chosen from preservation by National Film Registry in 2011.
I have to say that The Lost Weekend was a lost 3 hours for me. I could not stand how slow the film was. I could not stand any of the performances. I felt that they were overly dramatic, and a big over compensation though the entire film. I could not really figure out why this film was made, the purpose behind it, or anything along those lines at all. I think this was one of those films that it sounded good on paper but did not work out in construction. Any of the other films on that list should have won over this film.
This is of a man who was supposed to go out of town, back home, on a long weekend with his brother. We think that he the movie is going to be about the travel back home, we quickly learn that that is not the case. Don, an author, is trying to get his girlfriend, Helen, and is brother, Phillip, out of the house before they leave for the trip. He says that he would like to rest and would like some time alone in order to be well rested for the trip. However, we soon learn that he is actually hiding liquor and would like to drink it without being yelled at by his loved ones. Don is an alcoholic. He has tried giving up before, and Phillip has done everything in his power to help him, but nothing seems to kick the habit for real. So, when Phillip finds out what he is doing he gets mad a leaves to go home alone and leave Don to make his choices as he will. Helen, who is head over heels in love with Don, doesn't want to give up hope of Don just yet. She tries to reason with Don, and tries to get more help, but nothing works to change his mind. Thus, Don sets himself up for a long lost weekend of drinking, misery, and reflecting on how he got to this position in life in the first place.
This film had it's troubles when it was first test released. This drama was very much a comedy when it first tested. People laughed at Don's performance for being overly dramatic. The film was looked over again and figured that they needed to musical score. They weren't originally going to release with one but seeing that the audience needed a little help getting into the mood of the film. it seemed to have done the trick because this film beat out: MGM''s Anchors Aweigh, RKO's The Bells of St. Mary's, Warner Brother's Mildred Pierce, and United Artists' Spellbound to win the top award of the night. It was also chosen from preservation by National Film Registry in 2011.
I have to say that The Lost Weekend was a lost 3 hours for me. I could not stand how slow the film was. I could not stand any of the performances. I felt that they were overly dramatic, and a big over compensation though the entire film. I could not really figure out why this film was made, the purpose behind it, or anything along those lines at all. I think this was one of those films that it sounded good on paper but did not work out in construction. Any of the other films on that list should have won over this film.
Best Picture of 1944: Going My Way
When Bing Crosby sings many people will go anyway he tells him to. So, Bing Crosby in Going My Way you know that everyone in the world came running in droves to the theater. Winner of the 17th Annual Academy Award for Best Picture, Going My Way is a musical drama that will have people singing the rest of the day. Release in 1944, it was proclaimed to be one of Bing Crosby's best roles. So much so that a sequel came out the next year with the same cast revising their roles.
Father Chuck O'Malley has come to New York, by order of the Parrish, to turn around one of the churches. The church is ran by Father Fitzgibbon, an old Irishman who built the church and has been running it ever since. With Father O'Malley's unorthodox way of bringing people together, and raising money for the church, Father Fitzgibbon has a hard time of warming up to him. However, when the congregation comes together and becomes stronger Father Fitzgibbon learns that change is not always a bad thing.
This is a very interesting year in the history of the Academy Awards because this was the first year that the number of movies to be nominated to the Best Picture Award went down from about 10 to 12 to 5. Meaning that because of the cut the prize of Best Picture was harder to obtain. However, that does not mean that the competition was any less still. In 1944 Going My Way had to beat out: Paramount's Double Indemnity, MGM's Gaslight, United Artists' Since You Went Away, and 20th Century Fox's Wilson. This film was nominated for a totally of 10 Academy Awards and won 7 of them. This film is also the only film in history where one of it's actors was nominated for their role in two categories. That would be Barry Fitzgerald's performance of Father Fitzgibbon. He was nominated in both Best Actor, which was won by Bing Crosby for his role in the movie, and Best Supporting Actor, which he did was for. After this incident the Academy changed the rules so that something like that would not happen again. This film was also selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 2004.
I have to say that I really can not believe that such a lightweight of a movie won the award this yar. I mean don't get me wrong the movie was alright, and I have not seen the other films, but the rest of the films are considered real classics today. I don't believe I have even heard of this movie until I made the list. However, it seems that as good as this movie was it's doesn't seem at par with the other "light hearted" movies that have won the award over the year. A good example is The Sound of Music. The movie is light hearted but every time you watch it you know that you are watching something truly special. I just did not get any sort of feeling like that when I watched Going My Way. I will have to say that this will have to be one of those movies that I will forever question if the Academy got right...
Father Chuck O'Malley has come to New York, by order of the Parrish, to turn around one of the churches. The church is ran by Father Fitzgibbon, an old Irishman who built the church and has been running it ever since. With Father O'Malley's unorthodox way of bringing people together, and raising money for the church, Father Fitzgibbon has a hard time of warming up to him. However, when the congregation comes together and becomes stronger Father Fitzgibbon learns that change is not always a bad thing.
This is a very interesting year in the history of the Academy Awards because this was the first year that the number of movies to be nominated to the Best Picture Award went down from about 10 to 12 to 5. Meaning that because of the cut the prize of Best Picture was harder to obtain. However, that does not mean that the competition was any less still. In 1944 Going My Way had to beat out: Paramount's Double Indemnity, MGM's Gaslight, United Artists' Since You Went Away, and 20th Century Fox's Wilson. This film was nominated for a totally of 10 Academy Awards and won 7 of them. This film is also the only film in history where one of it's actors was nominated for their role in two categories. That would be Barry Fitzgerald's performance of Father Fitzgibbon. He was nominated in both Best Actor, which was won by Bing Crosby for his role in the movie, and Best Supporting Actor, which he did was for. After this incident the Academy changed the rules so that something like that would not happen again. This film was also selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 2004.
I have to say that I really can not believe that such a lightweight of a movie won the award this yar. I mean don't get me wrong the movie was alright, and I have not seen the other films, but the rest of the films are considered real classics today. I don't believe I have even heard of this movie until I made the list. However, it seems that as good as this movie was it's doesn't seem at par with the other "light hearted" movies that have won the award over the year. A good example is The Sound of Music. The movie is light hearted but every time you watch it you know that you are watching something truly special. I just did not get any sort of feeling like that when I watched Going My Way. I will have to say that this will have to be one of those movies that I will forever question if the Academy got right...
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Best Picture of 1943: Casablanca
"Play it again Sam" literally one of the most misquoted lines in film history! Although, if you have every seen the film you will want to play it again, and again, and again. Winner of the Best Picture of 1942 Casablanca is one of the best films to ever be produced. With memorable lines, fantastic scenes, and a story of love like it's never been told this film has been named one of the greatest films of all time again and again on every list there is.
Rick Blaine, a nightclub owner in the heart of Casablanca, is a man that is only out for himself. He is a real mystery to the natives or Casablanca. No one know his real story, and no one knows why he came to Casablanca in the first place. Most people who come to Casablanca normally try and pass though not make a home out of it. He makes a living by doing business legally, and letting others do their illegal business, at his bar. He is perfectly happy living out his days minding his own business that is until the only woman he has ever loved goes "through all the gin joints in all the town in all the world..." goes walking through his door, Lisa Lund. Finding out that she is married to the famous Victor Laszlo. Now, Rick has to choose to help get Victor arrested, and keep the love of his life, or to help both of them escape imprisonment.
When the film first came to light many people thought it was not going to amount to anything. At this time studios were making over a hundred films a year. This was just one of many that was going to make a decent amount at the theater but was never going to be an epic. However, this film took the world by storm. Casablanca beat out: Paramount's For Whom the Bell Tolls; 20th Century Fox's Heaven Can wait, The Ox-Bow Incident, and The Song of Bernadette; MGM's The Human Comedy and Madame Curie; Two Cities Films' In Which We Serve; Columbia's The More the Merrier, and Warner Brothers' Watch on the Rhine. The film has gone on the receive a number of different honors over the years. In 1989 is was among the first 25 selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, 2005 it was named one of the hundred greatest pictures in the last 80 years, and in 2006 it was listed number one by the Writers Guild of America as best film of all time on it's list of101 Screenplays.
I personally love this film! It's on my list of one of the best films of all time. However, the first time I saw it that was a very different story. I thought it was the most boring movies I ever saw. Until I was made to watch it again in college. Then I got way the film was so great. It's a crazy story that about love in the middle of war. It's about truth, and faith in human beings. It's the classic story of you can't judge a book by it's cover, you can never judge people by what other people say. This is just one of those films that I love but have yet to really find the real purpose of the movie yet. I know it's great but I watch it and every time I do I find a different reason behind the film and I think that I why it's one of the best films ever to grace the screen.
Rick Blaine, a nightclub owner in the heart of Casablanca, is a man that is only out for himself. He is a real mystery to the natives or Casablanca. No one know his real story, and no one knows why he came to Casablanca in the first place. Most people who come to Casablanca normally try and pass though not make a home out of it. He makes a living by doing business legally, and letting others do their illegal business, at his bar. He is perfectly happy living out his days minding his own business that is until the only woman he has ever loved goes "through all the gin joints in all the town in all the world..." goes walking through his door, Lisa Lund. Finding out that she is married to the famous Victor Laszlo. Now, Rick has to choose to help get Victor arrested, and keep the love of his life, or to help both of them escape imprisonment.
When the film first came to light many people thought it was not going to amount to anything. At this time studios were making over a hundred films a year. This was just one of many that was going to make a decent amount at the theater but was never going to be an epic. However, this film took the world by storm. Casablanca beat out: Paramount's For Whom the Bell Tolls; 20th Century Fox's Heaven Can wait, The Ox-Bow Incident, and The Song of Bernadette; MGM's The Human Comedy and Madame Curie; Two Cities Films' In Which We Serve; Columbia's The More the Merrier, and Warner Brothers' Watch on the Rhine. The film has gone on the receive a number of different honors over the years. In 1989 is was among the first 25 selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, 2005 it was named one of the hundred greatest pictures in the last 80 years, and in 2006 it was listed number one by the Writers Guild of America as best film of all time on it's list of101 Screenplays.
I personally love this film! It's on my list of one of the best films of all time. However, the first time I saw it that was a very different story. I thought it was the most boring movies I ever saw. Until I was made to watch it again in college. Then I got way the film was so great. It's a crazy story that about love in the middle of war. It's about truth, and faith in human beings. It's the classic story of you can't judge a book by it's cover, you can never judge people by what other people say. This is just one of those films that I love but have yet to really find the real purpose of the movie yet. I know it's great but I watch it and every time I do I find a different reason behind the film and I think that I why it's one of the best films ever to grace the screen.
Best Picture of 1942: Mrs. Miniver
Britain is on the verge of war. There is nothing that can stop it from coming. This story from MGM shows the strength that one family faces in the beginning of World War II. Particularly, the strength that one wife and mother has to try and help to get her family, and her village, through the beginnings of war. That wife and mother's name is Mrs. Miniver
Mrs. Miniver is an English woman is who's only real concern in her life is to raise a good family, and not anger her husband too much by buying nice things. However, all of this begins to change when her oldest son come home from school and shortly after the War starts making it's way to the shores or their home. Mrs. Miniver's story shows what home life is like as the whole world starts to come under attack by the Germans. Not just the story of a wife with her husband gone off to war, or just a mother who's son is off fighting, but the story of a person in a community that does come under attack and what is left in the war's wake.
This movie has a really interesting history. It was originally going to be released in late 1941. The reason it was released later was because as the movie got closer to release and finishing American started to become less and less neutral in the war. Several of the scenes were re-written and re-shot in order to rally America together to support our troops. When production was supposed to be done in December on 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and production was able to change on key scene in the movie in order to reflect the anger that America felt from the attack. That scene would be when Mrs. Miniver was able to slap a downed German piolet in the face.
This year seemed to be a very patriotic year in movies. Other anti-war, pro-allies, or pro-American films nominated that year were: Otus' The Invaders (49th Parallel), 20th Century Fox's The Pied Piper, Goldwyn's The Pride of the Yankees, Paramount's Wake Island, and Warner brother's Yankee Doodle Dandy. Other films nominated that year were Columbia's The Talk of the Town, Warner Brothers' Kings Row, RKO's The Magnificent Ambersons, and MGM's Random Harvest. Other honors that this film has are American Film Institute ranked the film number 40 on their Most Inspirational Films of All Time List in 2006 and was selected by the National Film Registry for preservation in 2009.
I hands down loved this film. I loved this film for many different reasons: the acting, the cinematography, ect., but I really loved this film because it showed a different side of way that we don't even see much of in today's film making. That is the story of the home front when the boys are off to war. So many war films shows the boys in action half way around the world and we only see the people that they love in snippets. This film does it differently. This film shows what it was like for the women and children back home waiting for the war to be over. This film shows not only one mother's son going off to war, but it shows how her husband went off to save the soldiers in Dunkirk, it shows the pain that England went through when their homes were bombed, it showed the people that we loved in the film dying because of the wages of war on their home turf. This film touched many aspects of war that not many other films dare to do. Many film show the battle wath were fought, and the soldiers that we have lost, or the stories of a select few outrageously brave souls that have defended out countries. However, none really have shown what the families had to go through to survive the war as well. That even though the solders may escape the tragedies on the war front that they don't know what they will return to when they get home. They want it to be the same but they don't know how much war changed their country as well as themselves. I love this film because it's one of the rare few that helps to put the devastation of war into prospective as a whole and not just by the soldiers on the front.
Mrs. Miniver is an English woman is who's only real concern in her life is to raise a good family, and not anger her husband too much by buying nice things. However, all of this begins to change when her oldest son come home from school and shortly after the War starts making it's way to the shores or their home. Mrs. Miniver's story shows what home life is like as the whole world starts to come under attack by the Germans. Not just the story of a wife with her husband gone off to war, or just a mother who's son is off fighting, but the story of a person in a community that does come under attack and what is left in the war's wake.
This movie has a really interesting history. It was originally going to be released in late 1941. The reason it was released later was because as the movie got closer to release and finishing American started to become less and less neutral in the war. Several of the scenes were re-written and re-shot in order to rally America together to support our troops. When production was supposed to be done in December on 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and production was able to change on key scene in the movie in order to reflect the anger that America felt from the attack. That scene would be when Mrs. Miniver was able to slap a downed German piolet in the face.
This year seemed to be a very patriotic year in movies. Other anti-war, pro-allies, or pro-American films nominated that year were: Otus' The Invaders (49th Parallel), 20th Century Fox's The Pied Piper, Goldwyn's The Pride of the Yankees, Paramount's Wake Island, and Warner brother's Yankee Doodle Dandy. Other films nominated that year were Columbia's The Talk of the Town, Warner Brothers' Kings Row, RKO's The Magnificent Ambersons, and MGM's Random Harvest. Other honors that this film has are American Film Institute ranked the film number 40 on their Most Inspirational Films of All Time List in 2006 and was selected by the National Film Registry for preservation in 2009.
I hands down loved this film. I loved this film for many different reasons: the acting, the cinematography, ect., but I really loved this film because it showed a different side of way that we don't even see much of in today's film making. That is the story of the home front when the boys are off to war. So many war films shows the boys in action half way around the world and we only see the people that they love in snippets. This film does it differently. This film shows what it was like for the women and children back home waiting for the war to be over. This film shows not only one mother's son going off to war, but it shows how her husband went off to save the soldiers in Dunkirk, it shows the pain that England went through when their homes were bombed, it showed the people that we loved in the film dying because of the wages of war on their home turf. This film touched many aspects of war that not many other films dare to do. Many film show the battle wath were fought, and the soldiers that we have lost, or the stories of a select few outrageously brave souls that have defended out countries. However, none really have shown what the families had to go through to survive the war as well. That even though the solders may escape the tragedies on the war front that they don't know what they will return to when they get home. They want it to be the same but they don't know how much war changed their country as well as themselves. I love this film because it's one of the rare few that helps to put the devastation of war into prospective as a whole and not just by the soldiers on the front.
Best Picture of 1941: How Green was my Valley
The art of storytelling. When it is done incorrectly it can be very dull and very boring. However, when it is done right it can help you to escape to another world. Movie are won great example of this art. There is another great example and that is actually telling a story by word of mouth. That art form is not very common anymore. How Green was My Valley,By 20th Century Fox, is one of those movies that does a superb job of perfecting that art of both word of mouth and movie.
Huw Morgan, the youngest of seven children, is packing to leave his village for the last time. As we see his shadow getting ready to leave he starts to tell us of his life's story. How is beloved valley was not always covered in soot. How it was before the mine came to be as big as it was. He tells us of his family and how close knit they once use to be. However, the ever growing mining company starts changing their wages and causes the sons to be angry about what is happening to them. After starting a strike and having meetings to create a union, it causes a chain reaction for their family and their village. It's the story about life, death, separation, love, and all else family.
This film is not very well known now a days, but when this film won for Best Picture it shocked everyone! The film that everyone thought was going to win that year was RKO's Citizen Kane. The other films that this film beat out was: MGM's Blossoms in the Dust; Columbia's Here Comes Mr. Jordan; Paramount's Hold Back the Dawn; Warner Brothers' The Maltese Falcon, One Foot In Heaven and Sergeant York; RKO's The Little Foxes and Suspicion. This film was also selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1990.
I have to say when I first started watching this film I was so bored. However, as the story went on you see the heart the goes into it. The more you become invested until you are apart of it by the end of the film. This has to be one of the most well written films I have ever seen. This film was not an over zealous film that needed you attention of every minute you were there to understand, This film was not a film that was proclaimed to be the most wonderful in your face story to ever be told. This film does have heart that most movies dream to have.
Huw Morgan, the youngest of seven children, is packing to leave his village for the last time. As we see his shadow getting ready to leave he starts to tell us of his life's story. How is beloved valley was not always covered in soot. How it was before the mine came to be as big as it was. He tells us of his family and how close knit they once use to be. However, the ever growing mining company starts changing their wages and causes the sons to be angry about what is happening to them. After starting a strike and having meetings to create a union, it causes a chain reaction for their family and their village. It's the story about life, death, separation, love, and all else family.
This film is not very well known now a days, but when this film won for Best Picture it shocked everyone! The film that everyone thought was going to win that year was RKO's Citizen Kane. The other films that this film beat out was: MGM's Blossoms in the Dust; Columbia's Here Comes Mr. Jordan; Paramount's Hold Back the Dawn; Warner Brothers' The Maltese Falcon, One Foot In Heaven and Sergeant York; RKO's The Little Foxes and Suspicion. This film was also selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1990.
I have to say when I first started watching this film I was so bored. However, as the story went on you see the heart the goes into it. The more you become invested until you are apart of it by the end of the film. This has to be one of the most well written films I have ever seen. This film was not an over zealous film that needed you attention of every minute you were there to understand, This film was not a film that was proclaimed to be the most wonderful in your face story to ever be told. This film does have heart that most movies dream to have.
Monday, July 17, 2017
Best Picture of 1940: Rebecca
All road lead back to Rebecca......
Either it's her haunting memory, a secret wish she was still there, or the fearing that she is still alive and watching your every single move, all the roads lead back to Rebecca.
The winner of the 13th Academy Awards Best Picture in 1940 went to Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca. Even though this film won the best picture it is not what we normally think when the name Alfred Hitchcock is mentioned. However, even though it's not one of the first ones that we thinking of does not make it the least of his films. This is one of the first times that America has really seen a Hitchcock film, there have been a few before this movie, and it's that start of a great and memorable film career for him in America.
The plot of this film is very simple. A millionaire widow falls in love with a girl while on Holiday in Monte Carlo. Even though many people thought he had lost his heart when his wife drowned a year ago, the young woman still decides to marry him. When he takes her to his mansion of a home a few weeks later the whole staff is there to great her. An older woman named Mrs. Danvers runs the household servants and is the one who wants to get to know the new wife. The plot gets complicated due to the many different perceptions that many people have of Rebecca. Some loved her, some hated her, some were obsessed with her! The young wife realizes that she needs to fight for her husband, and for the favor of the staff, if she is going to be able to survive in this cold home with the man she loves.
Rebecca is one of the first thrillers to even be nominated for an Academy Award let alone win the best picture. Hitchcock does a wonderful job in this film of keeping the story entertaining and questionable at the same time. You never really can figure out if there is a bad guy until the end of the movie. However, this movie did come with it's problems. According to Hollywood lure David O. Selznick, the movie's producer, was busy with Gone with the Wind and left a lot of the creative idea to Hitchcock. When the movie was over Selznick did not like most of what was in the film and ended up reshooting a good portion of the picture. While it worked out for this film and it won the top award of that year, many believe that it changed how Hitchcock filmed his movies later on. After this film he started only shooting scene that he wanted in the final cut of the film. He only would shoot the most vital parts of the picture in an attempt to try and stop the executives and producers from making cut and changes to the films after they were done.
Even with so many changes Rebecca ended up beating out: Warner Brothers' All This, and Heaven Too and The Letter; United Artists Foreign Correspondent, The Great Dictator, The long Voyage Home, and Our Town; 20th Century Fox's The Grapes of Wrath; RKO's Kitty Foyle; and MGM's A Philadelphia Story.
I would have to say that as much as I love Hitchcock I really wasn't that impressed with this film. I think I am more invested in he work in the later year rather than the earlier ones. I have seen four or five of the other nominations on the list and I have to say that Rebecca is my least favorite on that list. I understand why it won. Hitchcock has a very different movie style that the rest of the pictures on the list and a different way of telling a story. It makes for a good movie and a different way to see the world, however, I think that Kitty Foyle should have maybe won instead. That is just this movie buff opinion.
Either it's her haunting memory, a secret wish she was still there, or the fearing that she is still alive and watching your every single move, all the roads lead back to Rebecca.
The winner of the 13th Academy Awards Best Picture in 1940 went to Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca. Even though this film won the best picture it is not what we normally think when the name Alfred Hitchcock is mentioned. However, even though it's not one of the first ones that we thinking of does not make it the least of his films. This is one of the first times that America has really seen a Hitchcock film, there have been a few before this movie, and it's that start of a great and memorable film career for him in America.
The plot of this film is very simple. A millionaire widow falls in love with a girl while on Holiday in Monte Carlo. Even though many people thought he had lost his heart when his wife drowned a year ago, the young woman still decides to marry him. When he takes her to his mansion of a home a few weeks later the whole staff is there to great her. An older woman named Mrs. Danvers runs the household servants and is the one who wants to get to know the new wife. The plot gets complicated due to the many different perceptions that many people have of Rebecca. Some loved her, some hated her, some were obsessed with her! The young wife realizes that she needs to fight for her husband, and for the favor of the staff, if she is going to be able to survive in this cold home with the man she loves.
Rebecca is one of the first thrillers to even be nominated for an Academy Award let alone win the best picture. Hitchcock does a wonderful job in this film of keeping the story entertaining and questionable at the same time. You never really can figure out if there is a bad guy until the end of the movie. However, this movie did come with it's problems. According to Hollywood lure David O. Selznick, the movie's producer, was busy with Gone with the Wind and left a lot of the creative idea to Hitchcock. When the movie was over Selznick did not like most of what was in the film and ended up reshooting a good portion of the picture. While it worked out for this film and it won the top award of that year, many believe that it changed how Hitchcock filmed his movies later on. After this film he started only shooting scene that he wanted in the final cut of the film. He only would shoot the most vital parts of the picture in an attempt to try and stop the executives and producers from making cut and changes to the films after they were done.
Even with so many changes Rebecca ended up beating out: Warner Brothers' All This, and Heaven Too and The Letter; United Artists Foreign Correspondent, The Great Dictator, The long Voyage Home, and Our Town; 20th Century Fox's The Grapes of Wrath; RKO's Kitty Foyle; and MGM's A Philadelphia Story.
I would have to say that as much as I love Hitchcock I really wasn't that impressed with this film. I think I am more invested in he work in the later year rather than the earlier ones. I have seen four or five of the other nominations on the list and I have to say that Rebecca is my least favorite on that list. I understand why it won. Hitchcock has a very different movie style that the rest of the pictures on the list and a different way of telling a story. It makes for a good movie and a different way to see the world, however, I think that Kitty Foyle should have maybe won instead. That is just this movie buff opinion.
Friday, July 14, 2017
Best Picture 1939: Gone with the Wind
Considered by many to be the greatest year in the history of cinema, 1939 had so many smash hits that it was a wonder that they could narrow down a reasonable list for the Best Picture Award. Ten nominations came to us in this year. Ten nominations of what would be some of the most historic movies to ever be remembered. 1939 not only held one of the best movies to ever be produced but it also held of the biggest technological advantages that movies would see. That addition of color to the movies. Now, color is not completely new the movies at this point. The previous year there was a movie that was nominated for best picture that was a colorful film. There have also been some films that had some scenes with color in them (42nd Street as I mentioned before did have a color sequence in it but like I said in that post it has been lost to history). This was the year that movies began to play with the idea more and it also grew into a sensation that soon became the new standard in movies.
The best reason that color became the new standard was the winner of the 1939 Best Picture MGM's Gone with the Wind. Considered by many people to be one of the best pictures of all time Gone with the Wind is a spectacularly rare treat that still excites, and thrills audiences today.
The story follows a strong- willed southern lady, Scarlett O'Hara, as she finds herself trapped in a love circle but is also trapped in the end of the old south as the outbreak for the Civil War approach. Living in Georgia just on the cusp of war, Scarlett is very keen on how the south operates. Women are to get a man, produce a child, and never worry too much about men are talking about. Scarlett has learned at a very young age that she can get any information, or anything she wants for the matter, from a man if you work them the right way. Scarlett is an expert flirt that only has eyes for one man and one man only, Ashley Wilkes. She thinks that she is going to get everything she wants out of life when she finds that Ashley is going to marry Melanie Hamilton instead of her. In a pure fit of loss Scarlet does "unladylike" things in order to get Ashley to change his mind. Some examples would be to show her bosom before three o'clock, or basically telling Ashley she is madly in love with him instead of playing coy. In doing all of these thing she does manage to capture the attention of a man but not the one she was after. Rhett Butler is smitten with Scarlett the moment he laid eyes on her. However, he knew that she would not warm up to in right away because his reputation was ruined and was pronounced a cad well before he ever made it to the south. That doesn't stop him from trying to capture her attention, just as Scarlett's desperation to get Ashley doesn't stop when Ashley tells her he is still going to marry Melanie. In an attempt to make Ashley jealous, Scarlett agrees to marry Melanie's little brother Charlie, that way she can still stay close to Ashley. All of that plan goes awry when Charles is killed in the war and leaves Scarlett widowed. In an attempt to escape the boredom of being a widow, Scarlet decides to go and visit Melanie in Atlanta (with the secret hope to see Ashley when he gets his Christmas Furlough). Scarlet finds out soon that she waited too long to get back home when the war makes it way down to Georgia. Sherman is on his way and has plan to reek havoc on the fair city of Atlanta. The day that Sherman burns down the city of Atlanta, Scarlet reaches out to the scoundrel Rhett Butler to try and get home to Tara. They narrowly exscape the city and spend the next days to make it to their county. Along the way they find that the Yankees have taken down every home, and stolen everything in their path as they marched through. Finally reaching her home she finds that things are worse than what she could have imagined. Her mother had just died the night before she made it home, her father lost his mind because of the loss of his wife, her sisters sick with typhoid, and absolutely no food to be found anywhere, Scarlet has to muscle up the strength to take care of herself and everyone around to and to save the home she loves. All of this while hoping her sweet Ashley will come back to her and resisting the ever charming sweet talk of Captain Rhett Butler.
This film has so many honor associated with it that it's hard to keep up. Just of few of the accomplishment are: First Film with Color to win the Best Picture Award, The first African-American to be nominated and win an Academy Award went to Hattie McDaniel (won for her role as Mammie in the film), is the still the most successful film in box office history (when adjusted for monetary inflation), placed in the top ten films of all time by the American Film Institute, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1989. As I mentioned before the competition was rough this year. The other films that were nominated were: Warner Brothers' Dark Victory; MGM's own Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Ninotchka, and The Wizard of Oz; RKO's Love Affair; Columbia's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; United Artists' Of Mice and Men and Stage Coach; and Goldwyn's Wuthering Heights.
While the competition was tough, and my person favorite more of all time, The Wizard of Oz, is also nominated, I have to say the Academy picked the right more this year. I have seen most of the movies from this list, and a lot of the movies from this year, and you can not get a better movie all around than Gone with the Wind. What I think that I love most about this film is the fact that you can watch it a million times and still find something new about it. Whether it be the costumes, the acting, the scenery, the reason for the shot, the looks on people faces, it's always a new adventure watching this film. This is one of those films that will always be relevant in some way in the modern world as it was in the 1930s. This movie is a shear masterpiece and can not be simply given justice in one simple post. I will have to watch this film again after this list is done and do a real in depth look into the film and see what else I find new and exciting about it. This is one of those film that you can watch it over and over again and find you never watch the same film twice...
The best reason that color became the new standard was the winner of the 1939 Best Picture MGM's Gone with the Wind. Considered by many people to be one of the best pictures of all time Gone with the Wind is a spectacularly rare treat that still excites, and thrills audiences today.
The story follows a strong- willed southern lady, Scarlett O'Hara, as she finds herself trapped in a love circle but is also trapped in the end of the old south as the outbreak for the Civil War approach. Living in Georgia just on the cusp of war, Scarlett is very keen on how the south operates. Women are to get a man, produce a child, and never worry too much about men are talking about. Scarlett has learned at a very young age that she can get any information, or anything she wants for the matter, from a man if you work them the right way. Scarlett is an expert flirt that only has eyes for one man and one man only, Ashley Wilkes. She thinks that she is going to get everything she wants out of life when she finds that Ashley is going to marry Melanie Hamilton instead of her. In a pure fit of loss Scarlet does "unladylike" things in order to get Ashley to change his mind. Some examples would be to show her bosom before three o'clock, or basically telling Ashley she is madly in love with him instead of playing coy. In doing all of these thing she does manage to capture the attention of a man but not the one she was after. Rhett Butler is smitten with Scarlett the moment he laid eyes on her. However, he knew that she would not warm up to in right away because his reputation was ruined and was pronounced a cad well before he ever made it to the south. That doesn't stop him from trying to capture her attention, just as Scarlett's desperation to get Ashley doesn't stop when Ashley tells her he is still going to marry Melanie. In an attempt to make Ashley jealous, Scarlett agrees to marry Melanie's little brother Charlie, that way she can still stay close to Ashley. All of that plan goes awry when Charles is killed in the war and leaves Scarlett widowed. In an attempt to escape the boredom of being a widow, Scarlet decides to go and visit Melanie in Atlanta (with the secret hope to see Ashley when he gets his Christmas Furlough). Scarlet finds out soon that she waited too long to get back home when the war makes it way down to Georgia. Sherman is on his way and has plan to reek havoc on the fair city of Atlanta. The day that Sherman burns down the city of Atlanta, Scarlet reaches out to the scoundrel Rhett Butler to try and get home to Tara. They narrowly exscape the city and spend the next days to make it to their county. Along the way they find that the Yankees have taken down every home, and stolen everything in their path as they marched through. Finally reaching her home she finds that things are worse than what she could have imagined. Her mother had just died the night before she made it home, her father lost his mind because of the loss of his wife, her sisters sick with typhoid, and absolutely no food to be found anywhere, Scarlet has to muscle up the strength to take care of herself and everyone around to and to save the home she loves. All of this while hoping her sweet Ashley will come back to her and resisting the ever charming sweet talk of Captain Rhett Butler.
This film has so many honor associated with it that it's hard to keep up. Just of few of the accomplishment are: First Film with Color to win the Best Picture Award, The first African-American to be nominated and win an Academy Award went to Hattie McDaniel (won for her role as Mammie in the film), is the still the most successful film in box office history (when adjusted for monetary inflation), placed in the top ten films of all time by the American Film Institute, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1989. As I mentioned before the competition was rough this year. The other films that were nominated were: Warner Brothers' Dark Victory; MGM's own Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Ninotchka, and The Wizard of Oz; RKO's Love Affair; Columbia's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; United Artists' Of Mice and Men and Stage Coach; and Goldwyn's Wuthering Heights.
While the competition was tough, and my person favorite more of all time, The Wizard of Oz, is also nominated, I have to say the Academy picked the right more this year. I have seen most of the movies from this list, and a lot of the movies from this year, and you can not get a better movie all around than Gone with the Wind. What I think that I love most about this film is the fact that you can watch it a million times and still find something new about it. Whether it be the costumes, the acting, the scenery, the reason for the shot, the looks on people faces, it's always a new adventure watching this film. This is one of those films that will always be relevant in some way in the modern world as it was in the 1930s. This movie is a shear masterpiece and can not be simply given justice in one simple post. I will have to watch this film again after this list is done and do a real in depth look into the film and see what else I find new and exciting about it. This is one of those film that you can watch it over and over again and find you never watch the same film twice...
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Best Picuture of 1938: You Can't Take It with You
A meaning to base your life on is something that we all search for. Not many people ever find the real meaning of their. For those that do they find seem to find it too late. However, this film has a great meaning if life right in the title. The name of the film is also the winner of the 11th Best Picture of the Academy Awards You Can't Take It with You.
It's a very simple story that has a lot of great comedy thrown in. Tony Kirby, son of wealthy banker Anthony P. Kirby, has fallen madly in love with he secretary Alice Sycamore. They want to get married but they need to introduce the family to each other first. However, there are a few problems with this situation. One, Tony's mother does not think highly of Alice because she is a secretary and thinks that Alice is "beneath their station" and her son needs to marry someone in his own social standing. Two, Anthony P. Kirby is trying to create a monopoly to run out a competitor and need to buy out the 12 block radius where his competitor's factory is going out and the lone holdout to sell is Grandpa Vanderhof, Alice's Grandfather. Mr. Kirby is so desperate to buy the property he tells his real estate broker to do everything he can to get that house on the market so he can buy it. Well, the plan goes all wrong when the broker tries to get everyone in the house arrest for not paying their income tax and setting off fireworks without a permit. This plan would have worked if Tony and Alice had not planned for the families to meet for dinner on the same night that the arrest went down. Because Tony, and Mr. and Mrs. Kirby were there the police thought they were part of the household and they were arrested too. While in the prison Mr. Kirby gets into an argument with Grandpa about what life really is about and Mr. Kirby is forced to look at what he is doing with his life and realizes that he does not like what he has become.
The cast alone can tell you well this film was going to do. Starring Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold, and Ann Miller no better cast could have been brought together to make this film come to life. Everyone in this film was simply charming and a joy to watch on screen. Winning the Best Director Award for the third time, Frank Capra brought to life a story that everyone needs to see and experience at least once in their life. Capra and Columbia did have some still competition that year. They beat out Warner Brothers' The Adventure of Robin Hood, Jezebel and Four Daughters; 20th Century Fox's Alexander's Ragtime Band; MGM's Boy's Town, The Citadel, and Test Pilot; R.A.O's Grand Illusion; and Pascal Film Productions' Pygmalion.
I am sorry to say that before last night I have never seen this film before. I have heard about but I never really wanted to watch it. I think the reason is because I never had any idea what it was about and who was in it. Had I known the Jimmy Stewart was a star in the film I would have watched it years ago. This has to be one of my top 20 favorite films that I have ever seen! It's was so funny and so well written! It was true a treat to watch from the very beginning to the very end! I will never forgive myself for not watching it sooner! this is a must see for everyone in my book! I will say I am deeply offended that this movie has not been chosen by the National Film Registry for preservation yet! If any of the film that I have seen so far on the Best Picture list this one should have been chosen over The Life of Emile Zola for sure! Maybe it will one day be preserved and I will dance when that day comes!
It's a very simple story that has a lot of great comedy thrown in. Tony Kirby, son of wealthy banker Anthony P. Kirby, has fallen madly in love with he secretary Alice Sycamore. They want to get married but they need to introduce the family to each other first. However, there are a few problems with this situation. One, Tony's mother does not think highly of Alice because she is a secretary and thinks that Alice is "beneath their station" and her son needs to marry someone in his own social standing. Two, Anthony P. Kirby is trying to create a monopoly to run out a competitor and need to buy out the 12 block radius where his competitor's factory is going out and the lone holdout to sell is Grandpa Vanderhof, Alice's Grandfather. Mr. Kirby is so desperate to buy the property he tells his real estate broker to do everything he can to get that house on the market so he can buy it. Well, the plan goes all wrong when the broker tries to get everyone in the house arrest for not paying their income tax and setting off fireworks without a permit. This plan would have worked if Tony and Alice had not planned for the families to meet for dinner on the same night that the arrest went down. Because Tony, and Mr. and Mrs. Kirby were there the police thought they were part of the household and they were arrested too. While in the prison Mr. Kirby gets into an argument with Grandpa about what life really is about and Mr. Kirby is forced to look at what he is doing with his life and realizes that he does not like what he has become.
The cast alone can tell you well this film was going to do. Starring Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold, and Ann Miller no better cast could have been brought together to make this film come to life. Everyone in this film was simply charming and a joy to watch on screen. Winning the Best Director Award for the third time, Frank Capra brought to life a story that everyone needs to see and experience at least once in their life. Capra and Columbia did have some still competition that year. They beat out Warner Brothers' The Adventure of Robin Hood, Jezebel and Four Daughters; 20th Century Fox's Alexander's Ragtime Band; MGM's Boy's Town, The Citadel, and Test Pilot; R.A.O's Grand Illusion; and Pascal Film Productions' Pygmalion.
I am sorry to say that before last night I have never seen this film before. I have heard about but I never really wanted to watch it. I think the reason is because I never had any idea what it was about and who was in it. Had I known the Jimmy Stewart was a star in the film I would have watched it years ago. This has to be one of my top 20 favorite films that I have ever seen! It's was so funny and so well written! It was true a treat to watch from the very beginning to the very end! I will never forgive myself for not watching it sooner! this is a must see for everyone in my book! I will say I am deeply offended that this movie has not been chosen by the National Film Registry for preservation yet! If any of the film that I have seen so far on the Best Picture list this one should have been chosen over The Life of Emile Zola for sure! Maybe it will one day be preserved and I will dance when that day comes!
Friday, July 7, 2017
Best Picture of 1937: The Life of Emile Zola
It is on rare occasion that there is a man that it is his will to write the truth. Now, you may say that there are many men that want to write the truth... that is true. However, not many men who want to write the truth ever dare to make the attempt. Those that do make the attempt ever want to touch the hard truth. Emile Zola was not only a man who what wanted to write the truth but a man who wanted to expose it. The winner of the 10th Academy Award for Best Picture, The Life of Emile Zola, sheds the light on a man who dared to take on the truth.
Living in Paris in the 19th Century, it was rather hard place to write to the mass public because of the censorship at the time. Zola's aim as a writer was to always write the truth about his topic to tell the people what is really going on and not just what they want to hear. The censor did not like him but he did not care. He knew that people needed to know what was really going on with their government, country, money, and so on. His career kick started when he met a prostitute running from the police and helped her out. He got to know everything about her and wrote about her life, and the "under belly" of the Parisian world, and grave fresh light to people who had no idea what was going on around them. After his great success with his first book, and soon the many he wrote after that, he gained the trust of the French people. In 1896 the French people are suddenly divided because of a trail known as the Dreyfus Affair. When Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly accused of treason, he is imprisoned to Devil's Island. Two years after his imprisonment new evidence came to light that proved Dreyfus's innocents. Instead of letting him go the French Army did not want to admit that they made a mistake and covered it up and let Dreyfus stay on the island and acquitted the man that did commit the crime. With the help of Mrs. Dreyfus, who delivered evidence of a wrong conviction to Emile, Zola wrote an open letter to the army and sent it to newspapers around France accusing the Army of the cover up. After a month of deliberations Zola was found guilty for trying to denounce the French Army and was to be imprisoned for a year. Zola decides to flee to London were he can write for the innocents of Dreyfus, and try to help the reopen the case and be able to come home. When a new administration takes over the Army they find out that they have to admit that there was a cover up and have to reopen the case. Dreyfus is set free and is ready to be exonerated and meet the man that help to save him from his imprisonment. However, that would never be for the night before the ceremony the Emile Zola dies from carbon monoxide poisoning from a stove in his out.
Now, I am not really sure how much this is really true. Movies do tend to bend the truth a bit for the sack of entertainment but Emile Zola's life is very interesting to say the least. A lot of people think so because it was the second biographical movie to win the Best Picture Award. Warner Brother's had beaten out: Columbia's The Awful Truth and Lost Horizon; MGM's Captains Courageous and The Good Earth; Goldwyn's Dead End; 20th Century Fox's In Old Chicago; Universal's One Hundred Men and a Girl; RKO's Stage Door; and the first picture with color to be nominated for a Best Picture Award Selznick International's A Star is Born. The Life of Emile Zola was nominated Ten times of the Awards and won three. This film also did have the honor of being selected by the National Film Registry for preservation in 2000.
This is one of those films for me where I have to say that I see why it won the award but can not full heartedly agree that is should have won. Manly because out of the other nominations I have seen two other: The Awful Truth and Stage Door. My mother and I have a very special place in our hearts for The Awful Truth but I understand that Comedies do not normally win, or let alone get nominated, best picture awards. I think that it should have in this case because it's a wonderfully witty movie but I see why it did not win. Stage Door, however, is a drama that I thought is a well written and has you enthralled in it's story from the very start of the film. I think it would have been a better pick that The Life of Emile Zola. While the film was good enough to watch the one time I will not be temped to watch again any time soon. It's was not that excited of a movie to watch and felt more like a documentary rather than a drama. The fact about how this man helped to change history was interesting enough it was not enough to keep me wanted to watch more.
Living in Paris in the 19th Century, it was rather hard place to write to the mass public because of the censorship at the time. Zola's aim as a writer was to always write the truth about his topic to tell the people what is really going on and not just what they want to hear. The censor did not like him but he did not care. He knew that people needed to know what was really going on with their government, country, money, and so on. His career kick started when he met a prostitute running from the police and helped her out. He got to know everything about her and wrote about her life, and the "under belly" of the Parisian world, and grave fresh light to people who had no idea what was going on around them. After his great success with his first book, and soon the many he wrote after that, he gained the trust of the French people. In 1896 the French people are suddenly divided because of a trail known as the Dreyfus Affair. When Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly accused of treason, he is imprisoned to Devil's Island. Two years after his imprisonment new evidence came to light that proved Dreyfus's innocents. Instead of letting him go the French Army did not want to admit that they made a mistake and covered it up and let Dreyfus stay on the island and acquitted the man that did commit the crime. With the help of Mrs. Dreyfus, who delivered evidence of a wrong conviction to Emile, Zola wrote an open letter to the army and sent it to newspapers around France accusing the Army of the cover up. After a month of deliberations Zola was found guilty for trying to denounce the French Army and was to be imprisoned for a year. Zola decides to flee to London were he can write for the innocents of Dreyfus, and try to help the reopen the case and be able to come home. When a new administration takes over the Army they find out that they have to admit that there was a cover up and have to reopen the case. Dreyfus is set free and is ready to be exonerated and meet the man that help to save him from his imprisonment. However, that would never be for the night before the ceremony the Emile Zola dies from carbon monoxide poisoning from a stove in his out.
Now, I am not really sure how much this is really true. Movies do tend to bend the truth a bit for the sack of entertainment but Emile Zola's life is very interesting to say the least. A lot of people think so because it was the second biographical movie to win the Best Picture Award. Warner Brother's had beaten out: Columbia's The Awful Truth and Lost Horizon; MGM's Captains Courageous and The Good Earth; Goldwyn's Dead End; 20th Century Fox's In Old Chicago; Universal's One Hundred Men and a Girl; RKO's Stage Door; and the first picture with color to be nominated for a Best Picture Award Selznick International's A Star is Born. The Life of Emile Zola was nominated Ten times of the Awards and won three. This film also did have the honor of being selected by the National Film Registry for preservation in 2000.
This is one of those films for me where I have to say that I see why it won the award but can not full heartedly agree that is should have won. Manly because out of the other nominations I have seen two other: The Awful Truth and Stage Door. My mother and I have a very special place in our hearts for The Awful Truth but I understand that Comedies do not normally win, or let alone get nominated, best picture awards. I think that it should have in this case because it's a wonderfully witty movie but I see why it did not win. Stage Door, however, is a drama that I thought is a well written and has you enthralled in it's story from the very start of the film. I think it would have been a better pick that The Life of Emile Zola. While the film was good enough to watch the one time I will not be temped to watch again any time soon. It's was not that excited of a movie to watch and felt more like a documentary rather than a drama. The fact about how this man helped to change history was interesting enough it was not enough to keep me wanted to watch more.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Best Picture of 1936: The Great Ziegfeld
Extravagant, avant-garde, and elegant are an under exaggeration for a man the gave meaning to the very words to describe him, Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.. Known for his "follies" and his Broadway shows such as Show Boat and The Three Musketeers, Florence Ziegfeld was a force of nature that nothing could stop. When he got an idea into his head it just had to be seen by the rest of the world. The Great Ziegfeld is a movie that attempts to tell the story of the man who imagination can barely be contained within the stage of a theater.
Winner of the of the 9th Best Picture, The Great Ziegfeld is a glorious production of the life of a glorious man. Originally the story was sold to Universal by Billie Burke, Ziegfeld's real life widow, to help pay off debts. However, arguments about the budget of the film because and MGM bought out the picture for $300,000 ($5,240,534 is today's money), which included the story, the cast that included the great movie couple William Powell and Myrna Loy, and some of the sets that were already built. Filming under a new budget that ended up being over $2 millions ($34 Million in today's money) MGM picked up a movie that was well on it's way to success. Still being held as one of the great musical biopics of all time, this film is every bit as beautiful as Ziegfeld would have wanted it. It did not get to be without some competition. This film went head on with nine other films in order with win the Best Picture category. The other films included in the nominations were: Warner Brothers' Anthony Adverse and The story of Louis Pasteur; Goldwyn's Dodsworth; MGM's Libeled Lady, Romeo and Juliet, San Francisco, and A tale of Two Cities; Columbia's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town; and Universal's Thee Smart Girls. With keeping as much to how Ziegfeld would have wanted his production done, and to honor his memory, MGM came up with a wonderful masterpiece that gave a great credit to such an inspiring human being.
This has got to be one of the most beautiful productions that I have ever seen on the screen! I first got my taste of the Ziegfeld flare when I fell in love with the movie Ziegfeld Girl. While that movie is more about the "average people" that play in his production, and not about him, the productions that have his name attached to them were just as beautiful and majestic. I have known about this movie for a while and have not had a chance to watch it till now. I was hoping that is was going to be a wonderful story and it was so much more than that. It's showed more about his life and love of theater and family. Even though some of the stuff about his life was made up for theatrical appeal, it was the little quirks that were true that they left in that really brought this man to life. This is a great example of what a Best Picture really is. All of what it encompasses from the costumes, stage, and performances had come together to make a perfect film of the time. Though many to view this movie now say that it is too excessive, being a nearly three hours long, I believe this is a movie that was deserving of the win it received.
Winner of the of the 9th Best Picture, The Great Ziegfeld is a glorious production of the life of a glorious man. Originally the story was sold to Universal by Billie Burke, Ziegfeld's real life widow, to help pay off debts. However, arguments about the budget of the film because and MGM bought out the picture for $300,000 ($5,240,534 is today's money), which included the story, the cast that included the great movie couple William Powell and Myrna Loy, and some of the sets that were already built. Filming under a new budget that ended up being over $2 millions ($34 Million in today's money) MGM picked up a movie that was well on it's way to success. Still being held as one of the great musical biopics of all time, this film is every bit as beautiful as Ziegfeld would have wanted it. It did not get to be without some competition. This film went head on with nine other films in order with win the Best Picture category. The other films included in the nominations were: Warner Brothers' Anthony Adverse and The story of Louis Pasteur; Goldwyn's Dodsworth; MGM's Libeled Lady, Romeo and Juliet, San Francisco, and A tale of Two Cities; Columbia's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town; and Universal's Thee Smart Girls. With keeping as much to how Ziegfeld would have wanted his production done, and to honor his memory, MGM came up with a wonderful masterpiece that gave a great credit to such an inspiring human being.
This has got to be one of the most beautiful productions that I have ever seen on the screen! I first got my taste of the Ziegfeld flare when I fell in love with the movie Ziegfeld Girl. While that movie is more about the "average people" that play in his production, and not about him, the productions that have his name attached to them were just as beautiful and majestic. I have known about this movie for a while and have not had a chance to watch it till now. I was hoping that is was going to be a wonderful story and it was so much more than that. It's showed more about his life and love of theater and family. Even though some of the stuff about his life was made up for theatrical appeal, it was the little quirks that were true that they left in that really brought this man to life. This is a great example of what a Best Picture really is. All of what it encompasses from the costumes, stage, and performances had come together to make a perfect film of the time. Though many to view this movie now say that it is too excessive, being a nearly three hours long, I believe this is a movie that was deserving of the win it received.
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