Category Archives: Oscar Vault Monday
Oscar Vault Monday – Ship Of Fools, 1965 (dir. Stanley Kramer)
This was a film I’d meant to watch for a while because it was Vivien Leigh’s last screen appearance. Then it disappeared off of Instant Netflix and I kind of forgot I wanted to watch it. Luckily for me, TCM showed the film last week as part of its 31 Days of Oscar and boy am I glad that they did. I absolutely loved it. I think it might be one of the finest examples of interlocking storylines I’ve ever seen. Plus, the set decoration and cinematography were to die for. Some of the crispest B&W cinematography I’ve seen in a while. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning two: Best B&W Art Direction (won), Best Cinematography (won), Best B&W Costume Design, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress Simone Signoret, Best Supporting Actor Michael Dunn, Best Actor Oskar Werner and Best Picture. The other films up for Best Picture that year were Darling, Doctor Zhivago, A Thousand Clowns and winner The Sound of Music.
Oscar Vault Monday – Of Mice and Men, 1939 (dir. Lewis Milestone)
I’ve waited a long time (nearly a year!) to write about 1939 as it is widely regarded as the “greatest year in Hollywood history.” I’d also not seen all ten of the nominated films into just recently (thank you very much, TCM and your 31 Days of Oscar!). So after having watched this films it came down to picking one to write about. This was also difficult because Gone With The Wind (the winner that year) is my second favorite film of all time. So this is definitely not an “Oscar got it wrong” post, but instead I decided to go with one of the least talked about films from the year. This has got to be the best adaptation of Steinbeck’s heartbreaking novel of the same name. Everything about the film is pitch-perfect. The film was nominated for four Oscars, but failed to win a single award: Best Sound Recording, Best Original Score, Best Scoring and Best Picture. The other nominees that year were Dark Victory, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Love Affair, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Ninotchka, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights and winner Gone With The Wind.
Oscar Vault Monday – I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, 1932 (dir. Mervyn LeRoy)
I saw this film for the first time last November, when I was in the midst of Noirvember. While I would argue that this is more of a precursor to film noir, rather than actual film noir, it is nonetheless a really wonderful film. Of the handful of Paul Muni’s films that I’ve seen, it is most definitely my favorite of his performances. Muni is one of those actors who completely disappears into the roles he plays and, sadly, is not all that well-known these days. This film was nominated for three Academy Awards, though it didn’t win any: Best Sound, Best Actor and Best Picture. The other films nominated that year were 42nd Street, A Farewell to Arms, Lady for a Day, Little Women, The Private Life of Henry VIII., She Done Him Wrong, Smilin’ Through, State Fair and winner Cavalcade.
Oscar Vault Monday – The Divorcee, 1930 (dir. Robert Z. Leonard)
While I think the Academy definitely made the right choice with their Best Picture winner for the 1929/1930 season (this was before they gave out their awards according to calendar years), there were a few films that year that are way too much fun to ever be forgotten. One of those films was the 1930 film The Divorcee, starring “The Queen of MGM” – Norma Shearer. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning one:Best Writing, Best Actress Norma Shearer (won), Best Director, Best Picture. The other nominees that year were The Big House, Disraeli, The Love Parade and winner All Quite on the Western Front.
Oscar Vault Monday – The Magnificent Ambersons, 1942 (dir. Orson Welles)
It took A LOT of searching to find this movie. It is not available on DVD in the United States (click here if you want to try to do something about that). While probably not as well-known as Citizen Kane, I think this film is just as much a masterpiece Welles’ more famous film, though probably less universally approachable. I’m going to talk a little later about some of the production (and the headaches it caused). The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, though it went home empty-handed: Best B&W Art Direction, Best B&W Cinematography, Best Supporting Actress Agnes Moorehead and Best Picture. The other nominees for Best Picture that year were 49th Parallel, Kings Row, The Pied Piper, The Pride of the Yankees, Random Harvest, The Talk of the Town, Wake Island, Yankee Doodle Dandy and winner Mrs. Miniver.
Oscar Vault Monday – Missing, 1982 (dir. Costa-Gavras)
I think it’s important to first point out that this film is based on a true story. Journalist Charles Horman was one of the victims of the Chilean coup of 1973 led by General Augusto Pinochet, that deposed the socialist president, Salvador Allende. The coup was, in part, secretly backed by the United States government. The book on which this film was based came out in 1978 and this film was released in 1982, but the classified documents that prove that the events depicted in both are true were not released until 1999. I find this whole back story insanely interesting and if you’d like to read more about it, the Wikipedia article on Horman has a lot of information and links to further reading. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning one: Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Actress Sissy Spacek, Best Actor Jack Lemmon and Best Picture. Strangely, Costa-Gavras was not nominated for Best Director (Wolfgang Petersen got nominated for Das Boot, while the film was not up for Best Picture). The other nominees for Best Picture that year were E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, Tootsie, The Verdict and winner Gandhi.
Oscar Vault Monday – Double Indemnity, 1944 (dir. Billy Wilder)
Billy Wilder has got to be one of the most masterful and varied directors of all time. He has written and directed some of the greatest films of all time. Although he made films in a variety of genres, two of his greatest achievements were in the film-noir genre: 1950’s Sunset Blvd. and 1944’s Double Indemnity. I watched this film for the first time in November (also known as Noirvember) and I was blown away by how wonderful it was. Barbara Stanwyck’s Phyllis Dietrichson is perhaps the greatest of all femme fatales. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, but failed to win a single award: Best Sound, Best Score, Best B&W Cinematography, Best Screenplay. Best Actress Barbra Stanwyck, Best Director and Best Picture. It was up against Gaslight, Since You Went Away, Wilson and winner Going My Way. I think Going My Way‘s win is a testament to its star Bing Crosby’s popularity. It’s a film that, other than Crosby’s performance, has not aged well; whereas the popularity and critical acclaim for Double Indemnity has continued to grow throughout the decades. In fact, the film found its way on to several of the American Film Institute’s 100 years… series: 100 Years…100 Movies #38 (1998), 100 Years…100 Thrills #24 (2001), 100 Years…100 Passions #84 (2002), 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains: Phyllis Dietrichson, villain #8 (2003), 100 Years…100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) #29 (2007).
Oscar Vault Monday – The Piano, 1993 (dir. Jane Campion)
I saw The Piano for the first time about a year ago after I’d seen Campion’s most recent film Bright Star, which I unabashedly love, and decided I needed to see her “masterpiece.” While I liked Bright Star more, I think it’s mostly because of the sentiments expressed in the latter. I definitely think The Piano is one of the best films I have ever seen and Holly Hunter gives a show-stopping performance. The film won the Palme d’Or and Best Performance prizes at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. Jane Campion became only the second woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning three: Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay (won), Best Supporting Actress Anna Paquin (won), Best Actress Holly Hunter (won), Best Director and Best Picture. It was up against The Fugitive, In The Name of the Father, The Piano, The Remains of the Day and winner Schindler’s List.
Oscar Vault Monday – Raging Bull, 1980 (dir. Martin Scorsese)
This was one of those movies that I’d always meant to watch and just never had. I finally watched it for the first time a few weeks ago and I was completely blown away. It’s no wonder it was added to the National Film Registry the first year it was eligible. It’s just so eloquently simple and yet about this completely horrid person. Perhaps the real Jake La Motta found some redemption with the people in his life, but in this film he finds it only within himself. I think this is Scorsese’s best film. I know I said that about Goodfellas a few months ago; but I hadn’t seen this film then. Raging Bull was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning two: Best Sound, Best Cinematography, Best Editing (won), Best Supporting Actress – Cathy Moriarty, Best Supporting Actor – Joe Pesci, Best Actor – Robert De Niro (won), Best Director and Best Picture. It was up again Coal Miner’s Daughter, The Elephant Man, Tess and winner Ordinary People.
Oscar Vault Monday – Capote, 2005 (dir. Bennett Miller)
I remember seeing this film in theaters when it first came out and being completely swept away by its stark, simple beauty. It’s a film that is unrelenting from the beginning and doesn’t let up until the credits role. While Philip Seymour Hoffman is really the center of the film in a powerhouse performance as Truman Capote, it’s a wonderful ensemble filled with some of the greatest working character actors of modern cinema. It was nominated for five Oscars, winning one: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress Catherine Keener, Best Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman (won), Best Director and Best Picture. It was up against Brokeback Mountain, Good Night, and Good Luck., Munich and winner Crash.
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