Five Star Final (1931)

This is such a dark and dismal portrayal of a newspaper editor who, desperate to sell more papers, revives a twenty year old story about a murderer who has since put her life together. I found it intriguing that Edward G. Robinson, known best for portraying gangsters, is the editor and he assigns the story to Boris Karloff, whose career is filled with playing ghoulish characters. The story projects where it’s going a mile away, but that does not make the events any less heartbreaking. In a later year, I could see Marian Marsh, as the murderer’s grown daughter, winning a Best Supporting Actress nomination simply for her monologue toward the end of the film. 

Side Note: I discovered that Disney created a special short, the first one showing Mickey Mouse in color, just for this year’s Oscars ceremony. It delightfully shows all of the acting nominees, which sadly don’t include this film.

Oscar Nomination: Best Picture