Category: Oscar Nominee

A lost British Army patrol, counting Boris Karloff and Victor McLaglen amongst its members, is stranded in an oasis in the Cradle of Civilization; their last orders lost in the mind of a now-deceased officer. They are surrounded by the enemy with little chance of survival. The tension is strong and it’s a dark, psychological battle for each of the soldiers, where few if any will survive. I do enjoy the story telling in this era of John Ford films (fairly short run times with compelling stories told in tight locales) over his sweeping westerns. 

Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Score

Even as someone who isn’t much of a horror fan, I had hoped this would be a bit scarier than it is. After newlyweds James Brolin and Margot Kidder move with her young children into a home where a mass murder had occurred a year earlier, unexplainable things begin to happen. Disembodied voices are heard, people start feeling strangely, doors and windows act as if on their own will. One positive from the film is that they did a great job casting the kids; the three of them look like siblings. The score has the nice repetitive eerie quality that is necessary for the tension to build. The house has a menacing look to it, particularly with the two upper windows light up like glowing eyes. The fact that it is based on an actual story also adds to the scare factor, but it remains just somewhat creepy than an actual scare fest.    

Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Original Score

Robert Benchley enlists his friend Fred Astaire to help throw his wife off the scent of his womanizing ways by setting Fred up with Rita Hayworth. Rita is attracted to Fred , but understandably finds both men suspicious. Since the country’s in the middle of a war, all the action then has to move to an Army base after Fred is drafted. I enjoyed it somewhat better than the other Astaire-Hayworth pairing, but it’s also rather lazy in its story telling. There’s two very similar solo dance sequences with Astaire in Army jail. Fred grossly tricks Rita into marrying him. And, there’s a truly bizarre dancing extravaganza involving weird choreography and wedding dress costumes all while dancing on a tank. It’s lovely to see them dance together, but I don’t think I’ll be revisiting either film any time soon.  

Oscar Nominations: Best Music, Original Song; Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture

I’m generally not a fan of Glenn Ford, but this film is so wonderfully delightful that I can ignore all previous issues I have with him. Geraldine Page is a middle-aged postmaster visiting New York from Ohio for a postmasters convention. She is overly friendly, completely open, and brutally honest, completely the opposite of Ford’s fiancé. The two have a number of random run-ins in their shared hotel and despite Ford’s reticence, they fall in love. I am a sucker for middle-aged romances and Page is so incredible in her role. I felt like all the random New Yorkers she met, overwhelmed by her purity at first and completely mesmerized in the end. 

Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Original Song