Category: Oscar Winner

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Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)

A teenaged Anne Boleyn catches the eye of King Henry VII and he’s willing to sacrifice almost anything for the chance to produce an heir with her. She’s willing to forego love to rise in power and esteem, but unfortunately for her what comes around goes around, especially when you’re subjected to the whims of a capricious leader. Lavish costumes and settings provide ample period style, while Geneviève Bujold’s Anne convincingly portrays a young woman caught in the crosshairs of power and rarely unable to stare it down. Richard Burton’s Henry is filled with his own self importance and lechery, overwhelming any accomplishments in other realms.  Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Win: Best Costume Design

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; Best Cinematography; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Best Sound; Best Music, Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical)

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King Solomon’s Mines (1950)

Deborah Kerr hires British safari guide Stewart Granger to lead her through the African interior to find her husband who went missing while searching for the titular diamond mines. I could do without the condescension towards Kerr as a female and forcing her into a love story, even as she proves to hold her own, but Granger is a decent guide through the gorgeous vistas. They reminded me fondly of the time I spent in Tanzania. While not given top billing, the locals appreciatively are given respect by the main characters and a chance to be featured without being horribly exoticized.  Best Picture Nomination   Adventure

Oscar Wins: Best Cinematography, Color; Best Film Editing

Oscar Nomination: Best Picture

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Overture to the Merry Wives of Windsor (1953)

Johnny Green, who also produced the short, conducts the MGM orchestra in performing the titular musical composition. Not quite as creatively filmed as the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra’s Bolero , I appreciate that it gives the behind the scenes artists a moment to shine. Filmed in my beloved Cinemascope, the process allows the entire orchestra to be captured while also accentuating the brightly colored set.   Music

Oscar Win: Best Short Subject, One-reel

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The Picture of Dorian Grey (1945)

Encouraged by the random musings of George Sanders, beautiful Hurd Hatfield wishes that his newly painted portrait could take on the aspects of aging while he remains attractive and youthful. His wish comes true and he is, at least for a time, allowed to engage in his every whim while not exhibiting any of the physical deterioration caused by such. Similar to the messaging of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hatfield lets his ‘evil’ side out while still being able to initially pass as a ‘good person’ and he does so convincingly. My favorite part of the film is the few uses of color to show off the painting in both its original and later forms.  Supernatural  Horror

Oscar Win: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White

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Stairway to Light (1945)/Quiet Please! (1945)

Part of John Nesbit’s Passing Parade series, Stairway to Light brings to the forefront the work of Dr. Philippe Pinel, a French pioneer in treating mental illness. His work led to more humane ways of caring for patients and also classifying their illnesses. The short is a bit simplistic and hokey, but useful in teaching the work of a lesser known influencer.

Quiet Please! has Spike threatening Tom not to wake him up from his nap, a situation Jerry of course takes advantage of. It’s a pretty standard Tom & Jerry short with a plot that’s so typical for the duo that this particular short does not stand out on its own, though I do generally enjoy when the duo becomes a trio with the addition of Spike and how that changes the dynamic.   Animals

Oscar Win: Best Short Subject, One-reel (Stairway to Light); Best Short Subject, Cartoons (Quiet Please!)

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The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977)/The Big Story (1994)/The Fly (1980)

Buck Henry takes his date Teri Garr to a high class restaurant with the express intent of sitting at a table attended by The Absent-Minded Professor, played by Steve Martin. An enjoyable short with a surprising punchline pay-off, it is also well acted by all three of the actors playing especially on Martin’s strengths.

The Big Story is gratefully a very short bit that has three animated characters each representing Kirk Douglas at different parts of his career. The characters are really well done, but the short doesn’t add anything beyond that concept.

The Fly finds himself stuck inside a house to disastrous consequences. It’s a very simple, monochromatic animation that really conveys the frenetic energy and apparent bewilderedness of a fly’s existence.

Oscar Win: Best Short Film, Animated (The Fly)

Oscar Nomination: Best Short Film, Live Action (The Absent-Minded Waiter); Best Short Film, Animated (The Big Story)

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Tom Thumb (1958)

When he foregoes chopping down a tree at her bequest, Forest Queen June Thorburn grants woodcutter Bernard Miles and his wife Jessie Matthews’s wish of having a child, even if he’s only the size of a thumb. That the “child” is, despite his size, an obviously adult Russ Tamblyn is not mentioned by anyone. Even for a version of a fairy tale, this particular rendition is quite ridiculous, but it is saved by a couple of colorful and lively song and dance numbers, especially the one where Tamblyn acrobatically interacts with the toys in his nursery.   Fantasy  Musical

Oscar Win: Best Effects, Special Effects

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The Official Story (1985)

During the final year of the last Argentinian dictatorship, high school history teacher Norma Aleandro begins to ask tough questions regarding the adoption of her five year old daughter. A visit from a friend who had been persecuted by the regime and a student who is unwilling to just accept the party line make it impossible for her to ignore the facts despite her controlling husband’s best attempts to keep her in the dark. It’s a harsh reminder of the resonant pain and damage caused by authoritarian governments and pairs well with Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo in illustrating this reprehensible episode in Argentinian history.

Oscar Win: Best Foreign Language Film

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

In this English language version of the popular Stieg Larsson novel, disgraced journalist Daniel Craig is hired by Christopher Plummer to investigate the disappearance of his niece forty years ago. He’s aided by misanthropic hacker Rooney Mara. I’ve long put off watching this adaptation since I really enjoyed the Swedish language series. While I’ve never read the source material, I’d say the two films are surprisingly fairly equal in their portrayals though the rape scenes in this one are particularly brutal that I had to speed through them. Though its weird having non-Swedes, other than Stellan Skarsgård, feigning Swedish accents, the acting is solid particularly with the two leads and it’s really surprising the series wasn’t continued with them.  Mystery  Thriller

Oscar Win: Best Achievement in Film Editing

Oscar Nominations: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role; Best Achievement in Cinematography; Best Achievement in Sound Mixing; Best Achievement in Sound Editing

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America, America (1963)

Anatolian Greek Stathis Giallelis is entrusted with the entirety of his family’s wealth and charged with travelling to Istanbul to help in a cousin’s carpet store, but he has bigger dreams of travelling to America. An immigrant epic inspired by Elia Kazan’s own family’s immigration tale, It is a never-ending recitation of the resilience, drive, and luck required for someone to even have a chance at rising above their station and reaching for something better. The film lies on Giallelis’s shoulders and he conveys the desperation and hardship of his situation with bold determination that cannot be extinguished.  Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Win: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen

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