Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 4 — The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Josh Kaye

4. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Other Nominated Films:
Peyton Place, Sayonara, 12 Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution

I said this in an earlier post, but I feel that it’s only right to say it again: Davis Lean is one of the finest directors of all time. A few posts earlier, I spoke about the magnificence of what is, according to some critics, his best film ever, Lawrence of Arabia. Now, I’m here to present what I feel is the best film David Lean ever directed: The Bridge on the River Kwai. The film focuses on a unit of British soldiers who are brought to a Japanese prison camp.  The Japanese camp commandant, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), addresses the new prisoners, telling them that, regardless of rank, they will be required to work on the construction of a bridge over the River Kwai. British commander, Lt. Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) takes great issue with this because the Geneva Conventions state that captured officers are exempt from manual labor. The next morning, Nicholson blatantly disregards Saito’s orders and refuses to let his officers work. Saito is infuriated and threatens to have the officers shot, but Nicholson stands firm. Major Clipton (James Donald), the British medical officer, intervenes, claiming that murdering the officers will result in scandal and inquiry. Saito instead decides to leave the officers behind all day to stand and suffer in the blazing heat. In the evening, Saito sends the officers to a punishment hut.  As for Nicholson, he is beaten, then sent to solitary confinement in his own special iron box known as “the oven”.  And so the intense battle of wills begins: Saito trying to force Nicholson’s officers to build the bridge and Nicholson willing to die for what he believes in. Clearly, one man must win, but I’m not going to spoil it for you by telling you who prevails!  Saito, at first glance, acts like a mad man: he disregards proper military code and brutally tortures prisoners to get his way. All of this is because he is morally bound to commit ritual suicide if he cannot complete the bridge on time.   On the other hand, Nicholson is, well…just as mad as Saito. Nicholson, a strict militarist is compelled to respect military code even on pain of death. This conflict sets up an interesting and advanced character study of these two individuals (it’s as if they were ‘made for each other’). The actor that truly made this film complete for me was Alec Guinness. My first exposure to Alec Guinness was in the BBC mini-series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as George Smiley. As Smiley, Guinness brought a sophisticated and calm approach to the role, and he was marvelous. Many people also know him for his role as Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars films, which is, of course, one of the most memorable films of all time. But — The Bridge on the River Kwai would have to be, hands down, the best film that Guinness has ever made. He was able to bring the character of Colonel Nicholson to life, as if everything Nicholson believed was what Guinness himself believed as well.  In fact, during the casting of the film, there was a rumor about Charles Laughton being courted for the role of Colonel Nicholson. Apparently Laughton turned down the role since he felt he wouldn’t know how to play the part convincingly because he didn’t understand the character’s motivation. After watching the completed film with Guinness as Nicholson, Laughton understood.  Guinness would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, being the lone win of his career (excluding his Honorary Award). This would also be David Lean’s first win for Best Director and Sam Spiegel’s second win for Best Picture (#1 is #2 on this list). The Bridge on the River Kwai would win seven of the eight Academy Awards it was nominated for, and was the highest grossing film in the year 1958.

Nominated for 8 Oscars, Winner of 7
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Alec Guinness (WON)
Best Cinematography – Jack Hildyard (WON)
Best Director – David Lean (WON)
Best Film Editing – Peter Taylor (WON)
Best Music, Scoring – Malcolm Arnold (WON)
Best Picture – Sam Spiegel (WON)
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson (WON)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Sessue Hayakawa

Colonel Nicholson: What have I done?

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 5 — Rebecca (1940)

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Josh Kaye

5. Rebecca (1940)

Other Nominated Films:
All This and Heaven Too, Foreign Correspondent, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, Kitty Foyle, The Letter, The Long Voyage Home, Our Town, The Philadelphia Story

Finally, we are at the Top 5. And I can’t see any better way to get us here than with the master, Alfred Hitchcock. I want to cherish this slot since Rebecca is the only film that Hitchcock directed to win Best Picture. What’s odd though is that, aside from Best Picture, it won Best Cinematography and nothing else, although it was nominated for nine other awards. Looking at the winners for each award, it’s actually just…bizarre. 1940 was a fantastic year for movies, there’s no denying that at all. This is a year that included The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, The Philadelphia Story, and Foreign Correspondent just to name a few. Both Hitchcock and John Ford had two films nominated for Best Picture which is something you will never see happen today. Each acting category had a winner from a different movie…which is something I’m having trouble comprehending, and the film that took home the most Oscars was The Thief of Bagdad…which wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture.  I apologize for going way too deep into the award distribution itself, but this was just a weird…weird year.  Focusing on Rebecca now…well…this is even weird in and of itself! Since the introduction of awards for actors in supporting roles, Rebecca is the only film to win Best Picture without winning any of the Academy Awards for acting, directing, and writing.  Alright. Rebecca. Finally. Joan Fontaine plays an unnamed young woman who works as a paid companion to Edythe Van Hopper (Florence Bates). While in Monte Carlo, she meets the aristocratic widower Maximilian de Winter (Laurence Olivier) and they fall in love. Within a few weeks, the two would get married and move to Maxim’s house, Manderly, located in Cornwall, England. While the majority of Maxim’s servants accept the new bride, the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), is still obsessed with the first Mrs. de Winter — Rebecca. While, in my opinion, this isn’t Hitchcock’s best film (he did also direct Psycho, North by Northwest, and so many other masterpieces), Rebecca still holds its own as one of the greatest psychological thrillers of all time. The combination of Hitchcock plus Olivier is a match made in heaven and I wish that the two worked together on more movies. Rebecca was the first of five nominations for Best Director for Hitchcock, but he would never win the award — which is preposterous. He would go on to receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award which is given to “Creative producers, whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production.” To end this passage, I just want to say one thing. Thank you, Alfred Hitchcock…for everything that you’ve created…for being the innovator that you are and for being so far ahead of your time…thank you.

Nominated for 11 Oscars, Winner of 2
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White – George Barnes (WON)
Best Picture – Selznick International Pictures (WON)
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Laurence Olivier
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Joan Fontaine
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Judith Anderson
Best Art Direction, Black-and-White – Lyle R. Wheeler
Best Director – Alfred Hitchcock
Best Effects, Special Effects – Jack Cosgrove (photographic), Arthur Johns (sound)
Best Film Editing – Hal C. Kern
Best Music, Original Score – Franz Waxman
Best Writing, Screenplay – Robert E. Sherwood, Joan Harrison

Mrs. Danvers: Go ahead. Jump. He never loved you, so why go on living? Jump and it will all be over…

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 6 — All About Eve (1960)

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Josh Kaye

6. All About Eve (1960)

Other Nominated Films:
Born Yesterday, Father of the Bride, King Solomon’s Mines, Sunset Boulevard

14 Academy Award nominations. Four female acting nominations. #28 ranking on AFI’s Top 100 films. One of the first 50 films to be registered into the U.S. National Film Registry. It’s safe to say that All About Eve is one of the greatest films to ever hit the silver screen. Based on the short story The Wisdom of Eve, by Mary Orr, All About Eve begins with an awards dinner celebrating Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), one of Broadway’s brightest new stars. Attending the event is theater critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders) who recounts, in a voiceover, his interpretation of how Eve rose to stardom as quickly as she did. A year earlier, the biggest star on Broadway was Margot Channing (Bette Davis). On the night of one of her performances, Margo’s close friend Karen Richards (Celeste Holm) meets Eve Harrington in the alley outside of the theater. Karen recognizes Eve since Eve has waited in that alley many nights trying to catch a glimpse of her idol (Margo) leaving the theater. Karen takes Eve backstage to meet Margo, and at that time Eve also meets Margo’s entourage — Celeste’s husband and the play’s author Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe); Margo’s boyfriend Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill) who is also a director; and Margo’s maid Birdie (Thelma Ritter).  Eve gushes on about how she’s followed Margo’s last theatrical tour and then goes on to tell about the difficult life she’s led being an orphan and losing her husband in the war. Margo takes an immediate liking to Eve and hires her as her assistant. From this point on, we witness some of the greatest acting of all time, as well as one of the most ruthless on-screen betrayals in a long time. In my opinion, All About Eve was way ahead of its time. I plan on finding and reading the script at some point because the dialogue is some of the wittiest I’ve heard in any movie. The film portrays the entertainment industry as brutal; one day you’re on top, the next day someone younger and better looking steals the spotlight from you and you are forgotten. It all depends on who has the more driving ambition, and if you can’t keep up, you’re going to get knocked out of the way. Nominated for 14 Academy Awards, All About Eve held the record for most nominations of any film until James Cameron released one of the most expensive melodramas in history, Titanic. To this day, All About Eve is the only film to receive four female acting nominations (Davis and Baxter as Best Actress, Holm and Ritter as Best Supporting Actress). All About Eve also brought us one of the earlier important roles for a certain young up-and-coming actress who would forever change the movie industry — Marilyn Monroe. I’d also like to give a shout-out to Sunset Boulevard, which was the main competition for All About Eve. Sunset Boulevard was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, exceeded only by All About Eve.

 

Nominated for 14 Oscars, Winner of 6
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – George Sanders (WON)
Best Costume Design, Black-and-White – Edith Head, Charles Le Maire (WON)
Best Director – Joseph K. Mankiewicz (WON)
Best Picture – 20th Century Fox (WON)
Best Sound, Recording – 20th Century-Fox Sound Dept. (WON)
Best Writing, Screenplay – Joseph K. Mankiewicz (WON)
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Anne Baxter
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Bette Davis
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Celeste Holm
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Thelma Ritter
Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Black-and-White – Lyle R. Wheeler, George W. Davis, Thomas Little, Walter M. Scott
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White – Milton R. Krasner
Best Film Editing – Barbara McLean
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture – Alfred Newman

Margo Channing: Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 7 — Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Josh Kaye

7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Other Nominated Films:
The Longest Day, The Music Man, Mutiny on the Bounty, To Kill a Mockingbird

Before I go on to talk about this film, I would just like to say one thing: David Lean is one of the finest directors of all time. Lean doesn’t have just one film in my Top 10, but two, one of which is ranked in my Top 5. Lawrence of Arabia is undoubtedly one of the greatest films ever made, and if that isn’t enough, it also revealed the greatness of actor Peter O’Toole to the world. The film opens with the death of Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) by a motorcycle accident. At his memorial service, reporters try to better understand who this remarkable and complicated man really was. From here, we flashback into the life of Lawrence and where his military career begins…Lawrence is a British Army lieutenant stationed in Cairo during World War I. Mr. Dryden of the Arab Bureau (Claude Rains) sends Lawrence to evaluate the progress of Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) in his revolt against the Turks. The journey is not an easy one but I won’t go into detail here so that you can see it for yourself — but I’ll continue talking about what happens next…At the end of this journey, Lawrence meets Colonel Brighton (Anthony Quayle), who tells him to be quiet, assess Faisal’s camp, and leave at once. Lawrence instead ignores Brighton’s orders and advises Faisal to attack Aqaba — and thus begins Lawrence’s exploits as he leads the Arab revolt against the Turks. Again, I don’t want to ruin the movie for you by going into any great detail here, but suffice to say that Lawrence uses guerilla warfare tactics and performs heroic feats but also experiences emotional struggles with acts of violence and his personal identity. Lawrence of Arabia was a huge success both critically and financially, and is still popular among viewers today. Critics have repeatedly cited the film’s impressive visuals, music and screenplay, as well as the magnificent performance of Peter O’Toole. O’Toole was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, but would wind up losing to Gregory Peck who played Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (which is also one of the best films in the history of cinema). It’s interesting to compare O’Toole’s performance as Lawrence and Peck’s performance as Finch since they’re both ranked on the American Film Institute’s 100 Heroes and Villains list; O’Toole would be ranked as the 10th Hero, while Peck would be ranked as the #1 Hero. Both excellent performances; both iconic roles; and yet both very different types of heroes.  Lawrence of Arabia would be producer Sam Spiegel’s third Academy Award for Best Picture (the first two are #4 and #2 on this list),and David Lean’s second Academy Award for Best Director (the other being #4 on this list). O’Toole would go on to be nominated for another seven Academy Awards, but would not win any – however he was the recipient of an Honorary Academy Award for his remarkable talents that “provided cinema with some of its most memorable characters.

Nominated for 10 Oscars, Winner of 7
Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Color – John Box, John Stoll, Dario Simoni (WON)
Best Cinematography, Color – Freddie Young (WON)
Best Director – David Lean (WON)
Best Film Editing – Anne V. Coates (WON)
Best Music, Score – Substantially Original – Maurice Jarre (WON)
Best Picture – Sam Spiegel (WON)
Best Sound – John Cox (Shepperton SSD) (WON)
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Peter O’Toole
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Omar Sharif
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson

Prince Feisal: But you know, Lieutenant, in the Arab city of Cordoba were two miles of public lighting in the streets when London was a village?
T.E. Lawrence: Yes, you were great.
Prince Feisal: Nine centuries ago.
T.E. Lawrence: Time to be great again, my lord.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 8 — The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Josh Kaye

8. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Other Nominated Films:
Henry V, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Razor’s Edge, The Yearling

There’s so much that I could say about The Best Years of Our Lives…and that’s even before I did some background research on it. The Best Years of Our Lives focuses on the lives of three men returning home after serving in WWII — Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) , Al Stephenson (Fredric March) and Homer Parrish (Harold Russell).  The three men meet on the plane coming home from the war, share a cab ride, and become friends.  As each man tries his best to readjust to his old life, he must deal with new personal battles:  Fred Derry’s wife Marie (Virginia Mayo) wants to live a more lavish lifestyle that he simply cannot afford; Al Stephenson struggles with family life and job integrity, and starts showing signs of alcoholism; Homer Parrish, who lost both his hands in the war and now uses hook prostheses, is well aware that his appearance makes others uncomfortable.  One night, Homer goes out to avoid the awkwardness of being around his fiancée Wilma (Cathy O’Donnell) and their families after he is unable to properly hold a cup in his hooks.  That same night, Fred roams around the neighborhood, going from nightclub to nightclub in search of his wife, and Al decides to go out with his wife Milly (Myrna Loy) and daughter Peggy (Teresa Wright).  And, as luck would have it, all three end up meeting in the same bar. I won’t divulge the plot any further because I would be depriving you of some key moments that you really should witness for yourself. While I was watching the movie, I found it extraordinary that Harold Russell was so skilled with his hooks. The thought then entered my mind that it was entirely possible those hooks were real — so I looked into the life of Harold Russell, and he did lose both of his hands in the Army. Everything that I saw on-screen was completely authentic, and I was left speechless. Harold Russell wasn’t an actor — he was as real as any person could be. During the Academy Awards ceremony of 1947, Harold Russell was awarded an honorary Oscar for “bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans.” This special award was created because the Board of Governors assumed that Russell had little-to-no chance of winning a competitive award, and they wanted to salute him in some way. Little did they know however that Russell would go on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and to this day, he is the only actor in history to win two Oscars for the same performance.

Nominated for 8 Oscars, Winner of 7
Honorary Award – Harold Russell – For bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives.
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Fredric March (WON)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Harold Russell (WON)
Best Director – William Wyler (WON)
Best Film Editing – Daniel Mandell (WON)
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture – Hugo Friedhofer (WON)
Best Picture – Samuel Goldwyn Productions (WON)
Best Writing, Screenplay – Robert E. Sherwood (WON)
Best Sound, Recording – Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)

Fred Derry: You gotta hand it to the Navy; they sure trained that kid how to use those hooks.
Al Stephenson: They couldn’t train him to put his arms around his girl, or to stroke her hair.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 9 — The Apartment (1960)

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Josh Kaye

9. The Apartment (1960)

Other Nominated Films:
The Alamo, Elmer Gantry, Suns and Lovers, The Sundowners

Billy Wilder’s follow-up to Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, is a witty, sardonic, and touching film about corporate politics, adultery, integrity and love. Jack Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, a lowly office clerk who works for a New York City insurance company. When Baxter starts lending out his apartment to his philandering bosses for their romantic trysts, things start getting complicated — especially when Baxter’s big boss, Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), takes notice and wants to start using the apartment himself.  Meanwhile Baxter finds himself climbing nicely up the corporate ladder, and also takes a liking to sweet elevator operator Miss Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine). When Baxter finds out that Fran is Sheldrake’s girlfriend — it makes for sticky situations, romantic problems and more serious trouble (that shall remain nameless) — and ultimately Baxter must decide between his integrity and his career. The on-screen chemistry between Lemmon and MacLaine is great to watch as they’re both extremely quick with their deliveries and are just terrific when they’re together. MacMurray is pitch-perfect, playing against type, as the cheating, low-life Sheldrake. Jack Kruschen, who plays Dr. Dreyfuss, is the doctor-neighbor who mistakenly thinks Baxter is a ladies’ man and advises Baxter to “Be a mensch!” (human being). Ray Walston and David Lewis are amusing as slightly sordid office wolves. Kruschen was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, while Lemmon and MacLaine were nominated for Best Actor and Actress respectively. The Apartment would end up being a critical and a financial success, grossing $25 million at the box office. Wilder would go on to win Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay (co-written with longtime collaborator I.A.L. Diamond), joining an elite ‘club’ that consists of only four others (Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather Part II, James L. Brooks for Terms of Endearment, Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men.)  The Apartment would also end up being the last completely black-and-white film to win Best Picture (which actually could change this year…wow.)  I would also like to say one more thing before I close: Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was nominated for four Oscars this year, winning none. If Psycho would have won for Best Picture (which it was not nominated for), then Psycho would have been the #2 film on my countdown.

Nominated for 10 Oscars, Winner of 5
Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Black-and-White – Alexandre Trauner, Edward G. Boyle (WON)
Best Director – Billy Wilder (WON)
Best Film Editing – Daniel Mandell (WON)
Best Picture – Billy Wilder (WON)
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen – Billy Wilder, I.A.L Diamond (WON)
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Jack Lemmon
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Jack Kruschen
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Shirley MacLaine
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White – Joseph LaShelle

C.C. Baxter: Ya know, I used to live like Robinson Crusoe; I mean, shipwrecked among 8 million people. And then one day I saw a footprint in the sand, and there you were.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture # 10 — It Happened One Night (1934)

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Josh Kaye

10. It Happened One Night (1934)

Other Nominated Films:
The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Cleopatra, Flirtation Walk, The Gay Divorcee, Here Comes the Navy, The House of Rothschild, Imitation of Life, One Night of Love, The Thin Man, Viva Villa!, The White Parade

After reviewing 32 movies, we’re finally down to the Top 10. What better way to begin the Top 10 than with the Frank Capra classic, It Happened One Night. It Happened One Night is one of the best romantic comedies ever to hit the Silver Screen, and one of the last romantic comedies to be filmed before the enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934. It Happened One Night features Claudette Colbert as spoiled heiress, Ellen Andrews, who runs away from her father (Walter Connolly) because he wants to annul her brand-new marriage to gold digger aviator King Westley (Jameson Thomas).  Ellie attempts to reach New York City to meet up with husband Westley, and, on the way, crosses paths with Peter Warne (Clark Gable), an out-of-work street-wise newspaper reporter.  Peter discovers Ellie’s true identity and, seeing this as a golden opportunity to get his job back, Peter tells Ellie that he will get her to Westley in exchange for her exclusive story.  Along the way, Peter teaches Ellie a few “facts” of life, such as how to properly dunk a donut, how to hitch hike correctly (Peter actually learns something from Ellie here instead!), and how to give someone a proper piggyback ride. Also, along the way, we meet some fabulous character actors, including Roscoe Karns who plays Oscar Shapeley (“Shapeley’s the name, and that’s the way I like ’em”) and Alan Hale Sr. who plays Danker (singing “Young people in LOVE are very seldom hungry…”). The historical context of It Happened One Night is also something to note. It Happened One Night was released in 1934, in the midst of The Great Depression – and although the movie is not about the Depression, the Depression’s impact on the story is prevalent. Ellie has to pawn her wristwatch to buy her clothes, Peter and Ellie spend the night in a cheap autocamp (sharing a room and rationing food), a lady bus passenger faints from hunger, Peter and Ellie are hungry and have no money left to buy food or pay for their lodging…And yet, among all of this hardship, Ellie finds true love and happiness! It is interesting to note that several actors and actresses turned down the lead roles, and Gable and Colbert were also reluctant and quite weary about participating. It has even been said that, after filming was complete, Colbert complained to her friend, “I just finished the worst picture in the world.” That being said, there is a bit of a ‘story’ behind Claudette Colbert winning Best Actress for her role as Ellie. Colbert was so certain that she wasn’t going to win the award, she decided to take a cross-country railroad trip. When she won the award, studio chief Harry Cohn sent someone to drag her off the train (which luckily hadn’t left the station yet) to take her to the awards ceremony. It Happened One Night would go on to win all the Academy Awards it was nominated for, and would become the first film ever to win the “Big Five” (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Writing; this would happen only twice afterwards (to date).

 

Nominated and Won 5 Oscars
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Clark Gable
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Claudette Colbert
Best Director – Frank Capra
Best Picture – Columbia
Best Writing, Adaptation – Robert Riskin

Peter Warne: Behold the walls of Jericho! Uh, maybe not as thick as the ones that Joshua blew down with his trumpet, but a lot safer. You see, uh, I have no trumpet.

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 12 and 11 — In the Heat of the Night (1967) and My Fair Lady (1964)

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Josh Kaye

12. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Other Nominated Films:
Bonnie and Clyde, Doctor Dolittle, The Graduate, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Prior to compiling this countdown list, I’d never seen a Sidney Poitier movie. I knew who he was, and I knew about the profound effect he had on movie history — but I never had the opportunity to see one of his films.  You could say that Poitier was the first major black movie star — he was the first black actor to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award (The Defiant Ones); he was the first black actor to win the Best Actor award (Lilies of the Field); he played roles that defied previous racial stereotypes; and by 1967 he was a MAJOR box office draw.  With that being said, I’m glad In the Heat of the Night was my first Poitier film. And I’m glad that my first two memories of Poitier will be his delivery of the iconic line, “They call me MISTER Tibbs!”, and his performance, as Mr. Tibbs, reacting to being slapped by a white man — by slapping the white man right back. Wow. While Poitier gives one of the most powerful performances I’ve ever seen, in my opinion he’s actually topped by his co-star, Rod Steiger (and that’s saying a lot). Steiger is just so convincing and so stinging in his portrayal of the arrogant and prejudiced Police Chief Bill Gillespie. In a way, In the Heat of the Night could be considered a character study of two men, of different races, who are on the same mission with the same goal. And although Tibbs and Gillespie start out on the wrong foot and use different methods to solve crime, they eventually put their differences aside and work together. Steiger would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, while Virgin Tibbs would go on to be ranked as one of the top 50 heroes by the American Film Institute.

Nominated for 7 Oscars, Winner of 5

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Rod Steiger (WON)
Best Film Editing – Hal Ashby (WON)
Best Picture – Walter Mirisch (WON)
Best Sound – Samuel Goldwyn SSD (WON)
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Stirling Silliphant (WON)
Best Director – Norman Jewison
Best Effects, Sounds Effects – James Richards

Virgil Tibbs: They call me MISTER Tibbs!

Continue reading →

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 14 and 13 — The Sound of Music (1965) and Marty (1955)

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Josh Kaye

14. The Sound of Music (1965)

Other Nominated Films:
Darling, Doctor Zhivago, Ship of Fools, A Thousand Clowns

Now this is one of the weeks I’ve been looking forward to writing about! There are a lot of movies I’ve enjoyed watching, but these next two films are definitely up there as far as my all-time favorites go. Let’s begin with what the hills are alive of (I just couldn’t resist.) Nominated for ten Academy Awards, The Sound of Music became the highest-grossing film of all time in 1966, overtaking the top spot from the #3 film on my countdown list — which would again jump back to the #1 spot in 1971 usurping The Sound of Music…just a bit of trivia here. Anywho! Until about a month ago, I’d only seen clips and tidbits from The Sound of Music…sorry to say. But, after watching the whole film for the first time, I was completely blown away.  From the iconic opening scene when we see Maria twirling around on the beautiful mountainside amid the snow-capped Alps, to the suspenseful ending as the Von Trapp family tries to escape the Nazis — I was captivated in every way.  Not only was the film fun and romantic, and at times quite serious due to the historical implications — the Rogers and Hammerstein songs were simply magnificent and unforgettable!  Julie Andrews was so charismatic as the free-spirited Maria — truly phenomenal and easy to love.  And, although it’s no secret that Christopher Plummer (who played Captain Georg von Trapp) absolutely hated this movie, it doesn’t change the fact that this is one of his most memorable roles. Ranked as the #4 musical of all time by the American Film Institute, The Sound of Music is an experience you will never forget.

Nominated for 10 Oscars, Winner of 5

Best Director – Robert Wise (WON)
Best Film Editing – William Reynolds (WON)
Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment – Irwin Kostal (WON)
Best Picture – Robert Wise (WON)
Best Sound – James Corcoran (20th Century-Fox SSD), Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD) (WON)
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Julie Andrews
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Peggy Wood
Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Color – Borin Leven, Walter M. Scott, Ruby R. Levitt
Best Cinematography, Color – Ted D. McCord
Best Costume Design, Color – Dorothy Jeakins

Captain von Trapp: Fraulein, is it to be at every meal, or merely at dinnertime, that you intend on leading us all through this rare and wonderful new world of… indigestion?

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Classic Movie Countdown: Best Picture #’s 16 and 15 — You Can’t Take It with You (1938) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Josh Kaye

16. You Can’t Take It with You (1938)

Other Nominated Films:
The Adventures of Robin Hood, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Boys Town, The Citadel, Four Daughters, Grand Illusion, Jezebel, Pygmalion, Test Pilot

My first exposure to You Can’t Take It With You was during high school in the form of a school play. I can’t say that I was much impressed with the performance, but then again, it was a high school play. In any event, when I discovered that You Can’t Take It With You was a Best Picture winner, I was, well,…not so excited about having to watch it (I’ll admit, this wasn’t one of my brighter moments.) This is a great film on every level, and while it may be loud at times and somewhat zany, You Can’t Take It With You is a charming, uplifting film with a powerful and wonderful message: you don’t need money or luxuries to be happy; all you need is the love of your family and friends.  The film, with its uplifting message, was very well received upon its release in 1938, a time when the country was struggling through the tail end of the Great Depression (as a matter of fact, it was the highest-grossing film of the year). But I also find that the film is relevant in today’s world: a time when people are struggling with high unemployment, an uncertain stock market, bad mortgages and the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor.  You Can’t Take It With You was the first of two collaborations between Frank Capra, Jean Arthur and James Stewart, as they would all work together again in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  It was also the first Best Picture winner to be adapted from a Pulitzer Prize winning play.  One last observation:  Lionel Barrymore’s character, Grandpa Vanderhof, is the ultimate good-natured, anti-materialist, compassionate, family-loving man — the exact opposite of the character (Mr. Potter) he played in yet another Frank Capra classic – It’s a Wonderful Life.

Nominated for 7 Oscars, Winner of 2
Best Director – Frank Capra (WON)
Best Picture – Columbia (WON)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Spring Byington
Best Cinematography – Joseph Walker
Best Film Editing – Gene Havlick
Best Sound, Recording – John P. Livadary (Columbia SSD)
Best Writing, Screenplay – Robert Riskin

Grandpa Martin Vanderhoff: Maybe it’ll stop you trying to be so desperate about making more money than you can ever use? You can’t take it with you, Mr. Kirby. So what good is it? As near as I can see, the only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends.

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