Post by idioticbunny on Sept 29, 2017 17:37:30 GMT
A pretty lame year overall, mostly just above average stuff. Nothing bad, though Now, Voyager suffers from a serious lack of Claude Rains. I think if it was just about the relationship between Davis & Rains, it would have been a hell of a movie. But he disappears for too much of it.
Other than that, Casablanca is just a classic. I've seen it probably six different times in my life and I only seem to love it more and more each time. Can't tell if it's a perfect 10 (my third year in a row if so), but it's damn close either way. To Be or Not to Be is a great follow-up, though. I think the beginning was a bit weak in setting things up, but once it gets into it, damn is it good. And it helps that Jack Benny gives an amazing and hilarious performance because he really boosts things in the second half. Whole cast was great, though, especially Sig Ruman as a hilarious Nazi officer (never thought I'd have those words together in a sentence). And This Gun for Hire was a nice noir. I feel like this one is even more inspirational than Maltese Falcon in terms of the style of noir that was to come, but this one has a weaker focus and characters than Maltese, so it's not quite as good. Still pretty great, though, and crazy that a film this early in the Hollywood era has a hit-man character.
Regardless, an okay year, and the top three are the only ones I'll really take away from it. A shame that Magnificent Ambersons was torn to shreds by the producers without Welles' permission as I think it could have been nearly as great as Citizen Kane, but as it is, it's unfortunately average minus the acting (except Tim Holt who I thought was dreadful in the leading role). Anyway, here are my line-ups:
Best Picture:
01. Casablanca.
02. To Be or Not to Be.
03. This Gun for Hire.
04. Bambi.
05. I Married a Witch.
06. Cat People.
07. Yankee Doodle Dandy.
08. Saboteur.
09. The Magnificent Ambersons.
10. The Pride of the Yankees.
-----------------
11. Now, Voyager.
Best Director:
01. Ernst Lubitsch - To Be or Not to Be.
02. Jacques Tourneur - Cat People.
03. Michael Curtiz - Casablanca.
04. Frank Tuttle - This Gun for Hire.
05. Michael Curtiz - Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Best Actor:
01. Jack Benny - To Be or Not to Be.
02. Humphrey Bogart - Casablanca.
03. James Cagney - Yankee Doodle Dandy.
04. Alan Ladd - This Gun for Hire.
05. Gary Cooper - The Pride of the Yankees.
Best Actress:
01. Bette Davis - Now, Voyager.
02. Ingrid Bergman - Casablanca.
03. Veronica Lake - I Married a Witch.
04. Carole Lombard - To Be or Not to Be.
05. Simone Simon - Cat People.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Claude Rains - Casablanca.
02. Joseph Cotten - The Magnificent Ambersons.
03. Sig Ruman - To Be or Not to Be.
04. Cecil Kellaway - I Married a Witch.
05. Claude Rains - Now, Voyager.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Agnes Moorehead - The Magnificent Ambersons.
02. Gladys Cooper - Now, Voyager.
03. Jane Randolph - Cat People.
04. Teresa Wright - The Pride of the Yankees.
05. Veronica Lake - This Gun for Hire.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. To Be or Not to Be.
02. Yankee Doodle Dandy.
03. The Pride of the Yankees.
04. Saboteur.
05. Cat People.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Casablanca.
02. The Magnificent Ambersons.
03. This Gun for Hire.
04. I Married a Witch.
05. Bambi.
Best Ensemble:
01. Casablanca.
02. To Be or Not to Be.
03. The Magnificent Ambersons.
04. Yankee Doodle Dandy.
05. Now, Voyager.
Best Editing:
Saboteur.
Best Cinematography:
Cat People.
Best Art Direction:
Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Best Costume Design:
Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Best Makeup:
Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Best Visual Effects:
Saboteur.
Best Sound Design:
Cat People.
Best Original Score:
Max Steiner - Now, Voyager.
Best Original Song:
"Love Is a Song" - Bambi.
Nothing too exciting. I also liked Bernard Herrmann's Ambersons score a lot, but I judge both on its use in the movie and on its own and due to the severe cutting, it wasn't used well enough in the actual film. So Steiner gets the edge, but his is still a beautiful score.
As for the next year, I already skipped ahead a bit and got about four films in, but nothing particularly of note yet. And of the ones I have left, I'm only really excited about Shadow of a Doubt. So would love some recommendations.
Other than that, Casablanca is just a classic. I've seen it probably six different times in my life and I only seem to love it more and more each time. Can't tell if it's a perfect 10 (my third year in a row if so), but it's damn close either way. To Be or Not to Be is a great follow-up, though. I think the beginning was a bit weak in setting things up, but once it gets into it, damn is it good. And it helps that Jack Benny gives an amazing and hilarious performance because he really boosts things in the second half. Whole cast was great, though, especially Sig Ruman as a hilarious Nazi officer (never thought I'd have those words together in a sentence). And This Gun for Hire was a nice noir. I feel like this one is even more inspirational than Maltese Falcon in terms of the style of noir that was to come, but this one has a weaker focus and characters than Maltese, so it's not quite as good. Still pretty great, though, and crazy that a film this early in the Hollywood era has a hit-man character.
Regardless, an okay year, and the top three are the only ones I'll really take away from it. A shame that Magnificent Ambersons was torn to shreds by the producers without Welles' permission as I think it could have been nearly as great as Citizen Kane, but as it is, it's unfortunately average minus the acting (except Tim Holt who I thought was dreadful in the leading role). Anyway, here are my line-ups:
Best Picture:
01. Casablanca.
02. To Be or Not to Be.
03. This Gun for Hire.
04. Bambi.
05. I Married a Witch.
06. Cat People.
07. Yankee Doodle Dandy.
08. Saboteur.
09. The Magnificent Ambersons.
10. The Pride of the Yankees.
-----------------
11. Now, Voyager.
Best Director:
01. Ernst Lubitsch - To Be or Not to Be.
02. Jacques Tourneur - Cat People.
03. Michael Curtiz - Casablanca.
04. Frank Tuttle - This Gun for Hire.
05. Michael Curtiz - Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Best Actor:
01. Jack Benny - To Be or Not to Be.
02. Humphrey Bogart - Casablanca.
03. James Cagney - Yankee Doodle Dandy.
04. Alan Ladd - This Gun for Hire.
05. Gary Cooper - The Pride of the Yankees.
Best Actress:
01. Bette Davis - Now, Voyager.
02. Ingrid Bergman - Casablanca.
03. Veronica Lake - I Married a Witch.
04. Carole Lombard - To Be or Not to Be.
05. Simone Simon - Cat People.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Claude Rains - Casablanca.
02. Joseph Cotten - The Magnificent Ambersons.
03. Sig Ruman - To Be or Not to Be.
04. Cecil Kellaway - I Married a Witch.
05. Claude Rains - Now, Voyager.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Agnes Moorehead - The Magnificent Ambersons.
02. Gladys Cooper - Now, Voyager.
03. Jane Randolph - Cat People.
04. Teresa Wright - The Pride of the Yankees.
05. Veronica Lake - This Gun for Hire.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. To Be or Not to Be.
02. Yankee Doodle Dandy.
03. The Pride of the Yankees.
04. Saboteur.
05. Cat People.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Casablanca.
02. The Magnificent Ambersons.
03. This Gun for Hire.
04. I Married a Witch.
05. Bambi.
Best Ensemble:
01. Casablanca.
02. To Be or Not to Be.
03. The Magnificent Ambersons.
04. Yankee Doodle Dandy.
05. Now, Voyager.
Best Editing:
Saboteur.
Best Cinematography:
Cat People.
Best Art Direction:
Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Best Costume Design:
Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Best Makeup:
Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Best Visual Effects:
Saboteur.
Best Sound Design:
Cat People.
Best Original Score:
Max Steiner - Now, Voyager.
Best Original Song:
"Love Is a Song" - Bambi.
Nothing too exciting. I also liked Bernard Herrmann's Ambersons score a lot, but I judge both on its use in the movie and on its own and due to the severe cutting, it wasn't used well enough in the actual film. So Steiner gets the edge, but his is still a beautiful score.
As for the next year, I already skipped ahead a bit and got about four films in, but nothing particularly of note yet. And of the ones I have left, I'm only really excited about Shadow of a Doubt. So would love some recommendations.