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Post by idioticbunny on Nov 1, 2017 18:45:13 GMT
Finally getting around to this. With working starting back up again and struggling to work on my newest screenplay, I decided to check out the last couple films for this year. It was a pretty lame year, honestly. Some good films (the top two especially are great and probably the only ones I might check out again down the road), but I'd be lying if I said part of the reason it took me so long to finish the year was because I was excited about it.
Anyway, I'm super excited to check out more David Lean if my first foray into his work is this near-masterpiece. Not only was the story fantastic, as well as the acting, but the editing, cinematography, sound, everything was wonderful. Fantastic aesthetics that only added to the feeling of it all.
Tree is an acting powerhouse all around (I think most any other year, Peggy Ann Garner would've been my actress win, so that shows how great the other two above her are), but the story goes on a little too long. Still, a lovely little movie and one of the best ensembles of the decade thus far.
Other than that, Children of Paradise is fantastically acted and directed, and the techs are top-notch, but it seemed to lack that gut-punch that you expect with what's labeled as the "French Gone with the Wind" (then again, wasn't big on that film either, so maybe it's just me). Though, to be fair, I do enjoy this film better than GWTW.
Also very excited to get into more Rossellini. I liked this debut a lot, but felt he hadn't quite hit his stride yet. So I'm very excited to check out Paisan and especially Germany Year Zero.
Overall, some decent films, but more just like a year of "hey, these people (i.e. Kazan, Rossellini, Lean) have potential" but aside from the first two, nothing entirely worth checking out again. Maybe The Lost Weekend, but only because Wilder is a god and Milland gives a hell of a performance.
Side note: What happened to Fritz Lang? Like, he's still an okay filmmaker, but long gone are his masterful days in the silent era. Such a shame.
Best Picture:
01. Brief Encounter.
02. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
03. Mildred Pierce.
04. Children of Paradise.
05. Rome, Open City.
06. The Lost Weekend.
07. I Know Where I'm Going!
08. Spellbound.
09. Detour.
10. The Clock.
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11. Scarlet Street.
Best Director:
01. Billy Wilder - The Lost Weekend.
02. David Lean - Brief Encounter.
03. Marcel Carné - Children of Paradise.
04. Roberto Rossellini - Rome, Open City.
05. Alfred Hitchcock - Spellbound.
Best Actor:
01. Ray Milland - The Lost Weekend.
02. Edward G. Robinson - Scarlet Street.
03. Roger Livesey - I Know Where I'm Going!
04. Robert Walker - The Clock.
05. Trevor Howard - Brief Encounter.
Best Actress:
01. Celia Johnson - Brief Encounter.
02. Joan Crawford - Mildred Pierce.
03. Peggy Ann Garner - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
04. Wendy Hiller - I Know Where I'm Going!
05. Judy Garland - The Clock.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. James Dunn - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
02. Jean-Louis Barrault - Children of Paradise.
03. Pierre Brasseur - Children of Paradise.
04. Jack Carson - Mildred Pierce.
05. Aldo Fabrizi - Rome, Open City.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Dorothy McGuire - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
02. Arletty - Children of Paradise.
03. Joan Bennett - Scarlet Street.
04. Maria Casares - Children of Paradise.
05. Anna Magnani - Rome, Open City.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. Children of Paradise.
02. I Know Where I'm Going!
03. Rome, Open City.
04. Detour.
05. The Clock.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Brief Encounter.
02. Mildred Pierce.
03. The Lost Weekend.
04. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
05. Spellbound.
Best Ensemble:
01. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
02. Children of Paradise.
03. Mildred Pierce.
04. Rome, Open City.
05. The Lost Weekend.
Best Editing:
Brief Encounter.
Best Cinematography:
Brief Encounter.
Best Art Direction:
Children of Paradise.
Best Costume Design:
Children of Paradise.
Best Makeup:
Children of Paradise.
Best Visual Effects:
Spellbound.
Best Sound Design:
Scarlet Street.
Best Original Score:
Miklós Rózsa - The Lost Weekend.
Best Original Song:
N/A
For some reason, IMDB lists The Clock as a musical, which is why I checked it out and thought I'd have a spot to fill in Original Song, but yeah. Not a musical lol.
Anyway, pretty excited for 1946, if only for all the film noirs (The Big Sleep being priority #1). Have already seen It's a Wonderful Life and Notorious but will probably re-watch the latter which is one of my favorite Hitchcocks, but want to solidify that opinion.
Welcome to hear any other recommendations to narrow down my super long list. Very curious about Julien Duvivier's Panic and Vittorio De Sica's Shoeshine, but can't find a decent copy of them anywhere - so if anyone has one, let me know!
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Post by Joaquim on Nov 1, 2017 23:06:53 GMT
My Darling Clementine and The Killers for '46.
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Post by stephen on Nov 2, 2017 2:24:27 GMT
The Best Years of Our Lives
It’s a Wonderful Life
A Matter of Life and Death
Anna and the King of Siam
Le Belle et la Bete
Duel in the Sun
Gilda
Great Expectations
My Darling Clementine
No Regrets for Our Youth
Notorious
Paisan
The Big Sleep
The Blue Dahlia
The Dark Mirror
The Killers
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Razor’s Edge
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Post by themoviesinner on Nov 2, 2017 11:05:57 GMT
It's disappointing that you didn't like 1945 very much, as it is probably my favorite year for cinema from that decade.
Aso, as most of the essential films were already mentioned, I'll list two not very well known German films from that year which I think are great and I definitely recommend watching them:
Under The Bridges by Helmut Kautner and The Murderers Are Among Us by Wolfgang Staudte & Hans Heinrich.
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Post by idioticbunny on Nov 2, 2017 15:48:57 GMT
46 recs: I'll second The Killers (one of my favorites) and My Darling Clementine (very good). And add... The Best Years of Our Lives A Matter of Life and Death The Postman Always Rings Twice (though I'd more strongly recommend the book, which is very short) The Stranger There are so many dang awesome film noirs I want to check out this year that I sadly might have to put Postman on the back burner as I only just watched Ossessione recently (which is essentially the same story). But I do want to check out all the rest (was gonna skip My Darling Clementine, but three recommendations in a row...). |
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Post by idioticbunny on Nov 2, 2017 15:51:02 GMT
It's disappointing that you didn't like 1945 very much, as it is probably my favorite year for cinema from that decade. Aso, as most of the essential films were already mentioned, I'll list two not very well known German films from that year which I think are great and I definitely recommend watching them: Under The Bridges by Helmut Kautner and The Murderers Are Among Us by Wolfgang Staudte & Hans Heinrich. I actually had Under the Bridges on my list, but decided to skip it this time around due to an excess of movies to watch, but I might check out the latter as I'm pretty sure I learned about it a bit in a World Cinema course and remember thinking it sounded really interesting (though I could be thinking of a film with a similar plot as I usually put films in my watch-list the second I think they're interesting, but this one wasn't in it). 1945 certainly wasn't the weakest year of the decade for me (that's still 1943 for me), but it just didn't have a whole lot to get excited about. |
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Post by pickpocket on Nov 2, 2017 22:58:18 GMT
1946:
Angel on My Shoulder - great performances from Paul Muni, Claude Rains and Anne Baxter. Reminiscent of the earlier Here Comes Mr. Jordan and The Devil and Daniel Webster. The 40s had quite the fascination with the after life. It's a tale of redemption that blends fantastical elements with social satire. Quite charming.
Cluny Brown - It's not quite Lubitsch at his best, but it has a lot going for it. Charles Boyer is much at ease under Lubitsch's direction that it made me wonder why it took so long for the two to collaborate. Jennifer Jones is comedic delight as the round peg in a square hole. The film is a great send up of social mores, ultimately championing unconventionality over stifling conformity.
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Post by idioticbunny on Nov 3, 2017 19:45:36 GMT
pickpocketBoth are on my list, and I'm curious to check out Lubitsch's last couple of films, but may skip that one for now. Angel on My Shoulder sounds awesome, though, and I love both Muni and Rains. Very intrigued by it, and my last couple spots are pretty open right now.
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Post by Sharbs on Jul 24, 2018 22:18:47 GMT
I'm just going to piggy-back off this. Ok, so I tried to go through the years, but it just became homework and dull for me so I stopped. Kudos to to you Bunny for this endeavor. So I think when I get on a whim I'll plow through whatever year I damn well please for a bit of variety. Anywho, '45 was a great year.
a few bullet point observations.
-3 films feature in my top-250: Brief Encounter 25-50 range; Leave Her to Heaven 100-125 range; Children of Paradise 200-250 range
-the discovery of Patricia Roc and her beauty/talent was a revelation.
-the women absolutely rocked this year. The Performances of Celia Johnson & Gene Tierney are all-timers for me
-where I struggled to put together a full lead actor lineup worthy of applause
-the only thing I know about Douglas Sirk's films is that All That Heaven Allows is a 1955 release. With that in mind, Leave Her to Heaven feels Sirkian to me with every notion I have of what Sirkian is. So I wonder if this was made in the heyday of Sirk or before him and it actually should be Stahlian.
-only a few films I feel like i want to see that I didn't get the chance: The Bells of St. Mary's, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Scarlet Street, and The Valley of Decision
Best Picture
1. Brief Encounter
2. Leave Her to Heaven
3. Children of Paradise
4. The Clock
5. Mildred Pierce
6. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
7. Rome, Open City
Best Director
1. David Lean, Brief Encounter
2. Michael Carne, Children of Paradise
3. John M. Stahl, Leave Her to Heaven
4. Roberto Rossellini, Rome, Open City
5. Michael Curtiz, Mildred Pierce
6. Elia Kazan, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
7. Alfred Hitchcock, Spellbound
Best Leading Actor
1. Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend
2. Robert Walker, The Clock
3. Trevor Howard, Brief Encounter
4. Cornel Wilde, Leave Her to Heaven
5. Aldo Fabrizi, Rome, Open City
6. Spencer Tracy, Without Love
7. Gregory Peck, Spellbound
Best Leading Actress
1. Celia Johnson, Brief Encounter
2. Gene Tierney, Leave Her to Heaven
3. Joan Crawford, Mildred Pierce
4. Margaret Lockwood, The Wicked Lady
5. Peggy Ann Garner, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
6. Patricia Roc, Madonna of the Seven Moons
7. Wendy Hiller, I Know Where I'm Going!
Best Supporting Actor
1. Jean-Louis Barrault, Children of Paradise
2. James Dunn, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
3. Pierre Brasseur, Children of Paradise
4. Jack Carson, Mildred Pierce
5. Howard Da Silva, The Lost Weekend
6. Zachary Scott, Mildred Pierce
7. James Mason, The Wicked Lady
Best Supporting Actress
1. Maria Casares, Children of Paradise
2. Arletty, Children of Paradise
3. Patricia Roc, The Wicked Lady
4. Dorothy McGuire, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
5. Jeanne Crain, Leave Her to Heaven
6. Anna Magnani, Rome, Open City
7. Eve Arden, Mildred Pierce
Best Original Screenplay
1. Children pf Paradise
2. The Clock
3. I Know Where I'm Going!
4. Rome, Open City
5. Detour
Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Brief Encounter
2. Leave Her to Heaven
3. Mildred Pierce
4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
5. The Lost Weekend
Best Cinematography
1. Leave Her to Heaven
2. Brief Encounter
3. Children of Paradise
4. The Lost Weekend
5. Spellbound
6. Mildred Pierce
7. Rome, Open City
Best Original Score
1. The Southerner
2. The Lost Weekend
3. Spellbound
4. Leave Her to Heaven
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Best Ensemble
1. Children of Paradise
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
3. Mildred Pierce
4. Leave Her to Heaven
5. The Lost Weekend
Best Film Editing
1. Brief Encounter
2. The Lost Weekend
3. Spellbound
4. Children of Paradise
5. Leave Her to Heaven
Best Production Design
1. Children of Paradise
2. Leave Her to Heaven
3. Madonna of the Seven Moons
4. Rome, Open City
5. Spellbound
Best Costume Design
1. Children of Paradise
2. The Wicked Lady
3. Mildred Pierce
4. Madonna of the Seven Moons
Best Makeup & Hair
1. Children of Paradise
2. The Wicked Lady
3. Mildred Pierce
4. Madonna of the Seven Moons
Best Sound Editing
1. Brief Encounter
2. Spellbound
3. Children of Paradise
4. The Wicked Lady
Best Sound Mixing
1. Brief Encounter
2. Children of Paradise
3. The Lost Weekend
4. Spellbound
5. Leave Her to Heaven
Best Visual Effects
1. Spellbound
2. Blithe Spirit
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Post by OrsonHepburn on Aug 3, 2018 23:06:40 GMT
PICTURE:
Brief Encounter
Children of Paradise
The Lost Weekend
Mildred Pierce
Spellbound
DIRECTOR:
Marcel Carne – Children of Paradise
Michael Curtiz – Mildred Pierce
Alfred Hitchcock – Spellbound
David Lean – Brief Encounter
Billy Wilder – The Lost Weekend
ACTOR:
Jean-Louis Barrault – Children of Paradise
Bing Crosby – The Bells of St. Mary’s
Trevor Howard – Brief Encounter
Ray Milland – The Lost Weekend
Gregory Peck – Spellbound
ACTRESS:
Ingrid Bergman – Spellbound
Joan Crawford – Mildred Pierce
Wendy Hiller – I Know Where I’m Going
Celia Johnson – Brief Encounter
Gene Tierney – Leave Her to Heaven
SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Michael Chekhov – Spellbound
John Dall – The Corn is Green
James Dunn – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Marcel Herrand – Children of Paradise
Robert Mitchum – The Story of G.I. Joe
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Eve Arden – Mildred Pierce
Ann Blyth – Mildred Pierce
Maria Casares – Children of Paradise
Angela Lansbury – The Picture of Dorian Gray
Anna Magnani – Rome, Open City
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Children of Paradise
Christmas in Connecticut
I Know Where I’m Going
Rome, Open City
Vacation from Marriage
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Brief Encounter
The Lost Weekend
Mildred Pierce
Spellbound
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
SCORE:
Spellbound
SONG:
Love Letters - "Love Letters"
EDITING:
Children of Paradise
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Children of Paradise
PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Children of Paradise
SOUND:
The Story of G.I. Joe
COSTUMES:
Children of Paradise
MAKEUP & HAIR:
Children of Paradise
VISUAL EFFECTS:
Spellbound
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Post by idioticbunny on Aug 4, 2018 0:36:11 GMT
SharbsI can certainly say it hasn't been easy trying to go year-by-year, but I've also been so behind on so many classics that are pretty much staples of the cinephile world that I'm nearly ashamed. So this has been a way to sort of make it easy to pick a movie (because when I have between 1910 and 2018 to choose a movie to watch, I get overwhelmed and procrastinate lol) and to sort of rightfully call myself a film lover again. Regardless, 1945 is a pretty solid year. Brief Encounter may just wind up a top 100 film for me, maybe even top 50. It's super beautiful and easily one of the best debuts I've ever seen. Johnson for sure makes my Lead Actress all-time line-up. Children of Paradise is great as well, but yeah, trying to think of a solid Lead Actor line-up is difficult (though I recommend I Know Where I'm Going as one to check out again). Aside from Milland, there wasn't much to go off of as most of the best acting from that year is in the Supporting categories. Also thanks for recommending Patricia Roc who I had never heard of before. And hey, even if you get a whim to just watch a certain year every now and then, that counts for something.
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Post by OrsonHepburn on Aug 4, 2018 0:46:35 GMT
I'm just going to piggy-back off this. Ok, so I tried to go through the years, but it just became homework and dull for me so I stopped. Kudos to to you Bunny for this endeavor. So I think when I get on a whim I'll plow through whatever year I damn well please for a bit of variety. Anywho, '45 was a great year. I am going year by year, but I don't go in chronological order. I am choosing years that I have the easiest access to a large number of films. I started the project by looking a the Oscar nominees and a few lists I found of people's personal nominations. This helped me get a list of anywhere from 25-45 films to watch for each year. I do miss some good ones I'm sure, but I can always go back later. I then concentrated on finding films from the 30's and 40's, but I'm now expanding in the the 50's. I'm currently working on 1950 with 1931 probably being next. It can become a chore sometimes, but I find that if I work on a year at a time it is easy to take a break and come back whenever I want. This also makes it easier for me because I don't have a very good "photographic memory" when it comes to the films and performances I've seen. |
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Post by Sharbs on Aug 4, 2018 2:17:38 GMT
SharbsI can certainly say it hasn't been easy trying to go year-by-year, but I've also been so behind on so many classics that are pretty much staples of the cinephile world that I'm nearly ashamed. So this has been a way to sort of make it easy to pick a movie (because when I have between 1910 and 2018 to choose a movie to watch, I get overwhelmed and procrastinate lol) and to sort of rightfully call myself a film lover again. Regardless, 1945 is a pretty solid year. Brief Encounter may just wind up a top 100 film for me, maybe even top 50. It's super beautiful and easily one of the best debuts I've ever seen. Johnson for sure makes my Lead Actress all-time line-up. Children of Paradise is great as well, but yeah, trying to think of a solid Lead Actor line-up is difficult (though I recommend I Know Where I'm Going as one to check out again). Aside from Milland, there wasn't much to go off of as most of the best acting from that year is in the Supporting categories. Also thanks for recommending Patricia Roc who I had never heard of before. And hey, even if you get a whim to just watch a certain year every now and then, that counts for something. yeah, it was mainly a slog getting through the silent era. Even if I started something at like 8 or 9 pm it was almost a guarantee that I'd fall asleep didn't matter my interest level. The only reason I discovered her was watching The Wicked Lady which I only played for James Mason and she was the highlight of the movie and in turn the reason I caught Madonna of the Seven Moons will be seeking her film from here on out. She's got charm for days. |
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Post by Sharbs on Aug 4, 2018 2:23:53 GMT
I'm just going to piggy-back off this. Ok, so I tried to go through the years, but it just became homework and dull for me so I stopped. Kudos to to you Bunny for this endeavor. So I think when I get on a whim I'll plow through whatever year I damn well please for a bit of variety. Anywho, '45 was a great year. I am going year by year, but I don't go in chronological order. I am choosing years that I have the easiest access to a large number of films. I started the project by looking a the Oscar nominees and a few lists I found of people's personal nominations. This helped me get a list of anywhere from 25-45 films to watch for each year. I do miss some good ones I'm sure, but I can always go back later. I then concentrated on finding films from the 30's and 40's, but I'm now expanding in the the 50's. I'm currently working on 1950 with 1931 probably being next. It can become a chore sometimes, but I find that if I work on a year at a time it is easy to take a break and come back whenever I want. This also makes it easier for me because I don't have a very good "photographic memory" when it comes to the films and performances I've seen. I'm just searching whichever year I'm going through on the FilmStruck app and then finding what essentials I might have missed on Amazon. |
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Post by idioticbunny on Aug 4, 2018 4:04:50 GMT
yeah, it was mainly a slog getting through the silent era. Even if I started something at like 8 or 9 pm it was almost a guarantee that I'd fall asleep didn't matter my interest level. The only reason I discovered her was watching The Wicked Lady which I only played for James Mason and she was the highlight of the movie and in turn the reason I caught Madonna of the Seven Moons will be seeking her film from here on out. She's got charm for days. I don't blame you. It certainly helps to watch films from the silent era chronologically as you get more adjusted to the style that way. After a while, you don't even realize that they're silent. Some of them - like Abel Gance's works - can certainly be a chore. But his Napoleon, which is a six-hour film, is one of the best films from that decade in my opinion. But the nice thing is that watching them online they tend to be broken up into hour segments. So it's almost like watching a television mini-series from the silent era if you work through them that way. I've found that to be the most helpful. But again, not all silent films are for everyone. At least worth it to check out the essential ones anyway (i.e. Chaplin, Eisenstein). It's always amazing to find some out-of-the-blue actor/actress/director who excites you. This was especially true during my 1930s stretch I found where it was nearly free reign during that era. Sometimes the best films were the most hidden ones. |
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Post by idioticbunny on Aug 4, 2018 4:07:05 GMT
I am going year by year, but I don't go in chronological order. I am choosing years that I have the easiest access to a large number of films. I started the project by looking a the Oscar nominees and a few lists I found of people's personal nominations. This helped me get a list of anywhere from 25-45 films to watch for each year. I do miss some good ones I'm sure, but I can always go back later. I then concentrated on finding films from the 30's and 40's, but I'm now expanding in the the 50's. I'm currently working on 1950 with 1931 probably being next. It can become a chore sometimes, but I find that if I work on a year at a time it is easy to take a break and come back whenever I want. This also makes it easier for me because I don't have a very good "photographic memory" when it comes to the films and performances I've seen. Kudos to you for taking the time for 25-45 each year. I guess when you go out of order, it probably works better that way. Chronologically you feel like you're missing out on the good stuff in the next year if I go over ten (though with 1955 I went way over my limit). I'm also dying to get to some stuff from the 70s and 80s so that could be a factor lol. |
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