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Post by idioticbunny on Dec 26, 2017 19:22:47 GMT
I was really excited for this year when the first movie I watched was Black Narcissus and it was already a solid 8/10. But then the rest of it just... was really disappointing. Especially the Chaplin film which ( stephen I get it now) while would have been a welcome change of pace into dark comedy territory, was far too muddled and incoherent and unsure of itself to really leave a lasting impact. The only good thing I can say about it is Chaplin does a fantastic job completely shedding the Tramp character and doing something wildly different, but the rest of the film doesn't follow suit. The others range from slightly above average to decent, but none really break that barrier into great aside from maybe Black Narcissus which I'll admit did linger with me for a long time (mainly due to that incredible cinematography from Jack Cardiff). Strange how Byron gets all the praise for her performance when she did practically nothing until that last third - but she is fantastic in that time. But Deborah Kerr deserves even just as much if not more praise for keeping you entranced through the first half which takes its sweet time setting up the film. Clearly an underrated turn for her. Won't say much about the rest, as there aren't too many performances to note either. Gwenn seems to go in a lot of supporting categories (and Attenborough would've easily been my win had I felt he was too), but he's in just about every frame of the film and O'Hara seems to take a backseat for far too much of it. So I just made it an even split and called it co-lead. Either way, Gwenn is incredible in the role. Can't think of anyone playing Santa better. Attenborough, though, is very chilling yet quietly vulnerable and as it's the third performance of his I've seen - I can say he's gone 3/3 for me. Would love to check out more knock-out roles from him. Of course, there's also Richard Widmark who completely deserves his praise. To modern viewers, it probably would seem like "yet another psycho villain," but back then that had to have been mind-blowing stuff. Completely chilling to the bone and anytime he's on screen, there's this awful tension in the air. Fantastic stuff. All in all, a pretty lame year though with some very mild stand-out films. Beyond the first three, I doubt I'll even think back on any of them. Really excited to get onto 1948 and see what's in store. Best Picture:
01. Black Narcissus.
02. Miracle on 34th Street.
03. Kiss of Death.
04. Brute Force.
05. Brighton Rock.
06. Cinderella.
07. Out of the Past.
08. Odd Man Out.
09. Snow Trail.
10. Green for Danger.
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11. The Paradine Case.
12. Monsieur Verdoux.
Best Director:
01. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger - Black Narcissus.
02. John Boulting - Brighton Rock.
03. Nadezhda Kosheverova & Mikhail Shapiro - Cinderella.
04. Henry Hathaway - Kiss of Death.
05. Jacques Tourneur - Out of the Past.
Best Actor:
01. Edmund Gwenn - Miracle on 34th Street.
02. Richard Attenborough - Brighton Rock.
03. Victor Mature - Kiss of Death.
04. Charles Chaplin - Monsieur Verdoux.
05. Robert Mitchum - Out of the Past.
Best Actress:
01. Deborah Kerr - Black Narcissus.
02. Maureen O'Hara - Miracle on 34th Street.
03. Yanina Zhejmo - Cinderella.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Richard Widmark - Kiss of Death.
02. Alastair Sim - Green for Danger.
03. Hume Cronyn - Brute Force.
04. Alan Wheatley - Brighton Rock.
05. David Farrar - Black Narcissus.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Kathleen Byron - Black Narcissus.
02. Alida Valli - The Paradine Case.
03. Hermione Baddeley - Brighton Rock.
04. Jane Greer - Out of the Past.
05. Faina Ranevskaya - Cinderella.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. Kiss of Death.
02. Miracle on 34th Street.
03. Brute Force.
04. Monsieur Verdoux.
05. Snow Trail.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Black Narcissus.
02. Out of the Past.
03. Brighton Rock.
04. Cinderella.
05. Green for Danger.
Best Ensemble:
01. Green for Danger.
02. Black Narcissus.
03. Brute Force.
04. Brighton Rock.
05. Kiss of Death.
Best Editing:
Cinderella.
Best Cinematography:
Black Narcissus.
Best Art Direction:
Black Narcissus.
Best Costume Design:
Cinderella.
Best Makeup:
Cinderella.
Best Visual Effects:
Black Narcissus.
Best Sound Design:
Cinderella.
Best Original Score:
Antonio Spadavekkia - Cinderella.
Best Original Song:
"Cinderella's Sad Song" - Cinderella.** = Unsure of the actual name, couldn't find it anywhere, so just made one up. For next year I've already seen Rope and Bicycle Thieves, but I plan to re-watch them both since it's been a couple years or so since (I loved both). Other than that, Red River, Treasure of Sierra Madre, The Red Shoes, and the two Shakespeare adaptations are my priorities. The rest are up in the air. I also have a friend whose favorite film is Drunken Angel and I'm using that as my commencement into Kurosawa's work ( Seven Samurai is the only Kurosawa film I've seen to date). |
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Post by stephen on Dec 26, 2017 19:35:51 GMT
Props on putting Gwenn in his rightful category, and while I don't think he's better than Attenborough (who makes a strong play for best leading male performance of the decade behind Milland and Bogie in '48), he's a worthy winner. Real shame you didn't watch Ivy, though.
For 1948, a bang-up year:
Act of Violence
Anna Karenina
Bicycle Thieves
Drunken Angel
Fort Apache
Germany, Year Zero
Hamlet
Hamnstad (Port of Call)
Joan of Arc
Johnny Belinda
Key Largo
Letter from an Unknown Woman
Macbeth
Oliver Twist
Red River
Rope
Sorry, Wrong Number
The Naked City
The Red Shoes
The Search
The Snake Pit
They Live By Night
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
All of these I'd rate an 8/10 or higher.
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Post by idioticbunny on Dec 26, 2017 19:48:52 GMT
stephenGlad to hear I'm not crazy for putting Gwenn in Lead. The Bogie in '48: is that Sierra Madre or Key Largo? Both are on my list. I do kind of wish I saw Ivy as I love Fontaine, but had higher hopes for the rest of the ones I watched and was disappointed in most - so maybe I should have! Forgot about Germany Year Zero as FilmStruck labels that as 1947, but I put it in my Watchlist to watch this year, so that's another priority. They Live by Night has a weird release pattern, but I'm going by it's 1949 US release as it's a US film, so I'll make that priority for next year. Crazy that you rate those all 8/10 or higher, I'm pretty excited! It already seems like a much better year than 1947, but could possibly even be the best of the decade if we wind up in the same boat. Have you seen Portrait of Jennie at all? Based on the synopsis, it doesn't seem like it should have won the Oscar for VFX, but I'm also curious because I've yet to see a Jennifer Jones performance and I love Joseph Cotten. But really don't know if I'll check it out, just curious about it.
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Post by stephen on Dec 26, 2017 19:52:21 GMT
stephen Glad to hear I'm not crazy for putting Gwenn in Lead. The Bogie in '48: is that Sierra Madre or Key Largo? Both are on my list. I do kind of wish I saw Ivy as I love Fontaine, but had higher hopes for the rest of the ones I watched and was disappointed in most - so maybe I should have! Forgot about Germany Year Zero as FilmStruck labels that as 1947, but I put it in my Watchlist to watch this year, so that's another priority. They Live by Night has a weird release pattern, but I'm going by it's 1949 US release as it's a US film, so I'll make that priority for next year. Crazy that you rate those all 8/10 or higher, I'm pretty excited! It already seems like a much better year than 1947, but could possibly even be the best of the decade if we wind up in the same boat. Have you seen Portrait of Jennie at all? Based on the synopsis, it doesn't seem like it should have won the Oscar for VFX, but I'm also curious because I've yet to see a Jennifer Jones performance and I love Joseph Cotten. But really don't know if I'll check it out, just curious about it. . He's aces in Key Largo, no one plays that sort of part like he does, but Robinson and Trevor are the real draws for that film for me. But in Treasure, he shows a real edge that he never got the opportunity to really display. Dobbs is something of a forerunner to Daniel Plainview, and obviously Anderson has talked about how he constantly watched the film over and over while making the movie, and I think that the Huston connection is what drew Day-Lewis to that voice. Yes, I've seen Portrait of Jennie. Not exactly a masterpiece, but I do think it's worth a watch. Not sure I'd make it the first stop on the Jennifer Jones train; I can't believe you passed on her Oscar-winning turn when you did '43. |
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Post by idioticbunny on Dec 26, 2017 20:15:04 GMT
stephen Glad to hear I'm not crazy for putting Gwenn in Lead. The Bogie in '48: is that Sierra Madre or Key Largo? Both are on my list. I do kind of wish I saw Ivy as I love Fontaine, but had higher hopes for the rest of the ones I watched and was disappointed in most - so maybe I should have! Forgot about Germany Year Zero as FilmStruck labels that as 1947, but I put it in my Watchlist to watch this year, so that's another priority. They Live by Night has a weird release pattern, but I'm going by it's 1949 US release as it's a US film, so I'll make that priority for next year. Crazy that you rate those all 8/10 or higher, I'm pretty excited! It already seems like a much better year than 1947, but could possibly even be the best of the decade if we wind up in the same boat. Have you seen Portrait of Jennie at all? Based on the synopsis, it doesn't seem like it should have won the Oscar for VFX, but I'm also curious because I've yet to see a Jennifer Jones performance and I love Joseph Cotten. But really don't know if I'll check it out, just curious about it. . He's aces in Key Largo, no one plays that sort of part like he does, but Robinson and Trevor are the real draws for that film for me. But in Treasure, he shows a real edge that he never got the opportunity to really display. Dobbs is something of a forerunner to Daniel Plainview, and obviously Anderson has talked about how he constantly watched the film over and over while making the movie, and I think that the Huston connection is what drew Day-Lewis to that voice. Yes, I've seen Portrait of Jennie. Not exactly a masterpiece, but I do think it's worth a watch. Not sure I'd make it the first stop on the Jennifer Jones train; I can't believe you passed on her Oscar-winning turn when you did '43. That's awesome, I never would've guessed it was that kind of movie or role for him, so that only makes me even more excited to finally check that film out. Obviously you're a bigger fan of TWBB than I am (though it needs a re-watch), but it's always interesting to see where artists get their inspiration. I may or may not watch Key Largo also, so just depends on what I can make room for. I do wish I had checked out her previous nominated roles in the decade, especially since 1943 wasn't exactly a banner year for me as you know anyway. So maybe I'll hold off on it and just binge some Jennifer Jones films down the line. |
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Post by stephen on Dec 26, 2017 20:50:23 GMT
Treasure of the Sierra Madre. He's aces in Key Largo, no one plays that sort of part like he does, but Robinson and Trevor are the real draws for that film for me. But in Treasure, he shows a real edge that he never got the opportunity to really display. Dobbs is something of a forerunner to Daniel Plainview, and obviously Anderson has talked about how he constantly watched the film over and over while making the movie, and I think that the Huston connection is what drew Day-Lewis to that voice. Yes, I've seen Portrait of Jennie. Not exactly a masterpiece, but I do think it's worth a watch. Not sure I'd make it the first stop on the Jennifer Jones train; I can't believe you passed on her Oscar-winning turn when you did '43. That's awesome, I never would've guessed it was that kind of movie or role for him, so that only makes me even more excited to finally check that film out. Obviously you're a bigger fan of TWBB than I am (though it needs a re-watch), but it's always interesting to see where artists get their inspiration. I may or may not watch Key Largo also, so just depends on what I can make room for. I do wish I had checked out her previous nominated roles in the decade, especially since 1943 wasn't exactly a banner year for me as you know anyway. So maybe I'll hold off on it and just binge some Jennifer Jones films down the line. Oh, dude, you gotta double up on Bogart/Huston in '48. Key Largo and Treasure back-to-back is a hell of a double-feature. |
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Post by Mattsby on Dec 26, 2017 21:33:13 GMT
'48.....
Oliver Twist (David Lean)
Drunken Angel (Kurosawa)
Letter from an Unknown Woman (Ophuls)
They Live By Night (Nicholas Ray)
The Red Shes (Powell/Pressburger)
Key Largo (John Huston)
Raw Deal (Anthony Mann)
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Post by taranofprydain on Dec 27, 2017 0:01:52 GMT
1948: I Remember Mama/The Boy with Green Hair/Rope/Johnny Belinda/They Drive by Night/The Red Shoes/The Treasure of the sierra Madre/The big Clock/Easter Parade/Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House/The Snake Pit/Key Largo Hamlet is disappointingly rather static. Fine acting, great play, but the presentation is uninspired. Sorry, Wrong number, I only saw part of, but its really worth a look. Very claustrophobic and is one of the rare 40s films where bad wins out. This film has a very dour ending. |
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Post by themoviesinner on Dec 27, 2017 19:06:19 GMT
I haven't seen many films from 1947, but my favorite is definitely The Ghost And Mrs. Muir, closely followed by Black Narcissus. I find both films fantastic.
As for 1948, I highly recommend Letter From An Unknown Woman, which is the only film from the decade that I have rated 10/10 and among my all time favorites. And of course Rope is a must-watch as I consider it Hitchcock's finest work. Two other films that haven't been mentioned but are worth checking out are the little-known Quartet and the Chinese drama Spring In A Small Town.
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Post by idioticbunny on Dec 28, 2017 5:47:39 GMT
I haven't seen many films from 1947, but my favorite is definitely The Ghost And Mrs. Muir, closely followed by Black Narcissus. I find both films fantastic. As for 1948, I highly recommend Letter From An Unknown Woman, which is the only film from the decade that I have rated 10/10 and among my all time favorites. And of course Rope is a must-watch as I consider it Hitchcock's finest work. Two other films that haven't been mentioned but are worth checking out are the little-known Quartet and the Chinese drama Spring In A Small Town.Really wanted to check out The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, but wasn't able to find a decent copy of it. Will be one to check out on the way back through. I was looking at the top 10 of the 1940s thread and noticed you had three or four from this year alone in your top ten, so that's awesome. Will definitely be checking out Rope again and will check out Letter as well. I'll look into the other two. I believe Spring in a Small Town was in my giant Watchlist, but didn't really look into it as there are sooooo many I wanna see from this year. |
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tobias
Full Member
Posts: 824 
Likes: 396
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Post by tobias on Dec 30, 2017 14:33:00 GMT
I like Odd Man Out a lot. It's my favorite film of the year. It always struck me as the ultimate film about dying, the atmosphere I found absolutely chilling but I also like James Mason a lot.
I haven't seen that much of the others. I like Out of the Past but I'm with you that it's not as great as everyone makes it. Black Narcissus was the first P&P I watched but I couldn't get into it back then. In hindsight (after becomming a big fan of P&P) I believe it's a good film but it needs a rewatch. The cinematography is definitely fantastic, no doubts about that. I like Monsieur Verdoux but I get your frustration with it. It's a somewhat messy film and far away from Chaplin's best. One of my favorites that you missed is The Lady from Shanghai which is as it stands my 2nd favorite of the year. Another interesting one is Dreams that Money can Buy but I can't guaranteed you'd like it. Still I think you might have appreciated seeing something as wildly different as this from the year.
As for '48, it's a lot better:
The Treasure of Sierra Madre
Rope
Red River
Bicylce Thieves
The Red Shoes
Letter from an Unknown Woman (my personal favorite of the year)
They Live by Night
The Fallen Idol (though you might not think too highly about this one either if you weren't a fan of Odd Man Out)
Drunken Angel (very overlooked Kurosawa, among his 5 best)
Germany Year Zero (imo the best of Rosselini's war Trilogy, very short, bleak and punching, the most truthful german post war film up until the 60's)
Spring in a Small Town
Fort Apache is also worth mentioning but the other 2 westerns I mentioned already are much, much better.
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Post by idioticbunny on Dec 30, 2017 17:06:40 GMT
tobiasI really wanted to like Odd Man Out more, but the film itself felt about twenty minutes too long. I enjoyed the stuff with Mason's character, but I wanted it to be solely about him. I didn't like all the time spent away with random side stories (even if the acting was good enough to stand it). As far as Carol Reed goes, The Third Man is still my favorite (and I'm excited to re-watch it again for next year). Black Narcissus is definitely a film that deserves re-watches because I feel I didn't pick up on a lot of things the first time around. The first half felt far too dull by comparison with the second half, but I'm sure both complement each other well. And that cinematography is absolutely incredible, possibly the best of the 1940s thus far (which makes me all the more excited to watch The Red Shoes). Really wanted to watch The Lady from Shanghai as well but it seemed it had its fair share of detractors and the year was already pretty meh for me. So I held off on it, but I love Welles as a filmmaker so I'm sure I'll come back around to it. And I'm actually hoping to watch Dreams That Money Can Buy for this year as I think the reason I didn't watch it last year was because I counted the release date as 1948. But this year is so stacked... I don't know ha. That's two #1 placements for Letter from an Unknown Woman, so I'm for sure watching that. It'd be my first foray into Max Ophuls' filmography too. Pretty much recommended a lot of the ones I really want to see, so that's good. I already watched Germany Year Zero and to me, it felt almost too brief. And the acting from the main kid was pretty awful (too much shouting for no reason!), so that took me out of it a lot. But Rossellini clearly is an artist to keep my eye on. My favorite of the trilogy would have to be Rome, Open City quite easily - perfectly told story with fantastic acting and the two-part splitting of it makes it even punchier. However, I will say it's amazing that someone had the guts to make a film about post-war Germany in a time when I'm sure no one wanted to give two shits about Germany - and you actually empathize with them too.
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Post by Joaquim on Jan 2, 2018 1:38:19 GMT
No one has recommended The Big Clock, He Walked by Night or Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Check those out.
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Post by idioticbunny on Jan 2, 2018 18:03:56 GMT
No one has recommended The Big Clock, He Walked by Night or Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Check those out. Was curious about The Big Clock. Sounded like fun. I've not seen any Abbott or Costello movies (or even the original Frankenstein films), so I'm definitely going to come back to those. He Walked by Night sounds right up my alley, though. Hadn't heard of it before. |
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Post by Joaquim on Jan 2, 2018 18:34:31 GMT
No one has recommended The Big Clock, He Walked by Night or Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Check those out. Was curious about The Big Clock. Sounded like fun. I've not seen any Abbott or Costello movies (or even the original Frankenstein films), so I'm definitely going to come back to those. He Walked by Night sounds right up my alley, though. Hadn't heard of it before. Yea it’s a kinda obscure noir (like 2K votes on IMDb). Saw it on YouTube a few years back. I’m starting up these lineup things again like you’ve been doing btw. I’m still doing the 1910s though even though I’m not gonna have lineups for that decade. |
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Post by idioticbunny on Jan 3, 2018 16:41:33 GMT
Was curious about The Big Clock. Sounded like fun. I've not seen any Abbott or Costello movies (or even the original Frankenstein films), so I'm definitely going to come back to those. He Walked by Night sounds right up my alley, though. Hadn't heard of it before. Yea it’s a kinda obscure noir (like 2K votes on IMDb). Saw it on YouTube a few years back. I’m starting up these lineup things again like you’ve been doing btw. I’m still doing the 1910s though even though I’m not gonna have lineups for that decade. Really wish I had started in the 1910s considering how many I missed out on, but I know I'll get back to them one day. |
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Post by idioticbunny on Jan 3, 2018 16:45:31 GMT
Was curious about The Big Clock. Sounded like fun. I've not seen any Abbott or Costello movies (or even the original Frankenstein films), so I'm definitely going to come back to those. He Walked by Night sounds right up my alley, though. Hadn't heard of it before. alternate opinion: both The Big Clock and He Walked by Night stink. Both are totally unmemorable snoozefests (though the latter is a little bit better).  |
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