Post by idioticbunny on Jul 11, 2018 17:25:16 GMT
At long last I've finally seen Singin' in the Rain. Granted it was outdoors, pool-side, so there was plenty of other noise going on and I'll have to re-watch it down the road to really appreciate it, but it was such a lovely film. Totally worthy of the hype. Can see why people call it their "happy movie" - it very much is pure joy emanating from the screen.
Other than that, the year was a bit of a let-down. Though Ikiru was my #2, I felt like the second half of the film is a nice risk taken by Kurosawa, but a bit of a misfired one. Felt far too long and meandering. But the first half is incredible, and that ending is beautiful as well. So it kind of makes up for it, and maybe down the road I'll come to appreciate it more. Oharu was the real surprise and might be my favorite Mizoguchi (until the next year of course...). High Noon had some fantastic editing, maybe an all-timer in the category, and was supremely entertaining, but wouldn't go so far as to place it as one of the best Westerns. But then again, the genre is one I need to see more from.
All in all, an okay year with Singin' in the Rain dominating by a country mile. Was super disappointed in ones that had been among my most anticipated for a very long time like Limelight, Umberto D, and Forbidden Games, but still some merit in all of those anyway.
Also, adding a Choreography line-up as I've finally gone through every year so far and made some rough top fives for each year as I feel it's an underrated category (and there have been some damn fine contenders for it too, especially anything Gene Kelly, Buster Keaton, or Busby Berkeley).
Best Picture:
01. Singin' in the Rain.
02. Ikiru.
03. The Life of Oharu.
04. High Noon.
05. Le Plaisir.
06. Umberto D.
07. My Cousin Rachel.
08. Limelight.
09. Forbidden Games.
10. The Importance of Being Earnest.
Best Director:
01. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly - Singin' in the Rain.
02. Kenji Mizoguchi - The Life of Oharu.
03. Akira Kurosawa - Ikiru.
04. Fred Zinnemann - High Noon.
05. Max Ophüls - Le Plaisir.
Best Actor:
01. Takashi Shimura - Ikiru.
02. Richard Burton - My Cousin Rachel.
03. Charles Chaplin - Limelight.
04. Gary Cooper - High Noon.
05. Carlo Battisti - Umberto D.
Best Actress:
01. Kinuyo Tanaka - The Life of Oharu.
02. Olivia de Havilland - My Cousin Rachel.
03. Claire Bloom - Limelight.
04. Brigitte Fossey - Forbidden Games.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Michael Denison - The Importance of Being Earnest.
02. Donald O'Connor - Singin' in the Rain.
03. Miles Malleson - The Importance of Being Earnest.
04. Lon Chaney Jr. - High Noon.
05. Toshiro Mifune - The Life of Oharu.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Edith Evans - The Importance of Being Earnest.
02. Dorothy Tutin - The Importance of Being Earnest.
03. Danielle Darrieux - Le Plaisir.
04. Jean Hagen - Singin' in the Rain.
05. Joan Greenwood - The Importance of Being Earnest.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. Ikiru.
02. Umberto D.
03. Singin' in the Rain.
04. Limelight.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. High Noon.
02. Le Plaisir.
03. The Life of Oharu.
04. My Cousin Rachel.
05. Forbidden Games.
Best Ensemble:
01. The Importance of Being Earnest.
02. Le Plaisir.
03. The Life of Oharu.
04. Singin' in the Rain.
05. Ikiru.
Best Editing:
High Noon.
Best Cinematography:
Singin' in the Rain.
Best Art Direction:
Singin' in the Rain.
Best Costume Design:
The Importance of Being Earnest.
Best Makeup:
The Life of Oharu.
Best Visual Effects:
Singin' in the Rain.
Best Sound Design:
Singin' in the Rain.
Best Original Score:
Dimitri Tiomkin - High Noon.
Best Original Song:
"High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" - High Noon.
Best Choreography:
Singin' in the Rain.
I would have "Make 'Em Laugh" as my winner in Song, but it seems that the song might be a rip-off of a Cole Porter song called "Be a Clown" so for now I'm just leaving it as "High Noon" (which is still a great song as is).
And yes, I do have Debbie Reynolds in Supporting. After finally seeing the film, can't see how she could really be lead as Donald O'Connor is in the film even more than she is. But she's still really solid, my #6 in Supp. Actress (which is possibly my best line-up in that category so far this decade).
And of course, no need to offer recommendations for 1953. I'll post my line-ups for that here in a bit.
Other than that, the year was a bit of a let-down. Though Ikiru was my #2, I felt like the second half of the film is a nice risk taken by Kurosawa, but a bit of a misfired one. Felt far too long and meandering. But the first half is incredible, and that ending is beautiful as well. So it kind of makes up for it, and maybe down the road I'll come to appreciate it more. Oharu was the real surprise and might be my favorite Mizoguchi (until the next year of course...). High Noon had some fantastic editing, maybe an all-timer in the category, and was supremely entertaining, but wouldn't go so far as to place it as one of the best Westerns. But then again, the genre is one I need to see more from.
All in all, an okay year with Singin' in the Rain dominating by a country mile. Was super disappointed in ones that had been among my most anticipated for a very long time like Limelight, Umberto D, and Forbidden Games, but still some merit in all of those anyway.
Also, adding a Choreography line-up as I've finally gone through every year so far and made some rough top fives for each year as I feel it's an underrated category (and there have been some damn fine contenders for it too, especially anything Gene Kelly, Buster Keaton, or Busby Berkeley).
Best Picture:
01. Singin' in the Rain.
02. Ikiru.
03. The Life of Oharu.
04. High Noon.
05. Le Plaisir.
06. Umberto D.
07. My Cousin Rachel.
08. Limelight.
09. Forbidden Games.
10. The Importance of Being Earnest.
Best Director:
01. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly - Singin' in the Rain.
02. Kenji Mizoguchi - The Life of Oharu.
03. Akira Kurosawa - Ikiru.
04. Fred Zinnemann - High Noon.
05. Max Ophüls - Le Plaisir.
Best Actor:
01. Takashi Shimura - Ikiru.
02. Richard Burton - My Cousin Rachel.
03. Charles Chaplin - Limelight.
04. Gary Cooper - High Noon.
05. Carlo Battisti - Umberto D.
Best Actress:
01. Kinuyo Tanaka - The Life of Oharu.
02. Olivia de Havilland - My Cousin Rachel.
03. Claire Bloom - Limelight.
04. Brigitte Fossey - Forbidden Games.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Michael Denison - The Importance of Being Earnest.
02. Donald O'Connor - Singin' in the Rain.
03. Miles Malleson - The Importance of Being Earnest.
04. Lon Chaney Jr. - High Noon.
05. Toshiro Mifune - The Life of Oharu.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Edith Evans - The Importance of Being Earnest.
02. Dorothy Tutin - The Importance of Being Earnest.
03. Danielle Darrieux - Le Plaisir.
04. Jean Hagen - Singin' in the Rain.
05. Joan Greenwood - The Importance of Being Earnest.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. Ikiru.
02. Umberto D.
03. Singin' in the Rain.
04. Limelight.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. High Noon.
02. Le Plaisir.
03. The Life of Oharu.
04. My Cousin Rachel.
05. Forbidden Games.
Best Ensemble:
01. The Importance of Being Earnest.
02. Le Plaisir.
03. The Life of Oharu.
04. Singin' in the Rain.
05. Ikiru.
Best Editing:
High Noon.
Best Cinematography:
Singin' in the Rain.
Best Art Direction:
Singin' in the Rain.
Best Costume Design:
The Importance of Being Earnest.
Best Makeup:
The Life of Oharu.
Best Visual Effects:
Singin' in the Rain.
Best Sound Design:
Singin' in the Rain.
Best Original Score:
Dimitri Tiomkin - High Noon.
Best Original Song:
"High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" - High Noon.
Best Choreography:
Singin' in the Rain.
I would have "Make 'Em Laugh" as my winner in Song, but it seems that the song might be a rip-off of a Cole Porter song called "Be a Clown" so for now I'm just leaving it as "High Noon" (which is still a great song as is).
And yes, I do have Debbie Reynolds in Supporting. After finally seeing the film, can't see how she could really be lead as Donald O'Connor is in the film even more than she is. But she's still really solid, my #6 in Supp. Actress (which is possibly my best line-up in that category so far this decade).
And of course, no need to offer recommendations for 1953. I'll post my line-ups for that here in a bit.
