Post by idioticbunny on Oct 2, 2017 0:41:48 GMT
Unfortunately, I really was not a fan of this year. The first film I watched was Colonel Blimp and nothing else even came close to hitting its mark. And even then, I'm still iffy on whether the film is really a 9/10 or not. I feel like the lead performance from Roger Livesey was largely adequate - fitting the character, but not really going above and beyond what was necessary - whereas his two main supporting partners (Walbrook and Kerr) really nailed it. A beautiful-looking film, too, and makes me excited for more of their work this decade, but something not altogether there yet. Maybe it was Livesey, maybe it was that the story felt too plain, who knows. The "Archers" still did a great job and I think it's a worthy top spot here.
As for the rest of the films, I was severely disappointed in just about everything. Shadow of a Doubt was the one Hitchcock I had not seen prior that I was dying to see as Hitch always called it his favorite of his own works. I can see why, and it's still a pretty strong film, but outside of the main performances and his direction, the story is really lacking something cohesive. It just kind of feels meandering, like there's no strong plot elements to keep it chugging along and as a result makes it feel too long and some of the subplots (like with the detective) feel really dull. Maybe in time I'll grow to love it more, but for now, I'll just say I liked it and leave it at that. As a side note: Damn, teleport me back to the 1940s and I would go gay for Joseph Cotten in a heartbeat. I had always liked his work before in Citizen Kane and The Third Man when I saw them a long time ago, but seeing his Ambersons followed with this gem of a performance is truly something amazing, and the dude is pretty good-looking. Just sayin'.
Anyway, pretty disappointed with everything else though. As the last big Lubitsch film in his career, it felt too dull compared to the rest of his work. Not bad, but really too plain. And the most interesting stuff was at the beginning when he was talking with Satan, so I wish they explored that more. I had skipped over Vampyr to watch it during my horror marathon this month, but with three Dreyer's under my belt, I'm really not feeling him as a director. Too worried about aesthetics and atmosphere that his characters and plot take a backseat and it really hinders the experience and I feel bored as a result. And no real strong acting showcases aside from my Supp. Actor top three and Lead winners. Just really dry all around.
The only nice surprises were Ossessione, which - even though the first half works much better than the second, which feels way way way too long - is super strong for being the "first" foray into Italian neorealism. Seventh Victim was probably the best Val Lewton film I've watched thus far. Doesn't have the power of Jacques Tourneur behind the camera, but the script is far more interesting and the acting much stronger all around. And for my first Bresson, Angels of Sin wasn't too bad even if I found the story to not really be up my alley, but he and the cast made it worthwhile.
Anyway, here are my line-ups:
Best Picture:
01. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
02. Shadow of a Doubt.
03. Ossessione.
04. The More the Merrier.
05. The Seventh Victim.
06. Jane Eyre.
07. The Ox-Bow Incident.
08. Angels of Sin.
09. Day of Wrath.
10. I Walked with a Zombie.
-----------------
11. Heaven Can Wait.
12. Le Corbeau.
Best Director:
01. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
02. Alfred Hitchcock - Shadow of a Doubt.
03. Luchino Visconti - Ossessione.
04. William A. Wellman - The Ox-Bow Incident.
05. Mark Robson - The Seventh Victim.
Best Actor:
01. Joseph Cotten - Shadow of a Doubt.
02. Joel McCrea - The More the Merrier.
03. Roger Livesey - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
04. Don Ameche - Heaven Can Wait.
05. Massimo Girotti - Ossessione.
Best Actress:
01. Teresa Wright - Shadow of a Doubt.
02. Renée Faure - Angels of Sin.
03. Jean Arthur - The More the Merrier.
04. Joan Fontaine - Jane Eyre.
05. Lisbeth Movin - Day of Wrath.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Anton Walbrook - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
02. Dana Andrews - The Ox-Bow Incident.
03. Charles Coburn - The More the Merrier.
04. Frank Conroy - The Ox-Bow Incident.
05. Henry Daniell - Jane Eyre.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Gene Tierney - Heaven Can Wait.
02. Clara Calamai - Ossessione.
03. Anna Svierkier - Day of Wrath.
04. Deborah Kerr - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
05. Patricia Collinge - Shadow of a Doubt.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
02. The More the Merrier.
03. The Seventh Victim.
04. Shadow of a Doubt.
05. Le Corbeau.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Ossessione.
02. Jane Eyre.
03. The Ox-Bow Incident.
04. Heaven Can Wait.
05. Day of Wrath.
Best Ensemble:
01. The Ox-Bow Incident.
02. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
03. The More the Merrier.
04. Angels of Sin.
05. Shadow of a Doubt.
Best Editing:
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Cinematography:
Jane Eyre.
Best Art Direction:
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Costume Design:
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Makeup:
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Visual Effects:
Jane Eyre (I guess).
Best Sound Design:
I Walked with a Zombie.
Best Original Score:
Allan Gray - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Original Song:
"Fort Holland Calypso Song" - I Walked with a Zombie.
Also the song choice is the only one I had to choose from this year, so it's my win by default. Though it's still a damn creepy song - at least with how it was used in the film - so that's fine. Pretty weak tech categories, though.
Just ready for 1944. So many films I'm dying to see (Arsenic and Old Lace, To Have and Have Not, Ivan the Terrible: Part I, etc.), and ones I'm happy to re-watch (Double Indemnity which I've seen half a dozen times already, Laura, and Lifeboat). But if there are any others I'm missing, do let me know. Curious if Powell & Pressburger's Canterbury Tale is worth watching, too.
As for the rest of the films, I was severely disappointed in just about everything. Shadow of a Doubt was the one Hitchcock I had not seen prior that I was dying to see as Hitch always called it his favorite of his own works. I can see why, and it's still a pretty strong film, but outside of the main performances and his direction, the story is really lacking something cohesive. It just kind of feels meandering, like there's no strong plot elements to keep it chugging along and as a result makes it feel too long and some of the subplots (like with the detective) feel really dull. Maybe in time I'll grow to love it more, but for now, I'll just say I liked it and leave it at that. As a side note: Damn, teleport me back to the 1940s and I would go gay for Joseph Cotten in a heartbeat. I had always liked his work before in Citizen Kane and The Third Man when I saw them a long time ago, but seeing his Ambersons followed with this gem of a performance is truly something amazing, and the dude is pretty good-looking. Just sayin'.
Anyway, pretty disappointed with everything else though. As the last big Lubitsch film in his career, it felt too dull compared to the rest of his work. Not bad, but really too plain. And the most interesting stuff was at the beginning when he was talking with Satan, so I wish they explored that more. I had skipped over Vampyr to watch it during my horror marathon this month, but with three Dreyer's under my belt, I'm really not feeling him as a director. Too worried about aesthetics and atmosphere that his characters and plot take a backseat and it really hinders the experience and I feel bored as a result. And no real strong acting showcases aside from my Supp. Actor top three and Lead winners. Just really dry all around.
The only nice surprises were Ossessione, which - even though the first half works much better than the second, which feels way way way too long - is super strong for being the "first" foray into Italian neorealism. Seventh Victim was probably the best Val Lewton film I've watched thus far. Doesn't have the power of Jacques Tourneur behind the camera, but the script is far more interesting and the acting much stronger all around. And for my first Bresson, Angels of Sin wasn't too bad even if I found the story to not really be up my alley, but he and the cast made it worthwhile.
Anyway, here are my line-ups:
Best Picture:
01. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
02. Shadow of a Doubt.
03. Ossessione.
04. The More the Merrier.
05. The Seventh Victim.
06. Jane Eyre.
07. The Ox-Bow Incident.
08. Angels of Sin.
09. Day of Wrath.
10. I Walked with a Zombie.
-----------------
11. Heaven Can Wait.
12. Le Corbeau.
Best Director:
01. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
02. Alfred Hitchcock - Shadow of a Doubt.
03. Luchino Visconti - Ossessione.
04. William A. Wellman - The Ox-Bow Incident.
05. Mark Robson - The Seventh Victim.
Best Actor:
01. Joseph Cotten - Shadow of a Doubt.
02. Joel McCrea - The More the Merrier.
03. Roger Livesey - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
04. Don Ameche - Heaven Can Wait.
05. Massimo Girotti - Ossessione.
Best Actress:
01. Teresa Wright - Shadow of a Doubt.
02. Renée Faure - Angels of Sin.
03. Jean Arthur - The More the Merrier.
04. Joan Fontaine - Jane Eyre.
05. Lisbeth Movin - Day of Wrath.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Anton Walbrook - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
02. Dana Andrews - The Ox-Bow Incident.
03. Charles Coburn - The More the Merrier.
04. Frank Conroy - The Ox-Bow Incident.
05. Henry Daniell - Jane Eyre.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Gene Tierney - Heaven Can Wait.
02. Clara Calamai - Ossessione.
03. Anna Svierkier - Day of Wrath.
04. Deborah Kerr - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
05. Patricia Collinge - Shadow of a Doubt.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
02. The More the Merrier.
03. The Seventh Victim.
04. Shadow of a Doubt.
05. Le Corbeau.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Ossessione.
02. Jane Eyre.
03. The Ox-Bow Incident.
04. Heaven Can Wait.
05. Day of Wrath.
Best Ensemble:
01. The Ox-Bow Incident.
02. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
03. The More the Merrier.
04. Angels of Sin.
05. Shadow of a Doubt.
Best Editing:
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Cinematography:
Jane Eyre.
Best Art Direction:
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Costume Design:
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Makeup:
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Visual Effects:
Jane Eyre (I guess).
Best Sound Design:
I Walked with a Zombie.
Best Original Score:
Allan Gray - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
Best Original Song:
"Fort Holland Calypso Song" - I Walked with a Zombie.
Also the song choice is the only one I had to choose from this year, so it's my win by default. Though it's still a damn creepy song - at least with how it was used in the film - so that's fine. Pretty weak tech categories, though.
Just ready for 1944. So many films I'm dying to see (Arsenic and Old Lace, To Have and Have Not, Ivan the Terrible: Part I, etc.), and ones I'm happy to re-watch (Double Indemnity which I've seen half a dozen times already, Laura, and Lifeboat). But if there are any others I'm missing, do let me know. Curious if Powell & Pressburger's Canterbury Tale is worth watching, too.