cinecrazydc Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 As a follow-on to my thread on what should have won the Oscar 1940-1949 (see previous post), the author of that list has come up with one for the period 1960-1960. Again, would like to get the message board's take on his recommendations. Was particularly intrigued by his choices in West Side Story v. El Cid, Tom Jones v. HUD, Sound of Music v. Dr. Zhivago, and Midnight Cowboy v. I Abstain - FYI - he refers to "part 5" -(he's gone back to when the Oscars started in the 1920's). I'll see if I can find those posts and put them here for critique by the TCM board community - I've already put up the 1940s. What Should’ve Won the Best Picture Oscar – 1960 to 1969 1Shamley Productions/ Paramount Pictures 20 Apr 202110 8:02 In part five of this series we look at the movies that should have won the Best Picture Oscar between 1960 and 1969. Let’s begin… 1960 What Did Win: The Apartment Director, co-writer Billy Wilder took home all kinds of Oscars for his heartwarming look at life as a corporate drone in Manhattan as told through a poignant love affair between Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Gorgeously shot in black and white widescreen, but like so many classic movies, the script is so good the story worked just as well on a 13-inch black and white TV. What Should’ve Won: Psycho Long after you’ve memorized all the shocking twists, director Alfred Hitchcock’s low-budget masterpiece still delights. Psycho is an act of pure filmmaking and craftsmanship, a journeyman director announcing to the world he does not require big budgets or stars to wow an audience. Elia Kazan’s forgotten but timeless Wild River is a close second place. See also: Spartacus, Elmer Gantry, La Dolce Vita, and Inherit the Wind. 1961 What Did Win: West Side Story The dazzling opening scene is shot on-location, on a real city street. Then, for whatever reason, we’re moved indoors, into obvious sound stages and artificial sets… The movie never recovers. The only thing that feels real is Oscar-winner Rita Moreno. West Side Story is no stinker, just over-praised. What Should’ve Won: El Cid Director Anthony Mann’s epic adventure in myth-making is proof of just how much TV and home video shape our tastes. Due to countless lawsuits with producer Samuel Bronston’s estate, El Cid was lost (along with Bronston’s lesser-but-still-great Fall of the Roman Empire) for decades and is still not available in the U.S. on Blu-ray. A truly unforgettable cinematic experience and not just a historical epic… Just as epic is the endlessly complicated and smoldering love affair between stars Sophia Loren and Charlton Heston (who reportedly despised one another). See also: Judgment at Nuremberg, The Guns of Navarone, The Misfits, One-Eyed Jacks, A Raisin in the Sun, One; Two, Three; King of Kings, The Children’s Hour, and Barabbas. 1962 What Did Win: Lawrence of Arabia Who’s going to argue with this choice…? Not me. What Should’ve Won: Lawrence of Arabia See also: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Music Man, The Longest Day, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Miracle Maker, The Manchurian Candidate, Merrill’s Marauders, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Hell Is for Heroes, Birdman of Alcatraz, and Days of Wine and Roses. 1963 What Did Win: Tom Jones Have to admit I’ve never seen this. Anything described as “British” and “bawdy” feels like homework. Obviously, I’m not alone. When’s the last time anyone talked about Tom Jones? What Should’ve Won: Hud This is still one of the most effective examinations of how pure evil can appear tolerable in the form of something as charismatic and physically beautiful as a young Paul Newman. See also: Lilies of the Field; America, America; High and Low, The Great Escape, and From Russia with Love. 1964 What Did Win: My Fair Lady Unquestionably delightful but like West Side Story, it never feels real. Time has not been kind to this one. What Should’ve Won: The Americanization of Emily The Mighty James Garner and Julie Andrews are perfectly cast in writer Paddy Chayefsky’s dark comedy about a principled coward and the prim and proper British widower who falls for him. There has never been another movie like it. See also: Zorba the Greek, Seven Days in May, Dr. Strangelove, Becket, Goldfinger, The Pawnbroker, Night of the Iguana, The Gospel According to St. Matthew, and Fail-Safe. 1965 What Did Win: The Sound of Music Who’s going to argue with this one…? I am… What Should’ve Won: Zhivago Director David Lean’s achingly beautiful story of an adulterous love affair doomed by the horrors and turmoil of the Russian Revolution is a revelation in how to tell a deeply personal story against history’s sweep and grandeur. My favorite Lean movie, which is saying a lot. See also: The Agony and the Ecstasy, King Rat, Von Ryan’s Express, and most especially, The Spy Who Came in the from the Cold. 1966 What Did Win: A Man for All Seasons A movie for all seasons, especially in this hideous era of the Woke Gestapo, of a political and media establishment outlawing eternal and biological truths for the sake of political expediency. What Should’ve Won: A Man for All Seasons Easy pick. See also: The Sand Pebbles, Grand Prix, Alfie, Harper; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; El Dorado, and Blowup. 1967 What Did Win: In the Heat of the Night Terrific movie perfectly directed by Norman Jewison in a time when liberals still knew how to make issue movies… The on-location cinematography is another plus. What Should’ve Won: WE HAVE A TIE — Bonnie and Clyde Arthur Penn directs the hell out of The Movie That Forever Changed Hollywood by turning a gangster picture into a timeless allegory about fighting the corrupt establishment. No one could have played Clyde other than Warren Beatty, a legitimate artist willing to take enormous chances. Name another movie star who, in 1967, would’ve eagerly agreed to play an impotent, homosexual sociopath. An absolute delight from beginning to end. Cool Hand Luke The Christ Tale as told through a reprobate who chooses death over conformity, who starts a revolution by refusing to surrender his individualism to The Man. If you catch me on the right day, I’ll tell you Cool Hand Luke is the greatest movie ever made. See also: The Graduate, The Dirty Dozen, Hombre; To, Sir with Love; and Point Blank. 1968 What Did Win: Oliver! The Academy sure loved big-budgeted, widescreen musicals in the sixties. Oliver! Is a perfectly entertaining musical you’ll want to introduce to your kids before MTV ruins their attention spans. What Should’ve Won: Rosemary’s Baby Not an easy choice considering the competition below… And yet it kind of was. Director Roman Polanski’s still-horrifying examination of paranoia, American ambition, and the bond between mother and child is as perfectly cast as any movie you’ll ever see. And even before we get to the horror-horror, Polanski makes us squirm by way of the real-life domestic horror of those ever-intrusive neighbors you can never seem to get rid of. See also: Planet of the Apes, 2001: Space Odyssey, Bullitt, Lion in Winter, Will Penny, The Swimmer, The Odd Couple, Night of the Living Dead, The Boston Strangler, The Great Silence, and Once Upon a Time in the West. 1969 What Did Win: Midnight Cowboy This poignant look at the unlikeliest of friendships is gritty, hilarious, inspiring, heartbreaking, and was, at the time, X-rated. What Should’ve Won: I Abstain The Wild Bunch? Easy Rider? Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? Midnight Cowboy…? Can’t do it. You can’t make me. See also: True Grit, Support Your Local Sheriff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det Jim McLeod Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Again I will confine my choices to pictures actually nominated those years. 1960: The Apartment 1961: West Side Story 1962: To Kill A Mockingbird - my favorite year in film, though most of my favorites were not nominated 1963: Lilies Of The Field 1964: Becket 1965: The Sound Of Music - of the nominees, this is the one I would watch again 1966: Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf 1967: Bonnie And Clyde 1968: Funny Girl -last great movie musical, dynamic debut of Barbra Streisand 1969: Midnight Cowboy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LsDoorMat Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Did you skip the 1950s? At any rate my choices are: 1960 - Psycho 1961- Judgment at Nuremburg 1962 - To Kill a Mockingbird 1963 - The Great Escape 1964 - Dr. Strangelove 1965 - The Sound of Music 1966 - Good The Bad and the Ugly 1967 - Cool Hand Luke 1968 - The Lion in Winter 1969 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 With me, Jim's list is OK except I'd put either ELMER GANTRY or INHERIT THE WIND for '60's best picture, and IN COLD BLOOD for '67's best. Sepiatone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LsDoorMat Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 "Director Anthony Mann’s epic adventure in myth-making is proof of just how much TV and home video shape our tastes. Due to countless lawsuits with producer Samuel Bronston’s estate, El Cid was lost (along with Bronston’s lesser-but-still-great Fall of the Roman Empire) for decades and is still not available in the U.S. on Blu-ray." It appears this statement is not true. https://www.amazon.com/El-Cid-Sophia-Loren/dp/B08BWQXX9Z/ref=tmm_blu_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1618934236&sr=8-1-spons Is this NOT the complete film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txfilmfan Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 13 minutes ago, LsDoorMat said: "Director Anthony Mann’s epic adventure in myth-making is proof of just how much TV and home video shape our tastes. Due to countless lawsuits with producer Samuel Bronston’s estate, El Cid was lost (along with Bronston’s lesser-but-still-great Fall of the Roman Empire) for decades and is still not available in the U.S. on Blu-ray." It appears this statement is not true. https://www.amazon.com/El-Cid-Sophia-Loren/dp/B08BWQXX9Z/ref=tmm_blu_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1618934236&sr=8-1-spons Is this NOT the complete film? Based on the ratings marker in the lower left corner and the release by Umbrella Entertainment, that's not a US Blu-Ray. It's Australian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LsDoorMat Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 2 minutes ago, txfilmfan said: Based on the ratings marker in the lower left corner and the release by Umbrella Entertainment, that's not a US Blu-Ray. It's Australian. I had to look around, but it appears to be region free, although Australian release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txfilmfan Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Just now, LsDoorMat said: I had to look around, but it appears to be region free, although Australian release. It might be region-free, but I think what the author of the original list meant is that the film hasn't been released in the US on Blu-ray for legal sale. People sell and bootleg copies from other countries/regions all the time. Apparently it was released on DVD. https://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2016/07/a-proper-4k-scanned-domestic-bluray-of-el-cid-is-way-overdue/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxreyman Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Okay, I'll bite... 1960 Spartacus 1961 Judgment at Nuremberg 1962 Lawrence of Arabia 1963 Hud 1964 Goldfinger 1965 The Sound of Music 1966 The Professionals 1967 In Cold Blood 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey 1969 The Wild Bunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinecrazydc Posted April 20, 2021 Author Share Posted April 20, 2021 2 hours ago, LsDoorMat said: Did you skip the 1950s? At any rate my choices are: 1960 - Psycho 1961- Judgment at Nuremburg 1962 - To Kill a Mockingbird 1963 - The Great Escape 1964 - Dr. Strangelove 1965 - The Sound of Music 1966 - Good The Bad and the Ugly 1967 - Cool Hand Luke 1968 - The Lion in Winter 1969 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid I had to search for the author's list from that decade, which I found -see below. I happen to concur with the author regarding 1955: Night of the Hunter gets my vote over Marty. Also, I think that 1956's award for Around the World in 80 Days was largely due to Mike Todd's marketing. But as we all know, Liz Taylor was the real "winner" when she insisted that Cleopatra be shot in Todd-AO, her late husband's invention and in which she held a controlling interest ! I also tend to agree with the author's take on Singin' In the Rain (1952), and disagree with his choice on Rio Bravo (1959). What Should’ve Won the Best Picture Oscar – 1950 to 1959 In part four of this series we look at the movies that should have won the Best Picture Oscar between 1950 and 1959. The cult of oh-so-sophisticated movie writers love to run down the 50’s, as a decade lost to Eisenhower-era conformity and cinematic bloat crafted by studios desperate to compete with TV. As you’ll see below, nothing could be further from the truth. The 1950s were an embarrassment of movie riches. Let’s begin… 1950 What Did Win: All About Eve What a year for movies. Sunset Boulevard, The Asphalt Jungle, Where the Sidewalk Ends, D.O.A., Broken Arrow, The Third Man, Panic in the Streets… Still, writer-director Joseph Mankiewicz’s timeless tale of ambition, deceit, and getting your just desserts refuses to age. A hoot of a classic filled with amazing dialogue, a Marilyn Monroe appearance, a Bette Davis performance for the ages, and an ending that still offends tight-assed feminists. What Should’ve Won: All About Eve In a perfect world, Sunset Boulevard would have been released two years later and won all the Oscars. 1951 What Did Win: An American in Paris The belief is that Academy voters split their Best Picture votes between A Place in the Sun and A Streetcar Named Desire, which allowed An American in Paris to sneak through. Even if that’s true, nothing changes the fact that, by 1951, those behind the MGM Musical were crafting some of the greatest works of art the world has ever seen, a stunning combination of design, photography, performance, choreography, dance, orchestration, song, direction, and production. An American in Paris is a stunner everyone should see and contains themes more adult than you might remember. What Should’ve Won: A Place in the Sun This is another one that depends on the day you ask. Tomorrow I could choose A Streetcar Named Desire. Today, however it’s George Stevens’ unforgettable story of an ambitious young man (Montgomery Clift) who impregnates a girl (Shelley Winter) he doesn’t love and then meets the girl of his dreams (a never more beautiful Elizabeth Taylor). A gut-wrencher from beginning to end, with a perfectly cast Clift. 1952 What Did Win: The Greatest Show on Earth Thinking this might be their last chance to do so, Hollywood wanted to give director Cecil B. DeMille — the man who literally found Hollywood, the man who took a train out West, stepped off in Hollywood, and set up a movie studio – an Oscar, so everyone bit the bullet and handed him his Little Gold Man for this forgettable stiff. What Should’ve Won: Singin’ in the Rain Pure joy from start to finish, a miracle of a movie that levitates you right out of your seat… 1953 What Did Win: From Here to Eternity Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, and Donna Reed star in one for the ages about a man (Clift) who refuses to be anything other than his own man in an institution (the U.S. military) that demands conformity. This is a theme that will never die and one we could use a whole lot more of today. What Should’ve Won: From Here to Eternity Shane, The Band Wagon, Stalag 17, The Robe, Wages of Fear, Naked Spur, and Pickup on South Street are all all-timers, but Oscar still got this one correct. 1954 What Did Win: On the Waterfront After changing acting forever with Streetcar Named Desire, director Elia Kazan and star Marlon Brando reunited for the story of an everyday man who becomes his own man through the love of a woman. This is also Kazan pouring every ounce of his talent (and he had oceans of it) into an allegory explaining why he named names during the 1950’s blacklist. His muse was justification, and brother did it sing. Brando breaks your heart, mends it, breaks it again, and then leaves you wanting to be a better man. What a movie. What Should’ve Won: On the Waterfront The Country Girl, A Star Is Born, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Caine Mutiny, Rear Window, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Bridges at Toko-Ri are all Oscar worthy, but don’t even rank a close second. 1955 What Did Win: Marty Writer Paddy Chayefsky’s little story about an everyday man (Ernest Borgnine, who won Best Actor) caught in a world where no one is happy and no one can stand to see anyone else happy. After Marty finds true love with Betsy Blair (Gene Kelly’s wife), everyone does everything they can to run her down. A timeless theme about “well intentioned” bullies who demand conformity in order to justify their own failure and misery, who keep others down so another’s success and happiness does not serve as a reminder that they are at fault for their own misery and failure. A brilliantly written gem that should remind storytellers that Big Drama and Big Emotion can come from within even the most average of people. What Should’ve Won: Night of the Hunter Actor Charles Laughton’s only time behind the camera delivers a stunner of a tale about a deranged preacher (an iconic Robert Mitchum) hunting two children after killing their mother (Shelley Winters). Not a moment of this terrifying thriller has aged a day. Part horror, part fairy tale, and all myth-making, this is the stuff nightmares are made of. See also, Bad Day at Black Rock, Blackboard Jungle, Mister Roberts, Dam Busters, Rose Tattoo, and East of Eden. 1956 What Did Win: Around the World in 80 Days One of the worst Best Picture winners of all time, nothing but a dull travelogue that only proved producer Mike Todd was the best salesman in the world. What Should’ve Won: The Searchers The greatest movie ever made. Period. 1957 What Did Win: Bridge on the River Kwai Director David Lean won a no-brainer Oscar for a piece of movie-making that feels like a miracle in this lazy age of CGI. Rich in theme, performance, and grandeur, this is what everyone means when they say, They can’t make ‘em like this anymore. What Should’ve Won: Bridge on the River Kwai If I was forced to take only one movie to a desert island, I would choose Paths of Glory or Sweet Smell of Success before Bridge, but as I’ve said before, the Best Picture Oscar is its own thing. See also: 12 Angry Men, 3:10 to Yuma, Witness for the Prosecution, and A Face in the Crowd. 1958 What Did Win: Gigi Once the Woke Gestapo get a gander at this one, expect an Oscar revocation. Gigi is an okay movie and one of Oscar’s oddest choices. What Should’ve Won: I Want to Live! Everyone’s screaming Vertigo! Vertigo! Sorry, I’ve given Vertigo plenty of chances and about halfway through find myself bored numb. Susan Hayward won Best Actress for her portrayal of a woman on Death Row driven to humility and decency by her appointment with the executioner. Based on the true story of convicted killer Barbara Graham, I Want to Live! is the first movie since Dodsworth to make you want to crawl under your seat over the actions of a simple telephone. See also: Run Silent, Run Deep; The Fly, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Long, Hot Summer, Old Man and the Sea, and The Big Country. 1959 What Did Win: Ben-Hur The movie that saved MGM remains a visual stunner anchored by Charlton Heston’s Oscar-winning portrayal of a man wronged by his “brother” and poisoned by his quest for revenge. What Should’ve Won: Rio Bravo Director Howard Hawks and star John Wayne were so angry over High Noon’s portrayal of everyday Americans as cowards, they made Rio Bravo, a perfect Western where everyone in town wants to help Wayne’s sheriff hold on to a prisoner. So amiable, it’s easy to miss all the themes at work here; a legitimate masterpiece that plays like a Saturday afternoon hang-out movie. If you ask me tomorrow, I could just as easily award this Oscar to North by Northwest. See also: Anatomy of a Murder, Compulsion, Diary of Anne Frank, Last Train from Gun Hill, and Some Like it Hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LsDoorMat Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 For the 1950s my choices are: 1950 - Sunset Boulevard 1951 - Ace In the Hole 1952 - Singin In the Rain 1953 - Roman Holiday 1954 - Rear Window 1955 - Night of the Hunter 1956 - The Searchers 1957 - Twelve Angry Men 1958 - Vertigo 1959 - Compulsion 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 My list: 1. PURPLE NOON (1960) 2. VICTIM (1961) 3. IL SORPASSO (1962) 4. LILIES OF THE FIELD (1963) 5. THE BEST MAN (1964) 6. THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (1965) 7. THE GROUP (1966) 8. THE WHISPERERS (1967) 9. STAR! (1968) 10. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LsDoorMat Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 1 hour ago, TopBilled said: My list: 1. PURPLE NOON (1960) 2. VICTIM (1961) 3. IL SORPASSO (1962) 4. LILIES OF THE FIELD (1963) 5. THE BEST MAN (1964) 6. THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (1965) 7. THE GROUP (1966) 8. THE WHISPERERS (1967) 9. STAR! (1968) 10. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969) Interesting choices in 1961's "Victim" - bold subject matter for the time - and "Il Sorpasso" for 1962. I wanted to pick Tokyo Story for 1953, because I thought it was more interesting than anything made in the English language that year, but I was trying to at least loosely adhere to the Academy rules of the time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 6 minutes ago, LsDoorMat said: Interesting choices in 1961's "Victim" - bold subject matter for the time - and "Il Sorpasso" for 1962. I wanted to pick Tokyo Story for 1953, because I thought it was more interesting than anything made in the English language that year, but I was trying to at least loosely adhere to the Academy rules of the time. IL SORPASSO is a film that I keep thinking, surely I am overrating it. Surely I had a unique experience the first time I watched it and I must have blown it out of proportion in my memory. Surely there are better films from that year. But recently I rewatched it and I just loved it all over again. Something about it just sweeps me along. It's considered a cult film. I don't care what it's considered. It's just a great, engaging, memorable piece of cinema. Vittorio Gassman is absolutely brilliant in it. I admire the twisted "unhappy" ending. The director is not worried about making it more commercial. So the ending ultimately rings true to how Gassman's character is depicted throughout the narrative, and how his behavior must collide with such an inevitable consequence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 1. The Magnificent Seven (1960) 2. The Hustler (1961) 3. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 4. The Great Escape (1963) 5. Dr. Strangelove (1964) 6. King Rat (1965) 7. Personna (1966) 8. Belle de Jour (1967) 9. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 10. The Wild Bunch (1969) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingrat Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Using Oscar's years and not including foreign films unless they were mentioned in Oscar's years: 1960 - Best Film: Psycho; Best Nominee: The Sundowners 1961 - Best Film: Whistle Down the Wind; Best Nominee: West Side Story 1962 - Best Film: Lawrence of Arabia 1963 - Best Film: The Great Escape; Best Nominee: America America 1964 - Best Film: Zorba the Greek 1965 - Best Film: King Rat; Best Nominee: Doctor Zhivago 1966 - Best Film: Seconds; Best Nominee: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1967 - Best Film: Bonnie and Clyde 1968 - Best Film: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter; Best Nominee: The Lion in Winter 1969 - Best Film: They Shoot Horse, Don't They?; Best Nominee: Hello, Dolly! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmnoirguy Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 Here are my favorite movies for the 1960s, whether all or any deserved Best Picture is debatable: 1960: Sons and Lovers 1961: Fanny 1962: To Kill a Mockingbird 1963: Hud (My personal favorite of the decade) 1964: The Night of the Iguana 1965: The Sound of Music 1966: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1967: In the Heat of the Night 1968: Funny Girl 1969: Midnight Cowboy And working backwards, here are my favorites for the 1950s: 1950: Sunset Blvd. (My personal favorite of the decade) 1951: A Place in the Sun 1952: Singin' in the Rain 1953: Shane 1954: Rear Window 1955: East of Eden 1956: Giant 1957: The Bridge on the River Kwai 1958: The Brothers Karamazov 1959: Ben-Hur 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimpole Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 On 4/20/2021 at 8:26 AM, cinecrazydc said: 1966 What Did Win: A Man for All Seasons A movie for all seasons, especially in this hideous era of the Woke Gestapo, of a political and media establishment outlawing eternal and biological truths for the sake of political expediency. What Should’ve Won: A Man for All Seasons Easy pick. See also: The Sand Pebbles, Grand Prix, Alfie, Harper; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; El Dorado, and Blowup. Ah 1966, the year that Hollywood had A Man for All Seasons and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf...and then filled up the rest of the nominations by apparently throwing darts at them, or picking them out of a hat. The other three best picture nominees didn't get a best director nomination. While I don't think that's unprecedented, it's understandably rare. Blowup got lucky and got two major nominations (including a screenplay nomination in the wrong category). Cul-de-Sac got nothing. Persona and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly were 1966 movies, but their American releases were in 1967. The Shop on Main Street got a not undeserved best Actress nomination, but the academy showed more love for A Man and a Woman, viewed by intelligent critics at the time and since then as a counterfeit New Wave film. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedya Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 So what if A Man and a Woman is a counterfeit New Vague film? That doesn't mean it can't be good. I'm reminded of what a dick Godard was to Truffaut over Day for Night since it showed you could make a wonderful film by being relatively conventional rather than trying to shock for shock's sake. You'll hear a lot of contemporary artists of whatever medium talk about the need for art to be "transgressive" and "challenging", but they only mean to be challenging to those icky bourgeois, not challenge your fellow artists. Day for Night is so much better than Contempt, Godard's movie about the making of a movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 On 4/20/2021 at 10:26 AM, cinecrazydc said: 1963 What Did Win: Tom Jones Have to admit I’ve never seen this. Anything described as “British” and “bawdy” feels like homework. Obviously, I’m not alone. When’s the last time anyone talked about Tom Jones? His comments about Tom Jones and, basically, his lack of understanding of 18th Century British literature, are stupid. Tom Jones is a great movie and deserved its Oscar. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimpole Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 On 4/24/2021 at 6:45 AM, Fedya said: So what if A Man and a Woman is a counterfeit New Vague film? That doesn't mean it can't be good. I'm reminded of what a dick Godard was to Truffaut over Day for Night since it showed you could make a wonderful film by being relatively conventional rather than trying to shock for shock's sake. You'll hear a lot of contemporary artists of whatever medium talk about the need for art to be "transgressive" and "challenging", but they only mean to be challenging to those icky bourgeois, not challenge your fellow artists. Day for Night is so much better than Contempt, Godard's movie about the making of a movie. Day for Night is a good movie, but Contempt is clearly a better one, not simply as a movie about a movie, but as an indelible portrait of a failing marriage. Also the score and the cinematography are manifestly superior. As for A man and a Woman. I haven't seen it. I also haven't seen anyone explain why it is a better movie than Loves of a Blonde or The Battle of Algiers (its unsuccessful rivals for foreign language film), or Persona, Come Drink with me, or The Round-up (submitted for that year, but not chosen for the nomination). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txfilmfan Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 7 hours ago, skimpole said: Day for Night is a good movie, but Contempt is clearly a better one, not simply as a movie about a movie, but as an indelible portrait of a failing marriage. Also the score and the cinematography are manifestly superior. As for A man and a Woman. I haven't seen it. I also haven't seen anyone explain why it is a better movie than Loves of a Blonde or The Battle of Algiers (its unsuccessful rivals for foreign language film), or Persona, Come Drink with me, or The Round-up (submitted for that year, but not chosen for the nomination). Watching a movie being made IRL is pretty boring. And I found watching a movie about making a movie to be pretty boring, even with all the off set shenanigans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimpole Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 My choices, with my favorite of the best picture nominees second 1960 Breathless/The Apartment 1961 Last Year in Marienbad/West Side Story 1962 Lawrence of Arabia 1963 The Leopard/Cleopatra 1964 A Hard Day;s Night/Dr. Strangelove, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb 1965 Help!/ Doctor Zhivago 1966 A Man for all Seasons 1867 Two for the Road/Bonnie and Clyde 1968 Yellow Submarine/Oliver! 1969 Andrei Rublev/Z 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vidor Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 1968 was one of the biggest whiffs in the history of the Oscars. All the great movies out that year, and they picked "Oliver!". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGrandMaster Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 I would say- 1960- The Apartment 1961- Through a Glass, Darkly 1962- Lolita 1963- From Russia With Love 1964- Dr. Strangelove 1965- Doctor Zhivago 1966- A Man For All Seasons 1967- The Graduate 1968- 2001: A Space Odyssey 1969- On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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