1949: All the King's Men

And yet another depressing, disturbing film takes the Oscar.  This one tells the story of Willie Stark, a self-educated small-town lawyer-turned-politician, and his rise to power.  He starts with good ideas (and perhaps even good intentions) about how to reform his state and help the poor.  After a couple of failed campaigns, in which he is beaten down by more powerful political figures, he gains enough support to become elected governor.  Stark keeps his promises to build more schools and better roads and such, but he does so using graft and blackmail and other dirty, corrupt methods that he earlier condemned.  The story is told through the eyes of Jack Burden, who is initially intrigued by Willie and becomes his right hand man, supporting him until he discovers that Willie has stolen his girlfriend and wants to destroy her uncle.

While the film was well made from a technical standpoint, I didn't like it.  The beginning was very confusing, and it took me a long time to figure out if the story was about Willie or Jack.  Then, once I figured that out, I really didn't like the direction the story went.  The message of the film is disturbing, but I'm sure that was intentional, so I guess the filmmakers succeeded in making their point.  I think the shots were framed very well, and I like the way the camera angles were adjusted ever so slightly to give viewers a different impression of the characters, especially the low angles of Willie when he starts to gain power.  Broderick Crawford won an Oscar for his thoroughly convincing portrayal of Willie Stark, and John Ireland was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the tormented Jack Burden.  The film told its story well; I just didn't particularly like the story.  Part of it is that corruption, and a lot of times politics in general, really irritates me.  If you like watching dishonest people justify their corruption by pretending to be honest, this is the film for you.

Next up: All About Eve, another film about dishonest people pretending to be honest

1948: Hamlet

"To be or not to be?" blond Laurence Olivier wonders as he sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.  "That is the question."  The answer is clearly "not to be," since in this, as in most of Shakespeare's tragedies, almost all the principle characters are killed.  And they all died tragically ever after.  The end.

Hamlet, as his name suggests, is a role for hams.  While Olivier's portrayal of the title character is not nearly as melodramatic as some I've seen (cough, Kenneth Branagh, cough cough), to call it a tad over-the-top would not be untrue.  Still, overall, this film was better than I expected.  It's long and it drags a bit, but that's Hamlet for you.  I really liked the way a lot of the shots were framed, and I especially liked the camera movement.  Those, combined with the soundtrack and the fog machines, created the mood more than anything the actors did.  But all in all, the performances were good, though the casting choices were a bit odd.

For instance, the actress who plays Queen Gertrude was significantly younger than Laurence Olivier, who plays her son.  Jean Simmons, who plays Ophelia, was significantly younger than everyone else, so although she gives a delightfully haunting performance, she always seems out of place.  The actor who plays Polonius wasn't actually that old, but he seems like he's about 85 or 90.  I'm guessing this was acting, but I wonder why he played it that way, when Jean Simmons was supposed to be his daughter, and she seemed young enough to be his great-granddaughter.  It's no big deal when Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, because he looked like he was going to die of old age soon anyway.

I was incredibly disappointed that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were eliminated from this version, since they provide the comic relief that this story desperately needs.  I was very glad, however, that the whole Young Fortinbras storyline was omitted, because I never thought it was necessary.  I think the problem is I've seen too many versions of Hamlet, so I couldn't watch this film without comparing it to the others.  Still, it was better than I expected, for the most part.

Next: All the King's Men

1947: Gentleman's Agreement

Philip Schuyler Green is a magazine writer who's just moved to New York.  His new boss asks him to write a series about anti-Semitism.  After desperately trying to find a good angle for several weeks, Phil decides to tell everyone that he is Jewish so that he can watch for their reactions.  He instantly notices a difference in the way people talk to him and treat him.  His new socialite fiancee, who came up with the idea for the series because she hates anti-Semitism, is in on the plan, but she and Phil soon come to realize that even anti-anti-Semitists can fuel discrimination by letting it happen.

I really, really liked this film.  I am used to watching films from this era, and they generally avoid focusing on bigotry and prejudice.  Films were almost exclusively about how white, Protestant Americans solved their problems.  Judaism was pretty much a taboo subject in 1940s Hollywood; ironic, since most of the studio moguls of the time were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.  Even more ironically, it was one of the few non-Jewish producers, Darryl F. Zanuck, who decided to make a statement with this film.  And it worked.  This film is very powerful and well-made.  The writing is fabulous.  The acting is superb: starring Gregory Peck and featuring Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Celeste Holm, and other amazingly talented artists all giving incredible performances.  I think it helped that they all knew they were doing something profound, so they gave it their all.

Most importantly, this film is believable.  It's about real people who face important problems that no one else wants to talk about.  It makes a point, but it's not just ramming a message down our throats; it tells an engaging story as well.  I also love how it covers all sides of the issue: the discriminators, the people being discriminated against, the people who do something about it, and the people who let it happen.

This is definitely my new favorite film that I hadn't seen before embarking on this project, and it may even be one of my favorite films period.  If nothing else, at least watching the Best Picture winners has allowed me to discover this film.  And I shall follow it with the 1948 version of Hamlet (which I'm sure is another nice, short, uplifting, light-hearted movie, like so many on this list...right?).

1946: The Best Years of Our Lives

Three veterans are returning home to Boone City, USA at the end of World War II.  Sergeant Al Stephenson is a banker with two children who have grown up without him.  Captian Fred Derry is a soda jerk with a new wife he barely knows.  Sailor Homer Parrish has a fiancee whom he's afraid won't want him anymore since he lost his hands in action.  The three men barely know each other, but their similar circumstances and occasional meetings at Butch's bar tie their stories together.  Then Fred falls in love with Al's daughter, and the story gets even more complicated.

While this film is a little on the long side (it lasts about 2 hours and 45 minutes), it kind of needs to be, as it's telling three different stories.  The stories, and the way they are portrayed, are engaging and powerful.  The performances are all superb, with a magnificent cast including Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, and Teresa Wright.  But by far the most moving performance is that of Harold Russell, who plays Homer Parrish.  It's too bad there weren't more roles for young men with no hands, because that guy could act!  At least the Academy recognized his performance with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

This film was made when a lot of people could relate to its story, as the war had just ended.  However, even though modern audiences cannot identify with the film as much as the audiences of 1946 could, it remains a magnificently compelling movie to this day.  In many ways, it's a sad film, but it's mostly uplifting and encouraging rather than depressing.  It's definitely one of my favorite Best Picture Winners so far.

Coming up next: Gentleman's Agreement

1945: The Lost Weekend

This is an incredibly disturbing and thought-provoking film.  It's very hard to watch, but it's also very good.

When people get drunk in movies, a lot of times it's comical, and the supporting character who's an alcoholic is funny, or at the very least harmless.  This film is completely different.  It presents alcoholism as the disease it is, with absolutely no glamour or humor.  Don Birnem would probably be a very successful writer if he wasn't addicted to alcohol.  This film portrays a single weekend, beginning with Don worming his way out of a trip with his brother and taking him through a major binge.  He desperately struggles to find money for "just one drink," but, as one bartender puts it, "One is too many and a hundred's not enough."  Don's brother and girlfriend care about him and try to help him, but he refuses their help.  As he stoops to lying and stealing for his "one more drink," audiences can't help forgetting everything else Hollywood has taught them about drunks.  It's a terrifying, horrific disease, and it's very hard to know how to react to it. 

I find it interesting that this film was made at the end of the war.  I'm sure a lot of soldiers who came home were struggling with alcoholism, so it's good that they made this film when they did.  I also read on the back of the case that this film was almost not released because preview audiences didn't like it.  I can see why; it's nothing like the escapist films they were used to.  But that's what makes it so brilliant.

Ray Milland's performance as Don Birnem deservedly won him the Best Actor Oscar.  His facial expressions alone are magnificent.  The score to this film is creepy and haunting, which greatly aids the portrayal of the film's message.  The camera work was superb: I especially liked the use of extreme close-ups and slightly oblique, low camera angles.  This film was extremely well-made, and it had a very good and necessary, albeit disturbing, message.

Next up: The Best Years of Our Lives

1944: Going My Way

It's nice to know that a film doesn't have to be incredibly depressing to win Best Picture.  This is an example of one of the more heartwarming winners.  It's also unusual in that its central conflicts don't involve romance or war (although there is a couple that fall in love and the war is briefly mentioned).

This film tells the story of an old priest who's been running a parish for 45 years.  The church is now struggling financially, so the bishop sends young Father O'Malley (aka Bing Crosby) to take over.  The two personalities clash at first, but eventually they start to get along quite well.  Father O'Malley decides to turn some of the young delinquents of the parish into a choir.  Oh, yeah, and there are a couple of women who are somewhat important to the story but are mostly there to look pretty and sing.

I'll be the first to admit that it's a bit cheesy.  It even gets a little boring in places.  But it's mostly a really good film.  It's about people helping each other and looking out for one another and singing together (obviously Bing Crosby has a lot to do with the last one).  It also says a lot about generation gaps.  The writing is as un-cheesy as possible.  The little boys are cute, even if it's very apparent that their voices weren't recorded at the same time as their images.  And Barry Fitzgerald is perfect for the part of the older priest.  If you're looking for movies that will restore your faith in human beings, this is a good place to start.

Coming up next: The Lost Weekend

1943: Casablanca

Oh, where to begin?  This film has become so ingrained in American culture that many of the lines are familiar: here's looking at you, kid; play it, Sam; of all the gin joints in all the world, she walks into mine; this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship - to name a few.  The relationship between Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund is considered one of the greatest onscreen romances of all time, despite the fact that (gasp!) they don't end up together!

While this film is probably most well-known for its famous lovers, there is actually a lot more to it than that.  Every minor character is intriguing, every plot twist thought-provoking.  The soundtrack is perfect, and the settings - particularly the contrast between Paris and Casablanca - greatly add to the film as well.  The writing is witty and clever (despite a few cheesy lines), and obviously full of catchphrases. The casting is almost too good to mention.  All of the performances are magnificent, and I can't see anyone else in any of the roles.

Though the film is dated by its World War II setting, its themes of love and patriotism still strike a chord with audiences today.  This is the epitome of a timeless classic, so it's appropriate that its theme song is "As Time Goes By."  If it seems like I'm praising it excessively, it's probably because I am, but in my opinion it deserves all the praise it can get.  The first time I saw this film I didn't fully appreciate it, but every time I've watched it since - and I believe this was my 6th time - I've noticed something new.  There are few movies that I like more every time I watch them, and this is definitely one, which is perhaps why I am praising it so profusely.  But seriously, even if it's not your kind of movie and even if you don't like it, you should watch it anyway just to improve your cultural literacy.

Next up: Going My Way