Frank Capra was a three-time Oscar winner who dominated the box office throughout the 1930s with his populist fables, nicknamed “Capra-corn.” Yet how many of these titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 12 of Capra’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra bounded to the stage, only to learned that Frank Lloyd (“Cavalcade”) has won instead.
No matter, because...
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra bounded to the stage, only to learned that Frank Lloyd (“Cavalcade”) has won instead.
No matter, because...
- 5/10/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
It’s a rare type of cinephile who wasn’t introduced to the idea of film as more than just idle entertainment by the ritual of the Academy Awards. And it’s an even rarer type of cinephile who didn’t soon thereafter vehemently reject the Oscar as the ultimate barometer of a film’s artistic worth. Those of us who started off with The Godfather, Schindler’s List, All About Eve, or Casablanca all eventually got around to Out of Africa, Around the World in 80 Days, The Greatest Show on Earth, Cimarron, and Cavalcade. First loves being first loves, we still find ourselves regressing if for only one night a year, succumbing to the allure of instant canonization even as it comes in the form of repeated slap-in-the-face reminders of Oscar’s bracing wrongness: Gladiator, Braveheart, Chicago, Crash. In that sense, consider this project part cathartic exorcism and part...
- 3/17/2024
- by Slant Staff
- Slant Magazine
The Best Picture win at the Oscars is the highest prize in the film industry. However, some films manage to take home the top award, yet they still don’t manage to stand the test of time. There are some Best Picture winners that no one talks about, even though they’ll always be a part of Academy Award history.
‘The Broadway Melody’ (1929) L-r: Charles King as Eddie Kearns, Bessie Love as Harriet ‘Hank’ Mahoney, Mary Doran as Flo, Anita Page as Queen Mahoney, and Nacio Herb Brown as Pianist | John Springer Collection/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Harriet ‘Hank’ Mahoney (Bessie Love) and Queenie Mahoney (Anita Page) are vaudeville sister performers looking to break into the Broadway scene. However, romantic melodrama quickly overshadows their attempt to pursue fame as a duo.
The Broadway Melody is the second film to win the Best Picture Oscar, with only Wings coming before it.
‘The Broadway Melody’ (1929) L-r: Charles King as Eddie Kearns, Bessie Love as Harriet ‘Hank’ Mahoney, Mary Doran as Flo, Anita Page as Queen Mahoney, and Nacio Herb Brown as Pianist | John Springer Collection/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Harriet ‘Hank’ Mahoney (Bessie Love) and Queenie Mahoney (Anita Page) are vaudeville sister performers looking to break into the Broadway scene. However, romantic melodrama quickly overshadows their attempt to pursue fame as a duo.
The Broadway Melody is the second film to win the Best Picture Oscar, with only Wings coming before it.
- 2/28/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
White NoiseCOMPETITIONWhite Noise (Noah Baumbach)Il Signore Delle Formiche (Gianni Amelio)The Whale (Darren Aronofsky)L’Immensita (Emanuele Crialese)Saint Omer (Alice Diop)Blonde (Andrew Dominik)Tár (Todd Field)Love Life (Koji Fukada)Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths (Alejandro G. Inarritu)Athena (Romain Gavras)Bones & All (Luca Guadagnino)The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)Beyond The Wall (Vahid Jalilvand)The Banshees Of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)Argentina, 1985 (Santiago Mitre)Chiara (Susanna Nicchiarelli)Monica (Andrea Pallaoro)No Bears (Jafar Panahi)All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)A Couple (Frederick Wiseman)The Son (Florian Zeller)Our Ties (Roschdy Zem)Other People’s Children (Rebecca Zlotowski)Out Of COMPETITIONFictionThe Hanging Sun (Francesco Carrozzini)When The Waves Are Gone (Lav Diaz)Living (Oliver Hermanus)Dead For A Dollar (Walter Hill)Call Of God (Kim Ki-duk)Dreamin’ Wild (Bill Pohlad)Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)Siccità (Paolo Virzi)Pearl (Ti West)Don’t Worry Darling...
- 7/28/2022
- MUBI
The Academy has released a list of 366 feature films in contention for the upcoming 93rd Oscars. The number of eligible movies is up from the 344 submitted in 2019, although it’s not an AMPAS record. This is the highest total since the 1970 awards, which had 374 eligible entries.
All the expected awards contenders are among the “reminder list of productions eligible for the 93rd Academy Awards,” which include Florian Zeller’s “The Father,” Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah,” Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari,” Paul Greengrass’ “News of the World,” Regina King’s “One Night in Miami,” Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” Pete Docter and Kemp Powers’ “Soul,” and Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
Some of the more unconventional contenders are also on the list, including Robert Downey Jr.’s family pic “Dolittle,” the horror film “The Empty Man” from David Pryor,...
All the expected awards contenders are among the “reminder list of productions eligible for the 93rd Academy Awards,” which include Florian Zeller’s “The Father,” Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah,” Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari,” Paul Greengrass’ “News of the World,” Regina King’s “One Night in Miami,” Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” Pete Docter and Kemp Powers’ “Soul,” and Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
Some of the more unconventional contenders are also on the list, including Robert Downey Jr.’s family pic “Dolittle,” the horror film “The Empty Man” from David Pryor,...
- 2/25/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Seth MacFarlane is best known as the creator of Family Guy, but he’s built up a reputation over the last two decades as one of the busiest and most prolific multi-hyphenates in the industry, somehow finding the time to voice countless characters in his animated output that at various stages included American Dad, The Cleveland Show and his Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, not to mention live-action appearances in everything from Gilmore Girls to Star Trek: Enterprise, as well as releasing six studio albums.
At first, it looked like he would make a seamless transition to the big screen when Ted earned almost $550 million at the box office on a budget of just $50 million and scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, but MacFarlane has never managed to recapture that same kind of momentum in the years since.
Ted 2 made over $300 million less than its predecessor, while his...
At first, it looked like he would make a seamless transition to the big screen when Ted earned almost $550 million at the box office on a budget of just $50 million and scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, but MacFarlane has never managed to recapture that same kind of momentum in the years since.
Ted 2 made over $300 million less than its predecessor, while his...
- 9/6/2020
- by Scott Campbell
- We Got This Covered
The coronavirus pandemic has caused unprecedented changes to the 2021 Oscars. With few opportunities to screen films in theaters before Covid-19 caused multiplexes to shut down this winter, the eligibility rules had to bend and key dates had to shift for the 93rd Academy Awards. Here is everything to know for now.
When will the show take place?
The film academy and ABC announced on June 15 that the 2021 Oscars, which were originally scheduled for February 28, has moved to April 25 — the latest date ever since the show was first broadcast on TV in 1953. The academy’s president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson explained their reasoning for the move: “For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our awards date, is to provide the flexibility that...
When will the show take place?
The film academy and ABC announced on June 15 that the 2021 Oscars, which were originally scheduled for February 28, has moved to April 25 — the latest date ever since the show was first broadcast on TV in 1953. The academy’s president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson explained their reasoning for the move: “For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our awards date, is to provide the flexibility that...
- 8/15/2020
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
As widely expected and endlessly speculated, the other shoe has dropped and Oscar is on the move. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday morning that the 93rd Academy Awards, originally scheduled for February 28, 2021, will now take place on April 25 — the latest date ever since Oscar started the TV era in 1953. You would have to go all the way back to the earliest Oscar show in 1929 for a May (16) date but that repped the years 1927-29. There were three dates between 1930 and 1932 where because of combined years they were actually held in November (!) but in terms of the TV era this is unprecedented.
Previously, the latest Oscars viewers have been able to watch was when The Sound of Music took Best Picture on April 18, 1966. It was also the first time the ceremony was telecast in color. This new date will be paired with the now again delayed...
Previously, the latest Oscars viewers have been able to watch was when The Sound of Music took Best Picture on April 18, 1966. It was also the first time the ceremony was telecast in color. This new date will be paired with the now again delayed...
- 6/15/2020
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The idea of re-opening seemed like a distant vision but now, suddenly, the shutdown is almost over and a resurgence is at hand. But on whose terms? Is this the moment for stars and working crews alike to demand new rules governing everything from working hours to rehearsals to meals to dressing rooms — to personal encounters in general?
But I’m referring to 1933, not 2020. That year, as now, Hollywood had been traumatized by an industrywide production shutdown with massive firings. All of it had been triggered, not by a pandemic, but rather by the shockingly abrupt collapse of the economy. “I hear the steel doors crashing shut all around me,” said a shocked Jack Warner, as banks closed across the country.
The joyride of the 1920s had suddenly come to an end and the process of recovery would be arduous but ultimately successful. Looking back on it a century later,...
But I’m referring to 1933, not 2020. That year, as now, Hollywood had been traumatized by an industrywide production shutdown with massive firings. All of it had been triggered, not by a pandemic, but rather by the shockingly abrupt collapse of the economy. “I hear the steel doors crashing shut all around me,” said a shocked Jack Warner, as banks closed across the country.
The joyride of the 1920s had suddenly come to an end and the process of recovery would be arduous but ultimately successful. Looking back on it a century later,...
- 5/21/2020
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Regardless of what movies or stars you are rooting for at the Oscars, one thing is for certain: the annual telecast is almost always good for a milestone moment, a stirring speech, or a memorable mishap.
A Hollywood institution since 1929, the Academy Awards were first broadcast by radio the year after, and then made the move to TV in 1953. Almost from the start, the ceremony had its memorable moments, such as in 1934 when presenter Will Rogers inadvertently led Lady for a Day‘s Frank Capra to think had won Best Director and even head toward the stage, when in fact...
A Hollywood institution since 1929, the Academy Awards were first broadcast by radio the year after, and then made the move to TV in 1953. Almost from the start, the ceremony had its memorable moments, such as in 1934 when presenter Will Rogers inadvertently led Lady for a Day‘s Frank Capra to think had won Best Director and even head toward the stage, when in fact...
- 2/7/2020
- TVLine.com
By now we all know that the film the Academy selects as the “Best Picture” of any given year is rarely the actual Best Picture, but some years it’s hard to explain why they picked what they picked. Never mind “Shakespeare in Love” beating “Saving Private Ryan,” because at least “Shakespeare in Love” is a handsome production with a witty script. Never mind “Dances with Wolves” beating “Goodfellas,” because at least “Dances with Wolves” is a respectable western. We’re taking a look at the films that we can’t watch, even in a vacuum, without cringing nowadays. And when you compare them with the nominees that didn’t earn the Oscar, it’s just plain hard to justify why the Academy voted the way it did.
“The Broadway Melody” (1929)
The second Best Picture winner, and the first synch sound movie to win the top prize, was innovative for the time.
“The Broadway Melody” (1929)
The second Best Picture winner, and the first synch sound movie to win the top prize, was innovative for the time.
- 1/7/2020
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Sam Mendes really knows how to end a decade on a high note. Twenty years ago, he made his feature film directorial debut with “American Beauty” (1999), which went on to win the Best Picture Oscar, along with Best Director for Mendes — the most recent director to prevail for a debut. Now, he’s back with his World War I epic “1917” and is a massive contender to take home a bookend Best Director statuette, which would give him the longest gap between two wins.
Twenty-one people have scored multiple Best Director Oscars — 18 with two, two with three and one with four — but most have typically won two of them within a period of 10 years. Five have a gap of more than 10 years between two victories. The record is currently held by Billy Wilder, who won his two awards 15 years apart for “The Lost Weekend” (1945) and “The Apartment” (1960).
Two have a gap of 13 years: Fred Zinnemann,...
Twenty-one people have scored multiple Best Director Oscars — 18 with two, two with three and one with four — but most have typically won two of them within a period of 10 years. Five have a gap of more than 10 years between two victories. The record is currently held by Billy Wilder, who won his two awards 15 years apart for “The Lost Weekend” (1945) and “The Apartment” (1960).
Two have a gap of 13 years: Fred Zinnemann,...
- 11/27/2019
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Frank Capra would’ve celebrated his 122nd birthday on May 18, 2019. The three-time Oscar winner dominated the box office throughout the 1930s with his populist fables, nicknamed “Capra-corn.” Yet how many of these titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, take a look back at 12 of Capra’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
SEEOscar Best Director Gallery: Every Winner In Academy Award History
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it,...
Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.
SEEOscar Best Director Gallery: Every Winner In Academy Award History
He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it,...
- 5/18/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
CineSavant obsesses over yet another obscure bit of cinematic sociology: a glossy pre-Code MGM melodrama about mothers and war, which half-debates issues like pacifism, the losses of world war one, military vigilance, cowardice, chemical WMDs and foolish idealism! But don’t worry, the title statement is the ultimate answer to everything. Oh, it’s also political sci-fi: it takes place in the future year of 1940, when New York City comes under aerial attack, with skyscrapers bombed to bits and poison gas dropped in the streets. No, this is not new, it was released in 1933.
Men Must Fight
DVD
The Warner Archive Collection
1933 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 72 min. / Street Date January 15, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 191.99
Starring: Diana Wynyard, Lewis Stone, Phillips Holmes, May Robson, Ruth Selwyn, Robert Young, Robert Greig, Hedda Hopper, Donald Dilloway, Mary Carlisle, Luis Alberni.
Cinematography: George J. Folsey
Film Editor: William S. Gray
Written by C. Gardner Sullivan...
Men Must Fight
DVD
The Warner Archive Collection
1933 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 72 min. / Street Date January 15, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 191.99
Starring: Diana Wynyard, Lewis Stone, Phillips Holmes, May Robson, Ruth Selwyn, Robert Young, Robert Greig, Hedda Hopper, Donald Dilloway, Mary Carlisle, Luis Alberni.
Cinematography: George J. Folsey
Film Editor: William S. Gray
Written by C. Gardner Sullivan...
- 5/14/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
CineSavant obsesses over yet another obscure bit of cinematic sociology: a glossy pre-Code MGM melodrama about mothers and war, which half-debates issues like pacifism, the losses of world war one, military vigilance, cowardice, chemical WMDs and foolish idealism! But don’t worry, the title statement is the ultimate answer to everything. Oh, it’s also political sci-fi: it takes place in the future year of 1940, when New York City comes under aerial attack, with skyscrapers bombed to bits and poison gas dropped in the streets. No, this is not new, but from 1933.
Men Must Fight
DVD
The Warner Archive Collection
1933 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 72 min. / Street Date January 15, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 191.99
Starring: Diana Wynyard, Lewis Stone, Phillips Holmes, May Robson, Ruth Selwyn, Robert Young, Robert Greig, Hedda Hopper, Donald Dilloway, Mary Carlisle, Luis Alberni.
Cinematography: George J. Folsey
Film Editor: William S. Gray
Written by C. Gardner Sullivan...
Men Must Fight
DVD
The Warner Archive Collection
1933 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 72 min. / Street Date January 15, 2019 / available through the WBshop / 191.99
Starring: Diana Wynyard, Lewis Stone, Phillips Holmes, May Robson, Ruth Selwyn, Robert Young, Robert Greig, Hedda Hopper, Donald Dilloway, Mary Carlisle, Luis Alberni.
Cinematography: George J. Folsey
Film Editor: William S. Gray
Written by C. Gardner Sullivan...
- 5/13/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This diverse mix of composer Michel Legrand’s work for film is by no means comprehensive, Legrand’s phenomenal career spanned over sixty years. He scored over 200 films as well as theatre and musicals, won Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammys (to name a few), and worked with a myriad of famed popular musicians. He made jazz records with Miles Davis and collaborated with the directors of the French New Wave. Later in life (and by no means slowing down), Legrand focused his time on classical music, creating concertos, sonatas, and ballet. He died this February at the age of 86 just a few months after the release of Orson Welles’s The Other Side of the Wind, whose score he composed. When reminiscing on Legrand’s work I was taken back to two performances that have always resonated with me; I mused on how in both performances it is the score...
- 4/9/2019
- MUBI
Alfonso Cuaron just added another Best Director Oscar to his shelf with his victory for “Roma,” a personal story about growing up in Mexico City in the 1970s. The win came just five years after his first one for “Gravity” (2013). He became the 92nd person in history to clinch that prize, beating out Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite”), Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”), Adam McKay (“Vice”), and Pawel Pawlikowski (“Cold War”). Tour our photo gallery above of every Academy Award winner for Best Director, from the most recent winner to the very first one.
SEE2019 Oscars: Full list of winners (and losers) at the 91st Academy Awards
At the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1927, two awards were given for directing: one for comedy (Lewis Milestone for “Two Arabian Nights”), the other for drama (Frank Borzage for “7th Heaven”). The next year, only one prize was given.
Since 1927, only 21 directors have won this category more than once.
SEE2019 Oscars: Full list of winners (and losers) at the 91st Academy Awards
At the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1927, two awards were given for directing: one for comedy (Lewis Milestone for “Two Arabian Nights”), the other for drama (Frank Borzage for “7th Heaven”). The next year, only one prize was given.
Since 1927, only 21 directors have won this category more than once.
- 2/25/2019
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
Nine decades of Oscars have brought many unexpected highlights, from flubbed announcements to streakers
What one of the first recorded Oscar blunders – the ceremony was first held 90 years ago this May – teaches us is always, always say the surname. Or at least wait for yours to be called. Frank Capra learned this the excruciating way when presenter Will Rogers announced best director with the words: ““I’ve watched this young man for a long time. Saw him come up from the bottom. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra, nominated for Lady for a Day, had almost walked to the stage when he noticed the spotlight was in fact on Frank Lloyd, director of Cavalcade. He had to slink back through the crowd – with VIPs shouting at him for ruining their view – and later wrote in his autobiography: “I wish I...
What one of the first recorded Oscar blunders – the ceremony was first held 90 years ago this May – teaches us is always, always say the surname. Or at least wait for yours to be called. Frank Capra learned this the excruciating way when presenter Will Rogers announced best director with the words: ““I’ve watched this young man for a long time. Saw him come up from the bottom. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra, nominated for Lady for a Day, had almost walked to the stage when he noticed the spotlight was in fact on Frank Lloyd, director of Cavalcade. He had to slink back through the crowd – with VIPs shouting at him for ruining their view – and later wrote in his autobiography: “I wish I...
- 2/19/2019
- by Terri White
- The Guardian - Film News
“If you are a nominee tonight who isn’t making history, shame on you,” Jimmy Kimmel chided in his Oscars monologue Sunday. “The Shape of Water” doesn’t need to saunter off with its head down because the Best Picture champ made a whole lot of history by taking the top prize, one of four awards it won.
Here’s a list of all the droughts that were ended, records that were set and stats that were killed (say it with me: no SAG ensemble nomination!) by “The Shape of Water” with its Best Picture victory.
See How I knew ‘The Shape of Water’ would beat ‘Three Billboards’ for Best Picture
– First film since “Braveheart” (1995) and second overall to win without a SAG ensemble nomination
– First film since “Braveheart” to win without acting, writing or editing wins
– First film with a female lead to win since “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
– First...
Here’s a list of all the droughts that were ended, records that were set and stats that were killed (say it with me: no SAG ensemble nomination!) by “The Shape of Water” with its Best Picture victory.
See How I knew ‘The Shape of Water’ would beat ‘Three Billboards’ for Best Picture
– First film since “Braveheart” (1995) and second overall to win without a SAG ensemble nomination
– First film since “Braveheart” to win without acting, writing or editing wins
– First film with a female lead to win since “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
– First...
- 3/5/2018
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
There have now been 90 years of Oscar winners and losers and, along with them, 90 years of cheers for deserving victors as well as 90 years of jeers for imposters that snuck into the winner's circle. Some best picture winners still retain their status as all-time classics that people today still watch and love — Casablanca, All About Eve, Lawrence of Arabia, the two Godfathers, among others — while there are those that either haven't been seen by anyone in decades (for good reason) — Cimarron, Cavalcade, The Great Ziegfeld, The Greatest Show on Earth, Around the World in...
- 3/1/2018
- by Todd McCarthy
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There have now been 90 years of Oscar winners and losers and, along with them, 90 years of cheers for deserving victors as well as 90 years of jeers for imposters that snuck into the winner's circle. Some best picture winners still retain their status as all-time classics that people today still watch and love — Casablanca, All About Eve, Lawrence of Arabia, the two Godfathers, among others — while there are those that either haven't been seen by anyone in decades (for good reason) — Cimarron, Cavalcade, The Great Ziegfeld, The Greatest Show on Earth, Around the World in 80 Days — or are ...
There have now been 90 years of Oscar winners and losers and, along with them, 90 years of cheers for deserving victors as well as 90 years of jeers for imposters that snuck into the winner's circle. Some best picture winners still retain their status as all-time classics that people today still watch and love — Casablanca, All About Eve, Lawrence of Arabia, the two Godfathers, among others — while there are those that either haven't been seen by anyone in decades (for good reason) — Cimarron, Cavalcade, The Great Ziegfeld, The Greatest Show on Earth, Around the World in 80 Days — or are ...
The story of this year’s Oscar race is rules. Which long-standing rule awards pundits rely on to make predictions will be broken? All of the top five Best Picture contenders in our predictions have something missing — “The Shape of Water” doesn’t have the SAG ensemble nomination, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” doesn’t have a director nomination, “Lady Bird” and “Get Out” don’t have editing or any craft nominations, and “Dunkirk”? “Dunkirk” would have to break one of the longest stats. Christopher Nolan’s epic doesn’t have any acting or writing nominations and only two films have won Best Picture without either of them: “Wings” (1927/28) and “Grand Hotel” (1932).
That’s right, it hasn’t happened in 85 years. Even then, you can attribute the first two instances to the early days of the Oscars, when categories, rules and voting patterns were in flux. “Wings,” of course, was...
That’s right, it hasn’t happened in 85 years. Even then, you can attribute the first two instances to the early days of the Oscars, when categories, rules and voting patterns were in flux. “Wings,” of course, was...
- 2/15/2018
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
On Jan. 5, 1933, the Diana Wynyard-starring drama Cavalcade made its world premiere in New York and was greeted with acclaim. The film went on to win three Oscars at the 6th Academy Awards ceremony, including best picture. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below:
Fox Film's Cavalcade is a fine, splendid document of the folly and resultant decline of civilization through the tragedies of war. It is Noel Coward's contribution to the cause of peace and, as such, it is effective historic pageantry.
It is made human and compelling by virtue of the exquisite and well nigh perfect...
Fox Film's Cavalcade is a fine, splendid document of the folly and resultant decline of civilization through the tragedies of war. It is Noel Coward's contribution to the cause of peace and, as such, it is effective historic pageantry.
It is made human and compelling by virtue of the exquisite and well nigh perfect...
- 1/5/2018
- by THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
From Mahershala Ali to Janet Patterson - Screen runs through some of the buzz topics from last night’s Academy Awards.Best Picture
The presentation of best picture at the Academy Awards is arguably the biggest single moment in Hollywood’s calendar, making it all the more remarkable that through a clumsy series of envelope errors, the ceremony managed to temporarily crown La La Land before that film’s producer Jordan Horowitz announced that Moonlight was in fact the winner. Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has since taken the blame.
Echoing the notorious blunder at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant – when presenter Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner (which Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel alluded to by joking “personally, I blame Steve Harvey for this”) – the magnitude of the blunder is unparralleled in Oscar terms but not entirely without precedent.
At the 1934 Oscars Frank Capra took to stage thinking he had won best director for Lady For A Day when he heard...
The presentation of best picture at the Academy Awards is arguably the biggest single moment in Hollywood’s calendar, making it all the more remarkable that through a clumsy series of envelope errors, the ceremony managed to temporarily crown La La Land before that film’s producer Jordan Horowitz announced that Moonlight was in fact the winner. Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has since taken the blame.
Echoing the notorious blunder at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant – when presenter Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner (which Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel alluded to by joking “personally, I blame Steve Harvey for this”) – the magnitude of the blunder is unparralleled in Oscar terms but not entirely without precedent.
At the 1934 Oscars Frank Capra took to stage thinking he had won best director for Lady For A Day when he heard...
- 2/27/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
‘Fences’ (Courtesy: Paramount)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
We already know what track record musicals have at the Oscars, but how well do works deriving from straight-up plays perform when the Academy is handing out the coveted trophy? With Fences being a frontrunner in the best picture category this year, does history indicate that a win could be in the work’s future? Let’s take a look back at how well this genre has performed at the awards show and see.
Fences, which is based on the August Wilson play of the same name and stars Denzel Washington (who also directed) and Viola Davis in the main roles, has landed on the prediction lists for most critics — including this site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg — when it comes to best picture. Elsewhere, Washington is considered a frontrunner for best director and best actor, Davis is a...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
We already know what track record musicals have at the Oscars, but how well do works deriving from straight-up plays perform when the Academy is handing out the coveted trophy? With Fences being a frontrunner in the best picture category this year, does history indicate that a win could be in the work’s future? Let’s take a look back at how well this genre has performed at the awards show and see.
Fences, which is based on the August Wilson play of the same name and stars Denzel Washington (who also directed) and Viola Davis in the main roles, has landed on the prediction lists for most critics — including this site’s namesake, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg — when it comes to best picture. Elsewhere, Washington is considered a frontrunner for best director and best actor, Davis is a...
- 11/25/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
A Tribute to King Kong takes place as part of the The St. Louis International Film Festival Sunday, Nov. 6 beginning at 6:00pm at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium. The first film screened will be the new documentary Long Live The King, which explores the enduring fascination with one of the biggest stars — both literally and figuratively — in Hollywood history: the mighty King Kong. Produced and directed by Frank Dietz and Trish Geiger, the creative team behind the award-winning “Beast Wishes,” the documentary devotes primary attention to the 1933 classic, celebrating the contributions of filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot, writer Edgar Wallace, and especially stop-motion innovator Willis O’Brien. But Kong’s legacy is also fully detailed: the sequel “Son of Kong,” the cinematic kin “Mighty Joe Young,” the Dino DeLaurentis and Peter Jackson remakes, even the Japanese versions by Toho Studios.
- 11/2/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Since any New York cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Metrograph
Spend “A Weekend with Amy Heckerling” when Johnny Dangerously and Fast Times at Ridgemont High screen this Saturday, while Look Who’s Talking and Clueless show on Sunday. All are on 35mm.
For “Welcome to Metrograph: A-z,” see a print of Philippe Garrel‘s The Inner Scar on Friday and Sunday; André de Toth‘s...
Metrograph
Spend “A Weekend with Amy Heckerling” when Johnny Dangerously and Fast Times at Ridgemont High screen this Saturday, while Look Who’s Talking and Clueless show on Sunday. All are on 35mm.
For “Welcome to Metrograph: A-z,” see a print of Philippe Garrel‘s The Inner Scar on Friday and Sunday; André de Toth‘s...
- 5/13/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
The long wait is almost over, as tomorrow the Academy will announce the official nominations for the 88th Academy Awards. Those who have been following this season’s race are well aware that things are as knotted up as they have been in a long time, with no clear-cut front runner having emerged.
The Golden Globes may have been a bit of an indicator to Oscar’s decisions, but with a race this tight Globe wins may not be as solid of indicators as one might think.
Even films that once seemed like major Oscar contenders in multiple categories are now looking to be limited to a much smaller number of noms due to stiff competition. One such film is Spotlight, which lit up the Oscar landscape not too long ago with its strong cast and direction, but it now seems that the number of legitimate supporting actor candidates,...
Managing Editor
The long wait is almost over, as tomorrow the Academy will announce the official nominations for the 88th Academy Awards. Those who have been following this season’s race are well aware that things are as knotted up as they have been in a long time, with no clear-cut front runner having emerged.
The Golden Globes may have been a bit of an indicator to Oscar’s decisions, but with a race this tight Globe wins may not be as solid of indicators as one might think.
Even films that once seemed like major Oscar contenders in multiple categories are now looking to be limited to a much smaller number of noms due to stiff competition. One such film is Spotlight, which lit up the Oscar landscape not too long ago with its strong cast and direction, but it now seems that the number of legitimate supporting actor candidates,...
- 1/13/2016
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
'Saint Joan': Constance Cummings as the George Bernard Shaw heroine. Constance Cummings on stage: From sex-change farce and Emma Bovary to Juliet and 'Saint Joan' (See previous post: “Constance Cummings: Frank Capra, Mae West and Columbia Lawsuit.”) In the mid-1930s, Constance Cummings landed the title roles in two of husband Benn W. Levy's stage adaptations: Levy and Hubert Griffith's Young Madame Conti (1936), starring Cummings as a demimondaine who falls in love with a villainous character. She ends up killing him – or does she? Adapted from Bruno Frank's German-language original, Young Madame Conti was presented on both sides of the Atlantic; on Broadway, it had a brief run in spring 1937 at the Music Box Theatre. Based on the Gustave Flaubert novel, the Theatre Guild-produced Madame Bovary (1937) was staged in late fall at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre. Referring to the London production of Young Madame Conti, The...
- 11/10/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Charles Brackett ca. 1945: Hollywood diarist and Billy Wilder's co-screenwriter (1936–1949) and producer (1945–1949). Q&A with 'Charles Brackett Diaries' editor Anthony Slide: Billy Wilder's screenwriter-producer partner in his own words Six-time Academy Award winner Billy Wilder is a film legend. He is renowned for classics such as The Major and the Minor, Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd., Witness for the Prosecution, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment. The fact that Wilder was not the sole creator of these movies is all but irrelevant to graduates from the Auteur School of Film History. Wilder directed, co-wrote, and at times produced his films. That should suffice. For auteurists, perhaps. But not for those interested in the whole story. That's one key reason why the Charles Brackett diaries are such a great read. Through Brackett's vantage point, they offer a welcome – and unique – glimpse into the collaborative efforts that resulted in...
- 9/25/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
By rights I should hate the English. Seriously, my background is almost entirely Scots and Irish. I grew up hearing about the troubles the English gave to the Scots and Irish, both in school and from my parents.
Yet I do not, I love the English. How can I hate a country that gave us not only Monty Python but also Benny Hill and the Carry On Films? How can I bear any ill will to a country that gave us writers of the caliber of Ramsey Campbell, Brian Aldiss, Michael Moorcock and J. G Ballard? How can anyone hate a country that not only prizes eccentric behavior but encourages it? Take Mr. Kim Newman for instance, a brilliant writer whose work appears regularly in Video WatchDog and Videoscope Mr. Newman dresses himself, has his hair and mustache styled and speaks in the manner of someone from the 19th Century!
Yet I do not, I love the English. How can I hate a country that gave us not only Monty Python but also Benny Hill and the Carry On Films? How can I bear any ill will to a country that gave us writers of the caliber of Ramsey Campbell, Brian Aldiss, Michael Moorcock and J. G Ballard? How can anyone hate a country that not only prizes eccentric behavior but encourages it? Take Mr. Kim Newman for instance, a brilliant writer whose work appears regularly in Video WatchDog and Videoscope Mr. Newman dresses himself, has his hair and mustache styled and speaks in the manner of someone from the 19th Century!
- 5/26/2015
- by Sam Moffitt
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the release of "Crash" (on May 6, 2005), an all-star movie whose controversy came not from its provocative treatment of racial issues but from its Best Picture Oscar victory a few months later, against what many critics felt was a much more deserving movie, "Brokeback Mountain."
The "Crash" vs. "Brokeback" battle is one of those lingering disputes that makes the Academy Awards so fascinating, year after year. Moviegoers and critics who revisit older movies are constantly judging the Academy's judgment. Even decades of hindsight may not always be enough to tell whether the Oscar voters of a particular year got it right or wrong. Whether it's "Birdman" vs. "Boyhood," "The King's Speech" vs. "The Social Network," "Saving Private Ryan" vs. "Shakespeare in Love" or even "An American in Paris" vs. "A Streetcar Named Desire," we're still confirming the Academy's taste or dismissing it as hopelessly off-base years later.
The "Crash" vs. "Brokeback" battle is one of those lingering disputes that makes the Academy Awards so fascinating, year after year. Moviegoers and critics who revisit older movies are constantly judging the Academy's judgment. Even decades of hindsight may not always be enough to tell whether the Oscar voters of a particular year got it right or wrong. Whether it's "Birdman" vs. "Boyhood," "The King's Speech" vs. "The Social Network," "Saving Private Ryan" vs. "Shakespeare in Love" or even "An American in Paris" vs. "A Streetcar Named Desire," we're still confirming the Academy's taste or dismissing it as hopelessly off-base years later.
- 5/6/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
“We’ll give him more than chains. He’s always been king of his world, but we’ll teach him fear. We’re millionaires, boys. I’ll share it with all of you. Why, in a few months, it’ll be up in lights on Broadway: Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World!”
King Kong screens at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143) Thursday, May 7th at 7pm. It is a benefit for Helping Kids Together
Doors open at 6:30pm. $6 suggested for the screening. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds. A bartender will be on hand to take care of you. “Culture Shock” is the name of a film series here in St. Louis that is the cornerstone project of a social enterprise that is an ongoing source of support for Helping Kids Together (http://www.
King Kong screens at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143) Thursday, May 7th at 7pm. It is a benefit for Helping Kids Together
Doors open at 6:30pm. $6 suggested for the screening. A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds. A bartender will be on hand to take care of you. “Culture Shock” is the name of a film series here in St. Louis that is the cornerstone project of a social enterprise that is an ongoing source of support for Helping Kids Together (http://www.
- 4/24/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
With the DGA Award in hand, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has become a frontrunner in the best director Oscar race for Birdman.
Only seven winners of the DGA Award have not won the best director Oscar in the 66 years that the Directors Guild of America has given the award. The most recent case was two years ago, when Ben Affleck wasn’t even nominated for the best director Oscar for Argo, which won best picture.
No American has won for best director since 2011 and if Inarritu, who is from Mexico, takes the Oscar this year, the trend will continue. Inarritu could become the second Latin American director to win for best director, following Alfonso Cuaron’s win last year.
In the 86 years since the Academy Awards’ inception, 89 Oscars have been given for best director. Twenty-six awards (29 percent) went to non-American born directors.
At the first annual...
Managing Editor
With the DGA Award in hand, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has become a frontrunner in the best director Oscar race for Birdman.
Only seven winners of the DGA Award have not won the best director Oscar in the 66 years that the Directors Guild of America has given the award. The most recent case was two years ago, when Ben Affleck wasn’t even nominated for the best director Oscar for Argo, which won best picture.
No American has won for best director since 2011 and if Inarritu, who is from Mexico, takes the Oscar this year, the trend will continue. Inarritu could become the second Latin American director to win for best director, following Alfonso Cuaron’s win last year.
In the 86 years since the Academy Awards’ inception, 89 Oscars have been given for best director. Twenty-six awards (29 percent) went to non-American born directors.
At the first annual...
- 2/11/2015
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Simone Simon in 'La Bête Humaine' 1938: Jean Renoir's film noir (photo: Jean Gabin and Simone Simon in 'La Bête Humaine') (See previous post: "'Cat People' 1942 Actress Simone Simon Remembered.") In the late 1930s, with her Hollywood career stalled while facing competition at 20th Century-Fox from another French import, Annabella (later Tyrone Power's wife), Simone Simon returned to France. Once there, she reestablished herself as an actress to be reckoned with in Jean Renoir's La Bête Humaine. An updated version of Émile Zola's 1890 novel, La Bête Humaine is enveloped in a dark, brooding atmosphere not uncommon in pre-World War II French films. Known for their "poetic realism," examples from that era include Renoir's own The Lower Depths (1936), Julien Duvivier's La Belle Équipe (1936) and Pépé le Moko (1937), and particularly Marcel Carné's Port of Shadows (1938) and Daybreak (1939).[11] This thematic and...
- 2/6/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Christopher Reeve Foundation for spinal cord and stem cell research (photo: Darryl Hannah and Christopher Reeve in 'Rear Window') (See previous post: "'Superman' Christopher Reeve and his Movies: Ten-Year Death Anniversary.") In his 1998 autobiography Still Me, Christopher Reeve recalled: "At an especially bleak moment [prior to an operation that might result in his death], the door [of his hospital room] flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent. For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay." The "old friend" was the recently deceased Robin Williams, whom Reeve had befriended while both were studying at Juillard. Eventually, Reeve became a staunch advocate for spinal cord and stem cell research, sponsoring with his wife the Christopher Reeve Foundation — later renamed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (and formerly known...
- 10/11/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
‘Midnight Madness’ movie lacks both ‘midnight’ and ‘madness’ (photo: Clive Brook and Jacqueline Logan in ‘Midnight Madness’) Screened at the 2014 San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Midnight Madness has a very curious title: there is no "midnight" or "madness" to be found in the film. The story’s original name, The Lion Trap, from a play by Daniel Nathan Rubin, would have been a much more appropriate title. Norma (Jacqueline Logan, best known as Mary Magdalene in Cecil B. DeMille’s The King of Kings) lives in a squalid apartment behind a shooting gallery, with her good-for-nothing father (James Bradbury). She goes to work each day as a secretary at a Diamond Broker Company, looking forward to romantic trysts with her boss, Childers (Walter McGrail). Norma takes the relationship seriously, but Childers is a schemer. When wealthy client Richard Bream (Clive Brook, best known for the Best Picture Academy Award winner...
- 8/11/2014
- by Danny Fortune
- Alt Film Guide
Article by Tom Stockman
The big guy once known as ‘The 8th Wonder of the World’ is celebrating his 80th birthday. A landmark accomplishment in cinema and fantasy, King Kong still holds the power to astonish and inspire, so in honor of its 80 years, here’s a look at the movie’s groundbreaking production and significant legacy.
Carl Denham, who brought Kong from Skull Island to New York, was an adventurous, globe-hopping filmmaker and the same was true of Merian C. Cooper, the mastermind behind the movie King Kong. Born in 1893, Cooper had been an aviator and hero in the First World War. He began his movie career in the mid-1920s at Paramount Pictures where he teamed up with Ernest B. Schoedsack, a pioneering motion picture photographer and news cameraman who would become his filmmaking partner. Their first successes were a pair of ambitious anthropological documentaries inspired by the...
The big guy once known as ‘The 8th Wonder of the World’ is celebrating his 80th birthday. A landmark accomplishment in cinema and fantasy, King Kong still holds the power to astonish and inspire, so in honor of its 80 years, here’s a look at the movie’s groundbreaking production and significant legacy.
Carl Denham, who brought Kong from Skull Island to New York, was an adventurous, globe-hopping filmmaker and the same was true of Merian C. Cooper, the mastermind behind the movie King Kong. Born in 1893, Cooper had been an aviator and hero in the First World War. He began his movie career in the mid-1920s at Paramount Pictures where he teamed up with Ernest B. Schoedsack, a pioneering motion picture photographer and news cameraman who would become his filmmaking partner. Their first successes were a pair of ambitious anthropological documentaries inspired by the...
- 9/26/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Paulette Goddard: An Ideal Husband and Paris Model on TCM Paulette Goddard height: Supposedly 5’4″. Paulette Goddard age: Well… Goddard would have turned 108 today. Or 103. Or 102. Or 98. It all depends on the source, though Goddard herself apparently — and not at all surprisingly — preferred the 1915 birth date, which would have made her 98 years old in 2013. Whether a centenarian or a nonagenarian, Paulette Goddard is Turner Classic Movies’ Star of the Day. TCM has already shown several Goddard movies, among them Charles Chaplin’s Modern Times and the Luise Rainer star vehicle Dramatic School, and it’s currently showing An Ideal Husband. (Picture: Paulette Goddard publicity shot, ca. 1940.) Made in England for London Films, An Ideal Husband (1947) was quite a prestigious production so as to justify the presence of a top Hollywood star in a British film. No less a figure than London Films founder Alexander Korda directed this movie adaptation of...
- 6/3/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Three Takes is a new column dedicated to the art of short-form criticism. Each week, three writers—Calum Marsh, Fernando F. Croce, and Joseph Jon Lanthier—offer stylized capsules which engage, in brief, with classic and contemporary films.
Ernst Lubitsch'S
Design For Living (1933)
“It’s true we have a gentlemen’s agreement,” susurrates a suggestively bed-strewn Miriam Hopkins, “but unfortunately I am no gentlemen.” Indeed: never before or since has the fulcrum of a three-way so iconically longed or been longed for, soaking up desire like a sponge. Design for Living, of course, has enjoyed a now 80-year legacy on the promise of its barely muffled libertine sensibility, that same vague aura of licentiousness in which nearly every remotely racy pre-Code comic romance is anachronistically steeped. Design for Living certainly makes use of the luxury of candor—sex as a subject is plainly on the table here, explicated without...
Ernst Lubitsch'S
Design For Living (1933)
“It’s true we have a gentlemen’s agreement,” susurrates a suggestively bed-strewn Miriam Hopkins, “but unfortunately I am no gentlemen.” Indeed: never before or since has the fulcrum of a three-way so iconically longed or been longed for, soaking up desire like a sponge. Design for Living, of course, has enjoyed a now 80-year legacy on the promise of its barely muffled libertine sensibility, that same vague aura of licentiousness in which nearly every remotely racy pre-Code comic romance is anachronistically steeped. Design for Living certainly makes use of the luxury of candor—sex as a subject is plainly on the table here, explicated without...
- 3/5/2013
- by Calum Marsh
- MUBI
Simon Callow, Mark Elder and Gerard McBurney share a love for the music of Ivor Novello, which will be celebrated in a Prom, Glamorous Night
One day over lunch some 15 or more years ago, the trailblazing conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, Mark Elder, the Shostakovich scholar and avant-garde composer Gerard McBurney and I discovered our shared passion for the music of Ivor Novello. The slow-burning result of that encounter is the late-night Prom on 9 August celebrating the work and remarkable life of our hero. All those years ago we pledged that we Must Do Something About Ivor, but exactly what was unclear. Novello was the most successful British musical theatre composer of the 20th century before the meteoric rise of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and one of the great figures of his time. But it would have been hard at that moment in the 1990s to have chosen a less fashionable...
One day over lunch some 15 or more years ago, the trailblazing conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, Mark Elder, the Shostakovich scholar and avant-garde composer Gerard McBurney and I discovered our shared passion for the music of Ivor Novello. The slow-burning result of that encounter is the late-night Prom on 9 August celebrating the work and remarkable life of our hero. All those years ago we pledged that we Must Do Something About Ivor, but exactly what was unclear. Novello was the most successful British musical theatre composer of the 20th century before the meteoric rise of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and one of the great figures of his time. But it would have been hard at that moment in the 1990s to have chosen a less fashionable...
- 8/3/2012
- by Simon Callow
- The Guardian - Film News
Before there was “Downton Abbey” there was “Cavalcade”. The life and career of playwright, composer, director and actor Noël Coward will be celebrated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of its “Monday Nights with Oscar®”series on Monday, March 12, at 7 p.m. at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International in New York City. The screening of “Cavalcade,” hosted by curator Brad Rosenstein, will also debut a display of images and posters from Coward.s films in the theater lobby.
Based on Coward.s 1931 smash London theatrical production, “Cavalcade” follows a wealthy family as they experience key historical events in the first three decades of the 20th century, including the Titanic tragedy and World War I.
The print is courtesy of the Academy Film Archive and Twentieth Century Fox.
The Academy.s program is part of a citywide celebration of Coward, which includes the opening of...
Based on Coward.s 1931 smash London theatrical production, “Cavalcade” follows a wealthy family as they experience key historical events in the first three decades of the 20th century, including the Titanic tragedy and World War I.
The print is courtesy of the Academy Film Archive and Twentieth Century Fox.
The Academy.s program is part of a citywide celebration of Coward, which includes the opening of...
- 3/7/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Fifteen Oscar statuettes, including the trophy awarded to the screenwriter of Citizen Kane, are set to go under the hammer next week (begs27Feb12).
Two days after the 84th annual Academy Awards on Sunday, more a dozen golden statuettes will be auctioned off, marking the largest collection of Oscars ever to be sold in one go.
Included in the lots are Herman J. Mankiewicz's prize for his screenplay of 1941 classic Citizen Kane, the Best Picture Oscar won by 1933 movie Cavalcade, and cinematographer Gregg Toland's 1939 trophy for black and white movie Wuthering Heights.
Auctioneer Nate D. Sanders says, "This is the most significant collection of Oscars to ever be auctioned. It contains Academy Awards from epic films such as Citizen Kane...
"Furthermore, Cavalcade is the earliest best picture Oscar to ever be offered in an auction."
The sale is expected to raise over $2 million (£1.25 million).
Two days after the 84th annual Academy Awards on Sunday, more a dozen golden statuettes will be auctioned off, marking the largest collection of Oscars ever to be sold in one go.
Included in the lots are Herman J. Mankiewicz's prize for his screenplay of 1941 classic Citizen Kane, the Best Picture Oscar won by 1933 movie Cavalcade, and cinematographer Gregg Toland's 1939 trophy for black and white movie Wuthering Heights.
Auctioneer Nate D. Sanders says, "This is the most significant collection of Oscars to ever be auctioned. It contains Academy Awards from epic films such as Citizen Kane...
"Furthermore, Cavalcade is the earliest best picture Oscar to ever be offered in an auction."
The sale is expected to raise over $2 million (£1.25 million).
- 2/22/2012
- WENN
Lon Chaney, He Who Gets Slapped Lon Chaney is one of the most fascinating movie stars in film history. Throughout the 1920s, Chaney was one the biggest box-office draws the world over despite what could kindly be described as an unhandsome face — one that was often disguised by heavy layers of makeup to make him look ancient, deformed, Chinese, female, etc. His roles usually fell into two categories: total fiends, or fiends and semi-fiends in love/lust with or protective of some pretty young thing or other. On Monday, August 15, Turner Classic Movies will be showing 15 Lon Chaney movies, in addition to the reconstructed — by way of stills — London After Midnight (1927), perhaps the most talked about lost film ever. TCM will also present the premiere of the 1922 version of Oliver Twist, directed by future Oscar winner Frank Lloyd (Cavalcade, Mutiny on the Bounty), and starring Chaney as Fagin, The Kid's Jackie Coogan as Oliver,...
- 8/15/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Betty Compson, Clive Brook, Woman to Woman Despite some confusion in various reports, the 1923 melodrama The White Shadow, half of which was recently found at the New Zealand Film Archive, is not Alfred Hitchcock's directorial debut. It isn't Hitchcock's first ever credited effort, either. That honor apparently belongs to Woman to Woman, which came out earlier that same year. The White Shadow, in fact, was a Woman to Woman afterthought. Both movies were directed by Graham Cutts, both were produced by future British film industry stalwarts Victor Saville and Michael Balcon, both were based on works by Michael Morton (the earlier film was taken from a Morton play; the later one from a Morton novel), and both starred Clive Brook and Hollywood import Betty Compson. (Compson plays two parts in both films as well; but whereas in The White Shadow she plays two actual characters, in Woman to Woman...
- 8/3/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Well, I've finally done it, I've seen all of the Oscar Best Picture winners. But I've also updated my personal list of "Must Watch Movies" and I still have 171 movies to go. This is a list I've compiled using the AFI Top 100 American Movies, Roger Ebert's Greatest Movies list, Oscar Best Picture winners, Tiff's Essential 100 Movies and several incarnations of the IMDb Top 250.
On Friday I actually updated the list, adding the latest IMDb Top 250 to my previous list and now have a total of 294 films that have at one time or another been on IMDb's Top 250 and actually have two new films I need to watch that weren't on there previously -- The Celebration (1998) and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984). Ebert has also been updating his list of greatest movies and I had to add a few there as well.
Overall it makes for a list...
On Friday I actually updated the list, adding the latest IMDb Top 250 to my previous list and now have a total of 294 films that have at one time or another been on IMDb's Top 250 and actually have two new films I need to watch that weren't on there previously -- The Celebration (1998) and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984). Ebert has also been updating his list of greatest movies and I had to add a few there as well.
Overall it makes for a list...
- 2/13/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Cavalcade (1933) Direction: Frank Lloyd Cast: Clive Brook, Diana Wynyard, Herbert Mundin, Una O'Connor, Beryl Mercer, Irene Browne, Merle Tottenham, Frank Lawton, Ursula Jeans, Margaret Lindsay Screenplay: Reginald Berkeley, Sonya Levien; from Noel Coward's 1931 play Oscar Movies, Pre-Code Movies Herbert Mundin, Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Una O'Connor, Cavalcade Synopsis: Upstairs, Robert and Jane Marryot (Clive Brook, Diana Wynyard), and downstairs, Alfred and Ellen Bridges (Herbert Mundin, Una O'Connor), in a British household, from 1900 to 1933. The Pros: Cavalcade won Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for the period 1932-33 (basically from Aug. '32-Dec. '33) and was reportedly the biggest box-office hit of 1933, grossing more than $3.5m (approx. $121m today*). That makes it a historical curiosity. Best Actress Oscar nominee Diana Wynyard has one remarkable moment, walking among armistice revelers but not feeling at all like celebrating after having lost a son to the Great War. Noel Coward, for his [...]...
- 2/11/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
With the DVD market in free fall, Hollywood studios are getting creative about finding new ways to pump up the home-entertainment dollar. Now you can have a custom-made copy of Anne Bancroft’s “The Pumpkin Eater” or Noel Coward’s 1933 Best Picture winner “Cavalcade.” Over the last year, MGM, Warner Brothers, Sony and others have begun to offer obscure, previously unavailable movies via DVD-on-demand and streaming. For a fee of approximately $20, many of the major studios will now burn select titles to disc. By custom-burning DVDs or streaming cult-favorite films from depths of...
- 1/19/2011
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
With the long-awaited release of The African Queen on DVD this week, film buffs can check another prominent title off their want lists. That’s the good news…but there are still a surprising number of movies from every decade of the 20th century that aren’t commercially available. The most surprising titles? Two winners of the Best Picture Academy Award—in fact, the only two not— —available on DVD, even though they play on cable TV and turn up at revival screenings: Wings (1927), which won the very first Oscar, and which Paramount curiously refuses to release, and Noel Coward’s Cavalcade (1933), from…...
- 3/24/2010
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
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