As a moviegoer for
more than 70 years, I’ve seen some great movies, some not so great, some really
bad ones, some trying but failing to be deep and meaningful, some reveling in
their shallowness. I was born the year The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind
were released. My mother started taking me to the movies shortly after that. I
saw some movies that were definitely not PG rated. I can still remember being
afraid of The Thing and delighting in An American in Paris.
Many times I disagree
with the critics. I don’t call them and tell him what I think of their reviews,
so now that there is an internet for anyone to babble on, I add my voice. I’m
sure there are many of you who will disagree with my assessments. Some of you
will agree. I hope to hear from all of
you.
The Next 20 Years of Oscar
These 20
years I consider the golden age of film. This list contains some of the
greatest films ever made—all classics. If you want to fill in the gaps of your
movie-going experience, I suggest you see these.
1948:
Hamlet: A classic film from a classic play
with a classic cast took the honors this year. Laurence Olivier as Hamlet and
Jean Simmons as Ophelia make this film come alive.
1949:
All
the Kings Men: This movie, loosely based on the life of Louisiana
Governor Huey Long, stars Broderick Crawford, Mercedes McCambridge, John
Ireland and Joanne Dru. Politics, power, corruption and betrayal make a
fascinating character study.
1950:
All
About Eve: Fading actress (Bette Davis) hires aspiring actress (Anne
Baxter) as her assistant, and a very bumpy ride ensues. Gary Merrill, George Sanders, Marilyn Monroe
and Celeste Holm costar. This film won four Oscars.
1951:
An
American in Paris: We have great singing and dancing in this film that
stars Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Nina Foch and Oscar Levant. Kelly is a
promising painter supported by gallery owner Foch. Along comes Caron as a
lovely waif. Seven Oscars went to this film.
1952: The
Greatest Show on Earth: Would you believe James Stewart as a clown?
Anything can happen in this film based on the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and
Bailey Circus. Charlton Heston is the manager who holds things together for
Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde and Dorothy Lamour.
1953: From
Here to Eternity: This film earned eight Oscars and contains one of the
all-time great love scenes—Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr rolling in
the surf. We’re in Hawaii just before and during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra (won an Oscar for Best Actor in a
Supporting Role) and Ernest Borgnine also star.
1954: On
the Waterfront: This
may be Marlon Brando’s best film. He stars as Terry Malloy, a has-been fighter,
who witnesses a killing. Powerful forces tell him not to testify, but the
sister of the victim urges him to do the right thing. Starring are Rod Steiger,
Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb and Eva Marie Saint. The film won eight Oscars.
1955: Marty:
This poignant film swept the Oscars. Butcher Ernest Borgnine plays a mama’s boy who is shy and lonely.
Will he ever find love? Betsy Blair co-stars.
1956: Around
the World in 80 Days: David Niven, Cantinflas and half of Hollywood
star in this delightful tale. Niven accepts a bet that he cannot go around the
world in 80 days. Thus begins an adventure.
1957: Bridge
on the River Kwai: Set in a Japanese prison camp in Burma during WWII,
prisoners are ordered to build a railway bridge. They set to work to the tune
of Colonel Bogey’s March. David Lean’s epic film stars Alec Guiness, William
Holden and Jack Hawkins. The film won seven Oscars.
1958: Gigi:
Leslie Caron is being raised by her courtesan grandmother to be the
mistress of Louie Jordan. When she turns out to be a beautiful woman, Jordan
wants to marry her. The grandmother is appalled. Maurice Chevalier sings:
“Thank Heaven for Little Girls.”
1959: Ben
Hur: The winner of 11 Oscars, this film stars a chariot race between
Charlton Heston and Steven Boyd. Somewhere along the line, Jesus shows up for a
cameo.
1960: The
Apartment: Poor Jack Lemmon is forced by his boss, Fred MacMurray, to make his apartment available for trysts.
Shirley MacLaine is the love interest.
1961: West
Side Story: I just saw this for the first time and, frankly, I was
disappointed. The music was boring and the story trite. The dancing was very
entertaining. Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer and Rita Moreno star. I don’t
understand why it garnered so many Oscars.
1962: Lawrence
of Arabia: This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Peter O’Toole as
T.E. Lawrence, an English spy, who unites Arab tribes to fight against the
Turks in WWI. Omar Sharif and Alec Guiness costar.
1963: Tom
Jones: Albert Finney stars in a romp of a film. From orphan boy to
thanking his secret birth for saving his life, he gallops through life bedding
as many wenches as possible, including one he really shouldn’t have.
1964: My
Fair Lady: Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn star in this familiar story.
The film won eight Oscars.
1965: Sound
of Music: Julie Andrews makes the hills come alive. A nice film, but
not, I think, a great one. Christopher Plummer costars as the scion of the Van
Trapp family.
1966: A Man
for All Seasons: Henry VIII is looking for support to divorce his first
wife. Paul Scofield, as Sir Thomas More, finds himself caught between his king
and his church. Wendy Hiller and Orson Wells costar.
1967: In
the Heat of the Night: Sidney Poitier is a northern detective stuck in
the deep south when a murder occurs. He finds himself helping a racist sheriff,
Rod Steiger.
