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An Oscar-Themed Film Friday

Every «Film Friday» throughout February I wrote about a Best Picture winner or nominee in anticipation to the 89th Academy Awards. However, since I didn't have the time to prepare a decent article for today, this week's «Film Friday» is a compilation of all the Best Picture winners and nominees I've written about since starting this blog.

 
Directed by Lewis Milestone | Starring Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim and John Wray

All Quiet on the Western Front is widely regarded one of Hollywood's most durable and unforgettable testaments of the cruelty of war. Based on the controversially famous novel of the same name by German author Erich Maria Remarque, it follows a group of young soldiers as they struggle with extreme physical and mental stress during World War I. The film, produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. for Universal, was uniformly acclaimed upon release, winning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for Lewis Milestone, himself a World War I veteran. It received two additional nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography.
 
 
The Divorcee (1930)
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard | Starring Norma Shearer and Chester Morris

Produced and directed by Robert Z. Leonard from a script based on Ursula Parrott's bestselling novel Ex-Wife, The Divorcee stars Norma Shearer as a married woman who, upon discovering that her husband has been unfaithful to her, decides to respond to his infidelities in kind. The film was a massive commercial success, although critics were somewhat mixed in their reviews. Nevertheless, the film earned Shearer the Academy Award for Best Actress and was additionally nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
 
 
Directed by Frank Capra | Starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable

Directed by Frank Capra, It Happened One Night focuses on the misadventures of a reporter as he tracks a runaway heiress on a madcap cross-country tour. The film, based on the short story «Night Bus» by Samuel Hopkins Adams, was a huge critical and commercial success, setting a house record for an opening day at Radio City Music Hall in New York. At the 7th Academy Awards ceremony, it became the first film to win the «Big Five» Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Gable), Best Actress (Colbert) and Best Adapted Screenplay.
 
 
The Thin Man (1934)
Directed by W. S. Van Dyke | Starring William Powell, Myrna Loy and Maureen O'Sullivan
 
Based on the eponymous novel by Dashiell Hammett, The Thin Man stars William Powell as Nick Charles, a retired private detective, and Myrna Loy as his wealthy wife Nora. Together, they attempt to solve a murder case, while enjoying copious drinking and flirtatious banter. Directed by W. S. Van Dyke, the film was a great critical and financial success, earning Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Powell) and Best Adapted Screenplay.



Directed by Frank Lloyd | Starring Clark Gable, Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone
 
Directed by Frank Lloyd, Mutiny on the Bounty is based on the novel of the same name by Charles Nordoff and James Norman Hall, which is inspired by the real mutiny against Lieutenant William Bligh, commanding officer of the HMS Bounty, in 1789. Despite historical inaccuracies, the film was a massive critical and commercial success, winning the Oscar for Best Picture. It received additional nominations for Best Director, Best Actor (Gable, Laughton and Tone), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score.



Directed by Roy Del Ruth | Starring Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor and Jack Benny

Designed to showcase Eleanor Powell's extraordinary and unique talents, Broadway Melody of 1936 concerns a Broadway columnist who tries to use an innocent dancer to frame a producer. Directed by Roy Del Ruth, the film was a huge critical and commercial success, and it reportedly saved Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from bankruptcy. It won the Oscar for Best Dance Direction and received additional nominations for Best Picture and Best Story.

 
Libeled Lady (1936)
Directed by Jack Conway | Starring William Powell, Jean Harlow and Myrna Loy

Directed by Jack Conway, Libeled Lady centers on a socialite who sues a big newspaper for libel. The editor responsible then calls in the help of his ignored fiancée and a former employee to frame the socialite and make the false story seem true. The film was a great success, both critically and commercially, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.



Directed by W. S. Van Dyke | Starring Clark Gable, Jeanette McDonald and Spencer Tracy

San Francisco takes place before and after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and stars Jeanette McDonald as a talented singer, Clark Gable as a saloonkeeper and gambler, and Spencer Tracy as a Roman Catholic priest. Directed by W. S. Van Dyke, the film was a great success and received the Oscar for Best Sound Recording. It earned additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Tracy), Best Story and Best Assistant Director.

 
Directed by Leo McCarey | Starring Cary Grant, Irene Dunne and Ralph Bellamy

Directed by Leo McCarey from a script based on the 1922 Broadway play by Arthur Richman, The Awful Truth stars Cary Grant and Irene Dunne as a soon-to-be-divorced couple who go to great lengths to try to ruin each other's romantic escapades. The film opened to uniformly positive reviews from critics and went on to become one of Columbia's biggest box-office hits of all time. It was named as one of the ten best films of 1937 by Film Daily and it won McCarey his first Oscar for Best Director, receiving additional nominations for Best Actress (Dunne), Best Supporting Actor (Bellamy), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. 
 
 
Directed by Michael Curtiz | Starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone

Directed by Michael Curtiz, The Adventures of Robin Hood is considered by many as the quintessential Errol Flynn film. He plays the legendary Saxon knight of the title, who fought back as the leader of a rebel guerilla against Norman oppression during the reign of King Richard I. The film opened to critical and popular acclaim, eventually becoming Warner Bros.' highest grossing picture of that year. It won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score, and was further nominated for Best Picture. 
 
 
Directed by Frank Capra | Starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur and Thomas Mitchell
 
Loosely based on the life of Montana U.S. Senator Burton Wheeler, known for exposing a bribery scandal during President Warren Harding's administration, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington stars James Stewart as a newly appointed Senator who fights against a corrupt system. Directed by Frank Capra, it was a massive critical success and it became the second-highest grossing film of 1939. It won the Oscar for Best Story, and it was further nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Stewart), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains and Harry Carey), Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Score and Best Sound.

 
Directed by Wiliam Wyler | Starring Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon and David Niven

Written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur based on the eponymous novel by Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights tells the story of the doomed love between brooding gypsy Heathcliff (played by Laurence Olivier) and headstrong noblewoman Cathy Earnshaw (portrayed by Merle Oberon). The film, directed by William Wyler, opened to strong reviews from critics, but was not a box-office success. Still, it won the Oscar for Best Cinematography and received seven additional nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Olivier), Best Supporting Actress (Geraldine Fitzgerald), Best Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Art Direction.
 
 
Kitty Foyle (1940)
Directed by Sam Wood | Starring Ginger Rogers, Dennis Morgan and James Craig
 
Based on Christopher Morley's 1939 bestseller of the same name, Kitty Foyle stars Ginger Rogers as New York saleswoman faced with a life-altering decision: marry her fiancé, a poor doctor, or run away with a rich man she has loved for many years. Directed by Sam Wood, the film opened to generally positive reviews from critics and became RKO's biggest hit of the year. It won Rogers the Academy Award for Best Actress, receiving additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.

 
Directed by George Cukor | Starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart

Directed by George Cukor, The Philadephia Story is about a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her ex-husband and a tabloid magazine journalist who is reporting on the event. The film, written by Donald Odgen Stewart based on the hit Broadway play by Philip Barry, the film opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and broke box-office records all around the country. It won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Stewart) and Best Adapted Screenplay, and was further nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Hepburn) and Best Supporting Actress (Ruth Hussey).
 
 
Directed by Alexander Hall | Starring Robert Montgomery and Claude Rains
 
Based on Harry Segall's 1938 play Heaven Can Wait, Here Comes Mr. Jordan stars Robert Montgomery as a boxer who is mistakenly taken to Heaven before his time and is given a second chance back on Earth. Directed by Alexander Hall, the film was a great critical and financial success upon release, with Film Daily naming it one of the best movies of the year. It won Academy Awards for Best Story and Best Adapted Screenplay, and received additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Montgomery), Best Supporting Actor (James Gleason) and Best Cinematography Black-and-White.

 
Kings Row (1942)
Directed by Sam Wood | Starring Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan
 
Directed by Sam Wood, Kings Row tells the story of a group of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the 20th century. Based on the controversial bestselling novel of the same name by Henry Bellamann, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a solid success at the box-office. It received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography Black-and-White.

 
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy | Starring Ronald Colman, Greer Garson and Susan Peters

Based on the immensely popular novel of the same name by James Hilton, Random Harvest stars Ronald Colman as a shellshocked, amnesiac World War I soldier, and Greer Garson as his love interest. The film, directed by Mervyn LeRoy, was a massive success upon release and became one of the top five highest-grossing pictures of the year. It garnered seven Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Colman), Best Supporting Actress (Peters), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Music Score and Best Art Directon Black-and-White.
 
 
Directed by Michael Curtiz | Starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie and Walter Huston
 
Yankee Doodle Dandy is based on the life and music of renowned entertainer George M. Cohan (played by James Cagney), known as «The Man Who Owned Broadway.» Directed by Michael Curtiz, the film was a massive critical and commercial success, becoming Warner Bros.' biggest box-office hit up to that point. It won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Cagney), Best Original Score and Best Sound Recording, receiving additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Huston), Best Story and Best Film Editing.

Directed by Billy Wilder | Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray

Directed by Billy Wilder from a script based on James M. Cain's eponymous 1943 novella, Double Indemnity stars Fred MacMurray as an insurance salesman; Barbara Stanwyck as a provocative housewife who wishes her husband dead; and Edward G. Robinson as a claims adjuster whose job it is to find phony claims. The film was instant hit with audiences and critics alike, receiving Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Stanwyck), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography Black-and-White, Best Score and Best Sound.
 
 
Directed by Michael Curtiz | Starring Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth and Jack Carson
 
Based on the novel of the same name by James M. Cain, Mildred Pierce stars Joan Crawford as a hard-working mother who divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter. The film, directed by Michael Curtiz, was a box-office success, but received mixed reviews from critics. Despite the lukewarm critical response, Crawford was universally praised for her performance and won the Academy Award for Best Actress. The movie earned additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Ann Blyth and Eve Arden), Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography Black-and-White.

 
Spellbound (1945)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock | Starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman

Based on the novel The House of Dr. Edwardes by British author John Palmer and Hilary Saint George Saunders, writing under the pseudonym «Francis Beeding,» Spellbound tells the story of the new head of a mental asylum who turns out not to be what he claims. The film, produced by David O. Selznick and distributed by United Artists, was a critical and commercial success, becoming director Alfred Hitchcock's biggest moneymaker up to that date. It received six Academy Awards nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Michael Chekhov), Best Cinematography — Black-and-White, Best Visual Effects and Best Score.
 
 
Directed by William Wyler | Starring Fredric March, Dana Andrews and Harold Russell
 
Directed by William Wyler, The Best Years of Our Lives is based on MacKinlay Kator's 1945 novella Glory for Me and follows three American servicemen as they try to adjust back to civilian life after coming home from World War II. It was a massive critical and commercial success, becoming not only the highest-grossing film of that year, but also the highest-grossing film of the 1940s. It won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (March), Best Supporting Actor (Russell), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score, and it earned an additional nomination for Best Sound Recording.

 
Directed by Frank Capra | Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Henry Travers
 
It's a Wonderful Life stars James Stewart as a man who has given up on his dreams to help others and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel. Directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story «The Greatest Gift» by Philip Van Doren Stern, the film received generally positive reviews from critics, but it was financially unsuccessful. It earned five Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Stewart), Best Film Editing and Best Sound Recording.

 
Directed by Edmund Goulding | Starring Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney and Anne Baxter

Based on the eponymous novel by British author W. Somerset Maughm, The Razor's Edge concerns a disillusioned World War I veteran who follows an unconventional path to salvation through Hindu mysticism. Directed by Edmund Goulding, the film was a great critical and commercial hit, earning Baxter the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporitng Actor (Webb) and Best Cinematography Black-and-White. 
 
 
Directed by Elia Kazan | Starring Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and John Garfield
 
Directed by Elia Kazan, Gentleman's Agreement follows a journalist who poses as a Jew to research an exposé on the widespread distrust and dislike of Jews in New York City and some affluent communities in Connecticut. The film was based on Laura Z. Hobson's bestselling novel of the same name and it was a great success, both critically and commercially. It won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm), with additional nominations for Best Actor (Peck), Best Actress (McGuire), Best Supporting Actress (Anne Revere), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

 
Directed by Henry Koster | Starring Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young
 
Based on the 1928 novel of the same name by Robert Nathan, The Bishop's Wife follows an angel who helps a bishop with his problems. The film, directed by Henry Koster, was a massive critical and commercial success upon release. It won the Oscar for Best Sound Recording, with additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Score.
 
 
Directed by George Seaton | Starring Maureen O'Hara, Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood
 
Directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davies, Miracle on 34th Street takes places between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day in New York City and focuses on the effect of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa. The film was a great critical and financial success, winning Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Gwenn), Best Story and Best Adapted Screenplay. It received an additional nomination for Best Picture.
 
 
Directed by Jean Negulesco | Starring Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres and Charles Bickford
 
Directed by Jean Negulesco and based on the 1940 Broadway hit of the same name by Elmer Blaney Harris, Johnny Belinda stars Jane Wyman as a deaf-mute young woman who becomes pregnant after being raped by a drunk bully. Despite its controversial subject, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and became the fifth-biggest moneymaker of that year. It won the Academy Award for Best Actress (Wyman), earning additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Bickford), Best Supporting Actress (Agnes Moorehead), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography Black-and-White, Best Art Direction Black-and-White, Best Film Editing, Best Score and Best Sound Recording.
 
 
Directed by William A. Wellman | Starring Van Johnson and George Murphy

Written by U.S. Army veteran Robert Pirosh, Battleground is widely regarded as one of best Hollywood productions about World War II. It follows a company in the 101st Airborne Division as they cope with the Siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. The film, directed by William Wellman, a World War I veteran, was a massive critical success and become the biggest moneymaker of the year. It won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography Black-and-White, while also receiving nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (James Whitmore) and Best Film Editing.
 
 
Directed by William Wyler | Starring Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift

Directed by William Wyler, The Heiress originated from the eponymous Broadway play by Ruth and Augusts Goetz, which in turn was inspired by Henry James's novella Washington Square about the doomed romance between a naïve young woman and a handsome fortune-hunter. The film was a solid box-office success and received excellent reviews from critics, winning Oscars for Best Actress (de Havilland), Best Art Direction Black-and-White, Best Costume Design Black-and-White and Best Score. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Ralph Richardson) and Best Cinematography Black-and-White. 
 
 
Directed by George Cukor | Starring Judy Holiday, William Holden and Broderick Crawford
 
Based on the 1946 Broadway play of the same name by Garson Kanin, Born Yesterday follows a newspaper reporter as he takes on the task of educating the brassy girlfriend of a crooked businessman. Directed by George Cukor, the film opened to positive reviews from critics and was one of Columbia's biggest moneymakers of that year. It won the Academy Award for Best Actress (Holliday) and was additionally nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Costume Design Black-and-White.
 

Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Directed by Billy Wilder | Starring Gloria Swanson, William Holden and Erich von Stroheim
 
Directed by Billy Wilder, Sunset Boulevard stars William Holden as a struggling screenwriter and Gloria Swanson as a former silent film star who draws him into her demented fantasy world, where she dreams of making a triumphant return to the screen. The film was praised by critics and become of the biggest box-office hits of that year. It won Oscars for Best Art Direction Black-and-White and Best Original Score, and it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Holden), Best Actress (Swanson), Best Supporting Actor (Stroheim), Best Supporting Actress (Nancy Olson), Best Cinematography Black-and-White and Best Film Editing.
 

Directed by Vincente Minnelli | Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron and Oscar Levante

Produced by Arthur Freed and directed by Vincente Minnelli, An American in Paris is one of the glossiest musicals of MGM's golden age. It stars Gene Kelly as an American artist who finds love in Paris, but almost loses it to conflicting loyalties. The film was applauded by critics and destroyed the perceived prejudice against musicals by winning six Oscars: Best Picture, Best Story, Best Cinematography Colour, Best Art Direction Colour, Best Musical Score and Best Costume Design Colour. It also earned nominations for Best Director and Best Film Editing.
 
 
Directed by George Stevens | Starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift

Based on Theodore Dreiser's bestselling novel of the same name, A Place in the Sun tells the story of a working-class young man who is entangled with two women: one who works in his wealthy uncle's factory and the other a beautiful socialite. The film, directed by George Stevens, opened to generally laudatory reviews from critics, winning six Academy Awards: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography Black-and-White, Best Costume Design Black-and-White, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score. It also received nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Clift) and Best Actress (Shelley Winters).
 
Directed by William Wyler | Starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert

Directed by William Wyler, Roman Holiday tells the story of a royal princess out to see Rome on her own. The plot stemmed from a story by Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted at the time for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. The film was critically acclaimed upon release, earning Hepburn the Academy Award for Best Actress. It also won Best Costume Design and Best Story, in addition to nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Albert), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction Black-and-White, Best Cinematography Black-and-White and Best Film Editing.
 
 
Directed by Edward Dmytryk | Starring Humphrey Bogart and Fred MacMurray

Directed by blacklistee Edward Dmytryk and starring Humphrey Bogart as one of the greastest villains in cinematic history, The Caine Mutiny depicts events aboard a fictitious World War II U.S. Navy destroyer minesweeper and a subsequent mutiny court-martial. The film, based on the eponymous bestselling novel by Herman Wouk, was critically acclaimed and financially successful upon release, receiving seven nominations at the Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Bogart), Best Supporting Actor (Tom Tully), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound Recording, Best Film Editing and Best Dramatic Score.
 
 
Directed by George Seaton | Starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and William Holden

Based on the hugely successful Broadway play of the same name by Clifford Odets, The Country Girl tells the story of an alcoholic has-been actor struggling with the one last chance he has been given to resurrect his career. Directed by George Seaton, the film opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews, earning seven Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Crosby), Best Actress (Kelly), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction Black-and-White and Best Cinematography Black-and-White.
 
 
Marty (1955)
Directed by Delbert Mann | Starring Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair and Joe Mantell
 
Written by Paddy Chayefsky based on his own teleplay of the same name, Marty tells the story of a good-natured but socially awkward Italian-American butcher who has resigned himself to bachelorhood, until he meets and falls in love a plain chemistry teacher. Directed by Delbert Mann, the film was a great critical and commercial success, winning Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Borgnine) and Best Adapted Screenplay. It received additional nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Mantell), Best Supporting Actress (Blair), Best Art Direction Black-and-White and Best Cinematography Black-and-White.

 
Directed by John Ford and Mervyn LeRoy | Starring Henry Fonda and James Cagney
 
Based on the eponymous novel and Broadway play by Thomas Heggen, Mister Roberts focuses on the daily activites abroad a U.S. Navy ship stationed in the Pacific in the waning days of World War II. Directed by John Ford and Mervyn LeRoy, the film was a critical and financial success upon release. It won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Jack Lemmon), and it was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Sound Recording.

 
Giant (1956)
Directed by George Stevens | Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean
 
Directed by George Stevens and based on Edna Ferber's eponymous novel, Giant covers the life of a Texas cattle rancher and his family and associates. The film won praise from both critics and the public and was a huge box-office success. It won the Academy Award for Best Director, and received additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Hudson and Dean), Best Supporting Actress (Mercedes McCambridge), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction Colour, Best Costume Design Colour, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score.

 
Directed by Stanley Kramer | Starring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier
 
The Defiant Ones stars Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier as two escaped prisoners who are shackled together and must cooperate in order to survive. Directed by Stanley Kramer, the film was lauded by critics and was a solid box-office success, winning Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography Black-and-White. It also received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Curtis and Poitier), Best Supporting Actor (Theodore Bikel), Best Supporting Actress (Cara Williams) and Best Film Editing.
 
 
Directed by Delbert Mann | Starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr and David Niven

Adapted from the play of the same name by Terence Rattigan and directed by Delbert Mann, Separate Tables follows the lives of four desperately lonely people residing at the same seaside hotel in England. The film was not a box-office success, but was critically acclaimed, winning Academy Awards for Best Actor (Niven) and Best Supporting Actress (Wendy Hiller). It received additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Kerr), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography Black-and-White and Best Original Score.
 
 
Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins | Starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer
 
Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by William's Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story tells the tragic love story between two youngsters from rival New York City gangs. Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, the film was a massive critical success and it became the highest-grossing movie of that year. It won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (George Chakiris), Best Supporting Actress (Rita Moreno), Best Art Direction Colour, Best Cinematography — Colour, Best Costume Design — Colour, Best Film Editing, Best Score and Best Sound. It received an additional nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

 
Directed by Stanley Kramer | Starring Spencer Tracy, Maximilian Schell and Judy Garland

Directed by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Abby Mann, Judgment at Nuremberg centers on a military tribunal convened in Nuremberg, Germany, in which four German judges and prosecutors stand accused of crimes against humanity for their involvement in the atrocities committed under the Nazi regime. With an ensemble cast that included both American and German actors, the film opened to great box-office results and was universally acclaimed by critics, winning Oscars for Best Actor (Schell) and Best adapted Screenplay. It was additionally nominated for Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Montgomery Clift), Best Supporting Actress (Garland), Best Art Direction Black-and-White, Best Cinematography Black-and-White, Best Costume Design Black-and-White and Best Film Editing.
 
 
Directed by Norman Jewison | Starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger
 
Based on the novel of the same name by John Ball, In the Heat of the Night follows a black detective from Philadelphia who becomes involved in a murder investigation in a small town in Mississippi. Directed by Norman Jewison, the film was acclaimed by critics, winning Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Steiger), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Sound. It was further nominated for Best Director and Best Sound Effects.
 
 
Directed by George Roy Hill | Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katherine Ross

Directed by George Roy Hill, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid follows the last months in the life of the notorious outlaws of the title. Despite premiering to a lukewarm critical response, the film was the highest-grossing movie of that year. It won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, and was additionally nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Sound.
 

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For the past four years, I have shared with you a list of all the films I saw throughout 2016 , 2017 , 2018 and 2019 , so I thought I would continue the «tradition» and do it again in 2020. This list includes both classic and «modern» films, which make up a total of 161 titles. About three or four of these were re-watches, but I decided to include them anyway. Let me know how many from these you have seen. As always, films marked with a heart ( ❤ ) are my favorites. Sherlock Jr. (1924) | Starring Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire and Joe Keaton The Crowd (1928) | Starring James Murray, Eleanor Boardman and Bert Roach Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) | Starring Henry Fonda, Alice Brady and Marjorie Weaver Brief Encounter (1945) | Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard and Stanley Holloway The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) | Starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman The Girl He Left Behind (1956) | Starring Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood Gidget (1959) | Starring Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson an

Wings of Change: The Story of the First Ever Best Picture Winner

Wings was the first ever film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since then, it has become one of the most influential war dramas, noted for its technical realism and spectacular air-combat sequences. This is the story of how it came to be made.   A man and his story The concept for Wings originated from a writer trying to sell one of his stories. In September 1924, Byron Morgan approached Jesse L. Lasky, vice-president of Famous Players-Lasky, a component of Paramount Pictures, proposing that the studio do an aviation film. Morgan suggested an «incident and plot» focused on the failure of the American aerial effort in World War I and the effect that the country's «aviation unpreparedness» would have in upcoming conflicts. Lasky liked the idea, and approved the project under the working title «The Menace.»   LEFT: Byron Morgan (1889-1963). RIGHT: Jesse L. Lasky (1880-1958).   During his development of the scenario with William Shepherd, a former war correspondent, Morga

80 Reasons Why I Love Classic Films (Part II)

I started this blog six years ago as a way to share my passion for classic films and Old Hollywood. I used to watch dozens of classic films every month, and every time I discovered a new star I liked I would go and watch their entire filmography. But somewhere along the way, that passion dimmed down. For instance, I watched 73 classic films in 2016, and only 10 in 2020. The other day, I found this film with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. that I had never heard of — the film is Mimi (1935), by the way — and for some reason it made me really excited about Old Hollywood again. It made me really miss the magic of that era and all the wonderful actors and actresses. And it also made me think of all the reasons why I fell in love with classic films in the first place. I came up with 80 reasons, which I thought would be fun to share with you. Most of them are just random little scenes or quirky little quotes, but put them together and they spell Old Hollywood to me. Yesterday I posted part one ; her

Top 10 Favourite Christmas Films

Christmas has always been a source of inspiration to many artists and writers. Over the years, filmmakers have adapted various Christmas stories into both movies and TV specials, which have become staples during the holiday season all around the world. Even though Christmas is my favourite holiday, I haven't watched a lot of Christmas films. Still, I thought it would be fun to rank my top 10 favourites, based on the ones that I have indeed seen. Here they are.  10. Holiday Affair (1949) Directed by Don Hartman, Holiday Affair tells the story of a young widow (Janet Leigh) torn between a boring attorney (Wendell Corey) and a romantic drifter (Robert Mitchum). She's engaged to marry the boring attorney, but her son (Gordon Gebert) likes the romantic drifter better. Who will she choose? Well, we all know who she will choose.   Holiday Affair is not by any means the greatest Christmas film of all time, but it's still a very enjoyable Yule-tide comedy to watch over the holi

The Sinatra Centennial Blogathon: Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly

  In January 1944, MGM chief Louis B. Mayer happened to see a young crooner by the name of Frank Sinatra perform at a benefit concert for The Jewish Home for the Aged in Los Angeles. According to Nancy Sinatra, Frank's eldest daughter, Mayer was so moved by her father's soulful rendition of « Ol' Man River » that he made the decision right then and there to sign Frank to his studio. Sinatra had been on the MGM payroll once before, singing with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the Eleanor Powell vehicle Ship Ahoy (1942), although it is very likely that Mayer never bothered to see that film. Now that Frank was «hot,» however, Metro made arrangements to buy half of his contract from RKO, with the final deal being signed in February of that year. Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in  Anchors Aweigh Being a contract player at the studio that boasted «more stars than there are in the heavens» gave Frank a sudden perspective regarding his own talents as a film performer. The «g