Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day Eighty-Five: Lost Memories

Getting towards watching my 100th film on the list, its started me reflecting on why I started this journey in the first place. I think it was mainly to watch some films that I'd never got round to but it has become discovering others that I'd never been aware of but I really enjoyed after watching. The 1943 nominee Random Harvest falls into this latter category it deals with Ronald Colman's character a man who loses his memory several times throughout the film. Colman is initially in a mental instituion when the film begins as he has lost his memory after becoming shellshocked in the trenches. He escapes from the instituition after he sneaks past the guards who are celebrating the end of World War I. He is helped out by a showgirl named Paula who helps conceal his identity and eventually the two begin and romance and then marry. As Colman went by the name John Smith, Paula starts to call him Smithy and he discovers he has a talent for writing and journeys to Liverpool to see about getting a job as a writer leaving a pregnant Paula behind. While in Liverpool he is hit by a cab, although he is physically fine he loses his memory of his time with Paula and reverts back to his original identity of Charles Rainer heir to a large business dynasty. Rainer returns to his family home of Random House the day after his father's death and it turns out that he is to inherit the house. Charles hopes to return to college but ends up taking over the family business and making it succesful leading to a newspaper article calling himself the 'industrial prince of England'. Charles then gets a new secretary Margaret, Paula who is now using her real name, Margaret wants to reveal all to Charles but her friend tells her that it would just startle him so she has him declared legally dead and their marriage anulled. Charles then starts to romance Kitty, the step-daughter of one of his brothers, who has been smitten with him since she was fifteen. Charles and Kitty plan to get married however while planning the wedding Charles' memory is stirred by one of the hymns that Kitty has chosen which reminds him of his time with Paula. He then realises he is in love with someone else that he can't remember and calls off the engagement to Kitty. Later Charles stands for Parilament and succeeds thanks to Margaret's support, realising that he needs a wife he proposes to her as more of a business arrangement and she accepts. However she becomes unhappy that Charles will never remember her and decides to go on an extended holiday to South America. At the same time Charles has to go to the place he and Margaret once lived in order to deal with some unrest at a factory he owns there. While there his memory finally starts to come back to him and he returns to their old house where he finds Margaret, who is visiting the place before taking off on the cruise liner, she calls out to him as Smithy and he embraces her finally remembering their connection.

Although I'm not usually one for romantic films I thought the way that all of Random Harvest was laid out was superb. From the opening shots of the imposing gates of the Mental Institution to the grandiose splendour of Random House to the small house that 'Paula' and 'Smithy' shared every set is given the same amount of care. The two leads also make you care immensley about their characters. Although Ronald Colman has always impressed me this seems to be his best role thusfar in the list, his character changes from amnesiac patient to carefree writer to prince of industry and then to a government lord and Colman is able to show all these transitions with ease. As the film's female lead Greer Garson is also able to portray a woman who has lost the two things that are most important to her, Smithy and her child who died in infacy. There is also a fine performance by Susan Peters as the spirited and ultimately heartbroken Kitty who also grows as a character as the film progresses. The film was nominated for seven Oscars but was completely unsuccesful with Garson not even nominated for this film, however she was nominated for another performance that year, Colman and Peters did recieve nods but failed to win. Overall this was a thoroughly well made and well acted film that engaged me from beginning to end.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day Eighty-Four: Have I Got Jews For You

We're back to the winner's enclosure again with the social commentary film that got the Best Picture award at the 1948 ceremony. The film deals with the theme of anti-Semtisim something that 20th Century Fox boss Daryl F Zanuck felt strongly about at the time after being refused entry to the L.A. Country Club on account of his religion. Zanuck was approached by other studio heads, most of them being fellow Jews, to ask him not to go ahead with the project as they feared it would stir up trouble for them as well. The role of journalist Philip Green was originally offered to Cary Grant but he turned it down and Gregory Peck took the part against the advice of his agent. However in the end the film triumphed against this inital adversity and went onto win three Oscars - Picture, Director and Supporting Actress for Celeste Holm.

The plot itself looks at Peck's Green a widowed reporter who moves to New York with his son and mother to write for a new magazine. His boss tells him to write about anti-semitism and he eventually decides to go undercover as a Jew to see how he is treated by various members of the community. Throughout the film Phil deals with several incidents including being treated differently by a doctor who is dealing with his mother's heart condition and also sees his son being bullied at school for having a Jewish father. Phil also romance's his bosses niece Kathy who is aware of his article but advices him against it. After a brief courtship they are to be married however Phil gets annoyed at Kathy when she tells members of her family about her new fiancee not being Jewish at all. Phil is again met with adversity when he tries to book a honeymoon at a posh hotel but is told that they are all booked up when they discover that he is Jewish. Phil's old friend Dave, who is Jewish, comes to stay with him while he looks for a house for him and his family however the Jewish Dave is met with adversity when he finds a lot of landlords won't rent to Jews. Kathy then reveals to Phil that there is a Gentleman's Agreement among lanlords about not renting to Jews something that astonishes him. The character of Kathy is the film's most interesting as she admits to being against anti-semitism but at the same time doesn't do anything to stop it and indeed admits to Dave that she didn't say anything when someone made an anti-semitic joke at a dinner she had. As well as Dave the film's only other Jewish character is Elaine, Phil's new secretary, who reveals that she has hidden her religion in order to get the job and later is stunned when Phil reveals that he isn't actually Jewish. Elaine's role in the film is to show that sometimes even Jews are made to feel ashamed of themselves and want to escape the stigma attatched to be Jewish. After Phil's article comes out he is praised but at the same time wants to leave New York after breaking up with Kathy over her feelings about his article. Phil is comforted by the magazine's fashion editor Anne, a woman whom he had built up a friendship with throughout the film, who tells him that Kathy is nothing more than a hypocrite and Kathy realises why Phil was angry with her after a meeting with Dave. The film ends with Phil arriving at Kathy's apartment presumably to reconcile with her.

While not being entirely perfect Gentleman's Agreement was still a fairly enjoyable film with a direct message but one that was never hammered home. I felt that the message about anti-semtisim wasn't as blatant as it could've been and that the cast played their roles well. Gregory Peck made Phil seem like a real human being although one who may've been a bit too worthy for his own good, he was willing to do good for all around him while at the same time encountering adversity. For me though the supporting characters were much more interesting, I'm not sure why Celeste Holm won the Oscar but her character is a breath of fresh air, she is a woman in a man's world and floats through the room dishing out insults and at the same time becomes a shoulder to lean on for Phil. Also worth a mention are John Garfield and Anne Revere who were both compelling as Dave and Phil's mother respectively. However my favourite performance came from Dorothy McGuire as the mixed up Kathy, her journey is the film's most interesting and Mcguire gives a layered performance that earnt her an Oscar nomination. Overall a well-written and well acted message film that I'm glad won the Best Picture award because it proved it initial critics wrong if nothing else.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day Eighty-Three: An Incovenient Marriage

An interesting romance film that was nominated at the 1942 ceremony is up next. The majority of the film is narrated by Charles Boyer's character Georges Iscovescu who is pitching the film's story to a Paramount director. As we are told at the opening of the film this meeting between Geroges and the director is how the making of the film came about however later it is incorporated as part of the story. Georges has come to America from his native Romania to try and escape the conflict of World War II however when he arrives U.S. immigration inform him that the numbers of Romanian immigrants have already been filled and he will have to stay in Mexico until there is room for him. Georges spends his time in a rundown Mexican hotel just by the border filled with other Europeans also waiting for their chance to become U.S. citizens, the hotel is also visited from time to time by immigration inspector Hammock who checks on the status of the immigrants. Later Georges meets his old dancing partner and lover Anita who has told him that she has married an older American man and that will fast track her over the border. Anita hatches a plan wtih Georges that he will marry an American woman and when they are both safely in Ameria will both divorce their partners and be together. Georges then comes across naive teacher Emmy whose school bus has broken down trapping her and several pupils on the wrong side of the border. Georges steals a part of the bus thus forcing Emmy to stay in his hotel and for him to charm and later propose to her. Emmy and Georges are soon married however Hammock returns to the hotel and Georges realises that he will start asking her questions so he takes her off on an impromptu honeymoon. Inevitably Georges then starts to fall in love with her as they journey around the coast and stop in at a church to be blessed. They arrive back at the hotel where Anita realises that Georges won't go through with the plan so she reveals all to Emmy however when she is questioned by Hammock she lies and says she and Georges are in love. Georges stays in Mexico to get his papers in order but then he learns that Emmy was in an accident and crosses the border before it is legal for him to do so. He enters the hospital to see her but is soon tracked down by Hammock's men and runs to the studio to talk to the director who he had previously encountered in Mexico. The final part of the story is told by the director, after Hammock arrested Georges he took him back to Mexico, Georges learns that Anita has met another wealthy man who she plans to exploit. Finally, Hammock softens and tells Georges that he has fast-tracked his citizenship because he failed to report the earlier incident of Georges' escape and realises that Georges and Emmy's relationship is genuine.

I have to say one of the things I enjoyed most about Hold Back the Dawn is its narrative structure. By having the story being a narration by Georges we are intrigued to see how his and Emmy's story will end and how it will fit with this meeting at the studio. Although it is a bit soppy at times the romance between Georges and Emmy starts as a hoax but ends up being fairly genuine. As far as the acting goes Olivia De Havilland's performance as Emmy earnt her an Oscar nomination and it was just about deserved as Emmy grows as a character throughout the film becoming tougher as she realises the extent of Georges' plans. Paulette Goddard is also enthralling as Anita the manipulative other woman and to some extent the film's villain. But it is Charles Boyer who anchors the whole film with a mix of charm and real emotion he makes Georges one of those characters who does horrible things but still seems likeable however he failed to even get a nomination for his performance. The film also had something to say about the lengths some immigrants will go to to get into America and the setting of the Mexican hotel feels cramped and somewhat unwelcoming. Overall this was a fairly engaging if overly sentimental romantic drama with undertones of social commentary.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day Eighty-Two: A Presidential Epic

Following one biopic with another this time about the 28th President of the U.S.A Woodrow Wilson. Ask someone to name all the president's of America that they know and they would probably give you Lincoln, Washington, Nixon, Bush, Clinton and Obama and possibly a couple more. But only the more knowledgeable would be able to tell you about Wilson even though he served through two terms and was the President of America during World War 1 and helped forge the League of Nations. The film itself was the project of 20th Century Fox's head honcho Darryl F Zanuck who was a big fan of Wilson's however despite winning five Oscars it was a momenumental flop and Zanuck was so disappointed the film was never to be mentioned in his presence again. One of the reasons that the film may not have done so well is that it is incredibly long. I think Zanuck didn't want to leave anything out about Wilson's life but that means that the film does drag from time to time. We see him originally as a Princeton professor who has written many works about politics he is encouraged to run for governer and then eventually for President. Despite not doing much campagining he is able to get in due to earnest nature. Initially Wilson refuses that America enter the war claiming that he didn't want to be responsible for any American men losing their lives but eventually he decides to help out and even contributes to the war effort. After the war he is one of the leaders involved in the League of Nations who try to ensure that something like a World War doesn't happen again. Some of the leaders disagree but Wilson delivers a speech and eventually they all agree. That seems to be a recurring theme of the film, Wilson's long and worthy speeches which convince people of his ideas. Meanwhile Wilson's personal life is also detailed with the death of his first wife and his very quick romance and marriage to his second wife. This is one of the moments in the film that I found a bit creepy, I thought that Wilson didn't leave it too long before moving on but the film blesses Wilson's new wife because she is the favourite of Wilson's daughters.

The film's best point and possibly reason for its failure is the no-name Alexander Knox as Wilson himself. Knox doesn't look like an actor and doesn't particularly act and that's why the film works I'd go as far to say as his performance is one of the best I've ever seen by a Lead Actor of all time. Showing little emotion from the beginning to the end but still being passionate about his family and his causes, Knox's Wilson is a compelling presence without being overtly loud and over-the-top. There is a large collection of supporting characters the most famous of whom are Charles Coburn and oddly Vincent Price as one of Wilson's politicial aides. Supposedly the film glossed over some of Wilson's flaws his very beligerent nature as well as his inherent racism aren't mentioned at all. The film also is very pro-America propaganda, as the film was released while the war was still on and it is very support our troops and boo the Germans. Despite though this is a fairly enjoyable if overlong biopic with a stunning central performance.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day Eighty-One: Take Me Up To The Ball Park

Those who know me know that I know very little about sports and of that little knowledge hardly any of it is given up to the sport of baseball. However I am familiar with the name Babe Ruth who actually features as himself in the next film about another New York Yankee player Lou Gerhig. Gerhig died tragically aged only 37 and this film was made and released the year after his death. Gary Cooper was cast in the role of Gerhig which is an odd choice seeing as Lou is in his 20s for the majority of the film and Cooper was in his 40s by this stage of his career. Despite this Cooper is still a decent actor and does his best to show Gerhig from being scouted by The Yankees to becoming the most reliable player on the team. The film also concentrates on three of the most important relationships in his life. Firstly that between Gerhig and his parents, his understanding and down-to-Earth father and his interfering mother. The relationship with his mother is one of the film's most interesting as she argues with everyone that Lou should be an engineer and not a baseball player even though he has an obvious talent for him. The second relationship is between Lou and the sportswriter Sam Blake played by Walter Brennan. Blake is the man who sees pontential in Gerhig and persuades the Yankees to give him a tryout, Blake later becomes Gerhig's confident and always stands up for him. And finally there is Gerhig's romance with Eleanor Twtichell who he first meets when she watches one of his games. Their relationship is basically without turmoil apart from some interfereing from his mother. They get married and although she does get a little tired of being a baseball star's wife she doesn't stop loving Lou. Although tragically the final third of the film looks at Lou becoming ill and gets a fatal motor neuron disease which would later go on to become known as Lou Gerhig's disease. Lou keeps on playing as long as he can but one day he realises that he has to be pulled from the team and makes a last minute decision not to play. The film ends with Gerhig's goodbye speech to the fans which must've been a fairly poignant moment to the original film audience as Gerhig had just died.

The film itself is only okay, it is a very traditional biopic however most of Gerhig's life is really without incident. A lot of the scenes depict life on the road with the baseball team, most of them playing themselves, Babe Ruth in particular sends himself up as a big-headed moron who the rest of the team play pranks on. The acting isn't too bad either, Walter Brennan is possibly the cast's MVP as Sam Blake he just plays an ordinary decent bloke. Despite being too old for the part Cooper still gives it his all and manages to give a sympathetic performance and both he and Teresa Wright, as his wife, were nominated for Oscars. But by today's standards the film is incredibly cheesy, there is an extended segment in which Gerhig promises to hit a home run for a kid in hospital which he obviously does and later in the film the kid who has now grown up comes to see Lou say his farewell. The film was nomianted for a total of eleven nominations but only managed to win one award, which was bizzarely for editing but it lost out to Mrs. Miniver in the Best Picture catgeory. I think this one would probably work if I understood and cared about baseball a bit more but sadly that's never gonna happen.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day Eighty: Putting on my Dancing Shoes

Going back to the other end of the decade once again with a nominee from the 1949 ceremony, Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes. The film is one of only a few colour films to feature in this decade's list and all of those films so far (Gone with The Wind, The Wizard of Oz) have been able to utilise the colour to its full potential and give it relevance to the story and The Red Shoes is no different focusing specifically on the titular footwar. The plot itself centres around three characters - aspiring ballet star Vicky Page, ruthless ballet owner Boris Lemantov and naive composer and orchestra coach Julian. The first is almost divided equally into two halves, the first half focuses on Vicky and Julian seperately as they try to get to the top of their professions and are occassionally looked down on. Lemantov is able to see potential in Vicky following her performance in Swan Lake and at the same time develops feelings for her. When he loses his prima ballerina he invites Vicky on the road and casts her as the lead in the new Red Shoes ballet, the music for which is being written by Julian. When Julian and Vicky's paths cross for the first time they begin to quarrel but then they fall in love. What I would consider the second half of the film follows the performance of the Red Shoes Ballet where Lemantov discovers the relationship and gets rid off Julian from the company in a way to have Vicky all to himself but Vicky decides to go London with Julian and marry him but Lemantov owns the rights to The Red Shoes and will not let her perform it again. Later on Lemantov and Vicky meet again and he convinces her to take part in his revival of The Red Shoes, Juian abandons the opening night of his new opera to be with her but Lemantov makes him realise that her one true love is dancing. Just as she is about to go on she impulsively runs away to the train station where Julian is and jumps from a bridge into the path of a train. Vicky has Julian remove The Red Shoes from her while Lemantov announces Vicky's death to the audience waiting for her but the show goes on with a spotlight in her place.

What I love about The Red Shoes is the attention to detail that the theatrical sets are given, from the very first scene in which students burst in to see the latest production to the red shoes ballet itself the set and costume designers are able to play around with the colour schemes beautifully, down to the haunting red of Vicky's shoes. The Red Shoes Ballet itself takes up about 15 minutes of the overall runtime and works beautifully as we are shown why Vicky loves dancing so much. For a film that looks and sounds amazing there's no surprise that it won the Oscars for Best Score and Best Set Design. The acting itself isn't at all bad Norma Shearer puts in a spirited turn as Vicky while Anton Wallbrook also shines as the morally ambiguos Lemontov. But this isn't an acting film per se, this is a spectacularly produced film that still dazzles over sixty years after its was made.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day Seventy-Nine: Frank and Jimmy take on congress

After watching seven of his films its time to say goodbye to Frank Capra, for his final film on the list its time to go back to the 1940 ceremony and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The story sees Jimmy Stewart's Boy Scout Leader Jefferson Smith as the surprise choice to take over from the previous senator in his state. Originally the film had been intended as a follow up to Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town with Gary Cooper reviving the Deeds role and entering the senate. However when it was revealled Cooper wasn't available Capra decided it would be a perfect vehicle for him to work again with Stewart and Jean Arthur (who had been a couple in You Can't Take It With You). When Smith gets to Washington he is awe-inspired by the architecture and the history that the place has but is ridiculed by the press for being a simpleton. Smith is taken under the wing of Senator Paine, his father's oldest and best friend as well as charming over Arthur's Saunders, Paine's Chief-of-Staff. Smith proposes a new legislation to approve a government loan to allow for some land to be purchased in his state for a national Boy's Camp, and the loan will be payed back by donations from the scouts. Paine is leaned on by the manipulative political adviser Jim Taylor to quash Smith because the land is already part of a dam-building scheme constructed by Taylor. Paine decides to make out that Smith owns the land and is defrauding the scouts but by this stage Saunders is on Smith's side and uncovers Taylor's corruption. The film's most famous scene is where Smith decides to embark on a fillibuster, holding the floor and speaking for as long as possible without sitting down, when all the senators leave the room. Taylor and Paine try and break his spirit by rigging the press in Taylor's state and making out that no-one is supporting him but he finds solace in a smile from the senate's president. At the end of the film Smith collapses from exhaustion and Paine tries to commit sucicide when he is stopped he confesses everything and Smith's reputation is redeemed.

Just like with Stewart and Capra's most famous collobration, It's a Wonderful Life, Mr Smith Goes to Washington is remembered for its final scenes. However before that there is a lot that no-one ever thinks about including the scene where Smith tries to punch a lot of journalists after they diss him and Smith's romance with Paine's daughter which is used as a distraction for Smith's plans. However there is a lot to like here, Capra's themes of the underdog triumphing is possibly at its most blatant here with the innocent and ultimately good Smith gets one over on the cowardly Paine and the tyranical Taylor. Jean Arthur again proves that she is the most consisent of Capra's female leads, with Saunders she portrays a woman trying to survive in a masculine world and has almost lost all her feminity to do so. In fact there is no romantic end to her relationship with Smith however her greatest moment is when someone calls her Clarissa, her first name, which makes her feel somewhat human. Stewart himself is able to play a real, likeable if innocent character with ease. While there are some fine supporting performances from Claude Rains as the multi-layered Paine and Edward Arnold as the just plain evil Taylor. Rains, Stewart and Harry Carey (as the president of the senate) were all nominated for Oscars although none were succesful. Indeed only the story won an Oscar but it did come up against Gone With The Wind, I reckon if it had been released a year before or after it may have done better. Although this is more than a fitting end to my Frank Capra education.