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Post by mightyjack on Jul 6, 2005 4:20:55 GMT -5
Okay, now it's my turn.
In the other polls we have argued over who deserved it - but at least decent pictures won the Oscars in those seasons. In 1956 they didn't even nominate the best films from that year!
The top 5 listed above are what they nominated, and an utter turd, "Around the World in 80 Days" won it! Heck, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", which I didn't list, is a far better picture than "Around the World!" Lust For Life, Searchers, Seven Samurai... not even nominated
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Post by mightyjack on Jul 6, 2005 4:28:06 GMT -5
80 Days was dreck. Giant, a bloated, overblown soap opera (James Dean is laughable later in the film. With that bad latex makeup, he never becomes that character, you can always tell that's a kid pretending to be an old man. how the hell he earned a best actor nomination is beyond me)
The King and I wasn't bad from the nominated movies, but the best film comes down to two who didn't get nominated, The Searchers and Seven Samurai. Samurai wins my vote.
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Post by Shep on Jul 6, 2005 6:32:16 GMT -5
Definitely Seven Samurai. Giant, a bloated, overblown soap opera (James Dean is laughable later in the film. With that bad latex makeup, he never becomes that character, you can always tell that's a kid pretending to be an old man. how the hell he earned a best actor nomination is beyond me) Actually James Dean's Jett Rink was the only thing I liked about "Giant" (pretty terrible movie really). I thought it was Dean's second best performance (after "East of Eden"). Yes, the makeup is lousy, but the character was terrific imo. You really felt bad for the guy, even after he became a millionaire. A tremendous sense of isolation surrounded him. And when he tried to pathetically seduce Liz Taylor's daughter.... I read a book on Dean where actor Dennis Hopper talked about cut scenes that Dean improvised to try to build the character. Example: After he gets Luz's little piece of land he offers all the rich Texas guys a drink from his flask. (Because he sees himself as a rich landowner now) Dean's character has one of my all-time fav lines, too: "I'm gonna have more money than you ever thought you could have! You and all the rest of them stinkin' sons of Benedict!" (Right before he slugs the very wooden Rock Hudson in the nuts! LOL) |
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Post by mightyjack on Jul 7, 2005 4:17:46 GMT -5
When I say laughable, I mean that literally. I laughed out loud. Dean was a one trick pony, he lacked the range to convincingly play an older man. He moved, spoke and acted the same no matter what role he was in. Those end scenes were a joke because he coudn't sell it.
He was a still acting and moving like a kid but doing it in old man makeup. Because of his limits as an actor, the character loses my sympathy and earns my eternal giggles.
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Post by vanhagar3000 on Jul 7, 2005 5:16:29 GMT -5
Forgive my ignorance, but wasn't Seven Samurai made in 1954?
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Post by mightyjack on Jul 7, 2005 5:35:09 GMT -5
Yes, but foreign films didn't get wide distribution at that time and it wasn't eligible for the Oscars until 1956. It was in fact nominated for Best Costume Design that year (But Japan wouldn't submit it for consideration as best forgeign film?).
You want to know who you can thank for Forgeign films finally making their way to America in a timely manner... our very own orange haired Projected Man. Yup, that guy tirelessly traveled the world gathering up distribution rights as one of the founders of Janus Films.
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D-OH! Edit for typos! Sorry
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Post by vanhagar3000 on Jul 7, 2005 5:39:51 GMT -5
Okay fair enough. Thanks for the explanation.
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Post by Shep on Jul 7, 2005 5:53:19 GMT -5
When I say laughable, I mean that literally. I laughed out loud. Dean was a one trick pony, he lacked the range to convincingly play an older man. He moved, spoke and acted the same no matter what role he was in. Those end scenes were a joke because he coudn't sell it. He was a still acting and moving like a kid but doing it in old man makeup. Because of his limits as an actor, the character loses my sympathy and earns my eternal giggles. I really need to give that film another watch. I imagine I'll ff a lot. LOL (It's a pretty boring film) I do know Dean's final drunken speech was dubbed because the audio was bad when they filmed it and he died before it could be re-recorded. That certainly didn't help. |
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Post by mightyjack on Jul 8, 2005 22:11:16 GMT -5
Ahh well, that's only one mans opinion, plus I'm not a big fan and the deification of Dean astounds me. Kazan didn't care for him, said he was obsessed with Brando and he felt he was trying too hard to be/riff on Brando.
What's weird is that Giant I remember clearly, I have a some recolection of Rebel, but absolutely no memory of East of Eden what so ever. I can't picture the film in my mind, I can't recall the plot. It's strange, I'd need to go to IMDB to fire up the memory banks.
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donmac
Moderator Emeritus 
Beedee Beedee Beedee This Sucks!
Posts: 1,290
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Post by donmac on Jul 10, 2005 21:56:03 GMT -5
Ahh well, that's only one mans opinion, plus I'm not a big fan and the deification of Dean astounds me. Kazan didn't care for him, said he was obsessed with Brando and he felt he was trying too hard to be/riff on Brando. What's weird is that Giant I remember clearly, I have a some recolection of Rebel, but absolutely no memory of East of Eden what so ever. I can't picture the film in my mind, I can't recall the plot. It's strange, I'd need to go to IMDB to fire up the memory banks. While I like James Dean as an actor, I agree that he has been overpraised as an actor, probably because of his tragic death at age 24. I think he overacts in all 3 of his films, and wasn't nearly as good as Montgomery Clift, one of his contemporaries who understood that subtlety is the real mark of a great performance. (Just compare Montgomery Clift's performance in A Place in the Sun to James Dean's in Rebel Without a Cause to see what I mean.) |
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Post by Citizen Kane Hodder on May 9, 2006 10:15:48 GMT -5
Seven Samurai
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Post by Don Quixote on May 9, 2006 10:17:35 GMT -5
Since I've never seen Seven Samurai, I'm going to have to say 'The Ten Commandments.' What can I say... I'm a sucker for epics.
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Post by Chuck on May 9, 2006 12:42:07 GMT -5
Seven Samuri even over Giant.
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Post by LetGoOfItSlappy on May 9, 2006 15:21:47 GMT -5
The Seven Samurai....hands down, bar none....a wonderful movie that spawned a good retelling of the story (Magnificent Seven)
Followed closely by "The Ten Commandments"...still a great a epic motion picture and the parting of the Red Sea is still an amazing special effects shot made even more amamzing by the fact it was made in 1956.
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