Ah, finally, the end of the 80s! I'm super happy and excited to be done with the 80s and be moving on into the 70s. I feel like I'm making some real progress on the project. One thing that scares me however is that this year featured two films that were impossible to find and that I was forced to rent one online and buy a VHS copy for the other. I've been trying to avoid having to pay for every film because that would add up quickly and be too expensive. And buying/renting a film that ends up being boring or bad is tough to swallow. Hopefully this stays an every once in awhile thing before I have to invest in a VHS player! 1980 brings some huge films I've never seen before so I'm excited to finally scratch them off my list.
1980 Best Picture
Ordinary People
The main thing this film gets recognized for is that it beat out Raging Bull to win Best Picture. Plenty of people resent that choice and all you ever hear is that Scorsese's film is the better one. Well, I think the Academy was in a position where they were wanting to reward realistic family dramas and chose them instead of classic films to win. Kramer vs. Kramer the year before fits the same mold as Ordinary People. Redford's film tells the story of a family dealing with the death of a beloved son/brother. The film focuses on the surviving brother and how it affects him as well as the rest of the family. His mother, Mary Tyler Moore, is cold and distant. His father, Donald Sutherland is warm and caring and trying to heal the family. The son, Hutton, goes to therapy to try and heal after his suicide attempt after not being able to save his brother from drowning and the disappointment from his family. The family is screwed up. Moore doesn't care to try. Hutton goes to therapy and is a typical teenager. Sutherland just tries to keep the peace. It's an upper class family with a great big house with a great education and schooling. The parents have great jobs and yet they still have their problems. Most people won't care about them. There are so many tweets and reactions and write ups about how the family is rich and that the film is about nothing in particular other than rich people have a temporary upset in their day to day. That's a callous way to look at things but yes, this is a rich family who suffer a loss and never come together to actually speak on their loss and drastic measures and done to try and keep the peace. These aren't exactly Ordinary People. These are Extraordinary People. Ordinary People are those who make very little and do a whole lot while expecting nothing and yeah don't get movies made about them. Their sadness is universal, yes, but not the going to a shrink to get things worked out part. None of that happens and people just have to deal. After watching this film, I know this isn't worth a Best Picture win. It's a pretty decent film but Raging Bull deserves the win.
Coal Miner's Daughter
I have seen this film a ton of times over the years for some reason. Seems like it was always on TV when I was younger and my folks would watch it. I didn't even realize that it was an Oscar nominee until I started doing this project. Which isn't to say I don't think it's worthy, it's just that it never really seemed like one of those typical Best Picture type of films when I was watching it when growing up. It tells the story of country singing icon, Loretta Lynn, and how she became a singer and a bit about her life after becoming a star. The film spends most of its time on Lynn's upbringing in the Kentucky backwoods and how she came to be married to Doo Lynn at age 13. The two struggle after getting married and Doo encourages Loretta to sing and play guitar and he presses her to make a record and the two go all over the South trying to get it played before she catches her big break at the Grand Ole Opry. It's a pretty basic story for the most part whose strength lies in the lead performances of Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones. They elevate this film into something more than just your standard musician biopic. The first half of the film reads more like a backwoods romance and slice of life type of film than anything musical, which I think is another strength of the film. We get to know Loretta and her husband and their relationship before we ever really hear her sing. The singing, though, is the standout part of the film. Spacek delivers a great performance but it's the fact that she actually sang live that solidifies that point. She sounds amazing and it's better than most of the dubbed lip syncing or the actors who mumble and warble their way through someone's songs. The one main criticism I can think of is that because the film spends so much time on the beginning of Loretta's story, the actual musical part is maybe not as full fleshed out as it could or should be. We see her career begin and then she meets Patsy Cline and the two become good friends and have great success. Patsy dies and then the stresses of touring, her family life, and just being a country music superstar causes a nervous breakdown. That part of the film is more rapid fire and doesn't get extensively shown. The breakdown isn't this big moment in the film even though it feels like it should be. I think Spacek handles it very well but it feels like her musical career is crammed together to fit into a two hour film. I do think the film needed more time for the musical part for it to feel more authentic and earned and not just like a montage. So that's my major gripe for the film. The acting is what makes this a special film, though. It's also nice to see a female lead biopic get nominated in this group even if it never really stood a chance against the others.
The Elephant Man
David Lynch is so good. I love how straightforward Lynch can be with some of his films instead of diving into the crazy and experimental like we know he can. But his straightforward films, like this one, still have a style that is inimitably his. My favorite thing is that he treats John Merrick as a human being. Yes, it does take awhile before we actually see him but I think once we do, he's treated as less of a monstrosity. Merrick gets described scientifically behind a screen before we actually see him which allows us to create him first in our minds. Then once we see him, it's either worse or not as bad as we imagined. But once we actually meet Merrick, none of that matters as we learn he's an intelligent, caring, warm, innocent human being with a terrible affliction. Merrick is treated in a very sentimental way, but I think John Hurt's performance earns that sentiment for Merrick. I don't think it's mawkish as some described the film. The true horror is the treatment of Merrick while he was living as a freak to be exhibited and the beatings and derision he received from those around him. Hurt is the standout of the film because he is able to create a full character despite the prosthetics he wears and his quiet, raspy voice. Anthony Hopkins is really good, too, in his role as the doctor who helps treat Merrick and introduce him into society. Then you combine that with the fantastic direction, the beautiful black and white cinematography, and great score and you get one hell of a film. The black and white cinematography is really important because it allows for shadows and silhouettes to play a big role in the aesthetic and the mood of the film and allow us to be engrossed in what's going on. The Elephant Man is just a really well made film that I think will surprise you in how heartbreaking and truly touching it is. I feel like more people need to give this a chance or at least be made aware of it as a film because it's so well made with great acting and direction. If not for Raging Bull, this would be an easy winner and makes for a stacked Best Picture category.
Raging Bull
It is interesting that I just recently watched Scorsese's film after this one, The King of Comedy, because it gives me the perspective of his frame of mind after Raging Bull. It is famously noted that Scorsese was considering this film to be his last ever so he could go do documentaries but was convinced by De Niro and others in post production to keep going. The King of Comedy is a departure tone wise from this film but it still focuses intently on De Niro as a character, an unlikable character at that, and doesn't shy away from any unpleasant moments with the character or in general. It's almost a spiritual sequel of sorts and makes a very good companion piece to Raging Bull. I'll admit right now that this is the first time I've ever seen this film. There are a lot of films in this project that are considered classics and essentials but I have decided that I want to refrain from watching them before I get to them for the blog. That means that I've had plenty of opportunities to watch this film since I started but didn't so as to maintain my virgin reaction. Raging Bull lives up to all of the hype you can think to throw at it. The black and white cinematography is brilliant. The direction with the closeups and slowed down boxing scenes and intense closeups is brilliant. The acting is brilliant. The lack of music actually adds to the overall feel of the film in a positive way. And the film feels super fresh in 2017 which means it had to be revolutionary back in 1980. I like De Niro's character arc as Jake LaMotta and really love his realistic approach to the character by actually boxing and gaining 60 pounds which was a record for a role (a silly record, but worth it). I really do wish I could write a big essay about the themes and subtleties and all that but there's a hundred articles just for that on this film alone. I just know that I've been told and read that this film was an all time classic and after watching it I can finally agree and concur - it is an all time classic. I feel relief that I can participate in debates about how Raging Bull is great or not or whatever. I just know that it lives up to the hype and is an influential film that everyone needs to see. If you haven't seen this film, don't wait to do a blog to go see this one, drop what you're doing and watch it right now!
Tess
This is one of those films that when you're looking at the Best Picture categories through the years, it catches your eye because you've probably never heard of it - I hadn't. And then you do some digging and see it doesn't have any nominations in the acting categories and is up against four very well known films this year and you start to wonder how did this get in and does it stand a chance against the others. I would say that Tess is a quintessential Oscar Best Picture film. It's an almost three hour literary adaptation of Tess of the d'Ubervilles and is gorgeously shot. I have never read the book this is based on so I had no idea what the film would be about but if you have read it, you know it's got a really interesting story. Tess's father learns from a priest in passing one day that their family is actually of nobility. The father (who is a lazy drunk) sends Tess to a family of the same name (d'Ubervilles) who are well off to curry favor and get some money where she meets a man named Alec, who would be like a distant cousin. He tries to woo her and pesters her non-stop for kisses and other sexual favors but Tess resists. Eventually Alec ends up raping Tess and she leaves and returns home and has a baby who dies. She then goes to a dairy farm and meets a man, Angel Clare, and they fall in love and get married. On the wedding night, Tess informs him that she was raped and had a baby who died from malnutrition. This angers Angel, as he thought Tess was pure and he immediately abandons his new wife. Tess struggles to feed herself and find work and Alec asks her to be his mistress so she can help take care of her struggling family and she obliges. But then Angel comes back and finds her with Alec and so Tess decides to murder Alec so she can be with Angel and yeah you can see how juicy this gets. I won't get into the ending to save you from some spoilers but the story is fascinating because it plays on the morals of the time period. Alec's rape of Tess would have been seen as some cutesy, coy, she wants it and will fall for him type of thing that you see in these old stories. The persistent badgering for sexual favors would have been a cute romance instead of the sexual assault and rape that it was. I like that this story calls attention to that fact. The film itself looks beautiful and even though it is probably overly long, I enjoyed it for the most part. I've come to like these period piece dramas more and more with the project as long as they offer something interesting. No Enchanted April's though, ugh. It will be up to the viewer on if they like three hour long period piece films that make a statement about the sexual and moral issues of the time period. I was also lukewarm on Nastassja Kinski as Tess, as her German accent seeps through and makes for an overall strange accent in the film. Plus she's kinda stiff as an actress. But I would say go into the film with an open mind and realize this isn't just a typical, boring period piece drama and does have an interesting story that might shock you and see just how luscious the film looks. There's a lot to like even if this wasn't going to win and it should be obvious to see why it was nominated. It's also a Roman Polanski film who the Academy likes a lot (of course, you might not like his history). Tess isn't as bad as you might think and is worth checking out if you have three hours to kill.
This is actually a very good Best Picture category. I liked every film nominated here which is always a nice thing. Now, a lot of people probably won't like Tess, but I have become fond of those period piece dramas. They have to offer something interesting, though, and can't just go through the motions. It also feels like an old, classic film done with a modern sensibility and I like that. Coal Miner's Daughter is somewhat standard musical biopic fare but the two performances really elevate the material and I've seen it quite a few times and haven't gotten sick of it yet. It's a very watchable film with great singing. I was pretty harsh on Ordinary People up there but I did like it. I enjoy those intense family drama films. Stuff like In the Bedroom is right up my alley. This is a very good film but I feel like there are two modern classics ahead of it in this category. The Elephant Man is a must watch and a classic film from David Lynch with a phenomenal acting performance from John Hurt. It's really great and would be my winner if not for Raging Bull. Same things can be said for both films: classic with great director and leading actor. But seriously, how Raging Bull didn't win is insane. I guess they really wanted to reward Robert Redford and make Scorsese wait and earn his win. So instead of going straight into 1979, I'm going to double back and hit the most recent Oscars for 2016. Normally I try and watch every film before the ceremony and thought about writing the reviews but didn't want to interrupt the 80s and held off. So I'll take a break and get 2016 done and then resume working on the 70s.
Oscar Winner: Ordinary People
My Winner: Raging Bull
The Elephant Man
Ordinary People
Coal Miner's Daughter
Tess
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