Best Picture 1965

I am finishing these categories a couple days after the 93rd Oscars, which was kinda fun and kinda controversial and mostly the same. I enjoyed it because I'm a diehard, but also had my issues that I'll eventually go into when I get to 2020 after I do the 60s. Hopefully before the 94th Oscars next year! But I have been looking forward to this group because of the films below and being a mix of big and epic and small and never heard of, which is compelling to me. Let's dive in shall we?

1965 Best Picture

The Sound of Music

It always seemed weird to me that this was an Oscar winner for Best Picture because I had always seen it as this popular musical but nothing more. I don't even think most people realize it is a BP winner, honestly. I didn't until this project and had never seen it all the way through until just now. This is unequivocally one of the best musical films ever created. It was a Tony winner for Best Play/Musical a couple years earlier and has some of the most recognizable songs from a musical that even some average joe could pick out and hum easily. That's one of the main things about the film is that almost all of the songs in the film are iconic and recognizable and just plain catchy and good. They add to the film overall and never detract from the experience. They fit into the story and make sense. Obviously it helps that they are so good that people that have never even seen the film know the songs. The story works and the acting is decent enough. Christopher Plummer is suitably great at being so annoyed and dismissive and stern because he actually hated making the film so much. Even hated Julie Andrews during the filming, though they became friends eventually. That chemistry, or lack of it, makes the film better because it does feel true to life. The kids are actually pretty good and that honestly makes the film for me. If they were obnoxious or intolerable, I'd hate on this one easily, but they do a good job as just being characters. Some of the shots of the mountains are breathtaking and it's a great looking film overall. It's really easy to see why this was such a huge hit. It made a lot of people happy and had great songs and acting and looked wonderful. When a big money maker is also a critical darling and well liked in the industry, you get a pretty big no-brainer for Best Picture. I enjoy this musical a lot and I think most people watching this, even for the first time, will love and appreciate it as well. I still don't know if it will be my pick for this year, though! Got to see the others first to be sure.

Darling

This is one of those films that I think no one remembers or knows much about other than maybe that Julie Christie won Best Actress for her role in this. It's one of those Swinging 60s films from Britain, although not as wild as some of those films. It's a story about Christie, who is a young woman who essentially sleeps her way to the top of society and in her modelling/fashion job. That's really what the film is about, focusing on Christie and her relationships, I guess. Sometimes in watching films for this project you come across one that just bores the snot out of you and this is one of those. I had nothing to connect to in this film and worse than being a bad film is being a boring one. For some, this may be something they enjoy, but I just couldn't get into it. I felt that Christie was fine but not anything special or amazing. The story of a woman who just moves up in the world because she's pretty doesn't do much for me. The film has a cynical viewpoint for Christie and that seems the most real in the film, that despite ending up a Princess and having all these men and fame, she's still pretty miserable inside. The film itself looks amazing on Blu-ray and it is pretty stylish. But this film feels like something contemporary and faddish that captured the Academy's love, a real snapshot of the mid-60s. This was nominated for five awards and won Actress, Costume Design, and somehow Original Screenplay, though looking over the nominees they were not very strong. Not a whole lot to say on this one. Watch it for yourself and see if you are into it, but I for sure expect more out of a Best Picture nominee no matter the decade.

Doctor Zhivago

If you love classic films, you should already know this one and what you're getting yourself into. If this is new, well, welcome to the world of the David Lean epic film. It is epic in all the ways, especially length, clocking in at just under three and a half hours. For many, that will be a detriment. But I happen to love these kind of historical epics and Lean does a great job of pacing this film so that there is no real lull. The story is about a few people before, during, and after the Russian revolution and mostly about the love story between Zhivago and Lara. Many people are fond of their love story depicted in this film and I think it's perfectly acted by Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. My complaint is that Zhivago had a good thing going with his wife, yet chose Lara. I guess I can see how their shared crises would bond them together and naturally they would fall in love, but I really liked his first wife in this film. But that's a silly, minor complaint. The film is beautifully shot, in Spain of all places and not Russia. It looks amazing with some wonderful direction from Lean. I love that we see all of these outside sets and landscape and how the world is populated with tons of extras. In some of today's films, the CGI that replaces actual locations can be terrible and so can having just a few people when there should be a lot. The scope of the film is incredible and the acting from most is pretty on point. The standout is Rod Steiger who maybe should have been nominated in Supporting, though he was in Lead for another role. His Komarovsky is so layered without any traditional arc. He comes off as a real person, flaws and all and he is great in the film. Tom Courtenay is also very good in his role as the revolution leader, one of, anyway. It's just one of those classic films that is a classic for a reason. Don't let the length deter you because it's very rewarding and honestly entertaining for the whole film. I'm very glad I'm in the age of the historical epic and look forward to some more, especially from lean in my future.

Ship of Fools

This is one of those ensemble films where a whole bunch of characters interact in a location but have their own little stories going on at the same time. This one takes place on a ship, naturally, returning to Germany from Mexico in 1933 or so. It stars a whole slew of Oscar winning and nominated folks like Vivien Leigh, Lee Marvin, Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Jose Ferrer, George Segal, Michael Dunn, and Lilia Skala. Now, sometimes you get a group together like this and end up with something like Voyage of the Damned or Airport, where the films are kinda boring because the parts are greater than the sum. I actually quite enjoyed this film, though. The film is a microcosm of 30s society and the coming World War as evidenced by Ferrer's Nazi sympathizing businessman who openly detests Jews and gets one a German man who is married to a Jewish woman kicked out of the Captain's table when dining. Other stories are the Jewish man and the dwarf who are outcast from the start who strike up a friendship. There's an American ex-baseball player who is a drunk and a creep who hits on and assaults the women. There's a young American couple, artists, who have jealousy and dependency issues. I liked this one the most, due to Elizabeth Ashley's acting and Geroge Segal, too. There's a Spanish flamenco troupe who have the women whored out by the man male leader. There are 600 Cuban deportees who are being shipped back to Cuba from Mexico. And the main story of the ship's doctor (Werner) and a woman (Signoret) who is a contessa with an opiate problem being shipped to a prison on Tenerife. So there are a lot of stories going on, but they all kinda coalesce into a watchable film where the different stories intertwine. The acting is wonderful all the way around and the stories are mostly compelling to watch. The issue you run into is that some of the scenes go on for so long. There was a scene in the middle of the film of a dance for the first class folks that seemed to go on forever as all the different people in the film had their moments. This film is all about the acting and the stories being told. If they were bad, the film would sink miserably. But it had me invested all the way through even though I was expecting something boring. Not much else to be said, you're coming to see the famous names and a good story and you won't be left disappointed.

A Thousand Clowns

Hmmm. Another forgotten Best Picture nominee. I was intrigued going into this because I didn't have any idea of what it could even be about. And it's an interesting film for sure. It's about Jason Robards' character who is an unemployed TV writer who takes care of his like 10 year old nephew. Robards has a dry sense of humor and is always cracking jokes that aren't obvious he's saying something funny, making quips out of literally everything. It's a technique of deflection to not think about his unemployment and having to seriously take care of his nephew and himself. For many people, Robards and his nephew, Nick, will come off as annoying and I was with them in the beginning. The film also cuts oddly at times in the beginning that detracts from the overall experience. I did read that the initial cut had no scenes of the city shot to show location, so some of that cutting seems like they edited they original to add stuff which came off as weird. Speculation on my part but it's disjointed in the beginning before it settles in. It also has that 60s vibe of we are gonna be a bit different with our directing style. It does settle down and then the story becomes that Nick might get taken away from Robards and a duo of social workers come to check them and their place out. Robards charms the woman, Barbara Harris, and they start a fling. There's lots more sarcastic banter and dark quips and then Robards realizes in order to keep Nick he needs to get a job and rejoin society and the thing he hates. It feels like a progressive film in that it's kinda railing against the current corporate world as Robards just wants to live his life freely and without being confined to a work schedule. Some people just won't like the film because of Robards' character and some people will praise him through the roof. I think it's a pretty well done performance because Robards has to be a specific way and gets us to feel strongly about him and the situation and the film. I'm of the mind that I'm glad I saw this because it feels not of the 60s but also does if that makes sense. What's interesting is how exactly did this get nominated for Best Picture because this certainly doesn't have a BP feel to it. And Martin Balsam, who plays Robards' brother and is barely in the film or much of a factor, wins Best Supporting Actor. Like what? There's gotta be more to how this film did so well with the Academy. All I can figure out is that it was a Tony winning play, very awarded at that, so maybe that's why? I would recommend seeing it to figure out what you think of it and if it belongs in this category or not.

This is kind of an up and down category like I mentioned in the intro. Big films we know and small films we don't. Doctor Zhivago is my winner. I really enjoy historical epics and this was just really entertaining all the way through the three and a half hours. Good performances and just lovely looking. I'd say The Sound of Music is second. It's a very good musical, probably one of the best with some highly catchy and recognizable tunes. But I don't feel it's all that strong as a film. Hugely popular but Zhivago just trumps it in being a film. Darling is next because it does kinda sit in the middle. Not a fan of the Swinging 60s London films, but the performances are decent and it's a look into a certain time frame and culture. There is stuff to like in this film even if it can be boring and lose me at times. A Thousand Clowns doesn't have that Best Picture feel to it, so it's an interesting one to watch. Feels very of the moment and tries to say something interesting. I don't think it really succeeds and the actors can be annoying, but it has something to it, I think. Othello has been done better by others and that black face thing ain't it, chief. This could have and should have been way better but I feel we are left with a husk of a film. Really wanted to like this, too. Again, up and down and very inconsistent. Not a strong year but I like my winner a lot. Hoping, as I do every year, that the next is the best ever,

Oscar Winner: The Sound of Music
My Winner:  Doctor Zhivago
The Sound of Music
Darling
A Thousand Clowns
Othello