Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 24: 20th Century Blues

Of all the Best Picture winners, Cavalcade was possibly the hardest to find but I finally tracked it down the other day and decided to watch it today. Based on a stage-play by Noel Coward the film tracks the lives of two English families throughout the first thirty-two years of the 20th century however the film mainly concentrates on the first 18 up to the end of the First World War. The film starts at the house of the Maryot family where the Bridges family also work as servants the first scenes look at the turn of the century as they all see in 1900 together. Soon after Mr Maryot and Mr Bridges are off to the Boer War leaving their wives and children at home. Both return home safely and the Bridges soon move out as Alf buys a pub from a man he met during the conflict but he soon becomes a drunk and is trampled by a horse. The film then turns on several years where the Maryot boys have both grown up and the eldest son Edward marries Edith, the daughter of his mother's friends unfortunately the boat they honeymoon on is revealed to be the Titanic, although we don't see them drown we hear about it in the later scenes. Then onto 1914 where younger son Joe joins the war effort meanwhile the Bridges' daughter Fanny has now grown up and is working as a singer and dancer. Joe and Fanny begin a romance whenever Joe gets leave however just before the peace treaty Joe dies and Fanny sings the song '20th century blues'. The final scenes show us newspaper headlines of various stories from 1918 onwards and it ends with Mr and Mrs Maryot seeing in 1933 together despairing at the death of their two sons.


Although it is one of the most depressing films I've seen, Cavalcade is an incredibly accomplished picture especially considering it was made in 1933. My favourite scenes were the ones with Edith and Edward on the Titanic, after they have a heart-to-heart the camera reveals where we actually are. Also the First World War is covered in a montage of a couple of minutes in a very effecting and harrowing scene which sees many men being shot which in a way works better than a 30 minute battle sequence in a way of reflecting the needlessness and tragedies of war. As well as winning Best Picture it also one Art Direction (the sets are fantastic) and Best Director for Harold Lloyd. As Mrs Marriot, Diana Wynyard was also nominated rightfully for Best Actress but unfortunately was nominated alongside Katherine Hepburn. Definitely better than the other two pictures I've watched from this year so far, The Private Life of Henry VIII and She Done Him Wrong, Cavalcade was a surprisingly enjoyable if somewhat depressing ride.