Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 192 and 193: It's All Greek To Me

As some of you've who've been following my quest since the beginning will notice that I often group films together that have a similar theme. However, I think I'm stretching that format a little bit here by concentrating on two films that have Greek protagonists. But America America and Zorba the Greek have very little else in common.

Firstly America America is a very personal project helmed by On the Waterfront director Elia Kazan. Kazan actually narrates the start and end of this semi-biographical account of his uncle's attempts to come to America. The approximation of Kazan's uncle is Stathis Giallelis' Stavros who is a Greek living in Anatolia that is constantly being ruled over by the Turks. Stavros is opposed to his father constantly befriending their Turkish neighbours and dreams of escaping to America. Stavros is glad when his father tells him that he is to go to meet his cousin in Constantinople as he sees that as his way to get closer to the shore. However the gullible Stavros is tricked into giving away all of the possessions and money that his family gave him, leaving him penniless by the time he arrives in Constantinople. As he doesn't want to enter into the arranged marriage his cousin has set up for him, he instead decides to become a pack horse for wealthy merchants. Just as Stavros has saved up enough money to go to America, he is tricked by a prostitute who steals everything he's earned. Eventually he has to go crawling back to his cousin and agrees to be married to the homely Thomna although her father's view of domestic life doesn't suit Stavros. Stravros' American dream rears its head once again as he meets a wealthy businessman and his young wife who have journeyed from the USA. His fascination at Sophia's stories sees the two form a friendship which leads to something a little bit more romantic. However his liaison with Sophia could jeopardise Stavros' American plans when her husband attempts to shop him into the authorities.

It's incredibly easy to see how much passion that Kazan had put in to crafting America America. The film is both visually and narratively stunning and deserves to be remembered much more than it is. Kazan is able to chronicle Stavros' story by almost separating the films into sections each showing stumbling blocks that he must overcome if he is to reach his ultimate goal. I found the cinematography from Haskell Wexler to be one of the film's biggest strengths as a lot of Stavros' journey is told through the vast exteriors of the Andalusian  countryside. I also thought the idea to cast unknown actors in the lead roles was a stroke of genius as it makes you believe that these characters are real people. In particular I want to praise the performance of 22 year old Greek actor Stethis Giallelis who is in almost every scene of the film. Giallelis takes on Stavros' journey as he goes from naive country boy to a well-rounded man of means.  Giallelis' portrayal of Stavros really makes you sympathise with the lead character and route for him in some of the film's tougher scenes. Despite America America being almost three hours long, I have to say the time flew by as this story didn't feel overlong by any means. Kazan took time to tell an epic story which was well worth watching and was a film that really did deserve its Best Picture nomination so much so that it probably deserved to win.

A year after America America was nominated for the Best Picture Award, we saw Zorba the Greek pick up a nod for the same award. Zorba the Greek is an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel and stars Alan Bates as reserved English gent Basil who travels to Crete to look at his father's estate. On the way to Crete, Basil meets up with the exuberant Zorba who talks Basil into taking him on as a companion as he thinks he can be of use. When the pair arrive in Crete they create a stir and they eventually decide to try to create a logging area on the forest opposite Basil's father's mine. Meanwhile Zorba ingratiates himself with the community by getting the local monks drunk and beginning a relationship with hotel landlady Madame Hortense. As Basil sends Zorba off to a nearby town to buy more supplies, he becomes besotted by 'the widow' a young woman who has been teased by the townsfolk for never remarrying. Though 'the widow' has an admirer in the town, she is drawn to Basil and the two spend the night together. When Zorba returns, Basil explains what has happened however he hasn't realised that his liaison has caused the widow's other admirer to kill himself. From there the film become a lot darker as the community turns against 'the widow' while Madame Hortense begins to get incredibly ill. However Zorba the Greek does end on a somewhat happy note even if it took its time getting there.

Unlike America America, I found Zorba the Greek dragged at times especially in its final act. Madame Hortense's illness and eventual death felt incredibly drawn out but at least seemed to result in a Best Supporting Actress award for actress Lila Kedrova. What the two films do have in common is their stunning scenery which, in the case of Zorba, is beautifully captured by cinematographer Walter Lassally. I also loved the friendship between the two men which changes both of their characters as Basil learns to let loose while Zorba becomes a little bit more thoughtful. Anthony Quinn is great as the titular Greek and excels both in the comic and dramatic pieces especially in the scenes where he is attempting to protect the widow from the townspeople. Meanwhile Alan Bates is the perfect foil for Quinn's broad performance and was quietly engaging from beginning to end. Irene Papas is also worthy of a mention as the widow as she was able to convey bucket loads of emotion without saying much at all. Despite dragging in places, the film is thought-provoking throughout as it explores small town mob mentality and how quickly people can turn on one another. I can't talk about Zorba the Greek without also mentioning its theme tune which has become more iconic than the film itself. In fact the final scene with Zorba and Basil on the beach together is probably the movie's most famous. Although Zorba the Greek is nowhere near as great as America America it still had its moments and was bolstered by an incredibly strong ensemble cast. If nothing else, both of these films have portrayed the Greeks in a positive light and that's always a good thing.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 191: A Boy's Best Friend is His Mother

It always amazes me how easily films adapted from popular literature can be nominated for Oscars. A case in point is Jack Cardiff's adaptation of DH Lawrence's Sons and Lovers which was nominated at the 1961 ceremony. The fact that Sons and Lovers isn't even one of Lawrence's better-regarded works seemingly doesn't matter to the academy. In fact I believe that any work based on English literature is seen as instantly prestigious and therefore more likely to receive an Oscar nod. Cardiff's film focuses on the second half of Sons and Lovers as he explores the relationship between Gertrude Morel and her second son Paul. Those who are unfamiliar with the novel won't know that Gertrude's relationship with miner husband Walter isn't great and deteriorates even more when their youngest son dies in a mining accident. Instead Gertrude focuses all of her time on Paul, who dotes on her more than anyone else. His relationship with his mother affects his romances firstly with the homely Miriam and later with the much more experienced married woman Clara. Artistic Paul is also offered a scholarship to London but turns it down as he doesn't want to leave his mother alone with his father. Eventually Gertrude starts to become ill and it seems that she will soon die, a fact that Paul finds it hard to cope with. As Getrude pops her clogs, Walter convinces Paul to go off to London and make his mother proud.

While I wouldn't necessarily say Sons and Lovers was a bad film, there is certainly nothing particularly memorable about it. Even sitting here now, a couple of days after watching it, I've had to struggle to remember the finer parts of the plot. To be fair to the film it did make the most of its Nottingham scenery with Freddie Francis winning a Best Cinematography award for his camera work. In terms of the cast, Trevor Howard was the only nominated star from the film even though I didn't really think much of his Walter. Meanwhile I found Dean Stockwell's Paul to be a little sickly and even the usually great Wendy Hiller suffered with the thankless task of playing the needy Gertrude. Ultimately Sons and Lovers doesn't really have a lot to say about anything and instead is simply a book to film adaptation. While that suits some people, I have to say to me this seemed like just another film and certainly didn't deserve its Best Picture nomination.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 190: The Swingin' Sixties

One of the reasons for me conducting this project was to see how much the films of a certain decade drew influence from their surroundings. To me it seems that a lot of the movies from the 1960s go back to the past rather than deal with issues in the present. That's why I found Darling rather refreshing as it gave a portrait of the Swingin' Sixties era of London as seen through the eyes of its protagonist Diana Scott. When we first meet Scott she is a bored young model trapped in a loveless marriage. Luckily she soon meets journalist Robert Gould and the two begin an affair leading to them becoming a trendy couple. Robert and Diana are soon part of London's fashionable elite however nothing is ever enough for Diana and she soon ends up in the bed of advertising executive Miles Glass. As Miles helps Diana's career soar, Robert becomes increasingly jealous and leaves Diana after she returns from a trip to Paris with Miles. Robert's rejection results in Diana questioning her life and considers becoming more religious during a trip to Rome. As Diana's star rises she decides to abandon her career and move to Italy for good as she takes one character up on their offer of marriage. However it remains to be seen if Diana can truly ever be happy. 

I personally found Darling to be a great snapshot of life in London during the 1960s while Diana Scott was the perfect embodiment of that time. Here's a pretty girl who is often exploited by men and then wonders why she is never truly happy. In a lot of ways Darling felt a little bit like Alfie, as both are narrated by their lead characters and both end on a bit of a downer. The cinematography of Kenneth Higins and the editing of James Clark both contribute to portray a London where everything is constantly moving forward. Though the film is seemingly a collection of scenes, rather than a completed movie, I feel that John Schlesinger still packs in enough memorable moments to make the film stand out. However I feel Darling will mostly be remembered for the brilliant performance from Julie Christie who is able to portray a woman whose life is never as perfect as she makes out. Christie's Diana is someone who always believes that things will turn out okay and when they don't she wonders why. Christie, who won a Best Actress Award for her role, is ably supported by Dirk Bogarde as her loyal partner and Laurence Harvey as the smarmy advertising executive. While Darling is quite a light film I still enjoyed it thanks mostly to the lead performances and Schlesinger's assured direction. It also perfectly encapsulated the carefree mood of the 1960s and the dangers that lay beneath the surface.