Matt's Big Oscar Challenge: Reviewing the Ceremonies 32-41 (1960-1969)

It's that time once again as I end another decade of Oscar nominated films. Having looked at all of the 1960s films, it's clear to me that the decade was definitely one of change. By the end of the 1960s, the majority of the films produced were in colour while a lot were employing new visual techniques not seen before. Like with decades past, some of the Oscar-nominated films were pretty dubious and not all the winners were just. So that's why I've decided to sum up all of my thoughts in this handy post as we once again explore if Oscar always chose the right film. There are also some films that didn't even make the nominations list these included Psycho, Cool Hand Luke, 2001: A Space Odyssey, La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2. Though the academy did honour the majority of these movies by nominating their directors rather than the film themselves, which I always feel is a little bit of a slap in the face.

Ceremony 32 (1960) 

Winner: Ben-Hur 

Nominees: Anatomy of a Murder, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Nun's Story, Room at the Top 

Did the Right Film Win?: Yes 

Even though I really enjoyed Anatomy of a Murder, I have to concede that Ben-Hur was the right film to win Best Picture. It's probably the film whose iconic scenes still hold up today, most notably the chariot race which is still a thrilling watch in 2013. 

Ceremony 33 (1961) 

Winner: The Apartment 

Nominees: The Alamo, Elmer Gantry, The Sundowners, Sons and Lovers

Did the Right Film Win?: Yes 

I don't think there's much to say here as The Apartment stands head and shoulders above its rivals in this category. The film is still a charming and witty romantic comedy while the only major competition is Elmer Gantry but that's mainly due to Burt Lancaster's tremendous central performance 

Ceremony 34 (1962) 

Winner: West Side Story 

Nominees: Fanny, Guns of Navarone, The Hustler, Judgment at Nuremberg 

Did the Right Film Win?: Yes 

I feel that this was a tossup between West Side Story and The Hustler, but I've given it to the former just because it's the strongest of the four musical winners of the decade. The Hustler also has a dodgy middle section while West Side Story is a joy to watch throughout 

Ceremony 35 (1963) 

Winner: Lawrence of Arabia 

Nominees: The Longest Day, The Music Man, Mutiny on the Bounty, To Kill a Mockingbird 

Did the Right Film Win?: Yes 

Possibly the strongest of David Lean's films, Lawrence of Arabia does suffer from being over long but is still visually spectacular and contains a great central performance from Peter O'Toole. The list of fellow nominees only includes one possible contender, in To Kill a Mockingbird, but I feel that Lawrence is definitely the stronger of the two films. 

Ceremony 36 (1964) 

Winner: Tom Jones 

Nominees: America America, Cleopatra, How the West Was Won, Lilies of the Field 

Did the Right Film Win? No 

I feel that Tom Jones is definitely one of the weakest Best Picture winners thus far and found it to be quite a silly comedy that didn't really have much of a structure. Looking at the nominees, there are definitely two stronger picks the first being Lilies of the Field which is bolstered by a great performance by Sidney Poitier. But my personal pick is America America, a film that I had no idea about prior to watching it, and one that completely blew me away. This authentic tale of a young Greek man trying to find his way to America was just captivating and definitely benefited from its use of unknown actors to create a sense of realism. 

Ceremony 37 (1965) 

Winner: My Fair Lady 

Nominees: Becket, Dr. Strangelove, Mary Poppins and Zorba the Greek 

Did the Right Film Win?: No 

This again was a tough one to sort out but I personally wasn't a massive fan of the characters in My Fair Lady despite the film itself being visually stunning. Personally I think Dr. Strangelove is the most interesting pick of the five, but its subversive nature possibly wouldn't let itself to the Best Picture accolade. Instead, as a film musical did win this award, I'm going to pick Mary Poppins which I feel is still as watchable as it was in the mid-1960s. Maybe it's because I have a certain affection for the film, but I still feel it's an incredibly charming movie with some great songs. 

Ceremony 38 (1966) 

Winner: The Sound of Music 

Nominees: Darling, Doctor Zhivago, Ship of Fools, A Thousand Clowns 

Did the Right Film Win?: Maybe 

This is one of those years in which the winner is probably of the same standing as some of the other nominees. I could definitely make the case for why The Sound of  Music should've won but at the same time I would say that Darling was a better social portrait of the time and Doctor Zhivago was probably more stunning to look at. I also personally enjoyed A Thousand Clowns and found it to be the most charming film of the five. 

Ceremony 39 (1967) 

Winner: A Man for All Seasons 

Nominees: Alfie, The Russians are Coming The Russians are Coming, The Sand Pebbles, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Did the Right Film Win?: Maybe 

Again this is a year where I'm torn between a very worthy winner and a film that I personally enjoyed in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Though A Man for All Seasons is probably more visually impressive, Virginia Woolf had the emotional edge and was bolstered by the pairing of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. I'm still not sure who should've won the award but I'm not disputing the fact that A Man for All Seasons was the ultimate victor. 

Ceremony 40 (1968) 

Winner: In the Heat of the Night 

Nominees: Bonnie and Clyde, Doctor Dolittle, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Did the Right Film Win?: No 

This is a year where you could make a case for any film apart from Doctor Dolittle winning. In my eyes there are two films stronger than In the Heat of the Night. The first of these is Bonnie and Clyde, which employed some really interesting visual techniques and was definitely a risque film for the time. But my personal favourite is The Graduate which is just a joy to watch and, unlike a lot of the films from the decade, never outstayed its welcome. 

Ceremony 41 (1969) 

Winner: Oliver! 

Nominees: Funny Girl, The Lion in Winter, Rachel Rachel, Romeo and Juliet 

Did the Right Film Win?: No 

As much as Oliver! was one of my favourite films as a kid, I can concede that there was another film that deserved to win Best Picture. That film is The Lion in Winter which is a well-acted and well-shot film that has a great story and was just simply a joy to watch. 

So there you have it a strong decade with some difficult choices to be made. I'm now going to endeavour to go onto the 1970s a decade which includes some of the films that are considered the greatest of all time.