Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 304-305: Jewison's Gems

Last time we checked in with director Norman Jewison he was helming a film version of the epic musical Fiddler on the Roof. But Jewison's biggest success arguably came in the 1960s when he directed Best Picture winner In the Heat of the Night which also scooped another four Oscars. The 1980s saw two more of his movies appear in the Best Picture category with the first having a lot in common with In the Heat of the Night.

But instead of looking at themes of racial tension in the police force, Jewison's adaptation of Charles Fuller's play explores the same problems in the army. The story as a whole revolves around the murder of light-skinned Sergeant Waters who is gunned down in the film's opening moments. Black military lawyer Captain Davenport is drafted in to find the murderer but finds the task easier said than done. Whilst there are initial suspicions that the Klu Klux Klan may have been involved, there are plenty of suspects among Waters' own platoon. The platoon itself almost double as an impressive baseball team however Waters enjoyed bullying a lot of the men most notably the talented ball player CJ Memphis. Memphis was constantly tortured by Waters, who later arrested him on false charges leading to Memphis committing suicide. Meanwhile Davenport meets opposition from a white officer when he attempts to question two men who saw Waters the night he was shot. Davenport is later allowed to interview the men, but only with a white officer present, and learns that they fought with Waters but didn't kill him. Satisfied by their testimony, despite the white officer feeling otherwise, Davenport is forced to look elsewhere. Although he ultimately discovers that the crime is racially motivated, the perpetrator's identity certainly surprised me.

As A Soldier's Story is told mainly in flashback, so each of the witness statements are illustrated by examples of Waters' behaviour, I did find the narrative structure of the film more than a little jarring. The themes of race and identity were present both in the form of light-skinned Waters, who didn't know what side he was on, and in Davenport who wasn't respected by the white officers despite his station. But Davenport, in contrast to Sidney Poitier's character in In the Heat of the Night, is a lot more level-headed and keeps his calm when others insult him. However, I do feel that this is a major issue with the film as Davenport comes across as a passive character who I didn't really want to spend that much time with. Not that there was anything really wrong with Harold E. Rollins Jr's performance as Davenport but nothing he did really grabbed me. In fact it was Adolph Caesar,  who was Oscar-nominated for his role, who stole the show as the antagonistic Waters. Caesar was fantastic at delivering some of the film's most evil insults and his sneering mannerisms were perfect for the role. A Soldier's Story also featured an early appearance from Denzel Washington who gives an interesting turn as the academic Peterson who himself clashes with Waters on a number of occasions. As it's based on a play another problem with A Soldier's Story is that it's not particularly cinematic as plenty of the scenes simply focus on Davenport's interviews with Waters' troops. One exception to this role is in the film's use of music with blues playing a particularly big part in the film thanks in part to the casting of Patie LaBelle as a local club owner. Despite enjoying its focus on the themes of racism in the army, I just felt A Soldier's Story was a fairly inconsequential. I was just surprised that it was directed by somebody like Jewison, who in the past had helmed some truly memorable works; however the film did ultimately come across as a bit of a passion project for Jewison. But I don't think that should be an excuse for producing what I personally consider to be unremarkable piece of work which I'll struggle to remember a couple of months from now.

The same can't be said for Jewison's other offering that popped up in the Best Picture category three years later which couldn't be more different from A Soldier's Story if it tried. That's because Moonstruck is the dictionary definition of a romantic comedy as it focuses on one thirty-seven year old widow and her assorted family members. Moonstruck stars Cher in the lead role of Loretta Castorini whose first husband was run over by a bus, an incident she believes is based on the fact that she didn't have a proper wedding. One of Moonstruck's earlier scenes sees Loretta's latest lover Johnny propose marriage, an offer she accepts on the proviso that they do everything properly. As Johnny is forced to leave the country to visit his dying mother, he asks Loretta to invite his estranged brother Ronny to their wedding. However the hot-heated Ronny is still angry with Johnny as he feels that his brother is responsible for him injuring his hand in a bread-cutting incident. Loretta appears to be attracted by Ronny's fiery nature and she is much more taken with him than she ever has been with Johnny. The pair seem to have a natural connection with each other and quickly end up in bed together. Running alongside Loretta's story is that of her plumber father Cosmo and his long-suffering wife Rose. Rose is aware that Cosmo is having an affair whilst Loretta discovers this later when she spies her father and his mistress at the opera. Rose appears to know her lot in life and shares quite a touching moment at a restaurant with college professor Perry when they both find themselves alone at a restaurant. Moonstruck's final scene is a great fifteen minute comic set-piece which sees all of the film's loose ends tied up as it focuses on this multi-generational American-Sicilian family.

It's fair to say it took me at least ten minutes to really get into Moonstruck, but once I'd got to grips with the characters and their lingo I was hooked. John Patrick Shanley's Oscar-winning script presents plenty of realistic characters, most of whom I'm assuming he based on real people. The result is a well-observed and ultimately quite funny look at the nature of relationships and what makes a solid marriage. At just over ninety minutes, Moonstruck is incredibly well-paced and really limits itself to three or four key moments meaning that there is very little in the film that doesn't have a purpose. I personally felt that Cher was brilliantly understated in the lead role of the meek Loretta who married once for love and won't do it again. At the same time I'm not quite sure if she deserved her Best Actress Oscar especially as she triumphed over Holly Hunter's magnificent turn in Broadcast News. Having said that Cher does make us sympathise with a character who may have been hard to sympathise in the hands of another actress. One performance that was more deserving of an Oscar was that of Olympia Dukais who absolutely shone in the role of Loretta's mother Rose. Dukakis shone in the latter half of the film, particularly opposite John Mahoney's Perry, and for that I don't begrudge her her Best Supporting Actress prize. I personally also enjoyed Vincent Gardenia's turn as the Castorini patriarch Cosmo who, despite his wealth, is still fairly frugal. In fact the whole cast was splendid and I'd like to particularly praise Nicolas Cage for his impassioned turn as the impulsive Ronny. The construction of Loretta's whole neighbourhood was lovingly done and it appears as if both Shanley and Jewison have a real appreciation for the culture as a whole. Whilst Moonstruck was definitely a strong romantic comedy that entertained me thoroughly throughout it didn't really have the feel of a Best Picture contender. However the film did well at the Oscars and it also proved a fruitful swansong for Jewison who wouldn't have another film in the Best Picture line-up again.

Next time we take to the skies with a group of brave men.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 303: Play Your Cards Right

It's fair to say that the last couple of entries have dealt with films focusing on fairly heavy subjects from war to more war and a little bit of missionary work thrown in for good measure. Sitting down to watch Atlantic City, which was described on Wikipedia as a romantic crime film, I was expecting a bouncy caper of sorts but I didn't get that at all. Instead what Louis Malle's film gave me was a rather depressing study of old relics being demolished to make way for new innovations. That's certainly true of the film's primary location, an apartment block that's due to be knocked to make way for Atlantic City's latest casino. A long-time resident of the block is Lou Pascal, himself an old relic having been a well-renowned thief back in the day. These days Lou picks up scraps of work here and there and makes the majority of his money caring for Grace, the bed-bound widow of one of his old colleagues. Lou is also entranced by his new neighbour Sally, a wannabe croupier who has fled a loveless marriage in the hope of making it big in the world of gambling. Sally combines working at an oyster bar with croupier classes as she learns how to correctly shuffle cards. However the trouble starts when Sally's ex-husband Dave arrives with her pregnant sister Chrissie in order to partake in a drug deal. Dave and Lou cross paths in a bar and the former convinces the latter to take part in his scheme only because he looks a lot more suave than the slovenly Dave. Although the exchange goes down without a hitch, the people who Dave stole the drugs from soon follow him to Atlantic City and murder him after he fails to return their goods. Following Dave's murder, Sally and Lou are forced together and decide to take on the criminals together however both discover that some things don't go down without a few hitches.

The main thing that hit me about Atlantic City was the lack of any sort of score meaning that all the scenes felt a little dry. In fact the film as a whole didn't really have a lot going for it in the style department, which is o seeing as Atlantic City is all about gambling and crime. What the film does have going for it is John Guare's script which really makes us care about both Sally and Lou in different ways. Guare makes us want Sally to succeed in her dream of being a croupier and rise up from the life she would've had had she stayed with Dave. Guare similarly makes Lou a completely believable former thief who views himself as a legend even if nobody else really views him this way. It's these two characters who really make the film what it is and are bolstered by the fine performances from Susan Sarandon and Burt Lancaster. Lancaster, in his final appearance on this list, still possesses a lot of the charm that we've seen him display over the years. Although the years have taken their toll on Lou, Lancaster still conveys the charm that made Lou such a hit with the ladies and such a fantastic trickster. Meanwhile, Sarandon gives an earnest performance as the woman who just wants to better herself and thinks being a croupier is the way to do it. If there's one thing that really flummoxed me it was the central relationship which seemed to exist in one scene. I really didn't buy the romance between Lou and Sally and felt that it was a bit weird when he kept spying on her while she washed her body by the window. Whilst not a caper in the truest sense of the word, Atlantic City still has fantastically choreographed set pieces and most of what happened made sense. Despite the mild entertainment I got from Atlantic City, I can't help but be a bit disappointed in a film that was rather dry for the most part. The film didn't really provoke any strong emotion from me and I think this will be one of the movies on this blog that I'll completely forget about following the post. But at least I learnt how to become a croupier just in case I may want to take that profession on one day.

Next time another double bill from a director who helmed two Best Picture nominees during the 1980s

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 301-302: Sheens at War

Most of the war films I've encountered throughout the course of this blog have been flag-waving salutes to the boys and girls fighting the good fight. Although occasionally bleak in tone, these films have nonetheless praised those in command of the missions and have led us to believe that everything is being done for the greater good. However, starting in the late 1970s, some films started to tell a different tale altogether with movies such as The Deer Hunter and Coming Home showing what was really going on in Vietnam. Two more films were nominated during the 1980s ceremony and were linked by the fact that the earlier one starred a famous actor and the latter featured his now notorious son.

Nominated at the first Oscar ceremony of the decade, Apocalypse Now was the perfect example of a war movie which really saw how badly some missions were handled. Francis Ford Coppola's movie starred Martin Sheen as Captain Ben Willard, a special operations veteran who is tasked with a secret mission whilst serving in Vietnam. The already jaded Willard is instructed to track down Colonel Kurtz, a formerly respected officer who went rogue and later retreated to neutral Cambodia. Willard later joins a navy command with a ragtag group of men including a former surfer, a wannabe chef and the captain of the vessel who is constantly feeling undermined by Willard's presence. Along the way the crew encounters several colourful characters including the memorable Colonel Killgore, who loves the smell of Napalm in the morning. After plenty of time has surpassed, and with some of the crew members winding up dead along the way, Willard and the remaining men arrive at Kurtz's base. Here they find that Kurtz has already brainwashed the majority of the natives, as well as a free-loving war photographer and a former commanding officer who is now seen to be in an almost comatose state. Coppola does well building up to Kurtz's first reveal and his presence in the film is certainly a representation of how war can change a man. It's certainly very clear of how the film is going to end but Coppola and his actors make sure the final scenes really stay with you. It's unfortunate then that he didn't employ the same amount of discipline throughout the film as I did feel a large proportion of it was surplus to requirements.

These feelings were magnified due to the fact that the only version of Apocalypse Now available to me was the Redux cut. This version of the film included almost an hours' worth of extra footage which Coppola somehow deemed important enough to insert into this new cut of the film. I have to hold my hands up and say that this was my first experience of watching Apocalypse Now and therefore I wasn't aware of which scenes were exclusive to the Redux version. However, after watching, I read up on the subject and discovered that all the scenes I thought were unnecessary were the ones that Coppola was desperate to resurrect. Without the scenes, Apocalypse Now was definitely a stronger film with an involving narrative that is punctuated with some colourful characters. There are certain moments that  everybody associates with the film from Willard's opening hallucination to 'The Ride of the Valkyries ' scene and finally the first appearance of Kurtz. These scenes are made memorable due to a fantastic technical team including cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and the editing team who did an excellent job of cutting together the aforementioned hallucination as well as the descent of Kilgore's helicopters. Storaro's camera really captured the horrors of the Vietnam war as well as letting us see how different men reacted to it. In terms of its ascetic value and its musical choices, Apocalypse Now can't be faulted one iota.

That being said I did find the narrative aspect of the film to be a real struggle, primarily Willard's lead voice-over. Coppola overuses this storytelling device to the extent that it just feels like an actor reciting lines rather than a jaded officer reciting what happened during his latest mission. This feeling made the narrative feel incredibly lazy at times and I did feel somebody as adept as Coppola could've found a different way to tell the story. Marlon Brando was incredibly well-utilised as Kurtz, appearing in only a couple of the film's final scenes his enigmatic presence was perfect for that of the disillusioned officer. Robert Duvall brought a real sense of entertainment to the role of Killgore while Dennis Hopper perfectly embodied the hippie movement as the war photographer. But it was Martin Sheen who was tasked with leading the film and I felt he did an admirable job of playing the somewhat reliable Captain whose experiences during his latest mission scar him for life. Sheen benefits from looking like the All-American hero and his opening scenes in Saigon allow us to sympathise with before he heads off in search of Kurtz. Sheen is especially fantastic in the later scenes as we see him being tempted by Kurt'z words and whether what he did was actually the right thing. Ultimately Acopalypse Now has elements of being the perfect film however I did feel it's narrative structure let it down. That being said visually it looked fantastic and it's cast were generally spectacular especially Sheen who was a more than reliable anchor for the film's story.

Seven years later, Martin's son Charlie Sheen followed his father to Vietnam for Oliver Stone's film Platoon, which would go on to win the Best Picture prize at that year's ceremony. Charlie's character in the film is Chris Taylor, a young man who has decided to join the army and fight in Vietnam rather than continue his studies at college. From the very beginning of the film, Stone establishes the fact that Taylor's war will be a tough one as he struggles to carry his kit into camp and is taunted by the men who've been there a while. Chris does find somewhat of a mentor in Sgt. Elias who initially is the only man who is willing to help him when he first arrives in Vietnam. Meanwhile, similar to the way Willard does in Apocalypse Now, Chris has a similarly expositional voiceover but at least this time the narrative is told through letters to his grandmother. As his time in Vietnam continues Chris becomes one of the gang however he never wins round the somewhat ruthless Staff Sergeant Barnes. Barnes and Elias are constantly clashing with the former hating the fact that the latter has more power than him. Meanwhile Elias chastises Barnes for shooting an innocent Vietnamese woman which leads to an incredibly aggressive fight between the pair. Chris soon realises that every man has his own personal war and his experiences are haunted by those who have shaped his time in Vietnam. By the end of the film both Elias and Barnes have been killed, but neither by the men who they initially considered to be the enemy. The final scene, in which Chris surveys the dead bodies strewn across the Vietnamese landscape, perfectly demonstrates the message that the film is trying to give.

Platoon feels like an extremely personal account of Vietnam and is indeed based on Stone's own experience of serving in the war. Stone wrote the screenplay for the film and tried to get it made in Hollywood while writing the scripts for other films, including the Oscar-winning Midnight Express. Eventually he took the decision to direct Platoon himself which I feel was the right move as he would now be able to realise his vision exactly the way he wanted to. The film's cinematography, which was nominated but didn't win an Oscar, is incredibly documentary-like in tone and at times it's if some of it has been lifted out of the history books I used to read at school. Luckily, unlike some of the films I've watched recently, the narrative is as involving as the visual aspects of the picture. This is down to the character of Chris Taylor, a sympathetic everyman who the audience can easily identify with. Taylor's war hasn't been the one he expected and he soon has to adapt new coping mechanisms whilst at the same time maintaining his moral code. Whilst not as compelling as his father's performance in Apocalypse Now, Charlie Sheen at least makes us care about Chris. Sheen brings a type of innocence to the role and becomes almost the straight man to the gang of crazy characters that are part of Chris' platoon. Willem Dafoe definitely makes Elias the heart of the film and he's the character that I personally cared the most about, which made his death even the more shocking. Meanwhile Tom Berenger is perfect as the grizzled veteran who does whatever it takes to make people talk and doesn't really think the rules apply to him. Dafoe and Berenger's duelling performances are the standout aspect of Platoon for me and both men were honoured with Supporting Actor Nominations. Elsewhere familiar faces such as Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker appear in supporting roles and all add a little bit to the make-up of the platoon.

The film ultimately went on to win four Oscars, with Stone being honoured for his direction but not for his strong and harrowing script. I personally think that Platoon is the best Best Picture winner of the 1980s I've watched thus far and with just one more winner to go that's a compliment indeed. Overall I feel that Platoon is a film that combines the visual splendour of some films with the narrative depth of others. It cares about its characters which in turn makes me want to care about them and I do feel that it's a better film than Apocalypse Now. That being said both of these Vietnam war films featuring the Sheens are excellent movies and somehow worked as the perfect double bill.

Next time we head to one of America's most famous gambling destinations for a romantic crime drama.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 299-300: De Niro Fights for Victory

One of the recurring themes of the Best Picture nominees of the 1980s has been the reappearance of plenty of featured stars from the 1970s. We've seen Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, Jack Nicholson and more continue their careers by playing a variety of diverse roles. Somebody else who appeared in a few of the film we reviewed in the 1970s was one Robert De Niro, who himself won a Supporting Actor Oscar for The Godfather Part II. De Niro would see this success spread through into the 1980s where he'd become triumphant in the Best Actor category by teaming up with a regular collaborator.

The collaborator in question was director Martin Scorsese, who previously worked with De Niro on Best Picture Nominee Taxi Driver, and the film itself was Raging Bull. Based on the life of boxer Jake LaMotta, Raging Bull had long been a pet project of De Niro's since he'd read LaMotta's autobiography and become fascinated with the man. De Niro eventually convinced Scorsese to direct the film even though he was initially sceptical of the project as he didn't have the first idea about boxing. However I feel that Raging Bull isn't a boxing film but rather a film about a man that just happens to be a boxer. LaMotta is a man plagued by insecurities whether it be about his weight, if he's better than his opponents or if his wife is cheating on him. The aforementioned wife, and LaMotta's second, is Vicky a neighbourhood girl that Jake first meets when she's fifteen. Over a period of time Jake marries Vicky and also attempts to get a shot at the middleweight title thanks to his brother Joey's connections with the Mafia. Jake's goals don't come too easy as he's forced to take a dive but he does it in such a way that he is suspended altogether. Meanwhile, his personal life suffers ups and downs when he constantly believes that Vicky is cheating on him and even accuses Joey of sleeping with his wife. Although Jake eventually wins the title, and defends it in a physically gruelling match-up, his personal woes eventual impact on his in-ring career and he loses the belt eventually giving up boxing altogether. I personally found the latter part of the film incredibly sad as Jake piles on weight, opens a nightclub and eventually loses everything he holds dear. Though there is hint of redemption for LaMotta at the end of the film, I did feel it was a rather dour conclusion.

Raging Bull is an incredibly powerful film that takes its audience on an extremely emotional journey while at the same time getting us involved in every single fight. As well as being a passion project for De Niro, Scorsese was incredibly exacting in both the editing and sound mixing processes partly as he believed that this would be his first major feature. To me the editing and sound were two elements of Raging Bull that really stood out due to the way that certain sequences were put together and the sounds we hear when Jake is in the boxing ring. Thelma Schoomaker won her first of three Best Editing Oscars, all of which were for her work with Scorsese, and I feel that she more than deserved the prize. It's clear that every fight sequence is choreographed move for move which means that we really connect with Jake when he's doing what he loves. Michael Chapman's black-and-white cinematography is brilliantly imagined and adds to the artistic feel of the whole film. Additionally, I loved the home movies sequence that moved the action along which appeared to be more realistic due to the fact it was the only part of the film shot in colour. One of the things that most associate with Raging Bull is the fact that De Niro put on 60 pounds to play Jake in his later days. His commitment to the role alone earned him the Best Actor award and I believe that his performance throughout the piece was truly spectacular. De Niro portrays LaMotta as a talented boxer but one who has his vices which eventually overwhelm his life. However he's able to make what could be considered an unlikeable character into an incredibly sympathetic protagonist. The then unknown Joe Pesci was perfectly cast as Joey LaMotta and his chemistry with DeNiro (who suggested him for the role) is undeniably brilliant. Similarly new to acting was Cathy Moriarty who, as Vicky, was just astounding as he was able to play every stage of her characters development from wide-eyed teenager to jaded wife and mother. I personally can't believe that Raging Bull received mixed reviews when it was first released as to me it's an almost perfect film. I'm equally stunned that Raging Bull didn't win Best Picture and soon enough you'll be able to see my verdict on whether the right film triumphed over Scorsese's boxing masterpiece.

A film which I wouldn't describe as a masterpiece is the other 1980s Oscar nominated picture that De Niro starred in The Mission. Set in the 1750s, De Niro plays Rodrigo Mendoza a slave owner operating in South America who is one of the most powerful me in the region. Mendoza soon discovers that his half-brother Felipe is having an affair with his fiancée and kills the former in a duel. Although he is cleared of any wrongdoing, Mendoza later suffers a crisis of faith and nobody get help him out of his depression. Meanwhile, Jesuit priest Father Gabriel is attempting to build a mission for the Guaraní community who live in the jungle although he has previously come up against opposition from Mendoza. However it is Gabriel who becomes Mendoza's saviour when he challenges the former slaver to come up with his own penance. Mendoza eventually learns the errors of his ways and asks Father Gabriel if he can take vows and become a Jesuit himself, which he later agrees to. However, all is not well as the safety that the Jesuit missions had come under threat when the ownership of their land was transferred from the Spanish to the Portuguese. With the missions proving a threat to the Portuguese's potential enslavement of the natives, the papacy sends Cardinal Altamirano to discover if any of these institutions should remain open. Despite Altamirano's shock at the financial success of the missions, he ultimately has no choice but to shut them down. But Mendoza doesn't think the brotherhood should go down without a fight as he takes up his sword once again, but this time for the right cause.

The one thing I really knew about The Mission going in was that the score was fantastic. Indeed Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for The Mission was incredibly powerful throughout and really stayed with me after the end credits had rolled. But when a film is best known for its soundtrack you know you're in trouble and I have to say I found The Mission more than a little bit dull. I feel my primary issue with Roland Joffé's film was that it was incredibly earnest and was more concerned it providing an accurate historical story than it was in creating entertainment. Whereas I really enjoyed Joffé's previous work The Killing Fields, which dealt with similar themes of cultural identity and conflict, I never found myself truly immersed in The Mission. It didn't help that stars Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons appeared to be in two different films with the former channelling Don Quixote and the latter seeming like he's in some sort of BBC costume drama. I have to say that, while it's admirable that he wanted to extend his repertoire, I don't think The Mission was the sort of film that De Niro should be involved with especially due to his incredibly hammy turn. Irons fared better in the sincere role of Father Gabriel while it was also good to see Liam Neeson running around shooting foreigners, even if The Mission wasn't really on the same level as Taken. The best performance in the entire film came from Ray McAnally as Altamirano, the narrator of the piece and the only level-headed character that the picture had to offer. There's no denying the film looked fantastic, with Chris Menges' cinematography being awarded with The Mission's only Oscar, but at times this felt more like a History Channel documentary than a film made for our entertainment. Ultimately I have to say I was disappointed by The Mission, a film I had high hopes for, but at least Morricone's score didn't let me down.

Next time we have a father and son who, despite appearing in different films, are fighting in the same war.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 298: The Lynch Mob

The name of director David Lynch is certainly synonymous with surreal films that have bizarre plots and often don't make a lot of sense. As a result Lynch's films don't really feature heavily at any of the Oscar ceremonies and he's only ever had one film which made it on to the Best Picture nominee list. The film in question, and Lynch's second feature, is The Elephant Man which is based on two biographies chronicling the story of John Merrick. The deformed Merrick is initially seen in a Victorian Freak Show where he's rescued by Frederick Treves, a surgeon at the London Hospital. Treves believes that Merrick's treatment is the reason that he's treated like a freak and attempts to get him to talk. Treves' colleagues at the hospital are initially sceptical of his treatment of Merrick with many feeling that he's brought him in as a patient simply to further his own career. But, when Merrick is finally able to speak of his own volition, the hospital's governor decides to allow Treves to continue to treat 'The Elephant Man' at the London. Soon publicity for Merrick grows and respected actress Madge Kendal comes to visit him partly out of curiosity. The kindly but stern hospital matron Mrs Mothershead believes that Merrick is still being treated like a fairground attraction even if Treves thinks otherwise. Meanwhile the hospital's night porter begins to profit out of Merrick's presence at the institution as he takes money for people to come and stare at the Elephant Man. During one of these trips Merrick's former owner, brutish freak show proprietor Bytes, kidnaps him and smuggles him to Europe. In the end it's up to his fellow freaks to show that they are in fact the only people to show some sort of compassion. The film ends with one of Lynch's trademark surreal sequences as Merrick is coaxed from this world into the next by his loving mother.

There's no denying that The Elephant Man is a fantastic film. Freddie Francis' black and white photography really adds to the legitimacy of the story and the period setting. Lynch builds up perfectly to the first unveiling of John Merrick and therefore his deformity is all the more shocking. The make-up department deserves credit for their work on making John Hurt completely indistinguishable and it's a shame that the film was released a year before the make-up Oscar was reintroduced. Hurt himself puts in a fabulous performance as we see Merrick go from hopeless freak show act to well-respected member of society. Anthony Hopkins is equally strong as Treves and he essentially has to play the straight man against all of the wonderfully colourful supporting characters. Chief among these characters is Bytes, played with rigour by Freddie Jones, who is a perfect villain as is Michael Elphick's sinister night porter. Now appearing in her sixth decade on the list, Wendy Hiller puts in a memorable term as Matron Mothershead whilst Anne Bancroft is well-utilised as Madge Kendal. It was interesting for me to see a few familiar faces with smaller roles whether it be Pauline Quirke in a blink-or-you'll-miss-it turn or Dexter Fletcher a Bytes' young assistant. The script, co-written by Lynch, looks at human nature and in particular if Merrick or those that profit from him are in fact the real freaks. Despite all these positives, I couldn't really ever connect with The Elephant Man on a personal level and therefore I found myself emotionally detached from it for the most part. Whilst I found Hurt's performance as Merrick sympathetic I never truly care about his fate and instead simply appreciated the film as a whole. Ultimately I would say that The Elephant Man was definitely a film that I felt was well-made but not one that I was ever entertained by.

Next time we take our final look at a featured star from the 1970s who starred in two Best Picture nominees during the 1980s.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 297: Sixty Years in China

Usually, coming up with the titles for these posts is an easy enough task as I'm usually able to work off the name of a famous actor, director or theme in the movie. That wasn't the case for The Last Emperor and even now I'm unsure if the title above is quite strong enough. Part of the reason for my writer's block is that I wasn't engaged at all during the two and half hours that the film inhabited. The film itself covers only fifty-nine years (from 1908 to 1967) but I felt it was an interesting fact that The Last Emperor was the sixtieth movie to grab the Best Picture title. The film covers, in some great detail, the life of Puyi who became the last of the Chinese Emperors aged just two years old. The majority of Puyi's reign is marred by the Chinese uprising outside the gates of the Forbidden City which basically sees him lose all of his power. The Last Emperor also chronicles Puyi's two most important relationships one of which was with his Scottish Tutor Reginald Johnston who at times was the only person interested in the Emperor's best interests. Later Puyi is married to the beautiful Wanrong and at first it seems that their bond is pretty solid however outside influences ultimately see their union doomed to failure. Puyi's exploitation by the invading Japanese is also explored in some great detail and this in turn leads him to be banished to prison as a war criminal. The scenes of Puyi's prison stay are interspersed with those of his upbringing as we the audience are able to see why exactly he's been incarcerated. Following the flashback scenes we see Puyi's stay in the internment camp that last almost a decade till his eventual release in 1959. The final scenes, involving his return to the Forbidden City, are quite touching and to me are the best moments that the movie had to offer.

As you can tell from the introduction I wasn't a big fan of The Last Emperor primarily because I wasn't compelled by any of the characters. Part of the reason for this is due to the performances from the young cast, led by John Lone as Puyi, who try their best but ultimately don't make me care about their self-involved characters. The one exception to this rule is the turn put in by the magnificent Peter O'Toole as tutor RJ as he really made me care about his character and in turn the fate of Puyi. Unfortunately O'Toole isn't on screen for long and, by the final third of the film, I was pretty bored by all that was happening. The Oscar-winning adapted screenplay is partly to blame as I feel it's chocked full of exposition and historical detail without ever caring about character development. That being said I can completely understand why The Last Emperor won Best Picture as well as a further seven Oscars. Having now watched almost sixty Best Pictures it's clear that the academy loves a visually-spectacular epic and that's just what The Last Emperor provided. Aesthetically I can't fault the film and the fact that director Bernado Bertolucci was allowed access to The Forbidden City adds a legitimacy to the historical setting.  Bertolucci makes the Forbidden City appear to be a place where the traditions of China are preserved and is a safe hiding place for Puyi and his family. I personally really enjoyed the score which was given a modern touch due to the contributions from Talking Heads' David Byrne. Vittorio Storaro's cinematography is breath-taking from the word go and is able to introduce the audience to the crumbling Chinese empire. Additionally the Art Direction and Costume Design are fantastic but ultimately they just contribute to a film that's definitely all style and very little substance. As I already stated I can understand why The Last Emperor won the Best Picture Oscar but that doesn't necessarily mean that I agree with it.

Next time we journey back to the 19th century London for a haunting tale directed by a man whose known for his surreal take on certain subjects.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 296: The War At Home

War films have long been a staple of the Best Picture category with World War II in particular forming the basis of a lot of the nominees. But the phrase war film conjures up images of men in helmets being shot at and learning things about themselves while in the trenches. With the possible exception of Since You Went Away, no films have really focused on those left behind while the men are away fighting in the war. Hope and Glory differs from Since You Went Away primarily because it is quintessentially British. Based on the real-life experiences of director John Boorman, who grew up during the Blitz, the hero of the piece is ten year old Billy Rowan. The film begins with the start of the war and sees Billy's father join up for active service even though his age eventually means that he is forced to take a desk job rather than fight on the front line. Meanwhile his mother Grace is left to single-handedly care for Billy and his two sisters, flirty teenager Grace and cute little Sue. Initially Grace wants to send Billy and Sue away to Australia but quickly realises that she can't be separated from her children meaning that Billy gets to witness the war first hand. Billy's war involves he and his friends setting up a den in one of the houses that the bomb has destroyed and essentially running wild. Billy's life during the Blitz is a combination of swearing, pilfering and smashing stuff up whilst he also has childish dreams about what it would be like if he fought in the war. The real drama is provided by his family members as Grace thinks about lost opportunities and what her life would've been liked had she married another. Meanwhile, Dawn starts a romance with a Canadian soldier which soon results in her becoming pregnant at the age of sixteen. After a fire at their home, the Rowans are forced to move to the country home of Grace's parents where they enjoy a healthy diet of cricket and rowing. It is here that Billy bonds with his curmudgeonly Grandfather George who really doesn't like any of his daughters or the men that they've married.

I personally really enjoyed Hope and Glory during its first two thirds when we were given a child's eye view of the blitz. Young actor Sebastian Rice-Edwards has the perfect range of facial expressions to convey both the wonderment and horror that the war has brought. Philippe Rousselot's camera stays at Rice-Edward's height during the majority the film allowing us to see the world through his eyes. Billy's world is one of shrapnel-hunting and smashing things up but at the same time it's clear that he's missing his father. I did find Boorman's script to be slightly uneven and felt that the final third, set almost exclusively on the River Thames, to be a bit of a comedown after the excitement of war-torn London. In addition the final scene, in which his school is destroyed by a stray bomb, feels slightly anticlimactic and made the film feel flat as a result. But I can forgive Boorman these sins mainly as Hope and Glory is a film that is extremely personal to him and most of Billy's experiences are those first felt by Boorman during the Blitz. Hope and Glory is billed as a comedy however I would describe it more as a drama with comedic elements. One of the funniest parts of the film is when Billy's father brings back some German jam and the family are unsure whether or not to eat it. Similarly Dawn's wedding to her Canadian soldier has a lot of humour to it especially when you consider the ultimate fate of the bridegroom. Whilst Hope and Glory is, for the most part, a sedate film about what it means to be a family and missed opportunities that doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable. It's crazy to think that this film is directed by the same man who brought us the extremely violent Deliverance as the two movies couldn't be more different. More than anything else this is a very British film, down to its patriotic title, and I have to say I'm more than a little surprised that the American academy nominated it for Best Picture in the first place.

Next time we remain in the early 20th century as we take a rather successful trip to Asia.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 294-295: Forster's Flicks

Recently, when reviewing Tess, I talked about how a lot of the Best Picture nominees have been adaptations of classic works of English literature. That is the theme that ties the next two films on the list as both have been adapted from novels by EM Forster.

The first film, A Passage to India, is also the list picture to be directed by the legendary David Lean whose films had previously featured in four different posts. By this time in his career Lean had become synonymous with the audacious epic and, from a visual standpoint, A Passage to India. But, unlike some of his other films, I feel that A Passage to India was as concerned with its characters as it was with its stunning scenery and incredibly filmed set pieces. Set in during the 1920s, it tells that tale of Adela Quested who journeys to India to visit her fiancée Ronny who has become a magistrate in the country. Adela is joined by Ronny's mother Mrs Moore who is a lot less stuffy than a lot of the English folk they encounter in India. During one of her first nights in India, Mrs Moore meets the widowed Dr Aziz and the two strike up a friendship of sorts as they talk about their lives. Adela quickly discovers that Ronny's friends in India have quite a bigoted view on the natives and try to keep themselves to themselves as much as they can. After asking Aziz to help them find the real India, Adela and Mrs Moore quickly find themselves on an expedition to the Marabar Caves. When Mrs Moore becomes claustrophobic, Adela and Aziz go along with only a guide for company. However, Adela later emerges from the cave with her clothes torn and it's later insinuated that she's been raped by Aziz. Although the hysterical English folk rally round Adela and Ronny, Mrs Moore fails to believe her friend would act in such a way while Aziz's ally Richard Fielding feels the same. The court case soon brings out everybody's true feelings and results in a couple of tragic events along the way. I also found that everything that came after the court case went on far too long and A Passage to India could've ended about ten minutes before it did.

When I see a film is over two and half hours long I often approach it with some trepidation however A Passage to India just flew by. Part of the reason for this was the combination of Lean's sumptuous direction and is adaptation of Forster's compelling novel. Ernest Day's cinematography transported you to 1920s India allowing us to experience the sights and sounds of what the country offered at the time. Lean's long-time collaborator Maurice Jarre won another Oscar for his original score which once again perfectly suited the tone of the film. But possibly the biggest reason for A Passage to India's success was in its casting of actors who brilliantly brought the characters to life. I'm not alone in thinking that the stand out performance in the film belonged to Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs Moore. In fact Ashcroft won the Best Supporting Actress prize for her portrayal of an elderly woman who is still a lot more open-minded than her younger counterparts. Ashcroft's performance is both tender and strong as she makes you really believe in the courage of Mrs Moore's convictions. I do feel that Judy Davis' performance as Adela should have also earned her an Oscar as the Australian actress superbly portrayed a rather naive English rose. Davis lit up the screen as the damaged yet principled young woman who struggled to know where her loyalties should lie. Similarly excellent was Victor Banerjee as the wronged Dr. Aziz as he is able to switch his character from eternal optimist to jaded realist. Fantastic support is lent from a cavalcade of memorable British actors including Nigel Havers, Richard Wilson, James Fox and Art Malik. In fact the only questionable piece of casting comes in the form of Alec Guinness as Indian Professor Godbole. It just seemed a little odd that an incredibly famous Brit was playing a role that could've easily been taken by a talented Indian actor. But that's just a minor criticism in a costume drama that I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. Though overlong, I was swept up by the performances and Lean's superb direction. It's odd to think that the master of the epic will no longer feature on this list and I feel that A Passage to India was a perfect way to end his marvellous career.

Picking up the baton from Lean in a way were director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant who became synonymous with costume drama during the 1980s and 1990s. Merchant Ivory productions' first entry into this blog comes in the form of another Forster adaptation - A Room with A View. In addition to being the first Merchant Ivory film to feature during the challenge, A Room with A View was also one of the first movies to be co-produced by the then-fledgling Film 4 company. Although a lot lighter in tone, A Room with A View shares many similarities with A Passage to India including the fact that it focuses on a foreign holiday taken by a young woman and an older companion. In this case the country is Italy, the young woman is Miss Lucy Honeychurch and her older companion is her cousin and chaperone Charlotte Bartlett. The first half of the film looks at their stay in Italy which is initially plagued by the fact that they haven't got the room with the view they ordered. Their holiday is partly influenced by the people they meet including their local vicar, a pair of gentlewomen and a worldly novelist who is currently researching her next book. However Lucy's head is turned by the free-thinking George Emerson, who is staying at her hotel along with his father. Their time in Italy is cut short by a kiss that George steals from Lucy, an act that Charlotte is later appalled by. The second half of the film then takes place in Lucy's small Surrey town where her somewhat foppish family is criticised by the local snobs. One such snob, Cecil Vyse, is intrigued by Lucy and eventually asks her to marry him, a proposition she accepts. But when George, and later Charlotte, arrive in town things chance for Cecil and Lucy all together.

The third part of the Merchant Ivory family was screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala who often proved adept at providing accessible adaptations of English literature. I certainly think she did a great job with A Room with a View as I found the film to be well-paced and delightfully comic throughout. The majority of the characters within the film, with the possible exception of Lucy, were utter eccentrics but I have to say I didn't mind this too much. Jhabvala also broke down the story beautifully by interspersing various sections with the original titles of the book's chapters and was rewarded for her work here with an Oscar. Tony Pierce-Roberts' perfectly captured both the Italian scenery and the English countryside giving both unique identities and making sure they were the ideal backdrop for the story to take place. Richard Robbins' score provided great accompaniment for each scene and really enhanced the joy of the film. The art direction and costume design was equally fantastic and both areas were similarly honoured by Oscar. In another similarity with A Passage to India, A Room With a View is bolstered by a cast of reliable English actors. Maggie Smith is excellent as the reserved Charlotte as she excels at playing the woman who has never really lived life. A fresh-faced Helena Bonham Carter excels as the innocent Lucy who grows over the course of the film as do her feelings for Julian Sands' George. Plenty of reliable support is provided by Rupert Graves as Lucy's idiot brother, Judi Dench as the aforementioned novelist and Simon Callow who goes full-frontal as the local vicar. Interestingly, Daniel Day-Lewis also makes his debut on the blog as the incredibly insensitive Cecil whose incompatibility with Lucy didn't seem to affect his desire to propose to her. Even at this early stage in his career, Day-Lewis proved that he could become the character he was tasked with playing and indeed he is able to portray Cecil as the fool of the piece. Whilst not an outstanding film, A Room with a View was an enjoyably light period drama with plenty of eccentrics played by reliable actors. It perfectly demonstrated why Merchant Ivory were successful for so many years and why they would go on to garner a number of Oscar nominations in the next decade.

Next time we remain in British period drama territory as we focus on a war film with a difference.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 293: Oh Vienna!

During my review of Dangerous Liaisons I commented on how Stephen Frears' film changed the game as far as costume drama was concerned. But not watching these films in chronological order has meant that I was unaware of another such picture that played around with the conventions of the genre. Amadeus, which triumphed at the 1985 ceremony, was a joyously anarchic look at the life of Mozart and his alleged feud with the more stuffy court composer Antonio Salieri. The entire story is told in flashback as the elderly Salieri confesses his sins to a priest after being committed into a mental asylum. Salieri claims that nobody will listen to how it was he who killed Mozart so the priest willingly listens to the composer's confession. Salieri's story begins by illustrating his first sighting of the talented Mozart when the latter first arrives in Vienna. Although Mozart is portrayed as incredibly talented from the get-go we also see that he's incredibly vulgar, lustful and quite crude. This is in contrast to the dignified Salieri who currently works as the court composer even though he isn't as well-known as he would like to be. Soon the current Holy Roman Emperor commissions Mozart to write an opera for him but the production is plagued by changes as the talented composer comes up against the Emperor's rules and regulations. Meanwhile, Mozart openly mocks Salieri leading to the court composer feeling that the young upstart is a messenger from God. Soon Salieri hatches a plan that will cause Mozart's downfall as he poses as a mysterious stranger and pays him to write a requiem mass for him. The financially constrained Mozart agrees however the amount of work that is on his plate means that he neglects his family and struggles to achieve perfection.

Like the majority of the costume dramas of the 1980s, Amadeus is wonderfully designed with the film winning awards for make-up, costume and art direction. Indeed, that year's Best Picture won eight awards with further nods for the adapted screenplay, director Milos Foreman and the all-important sound editing statuette. For a film all about classical music, the opera sequences in Amadeus are some of the movie's best as they really demonstrate how great a talent Mozart was. Amadeus is definitely a film that is steeped in decadence with Vienna being portrayed as a lavish and wild city throughout. As Salieri, F Murray Abraham won the Best Actor award and to an extent I feel this is well-deserved. Abraham's performance is initially the less showy of the two but he is excellent at showing the gradual build-up of Salieri's madness. I feel part of the reason he won the award was that he was able to portray both the young Salieri and the current incarnation of the character who is narrating the story. But I felt that Tom Hulce, also nominated for his role as Mozart, was the stronger actor of the two. Hulce really encapsulated this young upstart and brought the vulgar yet talented composer to life. Anybody whose seen the film will remember Hulce's performance over anything else and in particular his rather infectious laugh. Although Abraham and Hulce dominate the screen I still think that Jeffrey Jones put in an excellent supporting turn as the fickle Emperor Joseph. If there's one criticism I have of the film it's that none of the lead characters are particularly likeable. Aside from Mozart's wife Constance, all of the other characters are obsessed with being the best and most are either sly or extremely vulgar. Despite both gaining their ultimate redemption, for the most part Salieri and Mozart are fairly selfish characters and that means it's hard to connect to either of them. Ultimately, this doesn't matter all that much as Amadeus is a joyous film which is both extremely well-designed and also thought-provoking due to its central rivalry. I really enjoyed the film as a whole and feel that it's the most deserving of the Best Picture winners of the 1980s that I've watched so far.

Up next we have two more costume dramas that are linked by a particular author.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 291-292: Ford Focuses

So far in this challenge we've seen Harrison Ford play the all-action hero both as Han Solo in Star Was and as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Although he's played a supporting role in other genres, such as small roles in American Graffiti and The Conversation, for the most part he's been all abut the action. However, towards the end of the decade, Ford began to broaden his repertoire playing a cop desperate to protect a young boy and a businessman who has his head turned in an unlikely direction.

Ford received his only ever Oscar nomination for his role in Best Picture nominee Witness where he played a by-the-book police officer. Ford's John Book is drafted in to investigate the murder of a fellow officer in the toilets of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. The murder's only witness is eight-year-old Samuel Lapp, a member of the Amish community who has rarely been outside of his family's farm. His widowed mother Rachel is unhappy with the way that Book is using Samuel to find the killer and wants to get out of the city as soon a possible. Samuel later discovers that the man he saw was a police officer which leads to Book finding out about a number of corrupt officers including his own boss. Realising that these corrupt officers will try to get to Samuel, an injured Book drives them to safety as they return to their family home. Rachel's father-in-law agrees to take Book in until heals, partly as he wants to protect Samuel. Rather predictably Rachel starts developing feelings for Book, however this doesn't sit well with the elders of the community who feel she may be shunned as a result of this relationship. Book is similarly attracted to Rachel but realises that any romance would cost her a way of life that both she and Samuel have become accustomed to. A violent altercation soon alerts the corrupt officers to Book's whereabouts which leads to an intense showdown in a cow barn.

In the wrong hands, Witness could have just been a paint by numbers thriller that was nothing more than a bit of mindless entertainment. Luckily writers  Earl W. Wallace and William Kelley alongside director Peter Weir had a vision for the film that they more than successfully pulled off. Weir excels at putting together several set pieces which perfectly drive along the action of the film. These set pieces include the brilliantly choreographed opening murder scene in the bathroom and later the rather tender moment where Book and Rachel dance in the barn. It's this romance between Book and Rachel that raises Witness above the simple thriller story and really offers up some interesting themes about desire and community. The way the Amish community is treated in modern society is another area that the film looks at it great detail. Due to their horse-drawn carts and distinctive costume, the Amish are treated as fools by some and as tourist attractions by others. It's arguably Book's understanding of the Amish culture that helps him get through his difficult time and even aids him in bumping off one of his attackers. Ford is really great in the role of Book as he transforms him over the period of the film into someone who is a lot more tolerant of others' beliefs. Ford shares brilliant chemistry with Kelly McGillis as the naive Rachel who herself puts in an excellent performance. McGillis was cruelly overlooked in the Best Actress category which is a shame as I feel her role is the more sympathetic and she was particularly brilliant during the more tender moments. Young Lukas Haas' wide-eyed expressions lent a believability to the role of Samuel as he was able to portray his innocence of modern life with ease. The film was bolstered by some fantastic cinematography from John Seale who let his camera capture every detail of Amish country. Similarly beneficial was the Oscar-nominated score from the legendary Maurice Jarre which perfectly suited the tone of the film. Witness did have a few minor problems, most notably the fact that the corrupt officers felt a little clichéd, but I found it involving from beginning to end. More than anything it proved that Ford could thrive in a role in which he was able to do more than simply run around and offer the odd quip when needed.

Ford later proved that he was the perfect comedy straight man as the only central male figure in another Best Picture nominee, Working Girl. The film itself primarily focused on Tess McGill, a young working-class woman who is hoping to rise from her position as a secretary. Tess has a business degree from night school but still isn't taken seriously by her male superiors who view her mainly as a piece of skirt. Fired from yet another position, Tess is given the job of assistant to financial executive Katharine Parker. Katharine initially seems like the perfect boss and wants her and Tess to work as a team. Tess comes to Katharine with the idea of having their client Trask Industries invest in a radio station with Katharine seemingly on board with the idea. Katharine later tells Tess that the idea was rejected by her superiors but she later discovers that her boss is simply going to pass the idea off as her own. When Katharine is injured on a skiing holiday, Tess gains access to her home and dresses up in her clothes to transform herself into an executive. Posing as one of Katharine's colleagues, Tess goes to a party in the hope of meeting Ford's Jack Trainer with whom she will later have a meeting with. Their initial meeting ends up with Tess waking up in Jack's bed but she later discovers that his team are on board with her idea. As Tess and Jack begin working together, an attraction grows between the pair and they are soon able to convince Trask to meet with them after crashing his daughter's wedding. However, Katharine's return brings with it a whole heap of problems not least the fact that she and Jack were involved in a relationship prior to her injury. At the end of the day it's up to Tess to break through the class barrier and prove that she does belong in a boardroom with the other financial executives.

I was almost immediately charmed by Working Girl during its opening sequence which featured commuters on the Staten Island Ferry making their daily trip into work. The whole sequence was accompanied by Carly Simon's 'Let the River Run' which would later go on to win the Oscar for Best Song. One of the film's greatest attributes is Kevin Wade's brilliantly paced script which engrosses you from the word go. He creates four or five characters who feeling incredibly realistic and all of whom you're willing to spend just under two hours with. Tess in particular is a character that I'm sure a vast majority of people can identify with namely a lowly worker who is a lot smarter than those who are promoted above her due to who they know rather than what they can do. Melanie Griffith is fantastic as Tess and excels in a film in which she appears in almost every scene. She brings a certain sense of style to the role which is perfect for a character who sometimes thinks before she acts. Sigourney Weaver is equally fantastic as Katharine a woman who appears to be everybody's friend but in actuality is simply out for herself. Weaver's cool exterior is the perfect balance with Griffith's more zany antics which makes you believe that they are complete polar opposites. Joan Cusack lends great support as Griffith's similarly wacky friend Cynthia whilst Alec Baldwin puts in a memorable turn as Tess' cheating boyfriend. Griffith, Weaver and Cusack all received nominations for their roles in the film as did director Mike Nichols who here presents another perfectly constructed piece of work. Meanwhile, though not recognised by the Academy, Ford was able to showcase another side of his personality and was the perfect foil for both Griffith and Weaver's romantic affections. At points it seemed that Ford was simply there to act as eye candy but I felt he held his own and has some wonderful chemistry with his leading ladies. Ultimately I found Working Girl to be an intelligent comedy which had a lot to say about class and gender whilst at the same time making a star out of its leading lady.

In the coming years, Ford would mainly be known for more roles in action films which is a shame as both Witness and Working Girl demonstrate that he's an actor who can turn his hand to many different genres.

Next time we have a Best Picture winner that really struck a chord with the Academy voters.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 290: A Very Meta Musical

Those of you who've followed this challenge from the very beginning know that the musical genre has been well-represented in the Best Picture category. From 42nd Street and Top Hat to Fiddler on the Roof and Hello Dolly! each decade has had two or three all-singing all-dancing nominees. The Oscars love of musicals reached its peak in the 1960s where four of the ten winners came from the genre. However, as the 1980s approached audiences lost interest in the musical and so it seems did Oscar. One man who was still very much involved in musicals both on stage and screen was Bob Fosse, who won a Best Director award for helming Cabaret in 1973. Fosse was also in charge of All that Jazz, the last musical film to be nominated for Best Picture for a shocking twenty-two years. The musical itself was also heavily based on the director's own life as it featured many scenes based on real-life events involving Fosse. In fact the film as a whole is based on Fosse's attempts to direct a production of Chicago while at the same time editing the Dustin Hoffman film Lenny. Fosse is represented in the film by legendary musical director Joe Gideon whose personal life is dominated by three women - his ex-wife, his current girlfriend and his young daughter. Gideon's current work life is interspersed with scenes from his childhood which are presented in haunting scenes involving a mysterious woman played by Jessica Lange. It is later revealed that these scenes are hallucinations that Joe has while being treated in hospital for angina, whilst Lange's character is a representation of the angel of death. As Joe's health deteriorates, these surreal musical numbers increase and they eventually build up to a massive finale which shows Joe ascending to heaven in a suitably over-the-top fashion.

Hectic is the best way to describe All that Jazz which skips between Joe's real life and his death sequences with reckless abandonment. While watching the film, I was constantly thinking how Fosse felt directing his own life story in this way. All the relationships in All that Jazz are incredibly similar to Fosse's down to the fact that he and his ex-wife continued to work together following their separation. I was glad to learn that All that Jazz won the award for Best Editing at the Oscars as to me that's one of the film's most notable elements. The film's unique style didn't always work for me and at times I rather wished it would calm down just a little bit. But luckily the energy of the cast, coupled with some great musical numbers, meant that All that Jazz just about made sense. At the heart of the cast is the brilliant Roy Scheider, who holds everything together superbly and brilliantly conveys why people still love Joe despite the fact that he's really quite horrible. Scheider is utterly convincing throughout as the womanising, pill-popping director whose inability to stop working was finally the death of him. I also found Jessica Lange to be spell-binding as Angelique, the woman who was almost weighing up Joe's life before his death. The scenes between Scheider and Lange were some of my favourites, primarily as because they felt incredibly different from what was going on elsewhere. To an extent they reminded me of the scenes between Liza Minelli and Joel Grey in Cabaret and I do feel as if Fosse was trying to recreate this style. Tragically Fosse himself died of a heart attack eight years later but at least he leaves behind him a legacy of brilliant films and some rather tremendous Broadway shows. Although almost too knowing for its own good, All that Jazz is a fitting send-off for the musical genre which wouldn't see again for another decade and a half.

Next time we look at an all-action hero who used appeared in two very different Best Picture Nominees in the 1980s.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 288-289: A Bunch of Sissy's

From Glenn Close we turn our attention to another great actress in Sissy Spacek. Far from playing the Feme Fatale which has been Close's go to guise, Spacek's acting style was is much more natural and allows the audience to identify with her character. It was this down-to-Earth attitude that earned her six best Actress nominations one of which she turned into a win.

Spacek's winning performance came as country singer Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter. I thought her innocent wide-eyed look was perfect as she had to portray Lynn as a young woman of thirteen up to her glory days as a country star. In fact I thought that Spacek almost pulled off being a teenager in the opening scenes and was fantastic in portraying the transformation of Lynn over the years. The first part of the film sees Loretta being courted by eventual husband Mooney who soon breaks a promise he made to her father and moves her away from her native Kentucky. As she has a brilliant voice, Mooney encourages her to perform and she soon receives an offer to cut a demo for her first single. Realising that they have to capitalise on this initial breakthrough, Mooney and Loretta go on a tour of DJs and promoters in the south in order to get her voice heard. Loretta's innocence makes her seem instantly likeable and she's genuinely shocked when she discovers her song 'Honky Tonk Girl' has made into the charts. This in turn lands her a spot on the Grand Ole Opry and she soon attracts the attention of her idol Patsy Cline. As Loretta's success grows, Mooney becomes jealous of his wife becoming the more dominant one in their marriage. With Loretta beginning to overwork herself she soon becomes stressed and unable to remember the words to her lyrics. Although she suffers a breakdown, the film ends on a high as we witness her comeback and the performance of the film's titular track 'Coal Miner's Daughter'.

Having watched a lot of biopics about musicians in the past I did approach Coal Miner's Daughter with some level of trepidation. Luckily, I needn't of worried as Michael Apted's film was an incredibly well-paced piece that covered all of the key points of Lynn's life without every overstaying its welcome. Tom Rickman's adaptation of Lynn's autobiography made me understand the motivations of both her and Mooney as her success in the music business changed her to an extent. What I liked about both of the Lynns is how they didn't feel like stereotypes and instead felt like real people throughout the course of the film. Whilst Mooney does react jealousy to Loretta's new stardom he never gets aggressive and is later supportive of her during her breakdown. Similarly you can understand Loretta's need to make herself more glamorous as her star ascends despite the fact that she really doesn't need as much make-up as she thinks she does. The musical numbers are all joyous, though I suppose you have to at least enjoy country music a little bit to appreciate them. Sissy Spacek more than deserved her Oscar as she portrayed all of the stages of Lynn's persona from innocent teenager to glamorous superstar to an overworked singer heading for a nervous breakdown. Spacek excelled at portraying Lynn's innocent charm and she really made the character come alive both through her acting and her singing. I'm shocked that Tommy Lee Jones didn't receive at least a nomination for his role as the supportive yet jealous Mooney. I personally believe that his performance is as integral as Spacek's and I really found his performance brought out the human side in the sometimes aggressive Mooney. Coal Miner's Daughter was really a step above the normal biopic and showcased just how great Spacek can be when given the right part.

The fact that they are both based on true stories is possibly the only similarity between Coal Miner's Daughter and Spacek's other Best Picture nominee Missing. Missing doesn't have the gloss of a Best Picture film but instead employs the documentary style favoured by its director Costa-Gavras. Set in Chile during the rule of Pinochet, Spacek plays Beth Horman the wife of a radical journalist who goes missing after their house was ransacked. Charlie's disappearance prompts his father to arrive in Chile and seek help from the American consulate in finding his son. Ed had never approved of his son's life choices and wondered why he'd never settled down and got a proper job. Whereas Charlie was a fairly liberal young man, his father is incredibly conservative and is a practising Christian Scientist meaning he's very much a man of faith. Ed and Beth clash over the latter's lack of co-operation with the men who are attempting to help find Charlie. Beth's distrust of the men is later explained through a series of flashbacks showing what sort of a man Captain Ray Tower actually is. As they spend more time together, Ed and Beth continue to bond as he realises the horrors of the country his son briefly called home. With the American government appearing more suspicious then they first seemed, Ed begins to give up hope of ever seeing his son again. Though the ending is predictable, especially if you were aware of the original story, it doesn't make it any less shocking.

Missing was a film that focused on a recent crisis and gave it a human face. Costa-Gavras portrayed the Chile of the time where bodies were simply strewn across the streets for all to see and where the sound of gunshots was a regular occurrence. Ricardo Aronovich's superb cinematography captured all this brutal detail perfectly and he particularly excelled when shooting the scenes in Chile's national stadium. The human face of the film was Ed who was experiencing the horrific nature of the country first hand and we as the audience were meant to relate to him. The fact that Ed was played by Jack Lemmon meant that he came across as likeable despite his initial prejudices and beliefs. Lemmon's performance was just brilliant as he made the audience identify with a man who was just trying to find his son. Though Beth wasn't as innocent as Loretta Lynn, Spacek still played an extremely down-to-Earth character. Spacek played Beth as somebody who was horrified by what was going on around but had got used to it over time. Spacek also really came alive when portraying Beth's defiance in the face of the American authorities. Another memorable aspect of the film was Vangelis' electric score which contributed to both the jarring nature of the Chilean conflict and the emotional aspects of the Ed/Beth relationship. Even though I found it tough to get through at times, Missing was nonetheless an accomplished film which told the story of a conflict through the eyes of those who didn't quite want to believe it. It is definitely a piece of historical film-making and one that is still as relevant today as it was thirty years ago.

Next time we have the film which became the last live action musical to be nominated for Best Picture for twenty-two years!