Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 404: A Star-Studded Murder Mystery

Even though he'd been working constantly in the decades since we met him last, it's odd to think that we haven't seen director Robert Altman on the blog since the 1970s. Although he continued to make ensemble pieces that were critically lauded, the Academy never honoured one of his films after Nashville. That was until the 2002 ceremony when one of Altman's final movies was nominated for several Oscars and even picked up a Best Screenplay award. However, if you didn't know who was calling the shots, you may be mistaken for not knowing that Gosford Park was an Altman film at all. 

That's because, unlike the Altman films I've seen up to this point, Gosford Park was a very British movie set in the titular estate. The film began life as an idea that actor Bob Balaban, one of the only Americans in the cast, had and pitched it to Altman. After introducing Altman to screenwriter Julian Fellowes; the three decided to create an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery. Like previous Christie adaptations; Fellowes' film featured plenty of characters who had motivations to finish off the arrogant Sir William McCordle. Those on the guest list include his aunt Duchess Trentham, his sisters and brother-in-laws as well as his daughter's suitor. What makes Fellowes' country house script stand out from the crowd is that it follows the downstairs servants as much as it does their masters. As Sir William had a penchant for affairs with his maids there were one or two grudges leaking below stairs so it's no surprise when he's found poisoned and stabbed at the end of the film's second act. Whilst the oafish Inspector Thompson attempts to solve the murder; Duchess Trentham's lady's maid Mary does a better job herself. From the start of the film, Mary becomes our surrogate as she is new to the service industry and doesn't know her way around Gosford Park. However, mainly based on listening in to various pieces of gossip, Mary works out who it was that both poisoned and stabbed the victim. Whilst we don't ultimately know whether the culprits will get arrested, I found the ending to be an interesting twist where the murderer was presented in a more sympathetic light than the victim. 

Although the two share no similarities when it comes to their setting, both Nashville and Gosford Park had similar story structures. Both feature numerous subplots that tie together by the end of the film which, in the case of Gosford Park, happens when the murderer is revealed. Like Nashville, not all of Gosford Park's side stories work and as a result some of the characters were surplus to requirements. I got the feeling that Fellowes and Altman had a lot more time for the servants than they did for their masters. That's why I felt that Helen Mirren's housekeeper, Eileen Atkin's cook and the two maids played by Emily Watson and Kelly MacDonald were possibly the most sympathetic characters of the bunch. Mirren gave a particularly memorable turn as the housekeeper who had given up everything in order to be the perfect servant. Mirren was nominated in the Supporting Actress category alongside co-star Maggie Smith who looked like she was having a hoot at portraying Duchess Trentham. However some of the other members of the cast were less lucky with the parts they were handed with Derek Jacobi, Charles Dance and Richard E. Grant three examples of actors with thankless roles. Fellowes' script was nicely paced with the suspects being build up gradually until the murder itself finally occurred. One element of the film I didn't like was the introduction of Stephen Fry's incompetent detective who threatened to turn a likeable drama into a farce. I'm not sure why Altman and Fellowes thought that they needed to change the tone of the film but Thompson's arrival did nothing for me. What makes Gosford Park so likeable is its witty script coupled with some lovely shots of the British countryside by cinematographer Andrew Dunn. Whilst it never has any particular Earth-shattering revelations to make, Gosford Park is still an entertaining watch that includes a fine ensemble cast. It's just a shame that Altman isn't still around making films like this as he sadly passed away in 2006.

Next an odd double bill of films that both earned wins for Best Director and Best Original Score. 

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 252: Girls on Top

In my last post, I looked at two incredibly audacious period dramas that coupled fantastic art decoration with some equally impressive cinematography. In a complete shift in tone, this post will explore a comedy drama that really highlights how women were coming into their own in the late part of the decade. An Unmarried Woman, stars Jill Clayburgh as Erica Benton, a wealthy woman living in New York with a successful husband and a loving teenage daughter. Erica spends a lot of her time at the art gallery where she works or having in-depth discussions with her three rowdy friends. However, life changes dramatically for Erica when her husband Martin announces that he's been having an affair for the last year with a younger woman. He now realises he's love with his bit on the side and wants to move in with her and divorce Erica, news that sends her into meltdown. Erica initially struggles to cope with this news and sinks into a minor depression, even snapping at her daughter Patti. As Martin was her only relationship, Erica doesn't know how to cope on the dating scene and has several unsuccessful encounters. She finally begins a proper relationship with eccentric British artist Saul with the pair sharing several meaningful exchanges. As she begins to feel liberated, she wonders if she actually needs a man in her life at all and if her relationship with Saul is what she really wants. 

Paul Mazursky, who wrote and directed An Unmarried Woman, had already carved out quite a successful career making adult relationship comedies. His debut film, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, won several plaudits and introduced him as an exciting new voice. But it wasn't until An Unmarried Woman that he finally became a massive name in the industry partly due to his Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. The script itself felt incredibly different from any film I've watched before on this list, with the possible exception of A Touch of Class. Mazursky's characters felt real and the discussions they were having were particularly explicit but rung true nonetheless. This particularly applies to Erica's frank discussions about sex with her three girlfriends and I felt these scenes were a big influence on the creators of Sex and The City. Erica herself is an interesting character as she's a woman who's been defined by a man all of her life and suddenly finds she's without one. I believe that we sympathise with Erica so much because of the brilliant Oscar-nominated performance from Jill Clayburgh. Clayburgh is fantastic throughout the film and provides in an incredibly raw depiction of a woman experiencing a massive upheaval in her life. Of the supporting cast, I felt that Kelly Bishop was great as Erica's friend Elaine who experienced bouts of depression throughout the film. Alan Bates was similarly well-utilised as the passionate artist Saul who captures Erica's heart while Michael Murphy was suitably sleazy as her husband Martin. I have to say I do enjoy watching an offbeat film like An Unmarried Woman once in a while and I found it incredibly easy to get through. It's a shame that more films like this aren't nominated for Oscars today but it once again showcases how diverse the range of Oscar-nominated movies were during the 1970s. 

Next time we have two films from a rather unique film director. 

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.