Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 258-260: The Further Adventures of Redford and Newman

So here we are in the 1980s a decade in which the Oscar-nominated films weren't the most interesting being made at the time. In this decade I will be looking at familiar faces from the past decades and looking at what they're doing now while in addition focusing on some of the new stars of the era. I'll start though by delivering on a promise that I made in the last post and seeing what Robert Redford and Paul Newman got up to in the 1980s.

Strangely the first film on this list features neither Redford nor Newman but instead is the former's directorial debut. Interestingly, Paul Newman's directorial debut - Rachel, Rachel was also Oscar-nominated but Redford went one better and actually won the Best Director Award. Also winning that year's Best Picture statuette, Ordinary People focused on a seemingly normal suburban family who were going through a terrible ordeal. Their older son Buck died in a boating accident the previous year whilst younger son Conrad, who was also in the boat, tried to commit suicide presumably at his guilt over causing the accident. The film starts just after a month after Conrad's return to the hospital and sees him taking up dad Calvin's suggestion of seeing a therapist. The therapist in question, Dr Berger, is quite long-in-the-tooth and doesn't appear to be that interested in what Conrad has to say. But, rather predictably in my eyes, the pair forms a relationship that grows into a stronger bond than that which Conrad shares with his mother Beth. Throughout the film, Beth is constantly trying to prove that everything is alright and that her family is completely normal, when in actuality they are far from it. An early scene at a friend's party shows the disparity between the couple as Beth is making idle chit-chat whilst Calvin is having an earnest conversation about his son's health. Calvin later finds himself caught in the middle when Beth snaps at Conrad for having quit the swim team without consulting them. Though Ordinary People is seen as Conrad's story, especially considering he is also involved in an awkward romantic plot, for me this is all about Calvin's failure to appease both of the people who loves dearly.

I did indeed feel that Ordinary People was as its best when focusing on the relationships between the three members of the Jarrett family. The strained relationship between Beth and Conrad was brilliantly handled as was the way that Calvin and Beth behave in private and when out with friends. I did feel that Ordinary People was less successful when we were dealing with Conrad on his own and especially when we saw him pal around with his school friends or attempt to romance choir member Jeannine. Similarly, Conrad's exchanges with Dr. Berger felt a little exaggerated and spoilt the realistic narrative that I feel Redford and the writers were going for. This was definitely an assured debut for Redford, however at times I did feel that he was a little obvious with he let his audience see. For example, I feel that the boating accident in which Buck died shouldn't have been part of the film and instead should have just been an event that the audience pictured in their own mind. I had a similar issue when Calvin was thinking about finding Conrad dead in the bathroom but I feel that ultimately this seen worked thanks to the facial expressions of Donald Sutherland. Indeed, I found Sutherland to be the best performer out of the central cast and he made Calvin feel the most real out of any of the major characters. Oddly, Sutherland was the only major cast member not nominated for an Oscar which I feel is a major oversight on the part of the academy. Best known for her work as the nation's favourite sitcom star, Mary Tyler Moore played a fairly unlikeable character in socially aware Beth. I felt Moore's performance was incredibly compelling and she shared great chemistry with Sutherland. Another sitcom actor, Judd Hirsch, was cast as Dr. Berger a role he played with vigour even if I didn't feel he completely pulled it off. Meanwhile, in his debut, Timothy Hutton was awarded with a Best Supporting Actor award for his role as Conrad. Though not perfect, Hutton was an engaging presence especially when he was onscreen with a member of the Jarrett family. Whilst Ordinary People was an interesting exploration into suburban life, it didn't exactly leave a lasting impression and therefore I'm not quite sure how it won Best Picture. In fact the only thing that's stayed with me about the film is its use of Pachelbel's Canon which is currently stuck in my head.

Whilst his buddy was jumping behind the camera, Paul Newman was staying very much in front of it, playing attorney Frank Galvin in The Verdict. Once a member of a major law firm, Galvin has recently has suffered a fall from grace due to his divorce and the fact that he hasn't been able to win a case. Galvin's old friend Mickey hands him a new case in which the family of a woman in a coma is suing the hospital that the feel put her in that condition. Five years ago, Debra Ann Kay went into the hospital to have a baby but was given the wrong anaesthetic and ended up comatose. Mickey gives the case to Galvin as he feels the Catholic hospital will most likely want to settle out of court. The hospital's lawyers offer Galvin £210,000 to settle but, after visiting Debra in hospital, he feels that he has to do the right thing and takes the case to trial. Frank is fighting a losing battle from the word go as he finds himself up against slimy defence attorney Ed Concannon and a bench full of lawyers. In addition, all of the doctors who were in the operating room are covering each other's backs and the only person who'll testify is an MD who regularly appears as a star witness. Even the trial's judge works against Frank as he seems as somewhat of an adversary. Just when it looks like Frank is out for the count, he figures out exactly why only one of the nurses wouldn't testify. He works with this particle of information and eventually finds a witness that will be able to testify against the hospital. I personally feel that The Verdict plays out almost like a sports film with Frank being the once great sportsman who now struggles to keep up with the youngsters. So, just like a sports movie, the final scenes let the audience decide whether Frank still has it or if he'll lose to somebody who has superior tactics.

The Verdict perfectly demonstrates the sort of role Paul Newman was taking at this point in his career. He was no longer Butch Cassidy or The Sting's Henry Gondorff and instead specialised in playing once great men who are past their former glory. Though he only was nominated for Best Actor here, it would be reprising the role of The Hustler's Eddie Felson that would finally win him the award four years later. His performance in The Verdict is a thing of beauty and perfectly demonstrates how Newman devotes himself entirely to his character. Despite his faults, we're rooting for Frank Galvin from the word-go as he's a man that's willing to do the right thing and essentially wants to right the wrongs he's made in the past. Every good hero needs an antagonist and James Mason plays his role as Concannon perfectly. Regularly cool, calm and collected; Concannon is later revealed to be a master manipulator and attempts to defend the hospital, fully knowing that they're in the wrong. Providing excellent support are Charlotte Rampling, as Frank's love interest Laura, and Jack Warden as his best mate Mickey. As well as marking Newman's final appearance in a Best Picture nominee, The Verdict marks the last appearance in this blog of Sidney Lumet. Lumet once again is able to direct a character-driven piece that provides shocks and ultimately makes us care about the outcome. Lumet was aided by a brilliant script from David Mamet, who creates a group of characters who feel realistic and are forced to make moral decisions that we may have to make at some point. The Verdict is definitely a stripped-down old-fashioned courtroom drama but it does what it does excellently. It's fair to say that, of the three films I've watched in this post, The Verdict was definitely the one I enjoyed the most so surprisingly it's the only one that didn't go on to win Best Picture.

Three years later, Robert Redford would go on to star in his final on-screen role in a Best Picture nominee, that being eventual victor Out of Africa. Though Redford's name appears first on the opening credits, he doesn't appear much in the film's first hour. Instead we follow the exploits of Karen Blixen, a Danish lady who early on marries her friend Baron Blixen and takes him to her family's farm in what is now Kenya. Once in Africa, Karen is introduced to Redford's big game hunter Denys through a mutual friend Berkeley Cole. As the philandering Blixen often leaves Karen to her own devices she starts to entertain both Berkeley and Denys. The First World War changes things in Africa, with Karen forced to move out of her farm and she later returns to Denmark after contracting a fairly serious disease. The second half of the film charts the course of the relationship between Karen and Denys as she moves him into her house and the two begin a courtship of sorts. But any opportunity to make their relationship into a more permanent arrangement is thwarted by Denys' lack of commitment and his insistence to live like a wild animal. Denys would rather fly his plane around then enter a serious conversation about marriage and Karen finally realises that their romance is doomed. Following a number of other tragedies, Karen prepares to leave Africa and hopes to reunite with Denys on more time before journeying to Denmark.

I feel that director Sydney Pollack really brought Karen's story to life due to the dazzling cinematography which perfectly captured the Kenyan scenery. The scenes that really stuck in my head were the set pieces involving Karen's first arrival into Africa and her first trip in the plane with Denys. The sweeping shots of the African countryside are perfectly accompanied by John Barry's majestic score. However, despite its visual grandeur, Out of Africa was beset by many problems, the first being its length. Clocking in at over two and half hours, the film had a meandering narrative that felt like it was trying to stick too much to the original source materials. In fact every detail of Karen's life was included in the film and I did feel as if Pollack could have edited Out of Africa down to about two hours. Though she is given some gorgeous costumes to wear, I never really believed in Meryl Streep's Oscar-nominated performance as Karen. As well as a wavering accent, she never really made me care about Karen's struggles and so I wasn't that disappointed when things didn't go her way. At times it appeared as if Redford was in a different movie to Streep as his performance of Denys almost felt like he was channelling an India Jones-esque hero. Though Redford and Streep did have some chemistry, it was still a stretch to believe in their on-screen romance which was the basis of the film's second half. To me the best performances came from the supporting cast namely Michael Kitchen as Berkeley and Klaus Maria Brandauer as Baron Blixen. Despite some stunning visuals, Out of Africa to me felt too over-indulgent and long-winded to be a really good film. Due to its important message and exotic locations, I can understand why it won Best Picture but I have a sneaking suspicion that there were better released that year that deserved it more.

So that's it as far as on-screen performances from Redford and Newman are concerned. Whilst another of Redford's directorial efforts will pop up in the 1990s, neither would appear in a Best Picture nominee again. I do feel that both, Newman in particular, have progressed a lot since we first met them and this post begins an interesting trend of following the career trajectory of actors who we've followed for quite some time. Continuing the theme next time is a film featuring a man who starred in two of my favourite nominated films from the 1970s.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 256 and 257: Redford and Newman end the decade with a bang

Film partnerships are something that cinema has thrived on throughout the years from Laurel and Hardy to Abbott and Costello. During the early years of the 1970s, two films cropped up in the Oscar nominations that had Robert Redford and Paul Newman topping the bill. An established star, Newman was one of the top Box Office stars of the 1960s thanks to his roles in The Hustler and Cool Hand Luke. Meanwhile Redford was an up-and-coming name who would later usurp Newman as the top draw at the Box Office. As well as sharing this incredibly talented duo; both films are directed by George Roy Hill and often feel like pastiches of the genres they inhabit.

This assertion is certainly true of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, a film that is in many ways a send-up of the Western genre. Unlike other Westerns, Butch and Sundance doesn't take itself too seriously and instead often pokes fun at how silly some of the plot devices in these sorts of movies often are. Incredibly loosely adapted from the story of its titular outlaws, the film focuses on Butch and Sundance as they escape from America and try to start a new life in Bolivia. Butch and Sundance is a film of two halves, the first a fairly standard Western in which our central figures carry out a number of train robberies. After being tracked down by a group of determined lawmen, Butch and Sundance decide to abscond into Bolivia in order to lead new lives. They are joined by Etta Place, Sundance's teacher girlfriend, who realises that the boys aren't going to be able to rob banks in Bolivia until they learn Spanish. The sequences in which the pair attempt to learn Spanish are some of the film's funniest and they lead to some more memorable moments as Butch and Sundance become Bolivia's Most Wanted. I found the romantic subplot of Butch and Sundance incredibly endearing as it's clear that Butch has eyes for Etta. The sequence in which they ride around on a bicycle, to the strains of 'Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head', is a sweet moment in another wise action-packed adventure. Obviously, Butch and Sundance is famous for its closing sequence, a freeze frame shot in which we are to assume what happens to the duo. Though it's clear what the outcome will be, what's less clear is why I grew to love these men who essentially rob to make their living.

Part of the reason for empathising with these bank robbers is due to William Goldman's fantastic script which presents the bank robbers in a vulnerable way. Usually in a western we root for the lawman, but here Butch and Sundance are a couple of endearing figures who are just trying to make a living the only way they know how. Both characters aren't as macho as they'd have you believe, with Butch never having fired a shot in his life and Sundance not knowing how to swim. In addition, it's great to see a strong female character in Etta and it's easy to spot why both men are completely in love with her. I personally felt that the first half of the film dragged, but once the trio reached Bolivia things really started to get going and ultimately I believe Goldman deserved his Best Screenplay Award. Conrad L Hall was similarly deserving of his Best Cinematography Oscar primarily due to the different techniques he employs throughout the film. As well as the aforementioned freeze frame shot, Hall makes the film stand-out by having its first five minutes shot in a sepia tone before returning to a traditional colour print. The scenes in which the trio journey to Bolivia by boat are also well-presented via a series of still-frame shots which almost feel like a set of holiday photos. Another memorable aspect of Butch and Sundance is the song 'Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head' which became a hit as a result of the film and was another Oscar winner alongside the movie's score. I did feel that Katharine Ross was incredibly compelling as this sweet schoolteacher who decided she wanted to live a little and used her gifts to becoming an accessory to a series of bank robberies. But ultimately, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid belonged to Newman and Redford who played their roles to pure perfection. There was undeniable chemistry between the pair that made it easy to believe why these two trusted each other so much. Similarly it was easy to see why Hill turned to the duo again for a subsequent film that concerned another criminal duo, this time a pair of 1930s conmen.

But, whereas Butch and Sundance saw Redford and Newman share the screen, The Sting presented Redford's Johnny Hooker as the leading man. The opening twenty or so minutes of The Sting introduced us to Hooker, a fairly adept conman who pulls of an operation, not realising that he's stealing from notorious crime boss Doyle Lonegan. After blowing the money he stole and realising his lifes at risk, Hooker flees to Chicago and meets up with world-weary conman Henry Gondorff, played by Newman. Though the two are initially reluctant partners they eventually invent a scheme to steal millions of pounds from Doyle, partly as revenge for the murder of their mutual acquaintance Luther Coleman. Both introduce themselves to Doyle aboard a train, using aliases, and manage to convince him that they are bookie and disgruntled employee respectively. After Gondorff, posing as the bookie, manages to out-con Doyle, Hooker convinces him that they can take the bookie to the cleaners by rigging a horse race. From there all of the characters try to outdo one another, with the plot taking another turn with the introduction of Lieutenant Snyder, a corrupt officer who has a vendetta with Hooker. There are a couple of twists along the way that not even I saw coming whilst Hooker finds a brief romance with a down-to-Earth waitress. Just like with Butch and Sundance, the final scene ends with a shoot-out but unlike the duo's earlier film this one is played as just another con.

I did find it odd that Hill recruited Redford and Newman only to have them share a minimum amount of scenes together. Though they're working on the same con together, Redford spends most of his time with Robert Shaw's Doyle and Newman is often seen in another room. When they do share scenes together, their chemistry is still brilliant but to me these segments are few and far between. However, they do highlight how art imitates life with Newman's Gondorff being the world weary master to Redford's Hooker who still has a lot to learn After The Sting, Redford's star would surpass Newman's and sadly the pair didn't work together on the big screen again. As far as the film as a whole goes I thought it was visually brilliant, especially thanks to William H Reynold's Oscar-winning editing as he used plenty of unique methods to cut between scenes. In fact everything from the period detail, to the costumes and the Al Jolson score set it apart from other films being made at the time. Similarly, David S Ward's brilliantly crafted story keeps the audience guessing as we find we've been conned as much as the majority of the characters in The Sting. But, despite an entertaining story and a unique visual style, I didn't personally think The Sting had much going on below the surface. Though Butch and Sundance was presented in a similarly flippant style, the romantic plot involving Etta gave it a bit of depth and made the characters feel sympathetic. Despite enjoying their exploits, I didn't think Gondorff and Hooker were particularly well-rounded individuals and I didn't really connect with them as characters. Therefore I do wonder why The Sting went on to win the Best Picture prize at the 1974 ceremony, something I will address in my next post.

As for Redford and Newman, their careers would take different twists and turns during the rest of the decade. Additionally they would both go on to achieve success at the Oscars during the 1980s, something I'll explore in my first post looking at the Oscar ceremonies from that decade. But for now its goodbye to the 1970s, a decade that arguably had the most amount of quality nominees of all time.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 215-216: A Couple of Major Disasters

Back when I was reviewing films from the 1930s it appeared as if the major studios were competing against each other in making disaster movies. Films such as San Francisco and In Old Chicago explored events like earthquakes and floods, putting major stars at the front of these disasters. However, the definite golden age of the disaster movie was the 1970s in which all-star casts were forced to deal with disasters ranging from fires to floods as well as plenty of mishaps up in the air. These disaster films did particularly well at the Oscars with two of them being nominated for Best Picture.

 The first of these was Airport, which arguably started the whole disaster movie craze. Though not focusing on a particular disaster, Airport was definitely influential due to its all-star cast being put in peril as well as its focus on special effects. The plot of the film is all based around a Chicago airport which is managed by Burt Lancaster's Mel Bakersfield, a man who spends more time at work than he does at home. Mel is besieged by issues such as snow grounding several of his planes, complaints from local residents that planes are flying too low over their houses and the fact that his staff have recently apprehended a stowaway. Mel doesn't take the stowaway case too easily when he discovers that the culprit in his a little old lady in the form of Helen Hayes' Ada Quonsett. Though Mel's loyal assistant/love interest Tanya doesn't share his views and wants Ada watched at all times, though this doesn't happen and the stowaway soon escapes and boards a plane to Rome. The plane to Rome is also where D.O. Guerrero plans to end his life after a string of financial failures and onset depression. Guerrero feels the best way to help his wife his to blow up a plane, with his death meaning that his wife will be able to cash in on his life insurance. Mel and Tanya soon learn of Guerrero's plan and inform Dean Martin's Captain who devices a plan to try and stop Guerrero. From there its a race against time to try to prevent an explosion and get all of the passengers to safety. 

Having some obvious knowledge of the disaster genre I would definitely say that Airport wouldn't classify in the same league as some of them. Despite this, I feel that writer/director George Seaton set up enough peril in the form of Guerrero's bomb to have me on the edge of my seat. I also felt like Seaton had introduced just enough characters for me to know who everybody was and who was in secretly in a relationship with who. Burt Lancaster was the perfect person to play Mel as he was an assured lead who attempted to keep everything at the airport running smoothly while dealing with one problem after another. He was perfectly supported by the much more suave Dean Martin as the captain who was having an affair with one of his stewardesses played by the equally glamorous Jacqueline Bisset. However, the two Oscar-nominated performances came from the supporting actresses who played very different roles. The brilliant Helen Hayes was perfect as comic criminal Mrs Quonsett who was quite matter-of-fact about her stowaway exploits. The fact that Ada later gets to play heroine adds another layer to a character who could've easily been a one-note supporting player without Hayes' performance. Meanwhile Maureen Stapleton adds an air of humanity to the film as Guerrero's wife who attempts to stop his plan before it's too late. Despite its over-the-top nature I still really enjoyed Airport as a film in its own right though I wouldn't particularly class it as a disaster film in the traditional sense of the genre.

The disaster genre itself really began with The Poseidon Adventure, which was nominated for several Oscars but not Best Picture. Two years later we had possibly the ultimate disaster film The Towering Inferno, which had so many stars that they couldn't decide who should receive top billing. Indeed, one of the most infamous stories about the film was that Paul Newman and Steve McQueen both considered themselves to be the leading man so both the poster and the opening credits had their names diagonally placed so as to insinuate that both were taking the lead. In addition, both actors were appeased by having the exact same number of lines of dialogue so the audience would feel satisfied that both were on an equal footing. Personally I would consider Newman the star just because his character, architect Doug Roberts has more of a pivotal role as he discovers that his newly designed building has plenty of electrical faults. It soon transpires that the tower's builder, James Duncan, cut many corners in order to cut costs. These cost-cutting measures included concreting over fire exits and having his son-in-law, electrical engineer Roger Simmons cut as many corners as possible. As a fire breaks out on one of the floors, Roberts attempts to warn Duncan about the incident but he refuses to end his luxury party just because of a small blaze. Predictably the fire is soon out of control and the party-goers are trapped with more and more of their possible exits being trapped. Thankfully McQueen's fire chief O'Hallorhan has several ideas how to rescue the party, with differing results, and at the end of the day some of the more expendable characters have perished. 

While Aiport's body count was extremely minimal, there were plenty of deaths in The Towering Inferno to satisfy those who feel a disaster film should have a life-threatening incident at the centre of it. Unlike Airport though, I didn't feel that I got to know all of the characters before the fire began to take shape. Indeed, aside from Roberts, O'Hallorhan and Duncan the rest of the characters felt a little clichéd. For example, Fred Astaire's conman, who obviously shares a lot of similarities with Helen Hayes' Airport character, isn't given a lot of backstory. While the characters played by Robert Wagner, Jennifer Jones and Robert Vaughn are similarly one-note creations. As Roberts' long-suffering love interest, Faye Dunaway does have a little bit to do but the latter scenes involve her simply worrying about things. Worst of all is Richard Chamberlain's Simmons, who is the smirking British villain of the piece, as I found him to be a very poorly-written antagonist. Despite the wealth of two-dimensional characters, The Towering Inferno was still an enjoyable thanks to the impressively choreographed fire sequences. The peril was steadily built up as the exterior shots of the building saw more and more flames break out, while the more dangerous methods of escape had me on the edge of my seat. The film won well-deserved awards for cinematography and editing while its central theme 'We May Never Love Like This Again' was also rewarded with Best Original Song. While The Towering Inferno may seem cheesy by today's action movie standards, I still felt it provided enough peril to pass the time and, looking at it now, it can be held up as an incredibly influential piece of film-making. 

Next time I'll present a double bill that you won't be able to refuse.  

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge 203: So Good They Named Her Twice

It's no secret that I haven't particularly enjoyed the last couple of films that I've watched as part of this quest, mainly due to the fact that they've been all-action war films. So, for my next choice, I've decided to watch something with less guns and more character. The film I'm talking about is Rachel, Rachel, the directorial debut of Paul Newman, which also starred his wife Joanne Woodward as the film's titular heroine. I say heroine, but Rachel is much more of an ordinary woman who most would describe as a bit of a wallflower. Rachel has lived in the same house all her life, while she is now teaching to the same school she attended. While her siblings have all moved on, she has been left behind to care for their widowed mother. Rachel doesn't like to socialise with anyone and the closest relationship she has is with fellow teacher Calla. However, after the two attend a revival meeting together, Calla reveals that she is in love with Rachel and clumsily makes a move on her. After rebuffing her friend's advances, Rachel meets an old acquaintance in the form of the charming Nick Kazlik. Nick attempts to secure a date with Rachel, but once again she tries to blow him off. Eventually he wears her down and Rachel has her first sexual experience with him. She immediately plans a future for herself and Nick, but when he reveals he was only looking for something physical Rachel is distraught. Her pain worsens when she realises she might be pregnant, and resolves to move away in order to raise her child in a more comfortable environment.

Released in 1968, Rachel, Rachel is definitely one of the new breed of films which shy away from convention. Throughout the film, Newman visualises Rachel's fantasises and flashbacks, as she imagines several scenarios that never occur. In addition we hear her inner-monologue a lot of the time, which I felt became annoying towards the end. What I did like was the film's depiction of how small-town life can drag you down and how seeing the same faces every day can drive you insane. Rachel was an intriguing central character whose daydreams and flights of fancy were all in keeping with the dreary setting. One criticism I have of the film is that it seemed awfully episodic and I don't feel that the narrative flowed as much as it should've done. However, I would still recommend the film, mainly because of the brilliant central performance from Joanne Woodward. Woodward held my attention throughout the film and totally brought Rachel to life, perfecting every single little mannerism. I was shocked that Woodward didn't win the Best Actress Oscar but then saw that this way the year in which both Katharine Hepburn and Barbara Streisand won the award. Also worth a mention is Estelle Parsons as the closeted lesbian Calla, Parsons proves how great an actress she is as her performance here is a million miles away from her turn in Bonnie and Clyde. While I can't say Rachel, Rachel is perfect, it is a lovingly crafted film with a great central performance. I also enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to sit through endless scenes of gun battles and instead got to spend time with the characters, which I found to be a refreshing change.

Next time, though there won't be many battle scenes, I will be returning to a film set during wartime.

 

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 176: A Gamblin' Man

So it's that time of year again where I wonder whatever happened to that blog about Oscar-nominated films I started a while ago? So yes I'm starting the good old Oscar Challenge Blog up once again and we're back in the 1960s for a film that gives a real feel to how films were changing throughout the decade. Yes because while we were still getting the Technicolor musicals like My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music as well as some mighty epics there were films focusing on different aspects of American life. One such film was Robert Rossen's The Hustler a dingy movie set in the pool halls of America and starring Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson. The film essentially is split into three acts the first sees Eddie build up a reputation as a hustler eventually getting to meet the great Minnesota Fasts one-on-one. Eddie comfortably beats Fats but he keeps going unwilling to stop the game until Fats says it over however in the meantime Fats has enlisted betting expert Bert Gordon to help throw Eddie off the game with Fats eventually ending up the victor. Eddie then ends up on a downward spiral only saved through his relationship with the equally damaged Sarah who helps rehabilitate Eddie before the two move in together however Eddie still craves for his former life. Eddie eventually meets up with Bert who agrees to be his manager and the pair, along with Sarah, head to Louisville where Eddie makes enough money to play Fats once again however the cost is his relationship with Sarah. This builds up to an emotionally charged final scene in which Eddie and Fats square off once again however this time there's a personal issue at stake also.

I'm so glad that I got back into taking up this project once again if only so I could watch The Hustler which is everything a film should be from the way it is shot down to the four central performances. Rossen shot the whole film on location in New York using two real life pool halls for the key scenes while he even confused patrons at the bus terminal cafe where Sarah and Eddie first meet. I found everything so engrossing from Eddie's first tour of various bars to the emotionally charged scenes in Louisville and Eddie and Fats' final showdown. As Eddie, Paul Newman gives one of the best acting performances I've ever seen as you can truly see him feel love and pain for the first time in his relationships with both Bert and Sarah. Piper Laurie's upper class drunk Sarah is also a sympathetic character as she slowly falls in love with Eddie despite knowing that it won't go anywhere and ultimately ends up destroying herself. Comedian Jackie Gleason is also wonderfully restrained as Fats portraying a pool player who keeps a cool head in the two scenes we see him in. George C Scott meanwhile is great as the film's antagonist Bert who knows how to get exactly what he wants from people but is ultimately humiliated in the final scene. Though I found the film a tad slow in the middle overall this was a fantastically acted and shot film that was rightfully nominated for a ton of Oscars, including four acting nods, and I really hope to watch more films just like this one as I continue on with this blog.

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 133-134: A Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor Part 2

And now on with the second part of my Elizabeth Taylor tribute.

The film I previously mentioned which utilised Taylor correctly was Giant an epic with a difference going over the span of many years of the Benedict family as they become parents and later grandparents. The head of the family Jordan 'Bick' Benedict was played by Rock Hudson while Taylor played his wife Leslie. The film concentrates on old versus new as Bick is the latest in the long line of Benedicts to own the Reata Ranch and is assisted by Mercedes McCambridge's Luz and James Dean's Jett Rink. When Luz dies she leaves a patch of land to Jett and later he strikes rich after finding oil and finds a new way to get money from the land which Bick isn't too pleased with. Bick sells some of his land and gets even more rich from the oil meanwhile Bick and Leslie have three children the eldest of which, Jordy played by a  young Dennis Hopper, wants to be a doctor rather than run the ranch while the older daughter Judy wants to follow in her father's footsteps. Jordy later marries an American Indian woman and fights the prejudice that that brings meanwhile Jett buys a hotel and starts dating the younger daughter Luz II but she stops their relationship after realising he's a bitter drunk and the film ends with Bick realising how good his life is and how much he actually loves his wife. Although overlong there's no doubting that Giant is a magnificent film from the outdoor shots to the story itself I felt it flew through most of its two and a half hour run time. I have to say I could've done without some of the scenes including the one in which Leslie journeys home to see her sister get married to her former beau played by Rod Taylor. As well as a best picture nomination George Stevens managed to win Best Director with acting nominations for Dean, Hudson and McCambridge but nothing for Taylor which is a shame as she really anchors the film playing a woman who doesn't understand why she isn't allowed in Bick's inner circle of men who constantly discuss business. Even though she ages throughout the film she still looks really glamorous and so pretty this is one film in which she shines yet not even a nomination.

But she did get a nomination towards the end of the decade at the 1959 ceremony she was nominated in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof an adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play and one of a handful of Williams stories that became Oscar nominated pictures in the 1950s. The story revolves around Paul Newman's Brick Pollit a drunken ex-Football player now commentator who has come back to Mississippi for his father, Big Daddy's birthday with his wife Maggie known as Maggie the cat. The film, like the play, is centred all around the day of Big Daddy's party with Brick drunk and in his room while Maggie spends most of the time fighting with Brick's brother and his horrible wife and children. Brick is upset with Maggie because he believes she was responsible for the death of his friend Skipper. Apparently one of the things Williams hated about this adaptation was that the supposed homosexual feelings that Brick had for Skipper were cut out so his outbursts aimed towards Maggie weren't as barbed as they might have been had those themes remained in the film. This was alledgedly to do with the Hays Code, the censorship body at the time, disallowing references to homosexuality and therefore muddying this adaptation. The film also ends with a reconciliation between Big Daddy and Brick after the latter finds out the former is dying, this was another scene that was lengthened so the audience could go out with a happy ending. Despite receiving a plethora of nominations the film didn't win a single one possibly because the subject matter and Taylor's very provocative performance were a bit too risque for an Oscar Ceremony in which the Best Picture statuette went to Gigi. I have to say though this film was very good, although it was quite confined as it was used to being played on the stage the actors still gave it their all.

So in the 1950s Taylor went from young innocent daughter to full on vamp while playing the medieval heroine, glamorous socialite and many eras of the same woman in between. This voyage through five of her films has given me an insight into the career of a great actress and there's two more films from her in the 1960s section which I am yet to view and I have to say now I'm looking forward to it.