Flipp you may as well take your turn and get this game moving.
Edited By Reza on 1247973692
[PO] Penelope's Elimination Game
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The Original BJ
- Emeritus
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- Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm
I love most of the films of 1939 as much as you're supposed to, but looking at this category makes me realize that I'm not sure I really love a lot of their screenplays. (Even some of the classics left out here -- like Stagecoach and The Wizard of Oz -- seem to be excelling in a lot of other areas more than writing.)
Gone With the Wind is a good adaptation. I read Margaret Mitchell's novel last year, and while I thought her storytelling instincts were terrific, her prose wasn't especially distinguished. (Or rather, not entirely right for the story -- it seemed the narrative was pitched at such a melodramatic level, the simple prose didn't really fit.) The movie, however, really elevates this borderline-harlequin romance into something grand, but I think it's the overall "movie-ness" -- the photography, the score, the performances -- that accomplishes this more than the writing.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a very moving picture. Garson's exit and especially the ending are pretty powerful, but the episodic narrative makes this for me the least engaging script of this bunch. It's the great Donat performance that holds the film together.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a really lovely movie, an inspiring reminder that political films weren't always cynical and pessimistic. And the characterizations are pretty interesting -- I think the Jean Arthur and Claude Rains characters are surprisingly well-shaded for what could have easily been obvious types. Plus, the last half hour is totally gripping.
Ninotchka is a hoot, and probably the most script-centered of any films here. It's a strange premise, carried off very well, and has great dialogue. (The "Must you flirt?....Suppress it" exchange is priceless.)
I actually really like Wuthering Heights. The end reduces me to a total mess every time, and the script is an efficiently truncated version of Brontë's novel. Still, it's the performances, Toland's photography, and that achingly romantic score that carry the film along.
So...my choice? I could make a case for any but Goodbye, Mr. Chips as a deserving winner. Gone With the Wind's script isn't great enough to use my last pass, so that's out. I'll say Ninotchka, which seems the most writer-oriented of the nominees.
Whoever's next, take (and by take, I mean correct) Best Actress 1936.
Gone With the Wind is a good adaptation. I read Margaret Mitchell's novel last year, and while I thought her storytelling instincts were terrific, her prose wasn't especially distinguished. (Or rather, not entirely right for the story -- it seemed the narrative was pitched at such a melodramatic level, the simple prose didn't really fit.) The movie, however, really elevates this borderline-harlequin romance into something grand, but I think it's the overall "movie-ness" -- the photography, the score, the performances -- that accomplishes this more than the writing.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a very moving picture. Garson's exit and especially the ending are pretty powerful, but the episodic narrative makes this for me the least engaging script of this bunch. It's the great Donat performance that holds the film together.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a really lovely movie, an inspiring reminder that political films weren't always cynical and pessimistic. And the characterizations are pretty interesting -- I think the Jean Arthur and Claude Rains characters are surprisingly well-shaded for what could have easily been obvious types. Plus, the last half hour is totally gripping.
Ninotchka is a hoot, and probably the most script-centered of any films here. It's a strange premise, carried off very well, and has great dialogue. (The "Must you flirt?....Suppress it" exchange is priceless.)
I actually really like Wuthering Heights. The end reduces me to a total mess every time, and the script is an efficiently truncated version of Brontë's novel. Still, it's the performances, Toland's photography, and that achingly romantic score that carry the film along.
So...my choice? I could make a case for any but Goodbye, Mr. Chips as a deserving winner. Gone With the Wind's script isn't great enough to use my last pass, so that's out. I'll say Ninotchka, which seems the most writer-oriented of the nominees.
Whoever's next, take (and by take, I mean correct) Best Actress 1936.
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The Original BJ
- Emeritus
- Posts: 4312
- Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:49 pm
Well, I haven't seen any of these in a while, but at least I've seen them all at some point. I've told my story about watching the Killing Fields in a Cambodian guest house before, and how it gave me a powerful association with this film. That's got to be my choice, though of the other possibilities I'd most like to revisit is a Passage to India as it's haziest in my memory.
OBJ: since you're not doing the Best Of the Best game, and I'm curious about your take on 1939, try that year's Adapted Screenplay category.
Edited By rain Bard on 1247261310
OBJ: since you're not doing the Best Of the Best game, and I'm curious about your take on 1939, try that year's Adapted Screenplay category.
Edited By rain Bard on 1247261310
Arthur Ibbetson, Anne of the Thousand DaysSabin wrote:Best Cinematography 1969 goes to Reza.
Charles B. Lang, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice
*Conrad L. Hall, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Harry Stradling, Hello, Dolly!
Daniel Fapp, Marooned
The award goes to Harry Stradling.
Rainbard: Best Adapted Screenplay 1984
Reza wrote:flipp525 wrote:Hold up...Supporting Actress '08 was already given to Viola Davis. Sabin, pass Reza along another category if you would.
Flipp aren't you updating the results page?
Yes, that was updated weeks ago when the Viola Davis choice was officially made.
Edited By flipp525 on 1247249027
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell