Here are the five nominees: (Winner in Bold)
Biggest Snub:
Otto Preminger – Anatomy of a Murder
My Overall Thoughts:
This was another year of great nominees and 4 of the 5 could have conceivably won with their work because it is so good but one of the films was clearly a few notches above the other 3.
My Rankings:
Directing
4. Fred Zinnemann
3. George Stevens
2. Billy Wilder
1. William Wyler
Movies
5. Room at the Top – Harvey is pretty good here, but at points he is quite a bore which seems to be on purpose. Sears is also good here, but Signoret steals the show with her Oscar winning performance. Liked the way they were able to be frank about life and what people are willing to do for love and also to get to the top.
4. The Nun’s Story – Does an excellent job of showing the life of a nun. Hepburn does a wonderful job as the conflicted woman who has trouble balancing her faith with her yearning to heal. Liked the way they showed us so much of what it means to be a woman of the cloth and trying to detail the process. The themes of this film are great because we get to experience along with the main character why she has questions about her faith vs. profession. I can understand how people can really adore this film.
3. Some Like It Hot – Quite a funny premise that works almost the whole time despite some of the silly antics. Lemmon and Curtis are superb in these roles which seem to go completely against their normal comedic typecast. Like how the plot played out and the way it all comes together in the end. Monroe is fine as costar but she isn’t able to outshine the leads no matter how you look at it.
2. The Diary of Anne Frank – Excellent script that gives us the real impression of danger that these people lived in for over two years. Amazing acting by all involved.
1. Ben-Hur – Great epic movie, done expertly. Wyler created one of the best films ever with his direction of it all. Still remains captivating to watch after 60 years. Very worthy of it’s 11 Oscars.
Do I agree with the Oscar winner? – Most definitely! Wyler created such an iconic epic film that took films to a new level. Very deserving of being one of 3 films to hold the Oscar record for most wins at 11!
Let me know what you think about these films and my rankings!
MovieRob 