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February 7, 2009
Oscar Challenge: 1947 (and a re-cap)
Hey, you know what sucks ass? Anti-Semitism! If you aren't sure that it's wrong to discriminate against people just because they're Jewish, you should TOTALLY watch "Gentleman's Agreement".
Not even the delicious Gregory Peck, not even a screenplay by Moss Hart, not even the scene-stealing, fast-talking Celeste Holm can redeem this preachy, preachy story. That's really all I have to say. There was nothing terribly *wrong* with "Gentleman's Agreement", but it just wasn't great. It was up against "Miracle on 34th Street" and "The Bishop's Wife", both of which are immortal holiday classics and films you never have to ask me twice to watch, but they're not exactly Best Picture either.
...
So I ranked the first 20 movies we've seen from best to worst, and I asked Nathan to do the same. We handed each other our lists, and, not surprisingly, they were very similar. The top seven and the bottom three are nearly identical. "Gone With the Wind" and "Rebecca" were higher on mine mostly because I've seen them both eight hundred thousand times and they're sort of embedded in my psyche. I think that Nathan's list is a little more objective than mine. It's pretty cool, though, that we're on very similar wavelengths.
Here are mine:
1. * 1943 Casablanca
2. * 1939 Gone with the Wind
3. * 1934 It Happened One Night
4. * 1942 Mrs. Miniver
5. * 1940 Rebecca
6. * 1946 The Best Years of Our Lives
7. * 1929-1930 All Quiet on the Western Front
8. * 1932-1933 Cavalcade
9. * 1936 The Great Ziegfeld
10. * 1937 The Life of Emile Zola
11. * 1931-1932 Grand Hotel
12. * 1941 How Green Was My Valley
13. * 1944 Going My Way
14. * 1938 You Can't Take It with You
15. *1947 Gentleman's Agreement
16. *1935 Mutiny on the Bounty
17. * 1945 The Lost Weekend
18. * 1927-1928 Wings
19. * 1930-1931 Cimarron
20. * 1928-1929 The Broadway Melody
Here are Nathan's:
1. * 1943 Casablanca
2. * 1934 It Happened One Night
3. * 1939 Gone with the Wind
4. * 1942 Mrs. Miniver
5. * 1946 The Best Years of Our Lives
6. * 1940 Rebecca
7. * 1929-1930 All Quiet on the Western Front
8. * 1941 How Green Was My Valley
9. * 1931-1932 Grand Hotel
10. * 1937 The Life of Emile Zola
11. * 1936 The Great Ziegfeld
12. * 1938 You Can't Take It with You
13. * 1932-1933 Cavalcade
14. *1947 Gentleman's Agreement
15. * 1945 The Lost Weekend
16. * 1944 Going My Way
17. *1935 Mutiny on the Bounty
18. * 1927-1928 Wings
19. * 1930-1931 Cimarron
20. * 1928-1929 The Broadway Melody
Comments
20 years down, 62 to go. Well, 61 until after the Academy Awards. Of these first 20 movies, I had only seen five of them before we started this project. It will be interesting movie moving into more familiar territory and seeing how the newer films hold up on rewatching.
Posted by: Nathan at February 8, 2009 9:20 AM