This has got to be the worst movie ever to win an oscar! What was the academy thinking??!
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scritchours — 19 years ago(January 15, 2007 10:35 AM)
had the guy been nigerian, would you have dared said "truly an idiot - african i presume?" - and no, i'm not american, i just can't stand that kind of comment.
and by the way, the importance of a script is much bigger in america than, say, europe, where they consider directing makes the quality of a movie. -
TrueFiendish — 19 years ago(May 08, 2006 10:57 PM)
Okay, so apart from the script and the musical score it was okay? No worries. I would add the bit where he kills himself for her. Talk about shmaltz; in real life he might have tried to hang on a bit longer, I reckon
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FredCDobbs — 21 years ago(November 18, 2004 10:04 AM)
It's a basically a Carry-On type film winning an Oscar - outrageous! And it's crap to boot. That said, admittedly, it was a lean year for quality films but in my humble opinion "This Sporting Life" should have won.
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jim6263 — 20 years ago(May 08, 2005 06:01 PM)
Of those nominated, "America, America" deserved to win and would have been on any other decent list that year (imho), unlike bloated crap like "Cleopatra" (which sorely needed a B.O. boost, coincidentally!). But Kazan was not popular with many in Hollywood, due to his McCarthy hearings participation, so!?
This is a great quote, Maggie! (as it's true) "A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet."Orson Welles
It rings of Sartre's observation that ALL we ever experience (or perhaps it's perceive?) is ourselves! -
nocomputer1962 — 20 years ago(July 19, 2005 06:53 PM)
So, being a comedy disqualifies it from Oscar consideration? There are plenty of worse movies that have won Best Picture Oscars: Chariots of Fire, The English Patient, Out of Africa, The Last Emperor, Gandhi, etc. Just out of curiosity, can you name a comedy that you would have given a Best Picture Oscar to? I don't mean to sound rude, but I'm just trying to get a sense of where you're coming from. (Obviously, I happen to like Tom Jones, but wouldn't have minded if the BP Oscar for that year had gone to Hud or The Birds.)
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mcdowelldjl — 20 years ago(April 09, 2005 09:31 PM)
The Academy as most of the United States was infected with the "British Invasion" bug and had amnesia. It forgot to even nominate any of the following:
: Hud with perhaps Paul Newman's finest performance and certainly Patricia Neal's and who can forget the scene of Melvyn Douglas slaughtering the last of the breed.
: Charade Take Cary Grant mix in Audrey Hepburn add Henry Mancini to a sharp script and Paris scenes and you have one of the best who done its. Will you ever look at stamps the same way?
: The Great Escape Although changed to appeal more to the American audience, this fact-based story will have you on the edge of your seat.
Also: 8 1/2, Hitchcock's The birds, How the West was Won - which can't truly be enjoyed today since you can't see it in Cinerama; and last but not least, From Russia with love. In addition to the usual gadgets and glorious gals, has the two pals in real life (Shaw {blond and buff} and Sean) having one of the best fight scenes ever. Now it's not artsy enough but at least you'll not walk out of the theatre thinking the Academy had too much twisting and shouting when the ballots were cast. -
Ed-145 — 18 years ago(April 21, 2007 11:53 PM)
mcdowelldjl, good post! You're right. There were very good movies that were not even nominated for Best Picture in 1963.
I did enjoy "Tom Jones" when I saw it in 1963. You've got to take into account that this was way back in '63. "Tom Jones" was pretty sexy and exciting back in the day.
I took two dates to see "Tom Jones". It was a good movie to take a girlfriend to see. And, you know, that's not all together unimportant.
My favorite movies from 1963 are "The Great Escape", "Hud", and "From Russia With Love". Imagine seeing these on a big movie screen again today.
If you're looking for justice, you won't find it when you're scrolling through the list of Academy Award Best Picture winners. Just look at some of the outstanding pictures nominated but lost.
And as mcdowlldjl has pointed out, notice some really good pictures that were not even nominated.
Some years there were several strong movies nominated. Other years the field was pretty weak.