And the Winner is — 1939

  Our family is working our way through Oscar winners and whichever nominees take our fancy. Also as they are available, since these early films continued to be hard to find.

This year's movies had another delightfully mixed bag ranging from drama to screwball comedy. There are some treasures in the bunch but some real duds too.

Nominees not viewed: Four Daughters or Test Pilot. They looked good but we just couldn't track them down.

WINNER

Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony Kirby, but his wealthy banker father and snobbish mother strongly disapprove of the match. When the two families meet things turn screwball fast.

Frank Capra's third Oscar in five years. This was vivid and lively in a way that I didn't expect. I thought this would be about the young couple but it was really about the two family patriarchs and how Jimmy Stewart's father changes. My favorite performances were from the father and the night court judge. 

 NOMINEES

Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.

Never a huge favorite of mine but it seemed just as good a candidate as the winner with an energetic telling of a classic adventure story. But blockbusters rarely win an Oscar.

A group of French soldiers during WWI are transferred to a high-security fortress and must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein.

This was really great and you can see how influential it was. Many times I recognized standard POW camp elements from movies done later on, such as the way they hide the dirt from the tunnel in the garden (Great Escape). This had deeper layers about class, nationalities, the cost of war, and the joy of peace. Really great. I'd pick this over the Oscar winner.

Ho hum. An Irving Berlin songbook accompanying a little bit of story. We couldn't believe this was nominated.

In 1850s Louisiana, the willfulness of a tempestuous Southern belle threatens to destroy all who care for her.

I couldn't take my eyes off Bette Davis whenever she was onscreen. And you can see Wyler's skill growing with every film. We originally watched this during our William Wyler series which was during Covid. This movie has the threat of plague everywhere and the comparisons made fascinating viewing.  

We all know this story. It is the play that eventually was turned into a musical, My Fair Lady. It was a very good movie. We hadn't realized how strongly the musical followed the screenplay, so much so that it echoed in our minds throughout the story. 

This had small things that distinguished it from the musical and recommended it. Higgins tells Pickering that Eliza has parrot-like skill in accents and that she's able to learn how to behave like a duchess with no problem. So even though he never compliments Eliza to her face, he respects her abilities. Mrs. Pearce, the housekeeper, goes to bat for Eliza to be treated more fairly. Freddy is definitely more of an idiot. Higgins is merely intrigued instead of being afraid that Eliza will be exposed at the ball. 

This was an earnest, wholesome biography of Father Flanagan's Boys Town where homeless boys were raised to be successful, well adjusted members of society. I can see why it was a feel-good selection, but it didn't age well, especially compared to the other Oscar contenders.

A young, idealistic, newly qualified Scottish doctor attempts to cure miner's lung but his attempts are thwarted. When a friend shows him how to make a lucrative practice from rich hypochondriacs, it will take a great shock to show him what the truth of being a doctor really is.

A medium pick of all those viewed, this was a melodrama about the meaning of life being greater than acquiring wealth. I did love Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell in the main roles.

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All the Oscar viewing is here.