The Greatest Show On Earth (1952): 25th Winner for Best Picture

The Greatest Show On Earth (1952)

Date viewed: 20 May 2017

This film totally dedicates itself to the life of the circus. With all the highs, lows, thrills and spills included, it also had lots of romance, drama, comedy and even action!

As much as I loved how the film captured the raw behind-the-scenes life of those in the circus, I felt that much of the 150-minutes could have been left in the cutting room. I felt like the some of the performance and parading spectacles they showed were very dry, and probably would have been more entertaining if you were actually sitting there watching it live. The film felt a little over-dramatic at times and the film certainly was quite dated.

I felt that this film had some great aspects to it, though. I liked how it captured the spectacle that was the magic of the circus, taking us behind the scenes of how the 'cogs' of it worked, and how life was on the road when being part of a circus family. It also captured the reality of having a circus financially, and the battle between the joy of the circus and profitability for those higher up the chain. It had some cameo appearances and also captured the essence of the circus being an escape from the realities of the world outside of it.

This being our third film in colour out of the Best Picture Winners certainly was disappointing in my view following An American In Paris. Yes it made the circus come alive to a point on screen with all the flamboyant costumes they had, but I felt the filming for it was done in black-and-white style and could have been done so much better.

Why did it win Best Picture? I felt that it captured the heart of the circus, and the theme of despite what happens the 'Greatest Show On Earth' must go on was ever present. It also probably won for the extravagant costumes too. Considering the amount of animals, actors, performers, audience members - it was probably a huge movie to make just with that in itself and was a spectacle of the screen at the time when many have been used to seeing the circus live.

An American In Paris (1951): 24th Winner for Best Picture

An American In Paris (1951)

Date Viewed: 24 August 2014

What an amazing musical! So artistic, creative and quirky. The choreography was incredible and the music by Gershwin was the icing on the cake for me!

This was the first colour film we have viewed since Gone With The Wind, and it was the kind of film that needed colour to capture the artistic scenery of Paris.

This was my first viewing of this film and I had my mouth open the whole time in awe of its splendour as a musical. If you like musicals (or even if you can sit through one) sit through this!

Why did it win Best Picture? The colour that captured the essence of Paris and its creativity within would have definitely been a good reason this film won. Gershwin's fusion of jazz and classical composition would have helped its profile too and the choreography to go with!

All About Eve (1950): 23rd Winner for Best Picture

All About Eve (1950)

Date viewed: 24 August 2014

In short this film was basically a cat fight in the theatre featuring a young Marilyn for a cameo appearance. (Obviously Marilyn became for famous in later years).

Okay, maybe a bit more than a cat fight - there was some good character development with the main character.

I have to admit that it was also a good portrayal of the negative attitudes that theatrical actors had toward what would have been the 'boom' in TV and film actors in Hollywood at that time. In a sense it was kind of ironic that it made it to the movie screen.

Why did it win Best Picture? The only things I could pick would be good character development with the main character as well as the TV and film actor 'boom' portrayal that would have been quite relevant at the time.

All The King's Men (1949): 22nd Winner for Best Picture

All The King's Men (1949)

Date viewed: 3 August 2014

This was quite a peculiar film about love, politics and family. It seemed quite ordinary at the start of the film, but as the story progressed it turned darker.

Other than this fascinating storyline, it was a film that seemed quite ordinary to me and failed to have any other outstanding features.

Why did it win Best Picture? Possibly for the political story that was portrayed through the good times and the bad. The story line's darker side may have made it a winner as well. It was also a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, so it was most likely to also be a relevant tale for its time.

Hamlet (1948): 21st Winner for Best Picture

Date viewed: 23 February 2014

Hamlet (1948)

This black and white film adaptation of Shakespeare's play was quite well done. This was the first Shakespeare play put to screen out of the Best Picture winners so far. The scenes were well set out, the castle used was quite realistic and some scenes were quite effective. This was the first time I had ever seen any form of Hamlet in its full duration.

I felt that mainly this would be more effective if it was left to the stage. Although the father in the mist added what I'd call a good 'Shakespearean Darth Vader' effect, some scenes lost the touch on the screen compared to its potential on stage including the famous 'to be or not to be' scene. It was long (yes, it would be long on stage, too), but I felt less engaged with the story and felt that if I saw the same thing on stage I might engage with the play much better.

The Shakespearean language is always going to be a barrier for me (as I'm not used to it), but I still got the idea of what was happening.

It's good if you like Shakespeare put to film, but I think some plays (like this) should be left to the stage and not put in film, as timeless and relevant as Shakespeare's plays are and will be.

Why did it win Best Picture? Well, Shakespeare is always a timeless classic and it probably was a great time to bring out a film with romance and swords on screen.

Gentleman's Agreement (1947): 20th Winner for Best Picture

Date viewed: 12 January 2014

Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

This black and white film follows on with the post-war theme where a journalist investigates about attitudes of American society about anti-semitism.

This is another film that shows the attitudes and views of the American people post-World War II, yet this focuses its attitudes towards Jewish people (or even people who might be Jewish).

There is a love story in the midst of this, which makes for a very interesting storyline.

Definitely a provocative film for its time!

Why did it win Best Picture? I would say that the controversial angle the film took about such a post-war topic would definitely put it in the bag! Gregory Peck's role was also well-played.

The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946): 19th Winner for Best Picture

Date viewed: 12 January 2014

The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)

This black and white film followed several men and their lives after returning from World War II in the United States of America. This film was quite fascinating in looking at not only how the men got back into civilian life with their families and their workplaces, but also how much their society had changed around them whilst they were at war. It was an interesting reflection upon how society functioned post WWII and the attitudes and views of those in the society had changed and progressed.

The viewpoints, insights and portrayal of these men settling back home leads to a very interesting and well-played film.

Why did it win Best Picture? The hot topic was the war at the time, so that would definitely be one reason. I'd definitely say another reason was the perspective the film took on those who returned from WWII and the different experiences that gave a snapshot of what it was like for returning troops.