Rebecca (1940): 13th Winner for Best Picture

Rebecca (1940)

Date viewed: 22 January 2012

This film was back to black and white, but it was also our first Hitchcock best picture. It's a story of a woman who is from the middle class world who falls in love with a well-known man in Monte Carlo. Although widowed several years beforehand, he marries her and she moves into the life of the upper class, but life isn't always rosey.

This was a really strange film. The music was weird and some of the characters are weird - the twist was completely unexpected - and weird! There was definitely something different about this film. If you like strange love stories with a twist, watch this film.

Why did it win Best Picture? Hitchcock was a great and famous director, but it was also based on a novel by a famous author at the time. Maybe even its weirdness allowed it to win...

Gone With The Wind (1939): 12th Winner for Best Picture

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Date viewed: 14 January 2012

For me, unlike others, this was the first time I had seen this film in my life before. This film was the first of our best pictures to be in colour. It is a story rooted in US history about a woman (Scarlett) who comes from a well-to-do family and lives through the American civil war. It follows her lovers and how she grows through this time of war and beyond.

The first half was very interesting, but after the intermission I felt it was a very drawn out love story. Scarlett's character also drove me crazy towards the end. If you like American history and drawn out love stories, see this movie.

Why did it win Best Picture? Possibly the fact it was in colour, but also it was a story about a significant event in US history.