19. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Director: William Wyler

Starring: Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Fredric March), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Harold Russell), Best Director, Best Writing, Best Film Editing, Best Score

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Sound

Favourite Line: "You see, Mr. Milton, in the Army I've had to be with men when they were stripped of everything in the way of property except what they carried around with them and inside them. I saw them being tested. Now some of them stood up to it and some didn't. But you got so you could tell which ones you could count on."

Harold Russell, Dana Andrews, and Fredric March.

William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives is a lovely and touching film about hope and perseverance. It features a very large, and very talented cast, and is a very unique look at the Second World War, and the toll it took on the everyday lives of the soldiers who fought in it.

The Best Years of Our Lives is the story of three World War Two veterans returning home, and their struggle to re-adjust to their lives outside of the war. One returns to his wife of 20 years and his two children, who he no longer recognizes. He begins drinking, and finds he has dramatically different opinions concerning his pre-war job at a bank. Another comes home to the wife he married fewer than 20 days before leaving, only to find that perhaps they aren't as suited for each other as he had hoped. He also finds he cannot keep a job, looses all his money, and falls in love with another woman. The third, who lost his hands to the war and now wears hooks instead, finds the pitying stares of strangers and loved-ones alike to be unbearable. He struggles to re-connect with his girlfriend, and worries he will no longer be enough for her, or will scare her away.

Art by Olly Moss.

This is a very moving and emotional picture, which carries you seamlessly between all three stories. The actors are all brilliant, but most the most notable performance is that of Harold Russell, who in fact won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Homer, the young man who lost his hands. He was discovered by director William Wyler in an army training film, Diary of a Sergeant. In the original script for The Best Years of Our Lives, Russell's character was a victim of emotional and mental trauma, but when Russell was cast in the picture, the role was re-written to deal with Russell's real-life disability.

An interesting fact about The Best Years of Our Lives, was that William Wyler wanted to give the film a very realistic, almost documentary-like feeling. To accomplish this, he actually hired all his crew from the ranks of World War Two veterans. He also wanted all the costumes to be store bought, and worn by the actors in regular life prior to filming.

The Best Years of Our Lives is a lovely film, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Second World War, or just in wonderful filmmaking.

18. The Lost Weekend (1945)

Director: Billy Wilder

Starring: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Ray Milland), Best Director, Best Writing

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Score

Favourite Line: "Don't wipe it away, Nat. Let me have my little vicious circle. You know, the circle is the perfect geometric figure. No end, no beginning."

Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend.

 The Lost Weekend is an absolutely incredible film, full of wonderful cinematography, moving performances, and brilliant storytelling. The film, based on a novel of the same name, shows, quite harshly, the tragedy and struggle of a man dealing with alcoholism, and the toll it takes on those around him as well as himself.

The filming itself is very impressive in this picture, and there are a number of beautiful and very interesting shots. The script is also brilliant, and so it is no surprise that this film took home an Oscar for the screenplay. However, the most compelling and stunning part of The Lost Weekend, is the performance by Ray Milland as the films lead. All the performances were wonderful, to be sure, but Milland's is of special note. He is breathtaking, and so invested in his role, that you feel so strongly for the character and his struggle, even when he does wrong again and again. In fact, director Billy Wilder guessed, upon completion of the film, that Milland would win the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance. His guess was right, and the award was well deserved.

Art by Olly Moss.

Here are my few fun facts about The Lost Weekend. Before the film's release, the studio was frequently attacked by the alcohol industry, demanding the film not be released, as it presented alcohol in such a bad light, and they feared sales would decrease. At the same time, other groups tried to stop the film's release as they thought it would encourage drinking. Another interesting fact about The Lost Weekend is that it is the first film to feature the theremin (a musical instrument) on the soundtrack. The strange sound was so effective for the nightmarish atmosphere of the film, that the theremin became very commonly used in science-fiction film scores.

Overall, The Lost Weekend is a brilliant film that must be seen. It is well deserving of it's Best Picture award.

17. Going My Way (1944)

Director: Leo McCarey

Starring: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Bing Crosby), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Barry Fitzgerald), Best Director, Best Writing (Story), Best Writing (Screenplay), Best Original Song (“Swinging on a Star”)

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Barry Fitzgerald), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing

Favourite Line: "It wouldn't be a church without a mortgage."

Bing Crosby and the Robert Mitchell Boy Choir in Going My Way.

First of all, I would like to apologize for the very long delay between films recently. I just became very busy at work, and have now moved to a new city for school, but I am now settling down, and will try to get back on track.

Going My Way is the heartwarming and charming story of a young priest who is assigned to a well established, but rather poor church. He and the long time head of the church don't see eye to eye at first, but come to understand each other, as the young priest cant help but touch the hearts of all he meets with his kindness and his music.

This was a very charming, but albeit somewhat cheesy film, and although it has some fine acting, there's really not much of a plot to speak of. I was actually surprised when the movie ended because I kept waiting for a story to develop. The most impressive part of this film is the music, which was very lovely. One of its songs, "Swinging on a Star", actually won the Oscar that year for Best Original Song. I was especially a fan of the scene in which Bing Crosby (who plays the young priest) and his newly formed boys choir sing "Ave Maria". It was stunning. Of course, the choir was very talented, but I was already a fan of Bing Crosby, and so it doesn't take much to impress me when it comes to his singing. That man could sing the phone book, and I'd still swoon.

Art by Olly Moss.

Here are a couple fun facts that I found interesting about this picture. In the film, Barry Fitzgerald plays a catholic priest, but in real life he was a protestant. Evidence of this can be found in the film, as he apparently crosses himself in the wrong direction. Another thing I found interesting was that because this film was released during WWII, there were metal shortages, and so when Barry Fitzgerald was given the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, the statue was made of plaster, rather than gold, as they usually are. He accidentally broke the statue a few weeks after he won.

Over all, Going My Way provides an entertaining and lighthearted movie viewing experience, despite not being as impressive as some of the other Best Picture winners.

16. Casablanca (1942)

Director: Michael Curtiz

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid

Other Oscar Wins: Best Director, Best Writing

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Humphrey Bogart), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Claude Rains), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Score

Favourite Line: "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine."

Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca.

Casablanca is an undeniably brilliant film, and is one of my all time favourites. It is full of romance, intrigue, action, and exceptional acting, and of course includes the timeless song, "As Time Goes By". This film is set in Casablanca, Morocco during the Second World War, a dangerous city full of refugees trying to escape to the new world. American saloon owner Rick Blaine must decide between staying with the woman who once broke his heart, and helping her husband, a prominent leader of the resistance, to escape.

Art by Olly Moss.

The story itself is enough to make a wonderful film, but it's the performances of all the actors that really makes it. Humphrey Bogart as the hard and secretly sentimental Rick is stunning, delivering one of the most memorable film performances of all time. Ingrid Bergman is also incredible, despite her being a little uncomfortable throughout the filming over the fact that the script was not finished until the last minute and she did not know whether her character ends up with Rick or Victor Laszlo. My favourite character, however is the selfish and yet strangely charming Captain Renault, played to perfection by Claude Rains. He makes what could be a very dislikable character someone who the audience still feels for to some degree.

Casablanca is one of history's greatest films. An undeniable classic, which has woven itself into popular culture, with some of the most famous lines of all time; "We'll always have Paris", "Play it Sam", "Round up the usual suspects", and of course, "Here's lookin' at you, kid". This nearly perfect film is one that should be watched over and over again. It lives up to it's reputation, and will endure for years to come.

15. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Director: William Wyler

Starring: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Greer Garson), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Teresa Wright), Best Director, Best Writing, Best Cinematography

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Walter Pidgeon), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Henry Travers), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Dame May Whitty), Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Effects

Favourite Line: "I know how comfortable it is to curl up with a nice, fat book full of big words and think you're going to solve all the problems in the universe. But you're not, you know. A bit of action is required every now and then."

The cast of Mrs Miniver.

Mrs. Miniver is a beautiful and moving film about a middle class British family, trying to make it through the Second World War. It is thoroughly touching and optimistic, despite showing the toll that war can take on common people.

The most stunning thing about this film is the astounding number of incredible acting performances. It's no wonder it includes 5 Oscar nominations for acting alone, and two of those won. Mrs. Miniver is in fact the first film to have so many acting nominations. I personally cannot single any one performance, as all of them were very moving, lovely, and nuanced.

Art by Olly Moss.

 Interestingly, director William Wyler openly admitted that he made this film as a sort of propaganda to cause American audiences to be more sympathetic to the British during World War Two. He joined the army himself after filming was completed, and was oversees the night he won his Oscar. The final speech of the film was used extensively for the war effort in America. It was printed in magazines such as "Time" and "Look", and it was also broadcast on the Voice of America by order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Copies of the speech were dropped over Europe. Winston Churchill in fact once said that Mrs. Miniver did more for the war effort than a flotilla of destroyers. 

All in all, Mrs. Miniver is a wonderful film that I would highly recommend seeing, particularly if you are interested in the Second World War, or simply if you wish to see a showcase of excellent acting. 

14. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

Director: John Ford

Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Donald Crisp), Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Sara Allgood), Best Writing, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Score

Favourite Line: "Prayer is only another name for good, clean, direct thinking. When you pray, think. Think well what you're saying. Make your thoughts into things that are solid. In that way, your prayer will have strength, and that strength will become a part of you, body, mind, and spirit."

A scene from How Green Was My Valley.

 How Green Was My Valley is a beautiful and sentimental picture about a poor Welsh mining town as seen through the eyes of a young boy, Huw Morgan. As I have Welsh heritage myself, it was very cool to see a film featuring my family's cultural background. Wales is not a country that usually gets a lot of attention.

This movie is brilliantly filmed and written with some lovely performances from all involved. The most impressive, I found, was Donald Crisp as Huw's father, Mr. Morgan. He certainly earned his Oscar, and his performance is very truthful and nuanced. Also, Roddy McDowall as Huw himself is so endearing and he draws the viewer into the story.

Art by Olly Moss.

Something I found very interesting about How Green Was My Valley, was that despite being very clearly set in Wales, it was actually filmed Southern California. The plan had been to film on location, but the Second World War made that extremely difficult, and an 80 acre set was built instead. This also meant that the film had to be shot in black and white, because the colour of the flowers in California didn't match Welsh flowers. The film was finished in only two months.

Perhaps How Green Was My Valley's biggest claim to fame is that it beat Orson Welles masterpiece, Citizen Kane, for Best Picture. Citizen Kane is widely considered one of, if not the best film ever made, whereas How Green My Valley has faded into obscurity. Nonetheless, this is a lovely film, which I would recommend viewing, even just once.

13. Rebecca (1940)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine

Other Oscar Wins: Best Cinematography

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Laurence Olivier), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Joan Fontaine), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Judith Anderson), Best Director, Best Writing, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Effects, Best Score

Favourite Line: "Please promise me never to wear black satin or pearls... or to be 36 years old."

Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier in Rebecca.

 Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, based on the novel by Daphne Du Maurier, is the story of the shy second wife of Maxim de Winter, who is haunted by the memory of his first wife, the beautiful and popular Rebecca.

Rebecca is an exceptionally well done film, full of romance, mystery and suspense, and with some wonderful and interesting twists along the way. This is an incredible piece of storytelling, which keeps the viewer captivated throughout.

The most astonishing thing about this film, that I found, was that the character of Rebecca de Winter herself, has an astounding presence throughout the film. It feels as though she is always there, even though she is never seen, not even in a photograph. All we see of the title character is her signature, and her monogram on several items around the house. To be able to create that sort of presence for an absent character is simply brilliant, and really shows Hitchcock's undeniable ability as a director.

Art by Olly Moss.

The acting in this picture is also very impressive, having earned three acting nominations at the Oscars that year. Joan Fontaine's portrayal of the second Mrs. de Winter is lovely, and you really feel for her shyness and uneasiness. Apparently her sense of unease is partly due to the fact that Fontaine herself felt that she was not liked on the set, having not been the first choice for the role. In fact, over 20 actresses were tested for the role, including Vivien Leigh. The most impressive performance, however, I found to be Laurence Olivier as the reclusive and mysterious Maxim de Winter. His monologue describing the final night of Rebecca's life is so compelling and intriguing, and makes for my favourite overall scene of the film.

Rebecca is a wonderful film, and definitely one worth seeing more than once.

12. Gone with the Wind (1939)

Director: Victor Fleming

Starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable,  Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Vivien Leigh), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Hattie McDaniel), Best Director, Best Writing, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Clark Gable), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Olivia de Havilland), Best Sound, Best Effects, Best Score

Favourite Line: "If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again."

Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind.

Gone with the Wind, rated by the American Film Institute as the 6th Greatest Movie of All Time, and also the top grossing movie of all time (if adjusted for inflation), is an incredible picture with very compelling storytelling, and is just so enormous that it is hard not to be in awe of the film.

This is the story of the manipulative and selfish southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara, whose world is turned upside down by both the American Civil War, and the marriage of her beloved Ashley to another woman. 

First and foremost, Gone with the Wind is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. The cinematography is absolutely brilliant, and every shot is simply stunning, and it is well deserving of it's own Oscar. The most impressive moment of the film for me, is when Scarlett is looking for a doctor to help with Melanie's baby, and she walks through a field of hundreds of injured confederate soldiers. The shot really hits home the scale and brutality of the war that surrounds these characters.

Art by Olly Moss

As for acting, Vivien Leigh steals the show as Scarlett herself. You can see every thought and feeling that comes to Scarlett across her face, and she draws you in, despite being a rather dislikable character. She rightly earned her Oscar as well. 

A few interesting facts. Gone with the Wind has a few firsts, including being the first colour film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and it is also the first film in which an African-American (Hattie McDaniel) was both nominated for and won an Academy Award. Despite Hattie McDaniel's achievement, she, along with the other African-American cast members, could not attend the film's premier in the very segregated Atlanta. Another interesting fact is that because of the Hollywood Production Code, the film's producer was fined $5,000 for swearing in what became one of the most famous movie lines of all time- "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn".

Gone with the Wind is a wonderful film, which should be seen by all.

11. You Can’t Take It with You (1938)

Director: Frank Capra

Starring: Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore

Other Oscar Wins: Best Director

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Spring Byington), Best Writing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Film Editing

Favourite Line: "Well, maybe I am, but I used to be just like you once. Then one morning, when I was going up in the elevator... it struck me I wasn't having any fun. So I came right down and never went back. Yes, sir. That was 35 years ago."

A scene from You Can't Take It with You.

 Frank Capra's You Can't Take It with You is a charming comedy of a rich young man who falls in love with a middle class girl with an eccentric family. When the families meet for dinner, chaos ensues, and neither likes the other very much.

This was a rather enjoyable film with a wonderful cast including the incomparable James Stewart and Lionel Barrymore. Lionel Barrymore plays the Grandfather of the Sycamore family, who believes that the important things in life are friendship and having fun. It is his endearing and lovely performance that ties the whole film together and who drives the story. His performance certainly stood out for me, and he did an absolutely wonderful job of his role.

Art by Olly Moss.

A couple interesting facts about You Can't Take It with You. Shortly before filming, Lionel Barrymore was unable to use his legs due to arthritis and a hip injury, and so the script was changed to say that Grandfather had sprained his ankle riding down the banister, and Barrymore did the film on crutches. Another interesting fact is that Ann Miller, who plays Jean Arthur's dancing sister, was required to wear ballet pointe shoes several times during the film. She was only 15 at the time and the shoes were very painful, so she would hide and cry between takes. James Stewart found her, not knowing why she was crying, but would offer her boxes of candy to cheer her up.

All in all, You Can't Take It with You is a lovely film about camaraderie and living life in a way that makes you happy.

10. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

Director: William Dieterle

Starring: Paul Muni

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Joseph Schildkraut), Best Writing (Screenplay)

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Muni), Best Director, Best Original Story, Best Art Direction, Best Sound, Best Assistant Director, Best Score

Paul Muni and Vladimir Sokoloff in The Life of Emile Zola.

Favorite Line: "I shall tell the truth. Because if I did not, my nights would be haunted by the spectre of an innocent man expiating under the most frightful torture a crime he never committed."

The Life of Emile Zola is the fictionalized story of the life of the French writer, Emile Zola. 

I'm afraid I don't have a lot to say about this film. I personally did not find it very interesting at all, and it was very difficult to get through to the end. Its not that the film isn't well done or even that the acting is bad, in fact it is a well done film, but it is simply not very interesting.

Art by Olly Moss.

I have to say that I was surprised that Paul Muni did not win the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Emile Zola himself. He does an absolutely incredible job, especially of portraying the same man at multiple stages of his life.

The Life of Emile Zola is a well done film, just not one particularly fascinating to me. 

9. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

Director: Robert Z. Leonard

Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Luise Rainer), Best Dance Direction

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Director, Best Writing, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing

Favourite Line: "I've got to have more steps. I need more steps. I've got to get higher. Higher."

A scene from The Great Ziegfeld.

The Great Ziegfeld is an absolutely visually stunning film about the life of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr, and his relationships with his first wife, Anna Held, and his second wife, Billie Burke.

First and foremost, The Great Ziegfeld is absolutely gorgeous. The costumes, designed by Adrian, are absolutely fabulous, and the art direction by Cedric Gibbons and Eddie Imazu is definitely deserving of it's Oscar nomination. The "A Pretty Girl is like a Melody" scene (pictured here), which is definitely the most extravagant scene in an already very extravagant movie, was actually shot in one continuous take, and it took weeks to rehearse and months to build. The scene includes 180 performers, 4300 yards of rayon silk for the curtains alone, and it cost $220,000.

Art by Olly Moss

The acting in the film is also superb from all the leads. William Powell is wonderful as Ziegfeld, and is so genuine and endearing in his role that you can't help but feel for him throughout the film. Luise Rainer as Anna Held certainly deserved her Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. It is impossible to take your eyes off her whenever she is on screen. 

 A few interesting facts about The Great Ziegfeld. The real Billie Burke was quite involved in the writing of the screenplay. She took special care to make sure that the writers never besmirched the name of Ziegfeld. Despite her interest in the writing, it is said that she didn't care too much for the film in the long run. I also found it interesting that Myrna Loy, who portrays Billie Burke in the film, is given second billing, even though she does not appear on screen until 2 hours and 15 minutes into the film.

Overall, The Great Ziegfeld is a beautiful movie and is certainly a film worth watching.

8. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Director: Frank Lloyd

Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone

Other Oscar Wins: N/A

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Clark Gable), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Charles Laughton),  Best Actor in a Leading Role (Franchot Tone), Best Director, Best Writing, Best Film Editing, Best Score

Favourite Line: "I'll live to see you - all of you - hanging from the highest yardarm in the British fleet!"

Clark Gable and Charles Laughton in Mutiny on the Bounty.

 Frank Lloyd's Mutiny on the Bounty is an extravagant epic of the high seas, where it's cruel and selfish captain is cast ashore with some of his loyal crew. He vows to see the mutineers hung, and against all odds, reaches shore, and sees his vow fulfilled.

Although Mutiny on the Bounty is quite visually impressive and has quite an astounding scale, which makes the film worthy of it's acclaim, I find it a very difficult film to sit through. It is very long, and perhaps this is just my personal preference, but I don't find it very interesting.

Art by Olly Moss

All three lead actors very much deserved their Best Actor nominations, as they all did incredible jobs of their roles, and the set and costumes are all beautiful. The ship itself is very impressive, and all this should make for a great film, but I found myself getting very bored throughout. 

A couple interesting facts about Mutiny on the Bounty. Clark Gable was required to shave off his signature moustache in order to preserve the historical accuracy of the film. During the time that the film takes place, moustaches were not allowed in the Royal Navy. My second interesting fact is that Charles Laughton, playing the cruel captain of the Bounty, was sea-sick for a lot of the filming, despite playing such a skilled seaman. 

Overall, Mutiny on the Bounty is a very impressive film, but not one I personally found very interesting.

7. It Happened One Night (1934)

Director: Frank Capra

Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert

Other Oscar Wins: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Clark Gable), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Claudette Colbert), Best Director, Best Writing

Other Oscar Nominations: N/A

Favourite Line: "I'll stop a car, and I won't use my thumb!"

Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable in It Happened One Night.

Frank Capra's It Happened One Night is a wonderful romantic comedy with brilliant writing and acting. It is a thoroughly entertaining piece which had me laughing and intrigued the whole way through.

It Happened One Night is the story of a rich girl who marries against her father's wishes, and when he threatens to annul the marriage, she runs away to New York. On the way she meets a newspaper reporter who decides to help her. The two eventually fall in love, despite the girl's previous marriage.

I am already a fan of director Frank Capra, as his film It's a Wonderful Life is one of my all time favourites. The writing is simply hilarious and charming, with very compelling storytelling. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert are both incredible as well, with wonderful chemistry. It is said, however, that neither of the leads liked the film at all. On Clark Gable's first day on set, he reportedly said "Let's get this over with", and on the last day of filming, Claudette Colbert told a friend, "I just finished making the worst picture I've ever made." Despite the stars dislike of the film, they both did a wonderful job, and the film is very enjoyable.

Art by Olly Moss.

A few fun facts about It Happened One Night- it is one of three movies to win every Oscar for which it was nominated, including Best Picture. The two other films to achieve this are The Last Emperor (1987) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). The other fun fact I found about It Happened One Night, is in the scene where Clark Gable starts undressing. He originally had an undershirt on in the scene, but in every take it took too long to take off and it interrupted the flow of the scene. Eventually the decided to get rid of the undershirt, and as a result, the sales of undershirts in the US dropped considerably. It is said that some underwear manufacturers tried to sue Colombia because of this.

It Happened One Night is a very entertaining film, and I will certainly be watching it again. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good comedy.

6. Cavalcade (1933)

Director: Frank Lloyd

Starring: Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook

Other Oscar Wins: Best Director, Best Art Direction

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Diana Wynyard)

Favourite Line: "A great adventure, Robert. Anxious sometimes, and sad. Sometimes, unbelievably happy. And thank God, never dull or sordid."

A scene from Cavalcade.

Cavalcade is the story of a well to do British family at the turn of the century, beginning with New Years Eve 1900, up to New Years Eve of 1933, which was the present at the time of the film's release. The family has sees their share of hardships, from father fighting in the Boer War, to the eldest son and his wife drowning with the Titanic, to the youngest son, Joe, falling vicim to the Great War. Based on the play by Noel Coward, Cavalcade  is a beautiful and touching film with an immense scale. I found it to be very well done.

The costuming and set decoration in this film was exceptionally outstanding to me, and it is no wonder it won the Oscar for Best Art Direction. The costume department would have had an absolutely massive undertaking, having to clothe not only the lead actors but also many, many extras in 33 years worth of styles, and those 33 years had so much variety in fashion. Visually, the whole film was stunning.

Art by Olly Moss.

I was also very impressed by all of the actors in this film, so much so that I can't single any of them out. This is likely due to the sheer brilliance of the script. Mind you, as someone who studies Theatre at a post-secondary level, I am a little biased in Noel Coward's favour. Two particular moments in the film that were exceptional to me, however, were firstly, the Twentieth Century Blues song, sung by the character of Fanny near the end of the film. It was so simple, and yet so profound. After all that has happened, it just seemed the perfect finish, summing up the whole story. The other moment I loved was Edward and Edith's honeymoon. Before the scene even begins, the date is shown on the screen. A day we know to be the sinking of the Titanic. Then we see Edward and Edith on a ship, and so the viewer is already uneasy. Then they begin to talk about death and how they would be comfortable to die now while they are happy and before they fall out of love with each other. At the very end of the scene it is revealed that the ship is indeed the Titanic, which causes the scene to be so incredibly sad, and yet bittersweet in a way, because of the conversation just before. It's heartbreaking and so brilliantly done.

Cavalcade  is a wonderful film and quite deserving of it's Oscar, despite it being widely unknown. It is worth searching out and seeing.

  

5. Grand Hotel (1932)

Director: Edmund Goulding

Starring: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Lionel Barrymore

Other Oscar Wins: N/A

Other Oscar Nominations: N/A

Favourite Line: "Grand Hotel... always the same. People come, people go. Nothing ever happens."

A scene from Grand Hotel.

Grand Hotel  is an exceptional picture. The set and costumes look absolutely beautiful, and the star-studded cast is incredible. The film is the story of the comings and goings of the patrons of a high class Berlin hotel.

I've seen this film before, and I think I appreciated it considerably more the second time around. I found the plot rather difficult to follow the first time, as there are so many things going on at once, but in watching it again, it's much easier to understand and to appreciate the incredible jobs that all of the actors really do.

Art by Olly Moss.

I have to say, the two most incredible pieces of acting in the film, in my personal opinion,  go to the stunning Greta Garbo, as Grusinskaya, the dancer, and to Lionel Barrymore as the terminally ill Kringelein. John Barrymore and Joan Crawford were also very good, but these two really stood out to me. Greta Garbo is incredible to watch, not only because she is absolutely gorgeous, but also because she is constantly in character, and you can see every thought that she has cross her face as she has them. It's absolutely brilliant. As for Lionel Barrymore, I am a huge fan of It's a Wonderful Life, and would go as far as to say it is one of my all time favourite films. Because of this, I know Lionel Barrymore as the rich, mean, Mr. Potter, and in Grand Hotel he is so staggeringly different that I hardly realized that it was the same man. He is so invested in his role, and so endearing, and I just thought he was wonderful.

 A few fun facts about Grand Hotel. Grand Hotel is the only best picture winner not to be nominated for any other Academy Awards. As well, three of the lead actors initially turned down their roles. Greta Garbo was 27 at the time, and turned down her role because she believed that she was to old to be playing a prima ballerina. Joan Crawford was worried that a lot of her character's scenes would be cut for being too scandalous. Both were eventually convinced to take the roles. Wallace Beery turned down his role as well, but took it when he was told he was the only lead in the picture who would actually use a German accent.

Grand Hotel  is a wonderful film, and one that I would definitely recommend. The acting is superb, and the story is very intriguing. It is definitely one worth seeing.

4. Cimarron (1931)

Director: Wesley Ruggles

Starring: Richard Dix, Irene Dunne

Other Oscar Wins: Best Writing, Best Art Direction

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Richard Dix), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Irene Dunne),  Best Director, Best Cinematography

Favorite Line: "They will always talk about Yancy. He's gonna be part of the history of the great Southwest. It's men like him that build the world. The rest of them, like me... why, we just come along and live in it."

Richard Dix, Irene Dunne and Junior Johnson in Cimarron.

Cimarron, an epic about the early settlement of Oklahoma, is long, slow, and lacking in likeable characters.

I found Cimarron very hard to watch as I personally don't find the subject very interesting, and although the film was well done, as I said already, it is very slow paced. The most stunning thing about it is the sheer scale of the film. The land rush scene, found right at the beginning of the picture, took a week to film, using 5,000 extras, 28 cameramen, 6 still photographers, and 27 camera assistants. It is absolutely massive, and impressive, but sadly, that is where the intrigue ended for me.

Art by Olly Moss.

The most frustrating thing that I found, was that I tried so hard to be focused on the film, but the characters aren't likeable enough for the audience to want to root for them. Yancy Cravat, the film's main protagonist, is a lawyer and the publisher of a newspaper. He is very progressive in his thinking. He wants to give the Native Americans their rights and often talks about how the government is stealing their land, and he is kind to his servants. He is a strong leader in the building of new settlements. All of this is great. The problem is that he cannot stay in one place. He ups and leaves often, either dragging his wife and children along with him, or ditching them entirely, without staying in contact with them. I wanted so badly to root for him, but he is considerate of everyone but his family. As for his wife, she is horribly prejudiced against anyone who is different, which makes her a write off right from the start. On top of that, she complains quite a lot, but you don't feel bad for her.

I was not a fan of this movie. I can understand the immensity and grandeur of the piece and how that would warrant appreciation, but as for story and character, it is horribly lacking.

3. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

Director: Lewis Milestone

Starring: Lewis Ayres, Louis Wolheim

Other Oscar Wins: Best Director

Other Oscar Nominations: Best Writing, Best Cinematography

Favorite Line: "How could one country offend another? You mean there's a mountain over in Germany gets mad at a field over in France?"

The iconic final scene from All Quiet on the Western Front.

All Quiet on the Western Front, based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, is a beautiful and terribly sad picture about the loss of innocence for the young men who fought in World War One. The story follows a group of German schoolboys who are, at first, excited to go to war. They are ready for adventure, proud to fight for their country, and thrilled by the idea of honour and glory when they return home. All of this is shattered, however, once they see war the way it really is. As the main character, Paul, puts it on his return home, "We live in the trenches out there. We fight. We try not to be killed, but sometimes we are. That's all."

The battle scenes in this movie are really quite impressive, and also, surprisingly, rather gory. It is in fact the most explicitly violent film of it's time. This was possible as it was made before the film code was strictly enforced, and also, Universal Pictures deemed the subject matter important enough to show the violence. I found the film exceptional in that it showed not only the physical toll that war takes on the soldiers, as well as the sadness and loss, but that it also showed the incredible mental strain that was placed on all the characters. Many of them go almost insane, and I was stunned at how the film did not try to sugar-coat anything at any point.

Art by Olly Moss.

Two scenes that stand out in this film, for me anyway, are the scene in the pit with an enemy soldier, and of course, the butterfly. The scene where Paul is trapped in a pit with the enemy soldier who he just killed, and he begs the soldier to forgive him, is incredible, and so moving. The final scene, where Paul sees a butterfly just over the edge of the trench and reaches for it, is so simple and beautiful, and the complete lack of sound and near stillness of the moment is just so intriguing, that it is unforgettable. An interesting fact about the moment with the butterfly, is that it was actually shot during the editing process, after most of the actors had left, and so the hand that is reaching for the butterfly, is actually the hand of the director, Lewis Milestone.

A few other interesting facts about All Quiet on the Western Front. Lewis Milestone wanted to find real German WWI veterans who could offer some help in being historically accurate with regards to costumes and battles and such. He found so many willing to help that some were cast in the film as background officers, and some even did the jobs they really did in the war, on screen. My last interesting fact is that All Quiet on the Western Front was actually banned by the Nazi party, because they decided that the film portrayed Germans as cowards. However, at the very same time, the film was also banned in Poland as it was considered to be pro-German.

All Quiet on the Western Front is a wonderful film that I would highly recommend, and one that does a brilliant job of showing the futility and consequences of war, while still honouring those who fought and died in WWI.