During the most difficult times of the Great Depression, the motion picture industry was seen as a morale boost for the country. The vice president of the United States was called upon to speak at the banquet. These fourth Awards were also the first to be followed extensively on radio and in the papers. In previous ceremonies, the voting results were released a week or so prior the the actual awarding of the accolades. This year, the Academy took extra precaution to not disclose the results until the night of the Awards. Another interesting moment happened when Norma Shearer, who won Best Actress the previous year for The Divorcee (1930) presented the Best Actress Award to Marie Dressler for Min and Bill (1930). Shearer was also nominated for the award this year so an awkward situation was narrowly avoided when she didn't win again (by awarding herself an award). Therefore, an unwritten rule was created in which the Best Actress for the previous year presents the award to the Best Actor in the current year and vice versa. We are starting to see the Awards look closer and closer to the present day festivities with each passing year. And the results are:
Best Picture nominees:
Cimarron
East Lynne
The Front Page
Skippy
Trader Horn
What won: Cimarron
The grand scope of this film makes it a worthy winner for these Award years. The plot skips ahead years at a time to check in on the characters. This makes the narrative oddly satisfying as the viewer gets a complete picture. Also, in the Great Depression, it must have been an uplifting sight to see a family thrive while the town around them grows and grows.
What should have won: Cimarron
When I started this project, I did not think I would agree with the Academy for this film. When I just watched the Best Picture winners, I ranked this movie 84th out of 86 winners. Although it is the best film from its year (out of these five nominees), it is notoriously one of the worst winners in the history of the Awards.
My Best Picture nominee ranking (EDIT 3/18/18, I was able to watch 90% of East Lynne, which does not have an official home media release):
1. Cimarron (6/10)
2. The Front Page (6/10)
3. East Lynne (6/10)
4. Trader Horn (5/10)
5. Skippy (4/10)
Best Picture nominees:
Cimarron
East Lynne
The Front Page
Skippy
Trader Horn
What won: Cimarron
The grand scope of this film makes it a worthy winner for these Award years. The plot skips ahead years at a time to check in on the characters. This makes the narrative oddly satisfying as the viewer gets a complete picture. Also, in the Great Depression, it must have been an uplifting sight to see a family thrive while the town around them grows and grows.
What should have won: Cimarron
When I started this project, I did not think I would agree with the Academy for this film. When I just watched the Best Picture winners, I ranked this movie 84th out of 86 winners. Although it is the best film from its year (out of these five nominees), it is notoriously one of the worst winners in the history of the Awards.
My Best Picture nominee ranking (EDIT 3/18/18, I was able to watch 90% of East Lynne, which does not have an official home media release):
1. Cimarron (6/10)
2. The Front Page (6/10)
3. East Lynne (6/10)
4. Trader Horn (5/10)
5. Skippy (4/10)