Whew! I made it. It took me over two and a half years to finish the ninth Academy Awards year, but we are finally here. That's not to say the quality dipped dramatically for this batch of 1936 films, but life just gets in the way sometimes. I've also changed my scope in relation to my Academy Awards watchlist. I am watching every Oscar winning film and ranking them within each category (please check out my Letterboxd account!). This blog will only focus on Best Picture nominees and which one should have won in a given year.
What should have won for 1936? Before we get there, a bit about some changes that were made with these Awards. The most important change is the supporting role acting categories. In the past, actors in a supporting role had to compete with other performers with more screen time. This is how we got three acting nominations in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) the year before (all three in the same category!). Oddly though, the Academy would only award a plaque instead of a statuette to the supporting performance winners until the 1943 awards year. The voting rules also changed with the 9th Awards - nominations were made by a special committee of fifty people appointed by Academy President Frank Capra, with equal representation from each of the Academy's branches; winners were determined by a final vote of all Academy members. The big winner of the night was Anthony Adverse (1936) with four Oscars. As I mentioned in my review for that film, its an odd movie to be so well celebrated as it is generally panned by modern critics. Another strange note is that My Man Godfrey (1936) was up for six awards - all I consider pretty major (all four acting, director, and screenplay) - and was not even nominated for Best Picture. This being the first year of the supporting acting categories, it was obviously the first movie to be nominated for all four and not win in any category. We will see this happen again with Sunset Boulevard (1950) a decade and a half later. Its still the only film to have these four nominations accounted for and not be nominated for Best Picture. One last note on the night is that color cinematography was officially honored for the first time. The cinematographers for The Harden of Allah (1936) received an Honorary plaque for their contributions to color in film. And the results are:
Best Picture nominees:
Anthony Adverse
Dodsworth
The Great Ziegfeld
Libeled Lady
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Romeo and Juliet
San Francisco
The Story of Louis Pasteur
A Tale of Two Cities
Three Smart Girls
What won: The Great Ziegfeld
An interesting Best Picture winner in the midst of the Depression, The Great Ziegfeld was flashy and lavish by any time period's standard, but especially in the mid-1930s. When people were suffering financially at home, a film that commanded higher ticket prices due to its expensive budget and length was still successful at the box office. Perhaps people wanted to completely forget about their troubles and get washed away by what probably felt like pure fantasy with the exquisite sets, costumes, and choreography. At times, the film is purely a musical revue, with uncompromising musical numbers that span well over ten minutes. At other times, we see a very charming performance from William Powell, a favorite of mine from this time period. The famous scene from the film is when Luise Rainer, who won the Best Actress Oscar, calls her ex-husband (Powell) and wishes him well on his next marriage. I've seen the movie twice and I still don't think its all the quite memorable, but it seems to have stuck into cinema history.
What should have won: Dodsworth
Dodsworth was one of three films that had the most nomination on the night with seven. It only won Best Art Direction, but its the most balanced film of the ten nominees. Perhaps its not the best in any given category (see my review for the film for why I didn't think it was even the best in Art Direction), but it all pieces together so well. First and foremost, the acting is incredible. Walter Huston played his character on the stage and, like their character, Mary Astor was going through a public divorce and Ruth Chatterton had insecurities about her age. This perfect storm of life moments creates an opportunity for wonderfully realistic acting and all three deliver in spades. Huston is such a joy to spend time with and the two leading ladies play to his dilemmas perfectly. I also love how the narrative doesn't give in to the Hays Code as much as other features dealing with divorce. Its a story that can play just as well in 2020 as it did in 1936.
My Best Picture nominee ranking:
1. Dodsworth (8/10)
2. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (8/10)
3. Libeled Lady (7/10)
4. A Tale of Two Cities (7/10)
5. The Story of Louis Pasteur (7/10)
6. The Great Ziegfeld (7/10)
7. Romeo and Juliet (7/10)
8. San Francisco (6/10)
9. Anthony Adverse (6/10)
10. Three Smart Girls (6/10)
What should have won for 1936? Before we get there, a bit about some changes that were made with these Awards. The most important change is the supporting role acting categories. In the past, actors in a supporting role had to compete with other performers with more screen time. This is how we got three acting nominations in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) the year before (all three in the same category!). Oddly though, the Academy would only award a plaque instead of a statuette to the supporting performance winners until the 1943 awards year. The voting rules also changed with the 9th Awards - nominations were made by a special committee of fifty people appointed by Academy President Frank Capra, with equal representation from each of the Academy's branches; winners were determined by a final vote of all Academy members. The big winner of the night was Anthony Adverse (1936) with four Oscars. As I mentioned in my review for that film, its an odd movie to be so well celebrated as it is generally panned by modern critics. Another strange note is that My Man Godfrey (1936) was up for six awards - all I consider pretty major (all four acting, director, and screenplay) - and was not even nominated for Best Picture. This being the first year of the supporting acting categories, it was obviously the first movie to be nominated for all four and not win in any category. We will see this happen again with Sunset Boulevard (1950) a decade and a half later. Its still the only film to have these four nominations accounted for and not be nominated for Best Picture. One last note on the night is that color cinematography was officially honored for the first time. The cinematographers for The Harden of Allah (1936) received an Honorary plaque for their contributions to color in film. And the results are:
Best Picture nominees:
Anthony Adverse
Dodsworth
The Great Ziegfeld
Libeled Lady
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Romeo and Juliet
San Francisco
The Story of Louis Pasteur
A Tale of Two Cities
Three Smart Girls
What won: The Great Ziegfeld
An interesting Best Picture winner in the midst of the Depression, The Great Ziegfeld was flashy and lavish by any time period's standard, but especially in the mid-1930s. When people were suffering financially at home, a film that commanded higher ticket prices due to its expensive budget and length was still successful at the box office. Perhaps people wanted to completely forget about their troubles and get washed away by what probably felt like pure fantasy with the exquisite sets, costumes, and choreography. At times, the film is purely a musical revue, with uncompromising musical numbers that span well over ten minutes. At other times, we see a very charming performance from William Powell, a favorite of mine from this time period. The famous scene from the film is when Luise Rainer, who won the Best Actress Oscar, calls her ex-husband (Powell) and wishes him well on his next marriage. I've seen the movie twice and I still don't think its all the quite memorable, but it seems to have stuck into cinema history.
What should have won: Dodsworth
Dodsworth was one of three films that had the most nomination on the night with seven. It only won Best Art Direction, but its the most balanced film of the ten nominees. Perhaps its not the best in any given category (see my review for the film for why I didn't think it was even the best in Art Direction), but it all pieces together so well. First and foremost, the acting is incredible. Walter Huston played his character on the stage and, like their character, Mary Astor was going through a public divorce and Ruth Chatterton had insecurities about her age. This perfect storm of life moments creates an opportunity for wonderfully realistic acting and all three deliver in spades. Huston is such a joy to spend time with and the two leading ladies play to his dilemmas perfectly. I also love how the narrative doesn't give in to the Hays Code as much as other features dealing with divorce. Its a story that can play just as well in 2020 as it did in 1936.
My Best Picture nominee ranking:
1. Dodsworth (8/10)
2. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (8/10)
3. Libeled Lady (7/10)
4. A Tale of Two Cities (7/10)
5. The Story of Louis Pasteur (7/10)
6. The Great Ziegfeld (7/10)
7. Romeo and Juliet (7/10)
8. San Francisco (6/10)
9. Anthony Adverse (6/10)
10. Three Smart Girls (6/10)