The 1938 year in film is also no slouch. Here, we see the first foreign language picture get nominated for Best Picture in Grand Illusion (1937). Some clear trends continue with many repeat winners as well. Frank Capra wins his third Best Director statuette for his role in directing the Best Picture winner, You Can't Take It with You (1938). Only two other people have won three of these - William Wyler, who wouldn't win his first until the 15th Awards, and John Ford, who would go on to win four. The acting categories were chock full of returnees. In fact, this was the first of only two times that three of the four winners were repeats. We wouldn't see this again until the awards for 1994. Tom Hanks was involved in those Awards when he joined Spencer Tracy here for this feat of being the only two lead actors to win in consecutive years. Another trivia tidbit that has us seeing double involves Fay Bainter (who was the only winner of the four that hadn't won before) as she became the first performer to be nominated for two awards in the same year. Scarlett Johansson is the most recent person to do this when she was nominated for two 2019 roles. Another first involves an awards crossover as George Bernard Shaw became the first Nobel Prize winner to also win an Academy Award when he won for his adaptation of his own play in Pygmalion (1938). Bob Dylan is the only other person to win both a Nobel Prize and an Academy Award. In terms of voting, this was the second year that basically all of Hollywood voted for both nominations and winners. More than 12,000 Academy members and members of various industry guilds and unions contributed to the below nominees. And the results are:
Best Picture nominees:
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Boys Town
The Citadel
Four Daughters
Grand Illusion
Jezebel
Pygmalion
Test Pilot
You Can't Take It with You
What won: You Can't Take It with You
In a year of declining box office numbers and the threat of a looming war in Europe, Capra's latest feel-good film that touts family and personal achievements over business and career objectives is just what the doctor ordered for this socioeconomic environment. This is Capra-corn to the fullest extent as we see a group of eccentric characters cohabitate a space full of art, love, and happiness. Lionel Barrymore shines as the patriarchal leader who advises this ragtag group of artists to do whatever their heart desires. Relative newcomer James Stewart bridges the gap between these lofty ideals and the real world in a capitalist society. Despite that dreaded real world, Capra and Barrymore are still able to accentuate these values and provide hope in even the bleakest of times (or at least the dawn of the bleakest of times). With the most nominations of the night with a whopping seven, this was a perfectly acceptable film to take home the top prize. I also like the consistency of the Best Picture winner to be directed by the Best Director and Capra was a worthy recipient in that category as well. Although I won't end up picking this as my Best Picture, it's one of those films you can be satisfied with winning, even if it wasn't the one you pulled for.
What should have won: The Adventures of Robin Hood
I had a very difficult time choosing the winner in this excellent batch of Best Picture nominees. There are five films in this group that I would consider to be "great," but it ultimately came down to two pictures - ones that are very different from each other. Grand Illusion is the film that I think is the "best" out these ten nominees. An entertaining story lends itself to an engaging exploration of class and war and despite it clocking in at under two hours, it feels epic and fulfilling. A Best Picture win for a French-language film might have set a precedent for other non-English language movies to win, which would have put a much more global presence on this award. The Academy Award or Best Picture already carries a lot of prestige but the sheer amount of blunders over the years has caused schmucks like me looking at these winners in retrospect and analyzing why a movie won and what should have. However, for my money, the Best Picture of the 1938 nominees is The Adventure of Robin Hood. 1938 was the first big year for Technicolor and this exemplifies the wonders of color cinematography. The costumes pop, the set pieces look authentic, and the swashbuckling action all makes you feel transported to the 12th century. We have all-time performances from the famous duo of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, which are further bolstered by a slew of great supporting characters. To cap it all off, one of the most important and famous music scores of all time energizes the picture to even greater heights. Erich Wolfgang Korngold set the precedent to use Romantic era music and the ripples he made in the 1930s were made into waves when John Williams ran with that notion in the 1970s. I wish Michael Curtiz was nominated for Best Director so it wouldn't look odd for my pick to win the top award without the directing even being nominated, but I am going to have to go out on that limb in this alternate reality. This film is essentially a blueprint for the action/adventure genre that is so prevalent today and to honor the roots, it receives the nod for me.
My Best Picture nominee ranking:
1. Grand Illusion (9/10)
2. The Adv/entures of Robin Hood (9/10)
3. Jezebel (8/10)
4. You Can't Take It with You (8/10)
5. Pygmalion (8/10)
6. Boys Town (7/10)
7. Four Daughters (7/10)
8. Alexander's Ragtime Band (6/10)
9. Test Pilot (6/10)
10. The Citadel (6/10)