56 Days 'til Oscar Nominations. Let's talk 1956
Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at 9:33AM by Nathaniel R
1956 is not, from our vantage point, a particularly lauded year in cinema but it's an Oscar field we tend to think of regularly for various reasons including but not limited to:
-Camp value (Ten Commandments, Bad Seed)
-Musicals (The King and I, High Society)
-Strange snubs (The Searchers received zero nominations despite Oscar's obsession with John Ford)
-Delayed foreign grandeur (La Strada and Seven Samurai, 1954 films both, were up for Oscars)
-not one but two kaiju movies (Godzilla and Rhodan)...and more.
What's your favorite movie of 1956? I don't think I've seen enough to feel comfortable with a full top ten but here are the five I like best currently (with much more to see) after the jump...
01 Written on the Wind (Douglas Sirk)
Every single performance is a keeper, not just Oscar winning Dorothy Malone's go for broke randiness. Every single color, and there are so many of them, is an eyeful. I get as drunk on the movie as Robert Stack gets inside the movie because Sirk was on fire in the 1950s.
02 Giant (George Stevens)
What a year for Rock Hudson, eh? I've been meaning to rewatch this one for the longest time. Despite my aversion to long movies (and this one is 3 hours plus) I remember being enthralled. It lives up to its title not just in the running time but in the star wattage assembled: HUDSON. TAYLOR. DEAN. MINEO. MCCAMBRIDGE. Plus P.T. Anderson loves it.
03 The King and I (Walter Lang)
Sentimental favorite and I'm gaga for everything Yul Brynner in the mid 50s. Though, yes, I know it's "problematic"
04 The Court Jester (Melvin Frank and Norman Panama)
Because: delightful.
SOME COOL AWARDS TRIVIA FOR YOU: both Danny Kaye AND Yul Brynner lost the comedy/musical Golden Globe that year to Around the World in 80 Days' Cantinflas. Cantinflas did not receive an Oscar nomination and the Golden Globe winner in Drama Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life couldn't fend off Yul Brynner mania at the Oscars. What's more the Golden Globe supporting actor winner wasn't nominated for an Oscar and their choice for Supporting Actress lost. So it's one of those years when the majority of acting winners at the Golden Globes did not repeat at the Oscars. The only repeat winner was Ingrid Bergman for Anastasia and she was not present at either awards ceremony.
05 Bus Stop (Joshua Logan)
I grew up understanding that this was the consensus on Marilyn Monroe's best performance. I don't know if it still is but she's wonderful in it. I'd place it below Some Like It Hot (the pinnacle) but maybe fighting for second or third place with The Misfits and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Maybe.
RUNNER UP
Somebody Up There Likes Me (Robert Wise)
Wrote about this one here a few years back, so it's fresh in the memory. Recency bias, perhaps, but I like it and it's an amazing document of Paul Newman approaching his impending legend without quite being PAUL NEWMAN yet.
Reader Comments (25)
1. The Court Jester, which would also take Actor and Supporting Actress (Natwick)
2. La Strada, which would take Director and Actress
3. Seven Samurai, which would take Supporting Actor
4. Giant
5. The King and I
6. Umberto D.
7. Baby Doll
8. The Bad Seed
9. The Killing
10. Friendly Persuasion
11. Autumn Leaves
12. Rififi
All of the above are at least worth seeing. Curious to see more lists.
1. GIANT
2. BABY DOLL
3. WRITTEN ON THE WIND
4. SEVEN SAMURAI
5. FRIENDLY PERSUASION
6. THE BAD SEED
7. THE KING AND I
8. AUTUMN LEAVES
9. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
10. CAROUSEL
My top 5 are all masterpieces, so it was a great year for film.
1. Giant
2. Umberto D.
3. Bigger Than Life
4. Written on the Wind
5. Aparajito
6. The Man Who Knew Too Much
7. High Society (I know other posters don't like this one, but I love it)
8. The Wrong Man
9. The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit
10. Anastasia
I need to see Baby Doll again.
I forgot how much I loved The Court Jester as a kid: "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!" But my favorite would have to be Written on the Wind.
Giant is so freaking good.
I have no clue why the Academy snubbed The Searchers. It's unquestionably the best John Wayne performance and it should have been a shoe-in Best Cinematography winner.
I recently saw Giant for the first time. It's terrific, and it was RIGHT THERE, Oscar! 80 Days has its charms, but come on.
Cash -- so true.
Wonder if Searchers was snubbed due to its rare message.
1956-First year that all 5 Best Picture nominees were filmed in color.
(Around The World In 80 Days, Friendly Persuasion,Giant, The King and I and The Ten Commandments.)
I was already going to movies in 1956 and first saw and loved several of these when they were new. So here's some senior input.
My favorites (arranged alphabetically) *couldn't get it down to less than twelve
BACK FROM ETERNITY-plane crash survivors in the jungle; John Farrow (Mia's father) remakes (and vastly improves) one of his 30's films; that picture's title was annoyingly spoilerish so I won't name it; the '56 version boasts a great bread and butter cast from the era (Robert Ryan, Anita Ekberg, Rod Steiger,Phyllis Kirk,Keith Andes,Fred Clark,Jon Provost,Adele Mara, Beulah Bondi)
THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN-pretty unusual cowboy vs. dinosaur premise; Guy Madison and Patricia Medina sprinkle plenty of programmer stardust amid fantastic Mexican locations, sweepingly photographed in hyper-color. And that's before the dino even makes his entrance. Now available in a top quality Blu-Ray
BIGGER THAN LIFE- Did James Mason ever give a bad performance? He's wonderful here as a man whose mental state soars and shatters via cortisone addiction; great support from Barbara Rush
THE CATERED AFFAIR-uncharacteristic kitchen sink drama from MGM - with terrific work from Ernest Borgnine, Bette Davis and Debbie Reynolds (as father, mother and daughter in the Bronx)
THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US-the second sequel to "Creature from the Black Lagoon" - and the best of the lot. Saturday matinee icons Jeff Morrow and Rex Reason star. And I still find it unexpectedly moving - with a great ending.
DAKOTA INCIDENT-familiar set-up (disparate passengers on a stagecoach journey enlivened by seasoned, committed work from Dale Robertson,Linda Darnell, Ward Bond; among the best (and practically the last) of the Republic westerns
GERVAISE-splendidly grim Rene Clement version of a Zola novel; still powerful - and Maria Schell's lead performance is one for the ages
HELEN OF TROY-can't be objective about Robert Wise's big budget take on the Trojan War; my joint crush on Rossana Podesta and Jacques Sernas still hasn't abated
THE KING AND FOUR QUEENS-if you're a western fan and an actressexual (I'm both), this Clark Gable film is a must. Famous Eleanor Parker and not so famous Jean Willes are both terrific. Plus there's Jo Van Fleet, the under-rated Sara Shane and marvelous Barbara Nichols
THE SEARCHERS-the years have been kind to this now acknowledged masterpiece. Wayne's perfectly cast but so many of those around him (Jeffrey Hunter, Ward Bond, Hank Worden, Henry Brandon) are also memorable. And Natalie Wood's so worth searching for.
SEVEN MEN FROM NOW-first of the great Budd Boetticher/Randolph Scott collaborations; about as close to perfection as westerns get. Lee Marvin's exceptional. And how did Boetticher get that beautiful performance out of Gail Russell?
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS-Cecil B. DeMille never did his thing quite as splendidly as he does here. Grand scale spectacle, with a script that frequently turns peplum pulp into poetry. Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter and Sir Cedric Hardwicke are all sublimely entertaining.
My top films of the year:
1. Around the World in Eighty Days - I know that a lot of people criticise this Best Picture choice. It's worth remembering it wasn't just Oscar that went for it; it also won at the Golden Globes (Drama, evem if Cantinflas's performance came in the Comedy category), the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics. I suspect they were all astonished by its epic sizzle. It may have been a "you had to be there" moment. But for me, this is a great movie, an enduring Best Picture choice, and a film that entertains on every viewing. (I see it probably once every 2-3 years.) It's also a great adaptation of the novel, and, like Phileas Fogg, it manages a perfect balance between urgency and relaxation: the suspense - the ticking clock - never lets up, but along the way, it offers so much that pleases the eye, the ear and the heart. I love it.
2. Il ferroviere (The Railroad Man)
3. The Man Who Knew Too Much
4. Forbidden Planet
5. Rebel Without a Cause
6. Moby Dick
7. Lust for Life
8. The Searchers
9. High Society
10. The King and I
11. The Ten Commandments
I love this year in film and think there is a ton of very worthwhile films but it is also the year that the worst Best Picture winner ever was crowned. There have been other terrible films awarded but none as empty and LONG as the headache inducing Around the World in 80 Days. Just UGH!
On to happy things: Terrific list and some of those make my list as well but even the ones that don't are highly entertaining.
As far as Marilyn Monroe's best performance I'm with you that Some Like It Hot is the pinnacle with Gentleman Prefer Blondes a razor thin runner-up but she's terrific as well in Niagara, Don't Bother to Knock and The Misfits all performances that I like more than the one in Bus Stop though it is also solid work.
My top 10 in order of preference with a load of runner-ups just behind:
The Searchers-How was this totally shut out? The Duke should have had a nomination and in opinion the win along with multiple others for the film.
Written on the Wind-The cinematography, the camera movement, Sirk's firm hand and most of all Dorothy Malone!!
The Court Jester-Delightful, sweet, laugh out loud funny, Glynis Johns, Mildred Natwick and Angela Lansbury.
Come Next Spring-Nice piece of Americana with two superlative performances at its core by Steve Cochran and Ann Sheridan who would be my pick for the Best Actress Oscar.
The Solid Gold Cadillac-A completely irresistible Judy Holliday as a stockholder who takes on big business.
Carousel-Rodgers and Hammerstein's dark meditation on love with Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones in glorious voice.
The Man Who Knew Too Much-Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day make it special.
The Opposite Sex-The original The Women is better but I find this one very entertaining and it's a great cast.
The Ten Commandments-Absurd fun with still impressive effects.
Three Violent People-Lady with a past Anne Baxter fights carpetbaggers and bad seed brother-in-law Tom Tryon alongside new hubby Charlton Heston in post Civil War Texas
Runner-ups-Anastasia, The Bad Seed, The Bottom of the Bottle, The Catered Affair, Full of Life, Giant, The Harder They Fall, High Society, Hilda Crane, Joe Macbeth, The Killing, The King and I, Patterns, The Price of Fear, Seven Men from Now, Sissi-The Young Empress, There's Always Tomorrow, A Town Like Alice and While the City Sleeps
I guess my favorite movie of '56 is Giant, which I fascinating for a host of reasons - but The Ten Commandments is a hoot (especially Anne Baxter and Cedric Hardwicke), and I enjoy it's scale. But the highlight of the year is Dorothy Malone. Maybe the best Best Supporting Actress winner of all time.
I love The Ten Commandments. One of my favorites movies for both sentimental and cinematic reasons- somebody should interview Debra Paget. I believe she is sole living star of that movie.
And no one will ever convince me that Anne Baxter doesn't deserve an Oscar for that performance.
I haven't seen many 1956 movies (I've never seen Giant!) but I did like these:
The Seven Samurai. I have seen this 7 times.
Rififi: Ah, original heist movies were not boring
Baby Doll: I will always love you, Tennessee Williams
The Catered Affair: Break my heart again, Bette Davis
A Kiss Before Dying: Ira Levin, novelist, I adore you
Lust for Life: We always want to think about Vincent Van Gogh
The Rainmaker: Katherine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster in love!
The Solid Gold Cadillac: Judy Holliday
A Town Like Alice: loved the book, and i always need more Peter Finch and Australian stories
Hey, has anyone of you seen Tea And Sympathy? That's the best Deborah Kerr movie of that year.
That said, 1956 is one the rare years my top 10 is almost all-American:
1 - The Searchers - I felt a stab in my heart when Ethan finds out his family was killed, enters the burnt house and calls Martha's name. There's so much happening in every single scene of that movie that I can't even begin with. Violence, hatred, repressed love, racism and the History of a country. My second best movie of all time, after John Cassavetes' Love Streams.
2 - Tea and Sympathy (Minnelli bonus: Lust For Life)
3 - Written on the Wind (Sirk bonus: There's Always Tomorrow
4 - The Man Who Knew Too Much
5 - Baby Doll
6 - Bigger Than Life
7 - Street of Shame
8 - A Man Escaped
9 - Giant
10 - The Burmese Harp
(I was going to write about all these movies, but something came up)
Hard to believe "The Searchers" received zero nominations? Love "Written on the Wind" but it's hard to pick a favorite- so many great films
In 1956 my very young self would probably have voted “Bundle of Joy” because Debbie Reynolds & Eddie Fisher were such an adorable couple, destined to live and love happily ever after! Rock Around the Clock & Love Me Tender were favorites too. I was impressed with Around the World In 80 Days, the 1st movie I ever saw in “Cinerama” I liked High Society and Teahouse of the August Moon. My #1 vote though, goes to The King and I.
All the issues we are still dealing with today--racism, sexism, and crass capitalism--were dealt with in a straightforward way in 'Giant' over 60 years ago. Amazing and also sad.
Look at the running time of those Best Picture nominees:
The Ten Commandments - 3 hours 40 minutes
Giant - 3 hours 21 minutes
Around The World In 80 Days - 2 hours 55 minutes
Friendly Persuasion - 2 hours 17 minutes
The King and I - 2 hours 13 minutes
That's a record right there - 14.5 hours worth of movies or an average of nearly 3 hours each!
Its ironic tt the both times George Stevens won best director, his films lost to less dramatic, frou frou affairs (A Place in the Sun lost to An American in Paris, and Giant to Ard World 80 Days).
Giant shld've gotten a nom for Liz (ano irony tt everyone ard her was nom, except her), and finally won best pic prize for Stevens. However, at 3 hrs w so many heavy topics, its really testing the patience o the voters, i guess tt might be one reason they turned to a more light hearted affair.
My preference for best film wld be The King & I, and best actor shld've gone to Kirk Douglas for his devastating turn as Van Gogh. Lust for Life is such a beautiful gem, tt's sadly hardly mentioned now.
Lastly, Best supp actor shld've gone to Stack for Written in the Wind. Quinn won on the tailcoat of La Strada.
Ok, in categories now:
Picture & Director: The Searchers
Actor: John Wayne
Actress: Deborah Kerr, Tea And Sympathy
S. Actor: Eli Wallach, Baby Doll
S. Actress: Mercedes McCambridge, of course
I'm still not over Don Murray getting nominated for Bus Stop and not Marilyn Monroe.
She was sensational! A true artist.
My Oscar ballot:
PICTURE: The King and I
ACTOR: Laurence Olivier - Richard III
ACTRESS: Ingrid Bergman - Anastasia
S. ACTOR: Anthony Quinn - Lust for Lifr
S. ACTRESS: Dorothy Malone - Written on the Wind
DIRECTOR: George Stevens - Giant
STORY: Umberto D
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Baby Doll
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: La Strada
Foreign: La Strada
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Baby Doll / The King and I
ART DIRECTION: Seven Samurai / The King and I
SOUND: The King and I
SONG: True Love - High Society
MUSIC: Around the World in 80 Days / The King and I
EDITING: Giant
COSTUMES: Seven Samurai / The King and I
SPECIAL EFFECTS: The Ten Commandments