And the Nominees Were...
- MARLON BRANDO, Julius Caesar
- RICHARD BURTON, The Robe
- MONTGOMERY CLIFT, From Here to Eternity
- WILLIAM HOLDEN, Stalag 17
- BURT LANCASTER, From Here to Eternity
- LESLIE CARON, Lili
- AVA GARDNER, Mogambo
- AUDREY HEPBURN, Roman Holiday
- DEBORAH KERR, From Here to Eternity
- MAGGIE MCNAMARA, The Moon is Blue
And we're at it again with 1953! At first blush, this is an interesting bundling of films. We've got From Here to Eternity and Stalag 17, which fulfill Oscar's quota for war-themed pictures. We've got a remake of Red Dust, to which we'll be treated to the sight of a 52 year old Clark Gable reprising the role he played at age 31. Rome has a superfluous presence this year, providing for the backdrops for biblical epic The Robe and Shakespearian adaptation Julius Caesar, while also playing an obvious role in the picture that launched Audrey Hepburn into superstardom. Further, we've got a romantic comedy that scandalized audiences with its "light attitude towards seduction, illicit sex, chastity, and virginity." And finally, we've got Lili, a...romantic puppet musical?
Sight unseen, I'm most excited for From Here to Eternity (if only because it represents Montgomery Clift's final lead actor nomination) and The Moon is Blue (if only because I want to see how poorly its controversy has aged). It'll also be nice to revisit Roman Holiday - I've got myself some sentiment on the film and Hepburn from when I first watched it as a kid, so I'm interested to see how this may change.
As always, let me know who your favorites are and who you think I'll like the most!
I think 1953 is a much better year for nominated actors than 1952 but not all that much better for Best Actress. "From Here to Eternity" hasn't aged particularly well, but I think you'll like Clift, whose performance is as immediate and striking today as it was when the film premiered. Also, although I know you're not crazy about Shakespeare films, 'Julius Caesar' has a lot of good acting in it so it's worth viewing. As for the other nominees, I definitely have my thoughts but you might find surprises, good and not so good, so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts, Allen.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you think From Here to Eternity hasn't aged very well! And good to know that Julius Caesar has good acting to look forward to.
DeleteFor Best Actor, this is definitely a vast improvement compared to 1952. I think nobody touches Monty and I have a feeling you will think so, too :)
ReplyDeleteFor Best Actress, it's a rather weak line-up but with interesting actresses so that makes it more bearable.
Good to know! I think it's funny that Hepburn, Caron, and McNamara all look strikingly similar to one another :)
DeleteYes, McNamara totally reminded me of Hepburn all the time but she ultimately lacks the same charisma and sparkle (and talent), so it's understandable why one become an international mega star and the other one not (it's very sad how Maggie's life turned out...)
DeleteHaven't seen The Robe, but I don't think it would change Monty as my favourite in this line-up. Same goes for you.
ReplyDeleteI bet Hepburn will win with you, but I'm rooting for Gardner.
I've heard good things about Gardner, but am not very excited about Mogambo itself. But I love being pleasantly surprised, so we'll see.
DeleteThe Robe...oh boy. I don't want to watch that one at all.
Do not care for Hepburn although her win isn't horrendous per se.
ReplyDeleteIt's been way too long since I've seen Roman Holiday. I remember liking the movie then - we'll see if my sentiment toward Hepburn has changed.
DeleteLoved Hepburn here! (which was a surprise since i expected a weak performance), Caron is terrific, just its sad that her film doesnt allow her to shine in the second half as well as she did in the first, Deborah Kerr pulls an emm ..an interesting performance thats more haunting that really great on a technical level. This is for Kerr what American Hustle was for Amy Adams. Havent seen Ava or Maggie. For me its Hepburn (4.5, the most charming performance maybe ive ever seen, and its quiet moving one as well), Caron (between 4 and 4.5) and Kerr (4).
ReplyDeleteKerr being compared to Adams in Hustle isn't bad! Looking forward to seeing it for myself.
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