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Friday, August 1, 2014

1961 CinSpec Awards


This year proved better than I remembered. In fact, my top two films, which I saw for the first time earlier this week, are now in my top 20 films of all time, and my #1 is actually in my top 5 favorite films. I got all of the images done this week. Hopefully, I can do the same for 1971. Note: You can click on the images to enlarge them.

I still need to see films like Pigs and Battleships, Lola, Whistle Down the Wind, El Cid, Viridiana, The Mark, Leon Morin, Priest, One-Eyed Jacks, Summer and Smoke, No Love for Johnnie, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, King of Kings, The End of Summer, Accattone, The Deadly Companions, Flower Drum Song, Underworld U.S.A., Baron Munchausen, Two Rode Together, Blue Hawaii, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

















16 comments:

  1. YAY!!! I'm so glad that you love La Notte! I have La Dolce Vita in 1960 right now. Where do you have Rocco and His Brothers? I have is here, and it sweeps for me :-D

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    1. I watched La Notte twice to be sure, and it's currently my #4 of all time. I could see it moving higher. LOVE that film! I wish I could've given it more than just 3 wins.

      I've got Rocco and His Brothers in 1960. Most of my awards either go to The Apartment or Psycho. I'd love to give Salvatori Best Supporting Actor, but I've got Perkins there. Maybe if I rewatch Psycho I'll move Perkins to lead. Right now Rocco goes home empty-handed. :(

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    2. LOL, Perkins and Salvatori BOTH win Lead Fistis, Perkins in 60 and Salvatori in 61.

      I just moved La Dolce Vita to 61...now my awards are getting quite the shake up!!!

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    3. Haha, I love it! I can easily see Salvatori as co-lead, but I've NEVER thought of Perkins as a lead. Psycho doesn't seem to have a true lead, for me at least.

      Oh, I can't wait to see how the '61 Fistis turn out!

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  2. I've still got a lot to see from this year. That said, glad to see the love for Poitier and Gleason, both were amazing in their roles, as the late-great Ruby Dee was in hers.

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    1. Glad you like those performances too. I still have plenty to see from this year as well.

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  3. Wow lots of great films from this year, I guess I'm missing out! La Notte looks quite intriguing, that's quite a striking version too.

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    1. I LOVED La Notte, Ruth. I only gave it 3 wins, but I could've easily given it wins in all 8 categories I nominated it.

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  4. Like Wendell, so many of these are on my watchlist! Happy you hand Paul Newman 2nd prize, his performance in The Hustler was very good I remember. The marathon game with Minosota Fatts in the first half of the movie is what captivated me the most.

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    1. Hope you get to see some of them soon! Oh, Newman is terrific in The Hustler. I'd put Mastroianni VERY close behind at #3, though.

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  5. Great work here. Through a Glass Darkly would win out for me, but you can't argue against La Notte (which I really need to watch again). Really happy Andersson pulled out the win!

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    1. Thanks! Through a Glass Darkly was my winner for the longest time, until I watched La Notte (twice) and A Woman Is a Woman last week. Andersson is remarkable, but Moreau is a close runner-up.

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  6. I'm terribly behind in my foreign film viewing for this year, but between trying to see all the available best actress nominees throughout the years (almost done!) and attempting to be a completist for all my favorite Golden Age actresses films (woefully deficient-only four complete-Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day and Debbie Reynolds and I'm within a film on five but that still leaves 50 plus ladies filmographies to finish) who knows when I'll get around to them. Though I consider La Dolce Vita a real blind spot miss.

    Picture:
    Breakfast at Tiffany's
    The Hustler-Winner
    Judgement at Nuremberg
    The Misfits
    West Side Story
    I really love Tiffany's best but Mickey Rooney's horrid work in it nudges it out. Instead I went with the spare Hustler for it's wonderful economy in telling it's story.

    Director:
    Blake Edwards-Breakfast at Tiffany's
    John Huston-The Misfits
    Stanley Kramer-Judgement at Nuremberg
    Robert Rossen-The Hustler
    Robert Wise/Jerome Robbins-West Side Story-Winners
    With its infamously hellish production it's a wonder Huston ended up with any sort of cohesive film at all, that he managed something so strange yet compelling deserves recognition. Even though Capote hated it Blake Edwards turned the tale of two grabbers into a light as air souffle, albeit mightly helped by Audrey Hepburn. Although Nuremberg can be ponderous at times due to its restricted setting Kramer engages the audience's interest by focusing on the most compelling aspect of each scene. Rossen while exposing the seamy, smoky underside of the world of pool hustlers still manages to make them fascinating to watch. WSS missed being my best picture by the terrible miscasting of the leads but aside from that is an awesome achievement of blending storytelling and dance and Wise & Robbins's ability to combine all the elements so well deserves the prize.

    Actor:
    Dirk Bogarde-Victim-Winner
    James Cagney-One Two Three
    Clark Gable-The Misfits
    Paul Newman-The Hustler
    Spencer Tracy-Judgement at Nuremberg
    Two giants, Gable and Cagney, bowed out this year with some of their finest work and Tracy's solid imperturbability keeps the long, grueling Nuremberg, which is full of nomination worthy work, on track while Newman's Fast Eddie is one of his finest creations. With all that superb work I still thought Bogarde's richly textured Victim best.

    Actress:
    Ingrid Bergman-Goodbye Again
    Audrey Hepburn-Breakfast at Tiffany's
    Hayley Mills-Whistle Down the Wind
    Marilyn Monroe-The Misfits
    Natalie Wood-Splendor in the Grass-Winner
    Runner-ups: Deborah Kerr-The Innocents, Sophia Loren-Two Women
    So many great performances this year I have an overflow! I love all of these and was really delighted to find such a beautiful Bergman portrait in the otherwise neglible Goodbye Again but making a selection wasn't tough at all. Natalie Wood, who I adore but who could be a spotty actress, truly understood the troubled Deanie. This is the best she ever was, it's almost painful to watch her suffering at times but always riveting.

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    1. Great picks. Love your wins, and it's nice to see Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Misfits get so many nominations. At one point, I nominated them for more awards, but they were nudged out by foreign fare. I really need to check out Whistle Down the Wind and Goodbye Again!

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  7. Supporting Actor:
    Alan Bates-Whistle Down the Wind
    Montgomery Clift-The Misfits-Winner
    Peter Falk-Pocketful of Miracles
    Jackie Gleason-The Hustler
    George C. Scott-The Hustler
    The Hustler men and Bates's presumed Jesus are stunning but my choice was between two wildly different characters. Falk's Joy Boy is an exuberant comic delight but Clift IS the broken Perce. It's sad to see the brilliant actor in such a sorry state but he channels his dissipation into making his character compelling as he did the same year in Nuremberg.

    Supporting Actress:
    Marlene Dietrich-Judgement at Nuremberg
    Judy Garland-Judgement at Nuremberg
    Piper Laurie-The Hustler
    Lotte Lenya-The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
    Rita Moreno-West Side Story-Winner
    Lotte Lenya does the near impossible and steals scenes from Vivien Leigh as the rapacious Contessa in Mrs. Stone and Marlene, closing out her film career for all intents and purposes with Nuremberg, gives a sympatheic, haunted reading of Mrs. Bertholt. In the same film Judy shows what a skillful dramatic actress she could be, a talent more or less wasted by Hollywood. Piper's intricate work as Sarah in The Hustler is sensational, but since she will be my winner in '95 for The Grass Harp and I love Rita's zesty Anita in WSS, surely the showpiece performance in the film, equally she earns the little golden man as she did from the academy.

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    1. Can't argue with those choices, and it's awesome that you nominate Falk. He's so much fun in that film!

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