1935 CinSpec Awards

Double Feature: The Informer (1935) & Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)

The Informer (1935) - ***1/2

John Ford's drama takes place during Irish rebellion and follows Gypo Nolan (Victor McLaglen), a desperate ex-IRA member with no money left. In a moment of hasty decision making, he turns in his rebel friend for a 20 pound reward. He is forced to cover his guilt, but it proves too difficult to bear. As his money dwindles, his IRA friends are close to discovering the truth, and he must answer for what he has done. McLaglen's Oscar-winning performance is equal parts hammy and emotionally resonating, and the film's nod to German Expressionism gives it an appropriately ominous look. Released during the early stages of the Golden Age of Hollywood, it's not surprising that this film struck a chord with Oscar voters at the time.

Oscar Oddity #3: Hal Mohr

A unique Oscar winner (left).

Hal Mohr won his first Oscar for Best Cinematography for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935). This cinematographer holds the distinction of being the only Oscar winner to win without actually being nominated. In the early years of the Academy Awards, write-in votes were accepted, and he won based on those votes. How bad must the nominees have felt? I wish the Academy would go back to this, because snubs would at least have a chance of pulling a shocker at the winners ceremony.

Previous entries here and here.

Double Feature: Alice Adams (1935) and Shane (1953)

Alice Adams:

Katharine Hepburn headlines as the titular character of George Stevens' comedy of socially-challenging proportions. As the daughter of a working man, she cannot present herself as frivolously as the other girls in town, and she is quite the scandal for it. Her world is shaken up when she must deal with the scandal of a new-found romance with the upstanding Arthur (Fred MacMurray) and the problem of her social position.

The film received only two nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress. It lost both of them, but Hepburn was very deserving of a what would have been her second Oscar at the time. The supporting cast was also passed over sadly.

Shane:

George Stevens' celebrated western (what range he had) features a roaming stranger (Ladd) who helps a terrorized family restore peace to their valley. Under the heel of an aged cattleman, the entire community is plagued with fear as he attempts to drive them out, even hiring a gunslinger (Palance) to intimidate them. Shane, a semi-retired gunman, must fight to keep the peace and take a final stand for his friends.

The film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (De Wilde), Best Supporting Actor (Palance), Best Screenplay, & Best Cinematography (Color). Loyal Griggs took home his (and the film's) only Oscar for Best Cinematography.