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Friday, August 17, 2012

Best Cinematography: 1930s

1930: Earth (Daniil Demutsky)
Oscar winner: With Byrd at the South Pole ('29/'30)
Was this film nominated?: No

1931: M (Fritz Arno Wagner)
Oscar winner: Tabu: A Story of the South Seas ('30/'31)
Was this film nominated?: No

1932: Wooden Crosses (Jules Kruger & René Ribault)
Oscar winner: Shanghai Express ('31/'32)
Was this film nominated?: No

1933: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Karl Vash & Fritz Arno Wagner)
Oscar winner: A Farewell to Arms ('32/'33)
Was this film nominated?: No

1934: L'Atalante (Jean-Paul Alphen, Louis Berger, Boris Kaufman)
Oscar winner: Cleopatra
Was this film nominated?: No

1935: The 39 Steps (Bernard Knowles)
Oscar winner: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Was this film nominated?: No

1936: Modern Times (Ira Morgan & Rollie Totheroh)
Oscar winner: Anthony Adverse
Was this film nominated?: No

1937: Lost Horizon (Joseph Walker)
Oscar winner: The Good Earth
Was this film nominated?: No

1938: Grand Illusion (Christian Matras)
Oscar winner: The Great Waltz
Was this film nominated?: No

1939: Gone with the Wind (Ernest Haller & Ray Rennahan)
Oscar winner: Gone with the Wind (Color),
Wuthering Heights (B&W)

Updated: 9/5/14
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14 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 17, 2012 at 9:58 AM

    YAY! I'm so excited to see the rest. I especially LOVE the M, Thin Man and 39 Steps mentions.

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    Replies
    1. JoshAugust 17, 2012 at 2:04 PM

      Thanks! Looking forward to doing more of them.

      Delete
  2. blahblahblah TobyAugust 17, 2012 at 8:00 PM

    got to say the 30s and 40s have to be the hardest years for this series. are you going to make like the academy and split colour and b&w?

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    Replies
    1. JoshAugust 17, 2012 at 10:27 PM

      Good question. The Academy did that from 1939-56 and from 1958-66. I could do that, but it didn't cross my mind. If I do it, I can update this post with a b&w pick for 1939. What do you think? Should I do both?

      Delete
    2. JoshAugust 18, 2012 at 2:20 AM

      By the way, I just noticed that I haven't seen enough color films from the 40s to do both, but I could do both from 1950-56 and 1958-66.

      Delete
    3. blahblahblah TobyAugust 18, 2012 at 6:05 AM

      Thats what i was going to say actually.
      And hardest because the cinematography was if such a high quality

      Delete
    4. AnonymousAugust 18, 2012 at 10:56 AM

      I wouldn't separate personally...I think if the cinematography is strong enough to stand on its own then it should compete against all others regardless of color. But that's just me.

      Delete
    5. JoshAugust 18, 2012 at 2:55 PM

      @Toby: Just to clarify: what were you going to say? That it'd be too hard to do both, so I should do one? Or that I should do both for the 50s and 60s?

      @Fisti: I agree. If I were to do both, I'd indicate which was my overall pick. That way you'd know what my sole winner would be.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousAugust 18, 2012 at 4:57 PM

    Great post! I love the screenshots you selected. I've seen a few of the movies on your list, and I want to see the rest, especially M and The Grand Illusion.

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    Replies
    1. JoshAugust 19, 2012 at 1:06 AM

      Thanks! Ooh, M and Grand Illusion are terrific.

      Delete
  4. ChrisAugust 19, 2012 at 11:18 AM

    I watched Modern Times the other day, that's a great comedy right there. I'm interested in tracking down M (1931),I keep seeing it crop up on lists.

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    Replies
    1. JoshAugust 19, 2012 at 9:01 PM

      Totally agree on Modern Times. Ooh, you should definitely give M (1931) a look Chris. I rewatched it recently, and it's fantastic.

      Delete
  5. Alex WithrowAugust 20, 2012 at 4:21 PM

    Awesome post, so glad you chose cinematography as your next series. And great picks here. M... shit man, that film is bloody gorgeous.

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