Winners indicated (*). I still haven't seen films like Mourning Becomes Electra, The Paradine Case, Born to Kill, Lady in the Lake, The Farmer's Daughter, 13 Rue Madeleine, Daisy Kenyon, Boomerang!, Desperate, The Exile, The Fugitive, It Always Rains on Sunday, Nightmare Alley, Pursued, Record of a Tenement Gentleman, The Red House, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, T-Men, The Secret Beyond the Door, Le silence est d'Or, Ride the Pink Horse, Snow Trail, Dead Reckoning, Song of the South, and They Made Me a Fugitive.
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| Black Narcissus |
BEST PICTURE:
Black Narcissus*
Brighton Rock
Monsieur Verdoux
Odd Man Out
Out of the Past
BEST DIRECTOR:
John Boulting, Brighton Rock
Charles Chaplin, Monsieur Verdoux
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Black Narcissus*
Carol Reed, Odd Man Out
Jacques Tourneur, Out of the Past
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| Brighton Rock |
BEST ACTOR:
Richard Attenborough, Brighton Rock*
Charles Chaplin, Monsieur Verdoux
Ronald Colman, A Double Life
James Mason, Odd Man Out
Robert Mitchum, Out of the Past
BEST ACTRESS:
Joan Crawford, Possessed
Susan Hayward, Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
Deborah Kerr, Black Narcissus*
Dorothy McGuire, Gentleman's Agreement
Gene Tierney, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
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| Crossfire |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Kirk Douglas, Out of the Past
John Garfield, Gentleman's Agreement
F.J. McCormick, Odd Man Out
Robert Ryan, Crossfire*
Richard Widmark, Kiss of Death
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Kathleen Byron, Black Narcissus*
Gloria Grahame, Crossfire
Jane Greer, Out of the Past
Celeste Holm, Gentleman's Agreement
Marjorie Main, The Egg and I
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| Monsieur Verdoux |
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Black Narcissus
Brighton Rock
Gentleman's Agreement
Odd Man Out
Out of the Past*
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer
A Double Life
It Happened on Fifth Avenue
Monsieur Verdoux*
Shoeshine
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| Out of the Past |
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Black Narcissus*
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Great Expectations
Odd Man Out
Out of the Past
BEST FILM EDITING:
Black Narcissus
Body and Soul
Brute Force
Odd Man Out
Out of the Past*
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| Odd Man Out |
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Black Narcissus
Dark Passage
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Miracle on 34th Street
Odd Man Out*
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
"Life Can Be Beautiful", Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman*
"Lost April", The Bishop's Wife
"That's What Christmas Means to Me", It Happened on Fifth Avenue
Additional Categories
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| The Ghost and Mrs. Muir |
BEST ART DIRECTION:
Black Narcissus*
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Great Expectations
Life with Father
Odd Man Out
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Black Narcissus
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Great Expectations*
Life with Father
Monsieur Verdoux
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| Great Expectations |
BEST MAKEUP:
Black Narcissus*
A Double Life
Great Expectations
BEST SOUND (MIXING AND EDITING):
Black Narcissus*
Brute Force
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Great Expectations
Odd Man Out
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Black Narcissus
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir*
Great Expectations
I absolutely love Black Narcissus. Definitely one of my big discoveries of the past few years.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great film. The Red Shoes is my favorite Powell/Pressburger film, but Black Narcissus is amazing.
DeleteWhat a change from '46. While there were fine films made in '47 the abundance of quality was nowhere near as plentiful, although I have yet to see Monsieur Verdoux or Brighton Rock.
ReplyDeletePicture:
Black Narcissus
Crossfire
Miracle on 34th Street
Odd Man Out
Out of the Past-Winner
I see we differ on Black Narcissus. I like it and consider it a top film of the year but have never been that swept away by it. Out of the Past however caught me in its spell from my first viewing. I think I'm even more partial to it because like Casablanca before it it was never meant to be anything more than another product in the studio's assembly line. But through the luck of the right director, and in this case cinematographer, and performers being assigned to the script it turned out to be not only a classic of noir but of film in general.
Director:
Edward Dmytryk-Crossfire
Michael Powell-Black Narcissus
Carol Reed-Odd Man Out
George Seaton-Miracle on 34th Street
Jacques Tourneur-Out of Past-Winner
As I said Tourneur took a script that in lesser hands would have been just another studio film and crafted something unique. The other films are all good but Out of the Past in enduring.
Actor:
Ronald Colman-A Double Life
John Garfield-Body and Soul
Robert Mitchum-Out of the Past
Tyrone Power-Nightmare Alley-Winner
Robert Young-They Won't Believe Me
I loved all these performances so much but it came down to a decision between Power and Young, both playing against type. Young twists his established persona, not yet calcified by Father Knows Best, just enough that it's still understandable why he would be attractive to so many women yet he conveys the character's underlying contemptibility expertly. Power embraces the mercenary soulless bastard he plays with total conviction and commitment, incredible he was ignored but then the picture tanked at the box office so perhaps it's not so surprising. A shame he was slighted but he's my winner.
Actress:
Joan Bennett-The Macomber Affair
Susan Hayward-Smash-Up-The Story of a Woman
Ida Lupino-The Man I Love-Winner
Gene Tierney-The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Claire Trevor-Born to Kill
You can see the postwar malaise settling in through these performances I think. Whereas in previous years most of the nominated or notable work by actresses was saintly or at least resolute women with an occasional bad girl thrown in by this point most of the significant leading women's roles were tough customers and only Tierney on my list is playing a gentle thoroughly good woman, it's telling that she's in a period piece. Gene is compassionate and touching in an almost dreamy performance but manages to ground the fantastical Mrs. Muir enough so you don't scoff at the somewhat absurd premise. While Susie's dipso Angelica Evans is a tragic figure I felt she only got stronger as the years progressed and is at her best in I'll Cry Tomorrow. Both Bennett and Trevor make sure you see at least a shred of humanity in their malicious, avaricious characters making them relatable but no less unsavory. It's Ida Lupino however who takes the prize in my favorite of her performances. Petey Brown lets her explore all the parts of her talents, she's tough but capable of being hurt, willing to do almost anything to protect her family but with a wry detachment and quick wit that makes her irresistible. Another great facet of her work is that when she sings, even though she's dubbed, she really SINGS the songs obviously thinking about what she's saying and interpreting it with her body language.
Out of the Past is a great winner, and I'm thrilled to see another Odd Man Out fan. That film is so underrated.
DeleteI'm really behind on Lupino's work. I'll have to check out The Man I Love, Nightmare Alley, They Won't Believe Me, The Macomber Affair, and Born to Kill.
I realized as I hit the tab I didn't include the supporting categories.
ReplyDeleteSupporting Actor:
Kirk Douglas-Out of the Past
Edmund Gwenn-Miracle on 34th Street-Winner
Michael Redgrave-Mourning Becomes Electra
Robert Ryan-Crossfire
Richard Widmark-Kiss of Death
Ryan, Widmark, Redgrave and Douglas all offer up more complex characterizations than Edmund Gwenn, although there are a great many deceptively shaded aspects to his work, but he is so endearing and owns the role so totally I couldn't think of anyone else getting the award.
Supporting Actress:
Kathleen Bryon-Black Narcissus-Winner
Jane Greer-Out of the Past
Agnes Moorehead-Dark Passage
Helen Walker-Nightmare Alley
Shelley Winters-A Double Life
After Ambersons I think Madge Rapf in Dark Passage is my favorite Agnes Moorehead performance because she so totally embraces the absolute absence of worth in the character. Likewise Greer's Kathie is a priceless portrait of a silky but complete fiend. Winters adds a lot to her small but key role in A Double Life and Helen Walker is fantastic as the manipulative psychiatrist in Nightmare Alley which also contains award worthy work from Joan Blondell but there were only five slots. As distinctive and in some cases celebrated as these performances are Kathleen Bryon's spectacularly complicated work in Black Narcissus trumps them all, unbelievable she didn't even receive a nomination.
Nice lineups. I just need to see Redgrave's and Walker's films. Byron is terrific, and she really should've been nominated. Gwenn just missed my top 5, but he is delightful in that role.
Delete