It's funny you guys mentioned How Green Was My Valley. Some film buffs had a great discussion about it and the consensus was though Kane is groundbreaking film on many levels, Valley was a great movie as well and is a semi-forgotten classic. They point to John Ford's direction, an engaging story, box office success and excellent acting by the cast as reasons why the Academy may have picked it.
Kane turned out to be the more influential film but it's not a Driving Miss Daisy level outrage that it lost to Valley. --- In [email protected], Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@...> wrote: > > I think I heard Carney was actually pretty good in that, though it may have > been a sympathy/appreciation prize for a guy remembered more for the comedic > "The Honeymooners", who was actually a very good dramatic actor. > I hate the whole politics of the Oscars. I can't stand that awards are given > to people for reasons other than the best person winning. I remember Tom > Hanks was up for a third Oscar one year, and it was said he didn't get it > because that would put him in Jack Nicholson territory, and they didn't want > to put him up there yet. The young sister from Precious is roundly applauded, > but they say since this was her first acting gig she was out of contention, > 'cause the Academy doesn't like to reward first-timers. They want her to > prove herself a bit more. WTF? > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@...> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 4:00:37 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Kurosawa Marathon Running on TCM Now! > > > > > > > Seems like 1939 was a lot harder to choose. There were some very good films > to choose from. > > I saw this one on current tv. The worst choice for best actor was the year > 1974. Look at this list! > > > > ⢠Art Carney, Harry and Tonto > ⢠Jack Nicholson, Chinatown > ⢠Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II > ⢠Dustin Hoffman, Lenny > ⢠Albert Finney, Murder on the Orient Express > > And the winner is.... Art Carney??? > > > On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 7:35 PM, Keith Johnson < keithbjohn...@... > wrote: > > > > > > > Seriously, if not for "Cheers", I'd *still* not know what "Rosebud" is. I've > been that diligent in avoiding having it revealed to me! > Yeah I was aware of that Oscar thing. It's happened since, such as when > "American Beauty" beat out "The Hurricane". One of the most famous years for > a real slugfest at the Oscars was 1939, when "Gone with The Wind" won. Check > the competition, though, I'd have gone with almost any over the winner, > though I lean toward "Of Mice and Men: > > http://awardswatch.fandango.com/2010/theshows/pastwinners/year/1939.php > > > > Best Picture - 1939 > > > ⢠Gone With the Wind- Winner > ⢠Dark Victory > ⢠Goodbye, Mr. Chips > ⢠Love Affair > ⢠Mr. Smith Goes to Washington > ⢠Ninotchka > ⢠Of Mice and Men > ⢠Stagecoach > ⢠The Wizard of Oz > ⢠Wuthering Heights > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mr. Worf" < hellomahog...@... > > To: [email protected] > > > > Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 9:55:17 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Kurosawa Marathon Running on TCM Now! > > > > > > > > > > Its a 60 year old film. Its not a secret. :) > > I learned this last night. When Citizen Kane was released, the same year the > Maltese Falcon was also released so they went head to head for an Oscar. Do > you know who won? Neither! They both lost to the movie, "How green is my > valley" I was pissed by that. > > > On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 4:36 PM, Keith Johnson < keithbjohn...@... > wrote: > > > > > > > I know! And add "It's a Wonderful Life", "Raging Bull", "Forest Gump", and > "Taxi Driver" to that mix. Somehow they just kept slipping by me. Before > cable, I was always missing them whenever broadcast on local TV. After cable, > they were always on when I was out, asleep, or I'd come in when they were > halfway over. So I put them on my "must see" list. (I have an Excel > spreadsheet on which I have 130 films that I must see. Many come from the > AFI's list of Top 100 Films of All Time, and to that I added my own). > > I've been working that list for a few years now. Recent films I've been able > to check off in the last two or three years include "Bonnie and Clyde" (just > last month, on TCM's "31 Days of Oscar"), "Gaslight" (so *that* explains all > those "drive-the-wife-crazy" movies on Lifetime!), "The Magnificent > Seven"(yeah, yeah, I know the source material!), "Pulp Fiction" (so *that* > explains all those existential philosophical criminals in movies the last > several years!), "Bullitt", and "The Wild Bunch" > > By the way, I spent years avoiding the definition of "Rosebud", until an ep > of "Cheers" in which an angry Frasier, pissed at someone for spoiling some > big secret, starts shouting a list of spoilers in the bar. I laughed and > laughed--until he shouted "And Rosebud was a sled!", at which point I wailed > "Noooo!" > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Kelwyn" < ravena...@... > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 4:51:49 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Kurosawa Marathon Running on TCM Now! > > > > > > > > Not having seen a great foreign language movie is forgivable but an American > born movie lover like yourself saying he has never seen Citizen Kane or > Casablanca - well, that is indefensible! > > > --- In [email protected] , Keith Johnson <KeithBJohnson@> wrote: > > > > > I had to be up at 7 am, and the wife's been on me fiercely to get more than > > my typical five hours of sleep. (She keeps citing the numerous reports that > > too little sleep contributes to elevated blood sugar and cholesterol, too > > issues I'm having to deal with thanks to family genetics). So I held on to > > see the end of "Throne of Blood", then regrettably turned off "The Hidden > > Fortress" and went to sleep. Actually, I set the TV to the History Channel > > and drifted off to a description of the formation of the early Earth. Hated > > missing all the good movies. > > > > "Throne of Blood" was excellent. Despite the castle (which Kurosawa had > > built with the help of US Marines), costumes, and horses, it was in some > > ways a spare, lean film. Much like most plays of the Bard, which can be > > told with minimal sets and costuming, since the dialogue's the thing. > > Still, I enjoyed Kurosawa's depiction of the forest spirit that set Washizu > > on the path to betrayal and madness. It was properly creepy. Mifune was of > > course commanding. His wife was creepy, almost as much as that spirit. She > > seemed to almost be a spirit herself, more focused on possibilities and > > ethereal things, what if's and maybe's. She seemed less like a wife than a > > motivating force, a goad to set Washizu to commit heinous acts. > > > > Thoroughly enjoyed it. Can you believe I'd never seen it, nor "Ran", > > "Yojimbo", or "Roshoman", or "The Seven Samurai"?! Along with the > > inexcusable fact I've never seen "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca", I'm most > > ashamed of my lack of Kurosawa experience. Rectifying that now thanks to > > the always-fabulous TCM! > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Martin Baxter" <martinbaxter7@> > > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 12:21:06 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Kurosawa Marathon Running on TCM Now! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Dig in, Keith. You will not be disappointed. > > > > > > > On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 8:21 PM, Keith Johnson < KeithBJohnson@ > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To celebrate the upcoming 100th birthday of the late famed director Akira > > Kurosawa, Turner Classic Movies is running a Kurosawa marathon for the next > > three Tuesdays in March. Starting at 8 pm EST tonight, it kicks off with > > "Ikiru", the story of a bureaucrat who finally decides to try living once > > he's been diagnosed with a fatal disease. That's followed by "Throne of > > Blood", then "The Hidden Fortress" (which is said to be a major inspiration > > for "Star Wars"), and two other movies. The marathon's running for the next > > twelve hours on this first block. > > > > The marathon's culmination on Tuesday, March 23 is capped off by classic > > films "Rashomon", "The Seven Samurai", "Yojimbo", and "Ran". For those > > who've seen little to none of Kurosawa's work (and I'm unfortunately among > > that group), this is a golden opportunity to see one of the best and most > > influential directors in history. > > > > You can get the full schedule at the link below. While there, I suggest > > taking time to click on the sidebar links for each of the films, which give > > really great descriptions about each. > > > > http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article/?cid=290045&mainArticleId=290029 > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ > > > > > > > > > > -- > Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ >
