#oscars 15

[theoscarsproject]

Oscars 15 Best Supporting Actress winner Teresa Wright, Mrs Miniver, and nominees Agnes Moorhead, The Magnificent Ambersons, Dame May Whitty, Mrs. Miniver, Gladys Cooper, Now Voyager, Susan Peters, Random Harvest.

[theoscarsproject]

Oscars 15 Best Supporting Actor winner Van Heflin, Johnny Eager, and nominees Henry Travers, Mrs. Miniver, Frank Morgan, Tortilla Flat, William Bendix, Wake Island and Walter Huston, Yankee Doodle Dandy.

[theoscarsproject]

Oscars 15 Best Actress winner, Greer Garson, Mrs Miniver, and nominees, Rosalind Russell, My Sister Eileen, Bette Davis, Now Voyager, Teresa Wright, The Pride of the Yankees and Katharine Hepburn, Woman of the Year.

[theoscarsproject]

Oscars 15 Best Actor winner, James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and nominees, Walter Pidgeon, Mrs Miniver, Monty Woolley, The Pied Piper, Gary Cooper, The Pride of the Yankees and Ronald Colman, Random Harvest.

[theoscarsproject]

Oscars Year 15 Best Picture winner, Mrs Miniver, and nominees, The Invaders, King’s Row, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Pied Piper, The Pride of the Yankees, Random Harvest, The Talk of the Town, Wake Island and Yankee Doodle Dandy.

[theoscarsproject]

Phantom of the Opera (1942).  This is the story of a disfigured violinist who haunts the Paris Opera House.

The costumes in this are basically the best, but the story ventures so ridiculously, it makes it pretty (unintentionally) funny. Still, it’s not a bad way to spend an hour and a half, even if the performances leave a lot to be desired. 6/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Listen to Britain (1942).  A depiction of life in wartime England during the Second World War. Director Humphrey Jennings visits many aspects of civilian life and of the turmoil and privation caused by the war, all without narration.

I was totally surprised by this documentary on life in Britain during World War II. It has no music, no commentary. The only sounds is that which is recorded. It’s beautifully shot, and oddly tender and compassionate as it looks at the lives of people - soldiers, civilians, labourers, factory workers, families and couples alike. It’s lovely, and manages to balance the heartbreaking with the uplifting with the deceptively mundane. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Battle of Midway (1942).  The Japanese attack on Midway in June 1942, filmed as it happened.

The visuals of this documentary are quite interesting, and I am generally pretty fascinated by how these sorts of films started to show the immediacy of war. That said, it’s not hugely compelling, but at least it’s an interesting display of the constructs of early documentary. 6/10.