#oscars 42

[theoscarsproject]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Wyoming, early 1900s. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid are the leaders of a band of outlaws. After a train robbery goes wrong they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. Their solution - escape to Bolivia.

This is such a good Western, in no small part due to the chemistry and charisma of Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katharine Ross, who truly crackle in every scene they’re in. It’s also fun, and it enjoys playing with the genre, both subverting expectations and totally owning them. It’s a really, really fun way to spend a couple of hours. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Paint Your Wagon (1969). Two unlikely prospector partners share the same wife in a California gold rush mining town.

Hoooo, boy, this is just...not very good. It’s a shame, because I think the premise is unique. I mean, it is genuinely rare to see a polyamorous relationship with only one woman and multiple men, but the film never really commits one way or another to anything except rampant sexism. It really is a product of its time, which I think would bother me less if there weren’t some genuinely interesting films exploring sex and sexuality in 1968 that were raising the bar. 5/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Z (1969). Following the murder of a prominent leftist, an investigator tries to uncover the truth while government officials attempt to cover up their roles.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I started this odd little satirical thriller, but man, it’s good! Compelling and witty and genuinely tense in places. It’s a thoroughly modern-feeling film, and one that explores political corruption in a way that feels especially topical in this era. It’s very, very good, and well worth checking out! 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

True Grit (1969). A drunken, hard-nosed U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger help a stubborn teenager track down her father's murderer in Indian territory.

I’m not the biggest fan of John Wayne, but when he’s on, he’s really on, and man, is he on in this. I really loved this film - it managed to be both tightly told and sprawling, and it treated each character’s relationship with the other with a real integrity. It helps too that it’s so well shot, and really demonstrates what a good quality Western has to offer. It’s terrific, and I’m surprised it wasn’t nominated for more. 8.5/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Alice’s Restaurant (1969). A cinematic adaption of Arlo Guthrie's classic song story.

This is just...not very good. The plot is really scattered, the characterisation almost non-existent, the dialogue stilted, and some really weird sex politics that have dated badly to say the least. That said, the cinematography’s really nice, and the visual elements compelling. 4/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). A headstrong young teacher in a private school in 1930s Edinburgh ignores the curriculum and influences her impressionable 12 year old charges with her over-romanticized world view.

This is....a lot. Not only does it make light of some pretty deplorable behaviour - namely a teacher having sex with one of his 12-year-old students, but it’s also just kind of silly. The plot never really hits home, and the character of Jean Brodie is scattered to say the least, even if Maggie Smith does imbue her with her usual charm. 5/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Marooned (1968). Three American astronauts are stranded in space when their retros won't fire. Can they be rescued before their oxygen runs out?

Ohhhh boy, this movie is boring. It’s a real shame to be honest, because the cast is great, and there are a couple of poignant, affecting scenes. It’s just bogged down by dull nonsense. Plus it’s super derivative of other, better films within the genre and, for the time, seemed to want to capitalise on the success of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Unless you’re a Gregory Peck buff, you can definitely give this one a miss. 4/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Reivers (1969). In turn-of-the-century Mississippi, an 11-year-old boy comes of age as two mischievous adult friends talk him into sneaking the family car out for a trip to Memphis and a series of adventures.

This is such a weird little thing. It almost feels like a series of viginettes or an anthology as opposed to any sort of cohesive film, and occasionally that works, but often it doesn’t. It’s also really reliant on racial and sexist stereotypes that dates it (to put it lightly). Still, as a time capsule, there are worse ones. 6/10.