Here we come to the final Oscar category we're covering for 1960, the nominees for Best Director:
Jack Cardiff, Sons and Lovers
Jules Dassin, Never On Sunday
Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho
Billy Wilder, The Apartment
Fred Zinnemann, The Sundowners
Now, this would not be Hitchcock's year at the Oscars, though he didn't leave 1960 without some honors: when the Walk of Fame officially opened in early 1960, Hitchcock was among the first honorees, with two stars, one honoring his film work, the other honoring his television work. And as we discussed before, Psycho itself was a major hit, breaking box office records all around the world, with Hitch himself raking in over $15 million. It was a great year for the director, the year that, I would argue, made him the legend he is today. The Oscar nomination was the capper. Unfortunately, it wasn't a win, and it was his final nomination; he would finally get an Oscar seven years later ... an honorary award.
The night's big winner was Billy Wilder. Hitchcock had five Best Director nominations, Wilder had seven Best Director nominations, and four times - 1944, 1945, 1954, and 1960 - those nominations were against each other. This was the second time Wilder triumphed. It was also his last nomination, in this category, at least. Worth noting, too: this was also the third match-up between Wilder and Fred Zinnemann.
And how do I rate them? From fifth to first, here we go:
5. Fred Zinnemann for The Sundowners
past winner, fifth of seven directing nominations; DGA Awards nominee for Best Director, Golden Globe nominee for Best Director, NYFCC Awards runner-up for Best Director
I think I've said enough about this film, and I hope when I revisit it, I don't know, sometime, I realize what a fool I was to not regard it highly enough. But this is now, and this is where he is.
4. Jack Cardiff for Sons and Lovers
only directing nomination; Golden Globe winner for Best Director, National Board of Review's Best Director of 1960, NYFCC Awards winner for Best Director (tie with Wilder); DGA Awards nominee for Best Director
No surprise that one of the great cinematographers makes a gorgeous-looking film (though, interestingly, Cardiff's best-known work as cinematographer is in color, while here he directs in black-and-white). He doesn't just rest on the visuals, though: a determinedly grounded film, he deals empathetically with each character, not excusing their flaws but not condemning them, either. Let the audience decide. Let them watch these people - and they all feel like people - live their lives. It's excellent work, it only looks easy.
3. Jules Dassin for Never on Sunday
only directing nomination
He gets away with it! At any point, this movie could be too much, whether too condescending towards its heroine and her determined ignorance, or too ridiculous in its portrayal of the American academic, or too frivolous or too shallow. Instead, this comedy about cross-cultural disappointment goes down easy in its observations of tourist fetishization of "local color" - funny, sexy, and with unionized prostitutes, to boot! It looks like everyone was having fun, it feels spontaneous, but it's never sloppy. And I love that it's about a man falling in love with the woman he's directing.
2. Alfred Hitchcock for Psycho
Friends and family who've known me for years may be surprised to find him in second place, but...well, hey, silver medal ain't bad, either. Hitch came from the silent era, he knew how to be effective with images alone, and that shower scene...well, let's get away from the obvious and consider: the anonymous shine int he cop's sunglasses, the confidence to spend so much time just on Janet Leigh's face while she drives, the insane opening shot that takes in downtown Phoenix before entering a hotel window, the light coming on in the house and a silhouetted Norman Bates running down in the rain, the birds'-eye of Arbogast's reconaissance... These are images that stay with you, enter your dreams, because Hitchcock was, is, a master. And the performances ain't bad, either!
1. Billy Wilder for The Apartment
past winner, his seventh and final directing nomination; DGA Awards winner for Best Director, NYFCC Awards winner for Best Director (tie with Cardiff); Golden Globe nominee for Best Director
And yet, my #1 is Wilder, because with Wilder I can recall perfectly human moments. Like the spaghetti on the tennis racket, or the Santa Claus at the bar, or the broken mirror, or Edie Adams' whole thing, or just a bedside conversation with a shaken Shirley MacLaine. Wilder set himself an impossible task, tonally, but his is an assured hand, he has you laughing and crying and considering your own life all in the same moment. I love the way he films his sets, I love the way he paces his scenes, I love just about everything about this movie. You know I think it's the Best Picture of 1960, and it took the Best Director of 1960 to make it.
Next, we move on from the Oscars as I reveal my personal favorite films of 1960 - yes, the Top Ten is next!
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