Picture, 1953

Whew! Sorry for the delay! But now, without any further ado, the nominees for Best Picture, 1953!

(After the jump, I mean)

Actor, 1953

I can already tell that this year's Retro Hollmann Awards are going to be most unusual. That's all I'm gonna say about that for now...

This lineup for Best Actor is an intriguing one, a telling one. Burt Lancaster credited From Here to Eternity with changing his career, allowing studio execs to see him as more than beefcake, but as a real actor. William Holden's career was already on the rise after his nominated turn in Sunset Blvd; Stalag 17 could only cement his status as a star, and the Lead Actor nomination is evidence of that: he's one part of a large ensemble. Marlon Brando was the sole Streetcar Named Desire cast member not to win an Oscar, but he was still a Hollywood heavy-hitter: top billing and a Lead Actor nomination for what is essentially one scene in a two-hour flick. Montgomery Clift was a beauty who pioneered the brooding, sensitive male Brando and James Dean would popularize -- this was his third nomination. And Richard Burton was starting out on his Hollywood career, after garnering attention -- and a Supporting Actor nod -- for his performance in My Cousin Rachel.

With the exception of Burton, who is mostly defined by the Taylor years, these are actors one immediately thinks of when one thinks of 50s Hollywood. Without exception, they are all timeless icons, actors every movie lover should know.

And here they are, together at last.....

[intro]

Score, 1953

A good chunk of my iTunes is devoted to film music -- even more than Christmas music, which I have a healthy collection of (not mentally healthy, tho).

Not to take the Academy to task too much for what was left out -- for the most part, this is a solid line-up -- but I do think it's surprising that Alfred Newman's work on Best Picture nominee The Robe was left off (something which caused Franz Waxman to resign from the Academy). What can ya do?

On to the ones what made it!

Black-and-White Cinematography, 1953

Well, as Blanche Devereaux would say, "Better late than pregnant." But hey -- I was busy this weekend, being the Best Man for my best friend's wedding. Congratulations, you two!

But -- back to business, and our continuing coverage of the 1953 Oscars. Tonight: the nominees for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. 

Black-and-White Art Direction, 1953

It's here! My look at the Academy Award nominees of 1953 is here!

Our journey begins with the nominees for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White. Ah, yes, that era when the color line divided Costumes, Art Direction and Cinematography. It makes sense -- color really does have the edge when it comes to those first two, since it can use reds and blues and greys to make a statement. 

But those black-and-white artists weren't just putzin' around, as you'll see.

Party Like It's 1953!

Tomorrow marks the true beginning of the 1953 retrospective!

This marks the 6th Retrospective on the Silver Screening Room. Previously, I've applauded the Academy's laurels for My Fair Lady; meh'd The Godfather: Part II; wept with Schindler's List; enjoyed The Sting; and celebrated my favorite film, Nashville. But 1953 offers new challenges, new discoveries, and new categories -- well, old categories, but new to me -- well, OK, not new to me since I've been well-versed in all things Oscar for years, but...you get it.

Anyway.

As with the other years, I'll be covering certain Oscar categories, offering my reactions to the nominees, and sharing who I'd vote for. But because it's 1953 -- a time when color and black-and-white had equal screen time, writing credits were more complicated, and musicals were so numerous they had their own category -- we have even more categories to cover than usual. Quelle fun!

This week, we take a look at Black-and-White Art Direction-Set Decoration, Motion Picture Story, Musical Score, Supporting Actor, and Black-and-White Cinematography. The films we cover are:

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (score)

Above and Beyond (story)

The Band Wagon (score)

Calamity Jane (score)

Call Me Madam (score)

The Captain's Paradise (story)

The Four Poster (cinematography)

Hondo (story)

From Here to Eternity (supporting actor, cinematography)

Julius Caesar (art direction, cinematography)

Kiss Me Kate (score)

Little Fugitive (story)

Martin Luther (art direction, cinematography)

The President's Lady (art direction)

Roman Holiday (art direction, story, supporting actor, cinematography)

Shane (supporting actor)

Stalag 17 (supporting actor)

Titanic (art direction)

And if you can't wait for my posts, please -- check out the Casting Coup Week I indulged in with Andrew (Encore Entertainment) last week, where we recast the Best Picture nominees of this year -- From Here to Eternity, Julius Caesar, The Robe, Roman Holiday and Shane.

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Casting Coup Week: Julius Caesar

Andrew Kendall and I are prepping the way with a very special CASTING COUP WEEK! And our subjects: the Best Picture nominees of 1953!

We begin with Julius Caesar....

The Year is 1953....

Well, friends, here it is -- after months of work, I'm finally ready to address the films of 1953.

This originally began in December. I thought I'd blast through it, like I did with 1973, before plunging into 1932-33 -- you know, to coincide with the Oscars in March. And now it's Memorial Day weekend. Things happen.

A lot of this comes from the availability of some of the films -- why The President's Lady isn't available on Amazon, streaming, or even YouTube, is anyone's guess -- but mostly I was just drained. My day job as producer and head writer for Hollywood Today at BiteSizeTV is really kicking into high gear -- we did Sundance, we did Oscars, and there's more happening that I can't quite discuss, but hope to soon. Is it work? Of course it is! Is it rewarding? Like you wouldn't believe.

Humblebrag aside....

You know all about 1953, right?