81 Days With Oscar And Me

Every Academy Award-Winning Movie, Back to Back, Starting With the First

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Entries Tagged as 'Black and White'

Schindler’s List

October 24th, 2009 · No Comments · 1993, Adaptation, Black and White, Drama, F-Word, Nationalization, Nazi Socialist Germany, Oskar Schindler, Schindler's List, Seinfeld, Sex, Smoking, Steven Spielberg, Universal Pictures

In my mind, Schindler’s List will forever be associated with the two-part episode of Seinfeld (Season 5, episodes 18 and 19: “The Raincoats 1 and 2”) that aired in 1994. Jerry’s parents are staying with him while they’re visiting from Florida. Consequently, he hasn’t any privacy. And he wants time alone with his girlfriend, Rachel. […]

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Apartment, The

September 21st, 2009 · 1 Comment · 1960, Apartment, Billy Wilder, Black and White, Comedy, Inciting Incident, Jack Lemmon, M-G-M Studios, Mid-Point, Original Screenplay, Panavision (Widescreen), Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Screenplay Structure, Shirley MacLaine, Swearing

Ah, Billy Wilder. After the length, depth, and heaviness of Ben-Hur a good Billy Wilder film is just what the doctor ordered. As nuts as I am about Gene Kelly, I’m equally as passionate about Billy Wilder, a writer/director I’ve come to respect above all others. Hallmarks of a Billy Wilder film include incredibly clever […]

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Marty

September 16th, 2009 · No Comments · 1955, Adaptation, Black and White, Comedy, Ernest Borgnine, Inciting Incident, Jerry Paris, Marty, Mid-Point, Paddy Chayefsky, Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Screenplay Structure, United Artists

What a sweet, kind-hearted movie! Marty is the story of an overweight, average-looking, 34-year-old man who lives with his Italian mother, a lady who means well but who constantly harps on Marty to meet a girl and get married. Even Marty’s customers (he’s a butcher) tell him he should be married. Inciting Incident: At around […]

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On the Waterfront

September 15th, 2009 · 2 Comments · 1954, Adaptation, Black and White, Columbia Pictures, Composer: Leonard Bernstein, Drama, Elia Kazan, Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront, Rod Steiger, Swearing

Marlon Brando: Man? Or Myth? Discuss. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) biography on Marlon Brando is practically a novella, and it begins like this: “Marlon Brando is widely considered the greatest movie actor of all time…” Well. What can I say to that other than prove it. Bring it, Brando. Let’s see whatcha got. Wow […]

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From Here To Eternity

September 14th, 2009 · 1 Comment · 1953, Adaptation, Black and White, Columbia Pictures, Composer: George Duning, Drama, From Here to Eternity, Inciting Incident, Mid-Point, Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Screenplay Structure, War

Hollywood returns to form for this, the 17th adaptation out of 26 Best-Picture films. With From Here to Eternity, Hollywood has chosen as Best Picture movies based on novels, short stories, plays (or characters in one of the three) 65% of the time. A plot summary written by Ed Sutton on the Internet Movie Database […]

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All About Eve

September 11th, 2009 · No Comments · 1950, Adaptation, All About Eve, Bette Davis, Black and White, Composer: Alfred Newman, Drama, Inciting Incident, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Marilyn Monroe, Mid-Point, Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Screenplay Structure, Smoking, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Before I perused the listing for this film on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), I had no idea that Marilyn Monroe is one of the stars in it. Her part can’t be very big, though. This was 1950. And she wasn’t yet the legendary blonde bombshell that she would quickly become. So it’ll be fun […]

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All The King’s Men

September 10th, 2009 · No Comments · 1949, Adaptation, All The King's Men, Black and White, Columbia Pictures, Composer: George Duning, Drama

Hollywood adaptation frenzy continues with this film, All The King’s Men starring Broderick Crawford. This movie marks the fourth adaptation in a row to be named Best Picture, and increases the total number of adaptations to 15 out of 22 films. That’s an astounding number of adaptations, well over half of the movies named Best […]

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Hamlet

September 9th, 2009 · No Comments · 1948, Adaptation, Black and White, Drama, Hamlet, Laurence Olivier, Shakespeare, Two Cities Films

I suppose it goes without saying that “W. Shakespeare” wrote Hamlet, making this the third Oscar-winning movie adaptation in a row – and a grand total of 14 out of 21 films (so far) that are adaptations! It’s hard to watch Hamlet without occasionally grimacing from the sheer ponderousness of it all. No weightier matter, […]

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Gentleman’s Agreement

September 8th, 2009 · 1 Comment · 1947, Adaptation, Anti-Semitism, Black and White, Composer: Alfred Newman, Dean Stockwell, Drama, Elia Kazan, Gentleman's Agreement, Inciting Incident, Marriage and Divorce, Mid-Point, Not Released In United States, Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Screenplay Structure, Smoking, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

And the winner is…another adaptation! What a surprise. This makes three adaptations (a movie based on a novel, short story, or play) in a row. And a total of 13 adaptations out of 20 Oscar-winning films, which is a whopping 65%. Gentleman’s Agreement, the movie, is based on the novel of the same name, written […]

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Best Years Of Our Lives, The

September 7th, 2009 · No Comments · 1946, Adaptation, Best Years Of Our Lives, Black and White, Drama, Hoagy Carmichael, MacKinlay Kantor, Marriage and Divorce, Myrna Loy, Samuel Goldwyn Company, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, William Wyler

Another adaptation, the 12th out of 19 Oscar-winning movies, and the second in a row. At this point, Hollywood makes a movie out of a novel, short story, or play 63% of the time – a remarkable statistic! The Best Years Of Our Lives was directed by William Wyler (1902-1981), who also directed Mrs. Miniver. […]

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