1949

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES


*The Snake Pit
*The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
*Johnny Belinda
*Hamlet
*The Red Shoes



AND "MY" WINNER IS...Johnny Belinda
AND "THE" WINNER IS... Hamlet


Johnny Belinda (1948) directed by: Jean Negulesco
Main Cast: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayers, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead and Stephen McNally

In the small fishing village of Cape Breton off the coast of Nova Scotia Dr. Robert Richardson has just moved to town. One night while helpingto birth a calf, he meets deaf/mute Belinda. Dr. Richardson gets permission from Belinda's father, Mr. McDonald to teach Belinda sign language, so she can communicate. One night while she is left home alone she is raped by Locky McCormick and becomes pregnant. Of course, the local gossip blames the doctor, so the McDonalds, as well as the doctor become pariah's and are unable to make a living. Will Belinda be able to care for her son, which she names Johnny?

This was a spectacular movie! I loved every minute of it, I definitely believe Jane Wyman deserves an Oscar for her role as Belinda. She did a remarkable job. I highly recommend you check this one out soon!

RATING: 10/10

THE ACADEMY'S PICK

Hamlet (1948) directed by: Laurence Olivier
Main Cast: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Norman Woodland

Hamlet's father, the king, dies, so Hamlet's mother Gertrude marries his brother Claudius making Claudius the new king. The ghost of Hamlet's father appears to Hamlet and shows him that Claudius murdered him. How will Hamlet get revenge for his father, or will he even live to seek revenge?

This one was kind of hard to follow. The language is difficult to understand. I found myself bored a lot throughout the two and a half hours! Definitely not something I would recommend unless you are really into history.

RATING: 4/10

HONORABLE MENTION

The Snake Pit (1948) directed by: Anatole Litvak
Main Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn

Virginia Cunningham (de Havilland) finds herself in a state insane asylum, and can't remember how she got there. Virginia is being cared for by Dr. Kik (Genn) who is helping her to discover what caused her to have a nervous breakdown. Virginia has days where she knows what is going on, and days where she can't even remember her husband Robert (Stevens). Will Virginia ever be sane again, or will she spend the rest of her life in the institution?

This was a great movie, I went into it thinking it wouldn't really be that good. But I enjoyed it immensely! Highly recommend it, if you have the chance definitely check it out. Olivia de Havilland did an amazing job.

RATING: 10/10

THE BEST OF THE REST

The Red Shoes (1948) directed by: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Main Cast: Marius Goring, Anton Walbrook, Moira Shearer

Boris Lermontov (Walbrook) is the most prominent ballet impressario in town. He hires Julian Craster (Goring) to compose a ballet for him. Craster composes The Red Shoes for which Lermontov wants Victoria Page (Shearer) to be the main star. The production is a big success and makes Victoria an instant star. Victoria and Julian fall in love, much to the dislike of Lermontov, he wants all of Victoria's concentration on her dancing. So Lermontov fires Julian which leaves Victoria to choose between the man she loves and her passion of dancing. Which choice will Victoria make?

This was a very good movie. It has a few slow spots, but most of it was very good.

RATING: 8/10

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) directed by: John Huston
Main Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett

Dobbs (Bogart) and Curtin (Holt) meet up in Mexico and go to work for a contractor, Pat McCormick, who takes them away to a remote site and tells them they will be paid when the job is finished. When they are finished, they return to town to find McCormick to get their wages. They meet up with an old prospector, who claims the hills are still full of gold and if they can get the cash, he will go with them. They eventually get the cash from McCormick, with a little "persuasion", and all three set off for the hills as good friends, but will they return that way?

This one was very average for me. It was the typical western. I was pretty bored through the whole movie.

RATING: 5/10

All in all 1949 was not that great of a year. It had a couple of good movies, but three not so good ones.

Rating for 1949 as a whole: 6/10

NEXT UP: 1970 - which includes: Midnight Cowboy, Z, Anne of the Thousand Days, Hello Dolly!, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

November 14, 2009 8:22pm