A community for classic cinema enthusiasts who engage in discussions, share insights, and celebrate films from the early 20th century to the mid-1960s. Members appreciate the rich history, themes, techniques, and cultural significance of classic movies.
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Frankly, I have never been able to get through that movie. I don't know what on that year because Singin In the Rain wasn't even nominated. John Ford's, The Quiet Man, was a better picture.
I dig the flick --not overmuch, because there are some tiny little faults with it, at least to me. Reasons:
The pacing is a little slow
Let's admit it, there's a lot of old-school melodrama as the foreground of the story.
What I like about it is basically, all the A-list stars.
Heston at his physical best.
The always-sparkling Betty Hutton.
Cornell Wilde, not so much.
A big demerit (from me) actually goes to Jimmy Stewart in this role. My gripe is that he's always got the clown make-up on. I can't see his face, can't see him acting.
But maybe it's just as well because the plot casts him as a murderer which is hugely annoying. Jimmy Stewart, a killer?
The movie's saving grace:
The outlandish car/train collision. Ka-BAM! Lurv it.
The infamous Lyle Bettger doing what he does best: villainry.
I'd agree it doesn't deserve Best Picture for its year. If memory serves, it was chosen as a 'safe tiebreaker' between several warring factions that season.
I only showed this because Mary Pickford presented the award to Cecil B DeMille, the two people basically responsible for Hollywood becoming what it is.