Review and Analysis of the 24th Academy Awards

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Review and Analysis of the 24th Academy Awards

The 24^th  Academy Awards were mostly pretty good. The winning movie is a lovely musical that is one of the best in that genre. Streetcar was the best movie in competition, but it ended up losing many of the awards, though it swept the acting ones (it’s such a shame that it came one award short of winning all four acting Oscars). Most of the slates were pretty satisfying and many of the wins were deserved, though a couple were quite contentious. It’s a mixed bag of strong and questionable choices.

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BEST MOTION PICTURE

The Best Picture slate for 1951 is pretty good, though not as great as the previous year’s iconic list. One war film, one musical, two dramas and one epic comprised this eclectic list. Decision Before Dawn had no business being here. It’s a very stale war drama that aged poorly. Quo Vadis is a surprisingly strong historical epic that is particularly well acted and made. A Place in the Sun is a minor classic and an underrated gem of book adaptations that is naturalistic in photography and very moving. But the race came between An American in Paris and A Streetcar Named Desire. I do realize that Streetcar losing here seems terrible when you think about it, and certainly that drama is an absolute masterpiece technically, emotionally and narratively. However, I would argue that An American in Paris is an astonishing production with gorgeous visuals, costumes and sets while its soundtrack is lovely. This year they clearly chose the lighter fare, but because this musical was actually terrific, I cannot be too mad about this choice even if it obviously was the wrong one to make. You can read my full ranking of the nominees here.

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BEST DIRECTOR

I am actually glad that they give this one to George Stevens. He directed A Place in the Sun superbly. That movie is both technically polished and narratively impactful. This win came at the expense of Vincente Minnelli and Elia Kazan, but both of those filmmakers got their wins in other years, so this was a very strong choice for the Academy that is very difficult to criticize.

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BEST ACTOR

The Best Actor race this year remains controversial for a reason. First off, I have to praise the Montgomery Clift. His performance in A Place in the Sun is among his best. He not only gave a superbly naturalistic performance, but the casting director also did a stellar job as he was the perfect guy for this kind of role. Just his looks alone sold his emotions deftly. So yes, it’s a shame that he lost this year as he ended up never winning an Oscar. Another person who lost is Marlon Brando. He delivered one of his most iconic performances in Streetcar as the unforgettably brutish Stanley Kowalski. This was a physically charged, charismatic and natural performance that was very much ahead of its time. The fact that both Clift and Brando lost this year remains infuriating to me, but they had to give it to Humphrey Bogart as this was one of those “it’s his time” Oscar wins. He certainly deserved to get at least one Academy Award, but not for the freaking African Queen. He was pretty solid there, but this was far from his best works.

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BEST ACTRESS

This year wasn’t among the best when it comes to this category. It’s a somewhat weak slate if you ask me. Eleanor Parker was excellent in Detective Story. Katharine Hepburn was reliably strong in The African Queen and quite charming, though this was far from her best works. As for Shelley Winters, I did not like her turn in A Place in the Sun at all and she was the weakest link there. Ultimately, Vivien Leigh easily took this one and she entirely deserved it. This was a very theatrical performance, but it worked as the character is written that way. She was so moving and powerful in that classic film. This was her second Oscar win and it’s so wildly different from her turn in ‘Gone with the Wind’ that she deserved it for that alone.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Leo Genn and Peter Ustinov both deserved their nominations as their work on Quo Vadis was excellent. Karl Malden ended up taking it this year and this was his only Oscar. I am so glad that they gave it to him as his turn in Streetcar is the most endearing and charming of the bunch. He plays a genuinely great person and all of his scenes were delightful. Supporting turns should be truly memorable to get an Oscar in my opinion and this counts among those striking ones.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

This was a very weak field, so I guess that Kim Hunter got this one fairly easily. She plays the iconic Stella in Streetcar and she killed it in a very important role. All four performances are excellent in that film and Hunter’s work should not be forgotten as she perfectly expressed the character’s conflicted feelings toward her husband and her sister.

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BEST SCREENPLAY

This category stands for adapted screenplay and it went to A Place in the Sun, which is a worthy winner as it adapted a very long book successfully. It’s a great film for sure. However, the fact that it won over A Streetcar Named Desire is baffling to me when that movie features one of the best screenplays in Hollywood history. It’s one of the greatest stage adaptations ever and it really should have won.

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BEST STORY AND SCREENPLAY

This is a weak slate of nominees and I wouldn’t give any screenplay credit to An American in Paris when that movie, though otherwise excellent, doesn’t have the best story out there. Ace in the Hole should have won out of these nominees as that one had a very strong script.

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BEST MOTION PICTURE STORY

I haven’t seen the winning movie here or the other nominees. This third screenplay category is once again an odd and mysterious one.

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BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

I did not love Kon-Tiki, but I certainly admired it for its strong adventurous elements. The technical aspects are weak, but the old-fashioned thrills are evident. It was the first Norwegian winner in this or any category.

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BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

1951 was a pretty good year for animated shorts, but the Academy’s slate was only okay. They nominated a Tom and Jerry flick, one Disney classic and an arthouse masterpiece, making for a very diverse and solid slate. Lambert the Sheepish Lion is quite solid and underrated. It’s so endearing. Rooty Toot Toot should have won as it’s an artistic classic that is so uniquely drawn and sophisticated. But The Two Mouseketeers ended up winning, which wasn’t a good choice as that one is not among my favorite Tom and Jerry shorts, not by a long shot. You can read my full ranking of the nominees here.

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BEST SCORING OF A DRAMATIC OR COMEDY PICTURE

A Place in the Sun has a fantastic, beautiful score with some really nice pieces to it, so it deserved this win to a degree. But A Streetcar Named Desire has an amazing, iconic score to it, so it’s a shame that it also lost this one. This classic really had such an unlucky time at the Oscars.

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BEST SCORING OF A MUSICAL PICTURE

This was a deserved win without a doubt. I loved the Alice in Wonderland score and I am so glad that it got nominated, but An American in Paris deserved to win due to its truly memorable and fun music that has stood the test of time deftly.

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BEST ORIGINAL SONG

I haven’t seen a single movie from this category and it’s crazy to me that they entirely snubbed Alice in Wonderland when at least one of those charming songs could have gotten a nomination. In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening won this year and I actually like this song quite a bit, though I haven’t seen the movie. Jane Wyman and Bing Crosby are so charming together and the number is pleasantly chirpy and catchy.

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BEST SOUND RECORDING

I haven’t seen the winning movie here, so I cannot comment on its legitimacy, though I clearly doubt that it deserved it as it’s not a well-known movie at all. Streetcar lost this one too, which is sad.

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BEST ART DIRECTION, BLACK-AND-WHITE

That house the characters live in and that entire street felt so lived in and realistic that this win for Streetcar was truly warranted. Superb art direction for sure.

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BEST ART DIRECTION, COLOR

An American in Paris features absolutely astonishing sets that are gorgeously colorful, elaborate and expensive. It’s an incredible movie all around from a technical standpoint, but the art direction is probably its greatest element, so this was a no brainer.

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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, BLACK-AND-WHITE

I would have maybe given this one to Streetcar, but A Place in the Sun also featured gorgeous cinematography that was surprisingly naturalistic for the time, so I am not mad at this win at all. It’s a very underrated movie, so it deserved to win some of these awards.

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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, COLOR

An American in Paris won this one and it was very much a deserved win. That movie was shot superbly and some of the imagery in it was downright iconic. Such a dazzling musical.

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BEST COSTUME DESIGN, BLACK-AND-WHITE

A Place in the Sun stole another Oscar from the poor Streetcar Named Desire, but this was a toss-up for me with both movies having excellent, though far from iconic costume design work.

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BEST COSTUME DESIGN, COLOR

Lovely costumes that are both colorful and gorgeous abound in An American in Paris throughout, so this was another deserved win for that iconic musical.

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BEST FILM EDITING

A Place in the Sun won for best editing, which was another solid choice for the Academy in a slate that wasn’t all that competitive, so it won easily there.

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BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

When Worlds Collide featured stunning VFX for the time. The flooding sequences were particularly terrific. It deserved to win this award, though this year it wasn’t a competitive but an honorary award probably due to a lack of movies with extensive special effects released back then.

 

Overall, this was a solid year for the Academy. They did not nominate some great films, but most were included. Many slates here were pretty strong, though a couple were lackluster. The technical and acting awards mostly ended in deserved wins, but the Best Actor choice remains very problematic to this date. It’s a solid year for the Academy, though obviously nowhere near as strong as the previous one.