Best Picture of 1965 (Poll Closed)
Total Votes: 80
My choices are noted with a ★. Historical Oscar winners are noted with a ✔. Best foreign-language picture winners are noted with an ƒ.
"Half of this probably belongs to a horse out in the Valley somewhere," said Lee Marvin upon winning the Oscar for his performance in Cat Ballou. Sounds about right. Thus, Smoky's half-nomination for best actor.
Chimes at Midnight — the tragedy of Shakespeare's greatest comic figure, Falstaff — is, in my book, second only to Citizen Kane as the best movie Orson Welles ever made. Dismissed upon its initial release and largely unseen since, it's now available in a restored, remastered edition from Criterion. Highly recommended.
As for the Academy's choice for best picture of 1965, The Sound of Music, it's not the worst movie to ever win the Oscar for best picture, but thanks to the weakness of its competition, it may be the worst movie to nevertheless deserve to win for best picture.
On the other hand, Julie Andrews is sublime. It might be the best performance by an actress in a musical ever. At least I can't think of a better one.
If in fifty years Chimes at Midnight has developed an audience to rival that of The Sound of Music, I'll change my vote. Until then, I'm sticking with the people's choice.
On a more serious note, I've been debating whether to share some rather personal news — I generally prefer to reveal the personal through my insights into movies rather than through the autobiographical — but I think the autobiographical is already beginning to affect the work so I might as well explain myself.
About six weeks ago, I found out I have cancer, stage 2 esophageal adenocarcinoma (read about it here). The doctors — some of the best in the world — caught it relatively early and I'm otherwise in good health, so they are able to pursue an aggressive form of treatment that includes chemo, radiation and surgery. As my thoracic surgeon put it, the prognosis is "realistically optimistic."
By June, or so they hope, I should be right as rain. Knock on wood.
As you might have guessed if you've been following this blog for any length of time, Katie-Bar-The-Door has been extraordinary, and my friends and family have come through like champs. To quote Lou Gehrig, "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
In the meantime, I will keep plugging along with my alternate Oscar polls as long as I am up to it. I'm two weeks into the treatments and I'm just now beginning to feel the side effects, including fatigue. We'll hope for the best.
But for those of you who, like me, prefer to let the movies do the talking, I offer up some thoughts on life, death, love and life as expressed though a handful of select reviews: here, here and here.
Amen.
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