1964 - My Fair Lady: "You expect me to get in there and well myself all over?"

1964 Best Picture Winner

Premiered October 21, 1964 in New York

Budget $17 Million

Gross $70 Million

We go from the worst Best Picture winner (Tom Jones) to the best movie we've seen so far. Everything about My Fair Lady exudes quality and class. Audrey Hepburn is the best actress that we have seen so far. Her performance was amazing and timeless. Rex Harrison also did an excellent job as the professor. The music is timeless and the humor is very funny and right on the mark. The movie is 50 years old but it is still funny, compelling and moving. 

Joel

Favorite: The scene where the professor agrees to work with Eliza is the best single scene of any movie so far (barely edging out the chariot race scene in Ben Hur). The onscreen chemistry between Hepburn and Harrison is an example that should be held up for future screen actors to aspire to.

Least Favorite: The only drawback for me was the fact that Audrey Hepburn was dubbed during the songs. I don't believe that a producer would make that decision for a film today that was expected to compete for an Oscar. 

Callie

Favorite: The witty dialogue. I was entertained throughout the entire movie.

Least Favorite: The ending: I wanted more closure at the end. 

1963 - Tom Jones: "I had the misfortune to know who my parents were"

1963 Best Picture Winner

Premiered October 6, 1963

Budget $1 Million

Gross $50 Million

No, it's not a mistake, we did not forget to rate this movie using our popcorn bags. It did not earn any popcorn bags because it is the worst film we've seen so far. The script, acting, morals, makeup and directing were awful. The movie was supposed to be a comedy but there was nothing funny in the film whatsoever. I am not sure what the members of the Academy were thinking in 1963.

Joel

Favorite: When the words "The End" came up on the screen.

Least Favorite: It was the first best picture winner to use sex to elicit humor. It was offensive and not funny at all. The movie is a waste of time!

Callie

Favorite: There was no favorite.

Least Favorite: It was supposed to be a comedy, but we never laughed. The entire plot was disgusting and not entertaining.

1962 - Lawrence Of Arabia: "Thy mother mated with a scorpion"

1962 Best Picture Winner

Premiered December 16, 1962

Budget $15 Million

Gross $70 Million

This film had so much going for it. The wide sweeping view of the desert created a unique visual. The military  aspect also provided a way to create the potential for a compelling plot. Finally, the feuding tribes in Arabia provided a vehicle for a powerful hero. At first, I thought Lawrence would be this hero. However, the film left us confused as to who Lawrence really was. The scenes did not connect the dots very well. The director left too many holes. 

Joel

Favorite: I liked the character Sherif Ali. He was a character who became my favorite even though the protagonist was supposed to be Lawrence.

Least Favorite: I did not see how the beginning of the movie that captured Lawrence's death added to the whole of the film.

Callie

Favorite: I liked the setting. It gave a good depiction of what life was like in the desert.

Least Favorite: Throughout the four hour movie, I never really connected with and understood Lawrence. 

1961 - West Side Story: "We won't bite you until we know you better"

1961 Best Picture Winner

Premiered October 18, 1961 in New York

Budget $6 Million

Gross $43.7 Million

West Side Story is a classic movie. The songs are catchy and fun to listen to. The movie is one you should see at some point in your life if you've never seen it. However, this isn't a great movie. As a stage production, it gets 3 popcorn boxes, as a movie it only gets two. Here's why: the acting is not good and the filmmakers did not add anything to the stage production to enhance the experience. There's a big difference between the stage and the screen. Most filmmakers have a tough time figuring it out. 

Joel

Favorite: I liked many of the classic songs, especially "America"

Least Favorite: Some of the dance scenes with the boys in the gangs was a little hokey.

Callie
Favorite: I think the story is excellent. It is easy to relate to and it draws you in.
Least Favorite: The acting was bad and the music seemed to fight the story line rather than advance the story line. 

1960 - The Apartment: "I said I had no family; I didn't say that I had an empty apartment.

1960  Best Picture Winner

Premiered June 15, 1960 in New York

Budget $3 Million

Gross N/A

It was fun to see a film that had actors in it that I have seen in movies that have come out within the last 15 years. It was also fun to see our first romantic comedy since It Happened One Night. 

On the downside, it was sad to see how far morality has slid in the past few years. The premise centers around white collar executives who wanted to borrow the key to Baxter's apartment for their extra marital affairs. No one seems to see anything wrong with the behavior until one of the wives find out about what is going on.

Joel

Favorite: I thought that Jack Lemmon did a great job. He did a great job making his character look likable and pathetic at the same time.

Least Favorite: It was in black and white. Color films had been around for many years and yet the studio did not spend the extra money to colorize it. 

Callie

Favorite: It felt like a modern movie. It was like a romantic comedy that was done in modern times. The pacing was nice. You connected with the characters and you felt drawn into the plot.

Least Favorite: The morality levels reaches a new low and I felt that it was degrading to women.

1950s Wrap Up

We seemed to alternate between girl movies (All About Eve, Marty and Gigi) and guy movies (On The Waterfront, Bridge Over the River Kwai and Ben-Hur). We both agree that the 50s were much better than the 40s. Overall, the movies were solid with good stories trumping glitzy special effects as priorities for the studios.

1959 - Ben-Hur: "In His eagerness to save you, your God has also saved an entire Roman fleet"

1959 Best Picture Winner

Premiered November 18, 1959

Budget $15.9 Million

Gross $70 Million

Callie and Joel came away with different opinions of this movie. You will get Joel's thoughts since I am writing this blog. I loved the film for many different reasons: the message, the story and what the movie did for the art of film. First, the message: The message of the film is that there is a redeemer who desires a relationship with you and is reaching out to you. All you have to do is accept what he is offering and He will save you. The story: Creative, inspirational, moving and interesting are some of the words that came to my mind while watching it. Finally the movie advanced the industry by using wide shots of big sets, employing lots of extras for several scenes and by using the best stunts we have seen so far. This is the best movie we have seen so far on our journey of Best Picture winners.

Joel

Favorite: The chariot race scene is the single best scene we have experienced so far (surpassing the courtroom scene in the Life of Emile Zola).

Least Favorite: At almost 4 hours in length, it does drag at times. 

Callie
Favorite: It was cool to see the Roman culture during that time.
Least Favorite: I felt that it was overdone at times and tended to be a little cheesy. 



1958 - Gigi: "Bad table manners have broken up more marriages that infidelity"

1958 Best Picture Winner

Premiered May 15 1958 in New York

Budget $3.3 Million

Gross N/A

This movie gave more respect for timeless musicals (like Wizard of Oz or the Sound of Music). The music did not appeal to me at all. The story was boring and actually a little creepy: The creepy old uncle talks and sings about loving "little girls". I found it very odd.

The only intriguing part of the film is the character Gigi. She is an unrefined teenage girl who becomes a lady. Her transformation is somewhat interesting. It was one bright spot in an overall dull movie.

Joel

Favorite: I liked the use of the narrator, Honore. That showed some creativity on the part of the writer.

Least Favorite: I hated the music. All of it was terrible and boring.

Callie
Favorite: I enjoyed the feminine quality of the movie. Not many films so far have had that. It was certainly a chick flick.
Least Favorite: It was shady. A 35 year old man chasing a 15 year old.