Day 43: My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady: 1965: Winner of the 37th Academy Award


Starring:

Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins

Audrey Hepburn (Marni Nixon, singing) as Eliza Doolittle

Stanley Holloway as Alfred P. Doolittle

Wilfrid Hyde-White as Colonel Hugh Pickering

Gladys Cooper as Mrs. Higgins

Jeremy Brett (Bill Shirley, singing) as Freddy Eynsford-Hill

Theodore Bikel as Zoltan Karpathy

Mona Washbourne as Mrs. Pearce, Higgins' housekeeper

Isobel Elsom as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill

John Holland as Butler

From the memorable first scene where Eliza is selling little peonies for men’s coats to the last scene. My fair lady is the utmost example of Cinderella. Eliza has nothing in the world, the gentleman has too much money and too much time , so he bets he can make Eliza a woman and not some bedraggled forgotten girl selling flowers. Her transformation is astonishing but so is the process behind the scenes. He begins to love this creature he has created, love her because even though she has become a lady she is still Eliza but like a mature version now. This movie made me love Audrey Hepburn. Audrey is good example of someone going from a rough and tumble beginning and ending at the top of the ranks despite all odds. The rags to riches story that e all hear off and secretly dream of. Hollywood has this ideal close to heart because any movie with that premise and with the right actors are almost guaranteed an Oscar. For example, “Million Dollar Baby” “Rocky” and “Gi-Gi” to some extent are movies that have one on that premise with some boxing thrown in. I like this movie and it has been on my to get list for quite some time. If you love Audrey Hepburn you will love this, and who doesn’t love Audrey Hepburn?

It also won awards for;


Academy Award for Directing - George Cukor

Academy Award for Best Actor - Rex Harrison

Academy Award for Best Cinematography - Harry Stradling

Academy Award for Sound - George R. Groves, Warner Brothers Studio

Academy Award for Original Music Score - Andre Previn

Academy Award for Best Art Direction - Gene Allen, Cecil Beaton and George James Hopkins

Academy Award for Costume Design - Cecil Beaton

Day 42: The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music: 1966; Winner of the 38th Academy Awards

Starring:

• Julie Andrews as Maria von Trapp


• Christopher Plummer as Captain Georg von Trapp,

• Richard Haydn as Max Detweiler,

• Eleanor Parker as Baroness Elsa Schraeder,

• Charmian Carr as Liesl von Trapp,

• Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich von Trapp,

• Heather Menzies as Louisa von Trapp

• Duane Chase as Kurt von Trapp, the fourth child

• Angela Cartwright as Brigitta von Trapp,

• Debbie Turner as Marta von Trapp,

• Kym Karath as Gretl von Trapp,

• Peggy Wood as Mother Abbess,

• Anna Lee as Sister Margaretta,

• Portia Nelson as Sister Berthe,

• Daniel Truhitte as Rolfe,

• Ben Wright as Hans Zeller,

Oh Julie Andrews I love you so. You and that stupid song that once started I can’t get out of my head. “You are sixteen going on seventeen” That song is way catchy. Ok I love the idea of a nanny/nun going to take care of six crazy ass brats, but then she forgoes her vows and falls in love with the count. But wait it isn’t finished then they get married and have a wonderful life but they do not like the Nazi’s so they preform and they try to escape and wait there is more, the young man who falls in love with the oldest daughter is a German officer and he is not in love with the girl enough to not let the official’s know they are escaping, so he gives them out. Now it’s done. Apparently they escape, but still you never will be quite sure. The whole story is beautiful, even though it is inexplicably long. The songs are very catchy and you can hear them in many other movies, this is a classic example of epic movies making a mark in American History. Even though the leads were British. This joined the ranks quite quickly with “Gone With the Wind” “Wizard of Oz” and “Ben-Hur” A staple of American Media that you just had to watch if you wanted to be considered anyone in the Cinema Industry. Personally I watch this movie every Christmas with my Grandmother, she loves it so I know it by heart, but I also understand how it can get tiresome. Furthermore I really hate Lisel’s boyfriend. He’s a real jerk. If you don’t like musicals I don’t recommend this.

It also won awards for:

Best Sound (James Corcoran, Fred Hynes)

Best Director – Robert Wise

Best Scoring of Music – Adaptation or Treatment

Day 38: Titanic

Titanic: 1998: Winner of the 70th Academy Award

Starring 

Leonardo DiCaprio:Jack Dawson

Kate Winslet :Rose DeWitt Bukater

Billy Zane :Caledon 'Cal' Hockley

Kathy Bates:Molly Brown

Frances Fisher :Ruth Dewitt Bukater

Gloria Stuart :Old Rose

Bill Paxton :Brock Lovett

Bernard Hill :Captain Edward James Smith

David Warner :Spicer Lovejoy

Victor Garber :Thomas Andrews

Jonathan Hyde :Bruce Ismay

Suzy Amis :Lizzy Calvert

 Lewis Abernathy :Lewis Bodine

 Nicholas Cascone :Bobby Buell

“I’m the king of the World” those were Leonardo DiCaprio’s words as eh outstretched his arms on the dream movie of James Cameron. Yo did you know this movie won 11 academy awards? Only won or equaled to by LOTR #3? With a slightly smaller cast and generally two unknowns who were about to make movie box office and movie cinema history. This movie was titanic in every way, the way it was filmed, the cost, the production, the stars, the idea, the award sweep, the audience, it was the movie that was literally unsinkable. I’ve watched everything documentary like on this moive and I can tell you it was the little engine that could. I was 8 when this movie came out.  My parents were so friggin;’ happy when this movie came out and because it was rated R they couldn’t take me so my consolation prize was a titanic t-shirt that I had until I was about 15. This movie totally made it big and it is forever inspiring really bad spin-offs of the first opening line and then the one with Leo and Kate on the rails. One of my favorite movies “Love Actually” uses it for romantic  therapy. The story of the underdog romance will go on and onnnnn… Celine Dion status. 

 

It also won awards for:

Best Cinematography,

Best Costume Design

Best Visual Effects

Best Sound (Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers, Mark Ulano)

Best Sound Effects Editing,

Best Original Dramatic Score

Best Film Editing,

Best Original Song

Best Art Direction

Best Director

Day 29:The Apartment

The Apartment: 1960: 33rd Winner of the Academy Award

Starring:

Jack Lemmon as C.C. "Bud" Baxter

Shirley MacLaine as Fran Kubelik

Fred MacMurray as Jeff D. Sheldrake

Ray Walston as Joe Dobisch

Jack Kruschen as Dr. Dreyfuss

David Lewis as Al Kirkeby

Hope Holiday as Mrs. Margie MacDougall

Joan Shawlee as Sylvia

Naomi Stevens as Mrs. Mildred Dreyfuss

Johnny Seven as Karl Matuschka

Joyce Jameson as the blonde in the bar

Willard Waterman as Mr. Vanderhoff

David White as Mr. Eichelberger

Edie Adams as Miss Olsen

This movie was pretty decent and it was also kind of unexpected. It's a romantic-comedy film and it stars comedic legend: Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Firstly I would like to say that I was irked by it at first. The premise is that 'Bud' lends his apartment out to the head honchos of the company he works for so they can have their flings with secretaries and the lot. However he himself is trying to associate with Fran (MacLaine), she is an elevator girl who has a secret, she is sleeping with the boss. Now this is standard rom-com formula. They fall in love, something stands in the way, they figure it out , boy losses girl, girl figures out and looks for the boy, and happy ever after. However the inter-plot is great, there’s a sense of a lost girl in Fran, that just translates really well onto the screen. I have never seen any of MacLaine's earlier work, I believe from 1980 to now. I never knew her voice was so high up there and that she was way pretty when she was younger. Like super pretty! As for Lemmon well I also had a teensy bit of a crush on him, but didn't like how mean he was to Marilyn Monroe. Which brings me right back to point one, the irk. So the first ten minutes of the movie, I assume this is a teamwork between Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon who had worked with Monroe before, one of the honcho's girl not only sounds like Monroe but is doing the “Marilyn”, it kind of irked me because, well because you don't fuck with Marilyn! However something quite interesting is that in the first 5 minutes a commercial for “The Grand Hotel” another “Best Picture”, winner. It was fun to watch this movie, maybe not something I’d get but I’d watch it again.

It also won awards for:

Best Director :Billy Wilder

Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen :I. A. L. Diamond and Billy Wilder

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Black and White):Edward G. Boyle and Alexandre Trauner

Best Film Editing: Daniel Mandell

Day 10: Gigi

Gigi :1958: Winner of the 31st Academy Awards

Starring:

Leslie Caron as Gigi

Louis Jourdan as Gaston Lachaille

Maurice Chevalier as Honoré Lachaille

Hermione Gingold as Madame Alvarez

Isabel Jeans as Aunt Alicia

Eva Gabor as Liane d'Exelmans

Jacques Bergerac as Sandomir

I liked this movie. It was cute and funny and it was kind of like watching to stubborn people fall in love. I wasn’t entirely sure whether Gigi was being raised to be a rich man’s wife or his mistress, but it all worked out in the end. I think Leslie Carron was by far one of the prettiest actress ever and I was totally smitten by Gaston. Angry man, I swear some men were just made for marriage and he was one of them. All he needed was a little vivacity in his life. And Gigi was the one to bring the spunk… pun… get it? Nvm anyway the point is that I liked it and it was one of the first musicals to ever win 9 oscars. I loved it and couldn’t get “The Parisians” song out of my head. Watch it as a date movie or on a rainy day with cocoa. It’s totally worth it.

 It also won awards for:

Best Director :Vincente Minnelli,

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alan Jay Lerner

Best Art Direction: E. Preston Ames, F. Keogh Gleason, Henry Grace, and William A. Horning

Best Cinematography: Joseph Ruttenberg

Best Costume Design: Cecil Beaton

Best Film Editing :Adrienne Fazan

Best Original Score :André Previn

Best Original Song :"Gigi" by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

Day 6: The English Patient

The English Patient:1996: Winner of the 69^th Academy Awards

Starring:

Ralph Fiennes as Count László Almásy

Juliette Binoche as Hana

Willem Dafoe as David Caravaggio

Kristin Scott Thomas as Katharine Clifton

Naveen Andrews as Kip

Colin Firth as Geoffrey Clifton

Julian Wadham as Madox

Jürgen Prochnow as Major Muller

Kevin Whately as Sgt. Hardy

Clive Merrison as Fenelon-Barnes

Salinger and I had wanted to see this film since, well her since she found out that Ralph Fiennes was in it and myself, since I found it on Netflix. However it wasn’t until today and the verdict is, I loved it!!It made me cry and the love story was amazing. The story centers around a burned man found in the Desert after WW2, in this garrison a nurse named Hana tries to nurse him back to health. She has lost everyone she loved and is taking upon herself to save this man, this English Patient. They find an abandoned monastery in the Italian countryside and use it as a place for him to get better. A couple of nights later we meet Moose, David Caravaggio, who was someone that the English Patient knew in a past life, the life he cannot now remember or does not wish too. This is how the love story between Mrs. Clifton and Count de Almasy is told. Through flashback we get a glimpse of the man who was burned and heartbroken. This was a really good, albeit long, movie. I truly enjoyed it and was glad to watch. Yesterday I was complaining about overused love plots and today I find myself rekindled in that belief. Even though it was tragic and sad and I ended up with my eyes watering, I also found myself thinking that love is really all that drives human condition. Without love there is no life. It is life that brings the profound sense of belonging and acceptance that humans need. Yes, I got all that from watching this movie. Because when Hana the nurse is telling the English Patient that she wants to make him better he says that he prefers to leave this world as has his beloved. The movie was really good, I recommended that everyone watch it.

It also won awards for:

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Juliette Binoche

 Best Art Direction-Set Decoration : Stuart Craig and Stephanie McMillan

 Best Cinematography  : John Seale

 Best Costume Design : Ann Roth

 Best Director :Anthony Minghella

Best Film Editing :Walter Murch

Best Original Score :Gabriel Yared

Best Sound :Walter Murch, Mark Berger, David Parker, and Christopher Newman