Nominees: The Quiet Man, Umberto D, Lightning, Forbidden Games, Bend of the River, Singin’ in the Rain, Mother
Oscars pick: The Greatest Show on Earth
Nominees: High Noon, Ivanhoe, Moulin Rouge, The Quiet Man
The Greatest Show On Earth was an entertaining trifle, but it shouldn't have been allowed anywhere near the best picture award. In truth, aside from the 10 Commandments, I don’t know if anything directed by Cecil B. Demille outside of the silent era could be considered Best Picture worthy. Maybe they were just rewarding a long career (if so, they should have waited, as we will soon see)
What astonishes film fans, even more, was that Singin’ in the Rain was locked out as a nominee. Many critics feel it's the greatest musical ever made, and the best movie of the year. Me, I'd name Pyaasa the greatest musical and a few other movies as the year's best. Still, while cheesy at times, Singin’ has top-notch music and dance numbers, and Jean Hagen, who does a better Judy Holiday than Judy Holiday.
Along with it, I nominated the Anthony Mann/Jimmy Stewart western, Bend of the River, and a strange story of children set during wartime, Forbidden Games (which won a special foreign language film, Oscar). DeSica's Umberto D (about an old man and his dog) and the John Ford classic The Quiet Man, with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Above them all (and recent additions, Lightning and Mother from Naruse) I place Akira Kurosawa's important, landmark offering, Ikiru.
Takashi Shimura stars and it is arguably the most memorable performance of his career. He plays a dying man named Watanabe - a Government agency paper pusher who has accomplished little with the job. He's a widower, with a brother who doesn’t really know him, and through his own fault, a non-existent relationship with his son. You could say his life has been a bit of a waste.
One of the films powerful scenes comes after Shimura learns that he has stomach cancer. He leaves the doctor's office lost in his own thoughts -- when suddenly the silence of the scene is broken by a burst of sound -- the city comes to noisy life. The camera pulls back - he is so very small - life goes on with you and without you.
The story follows his quest for meaning and happiness, his failed attempt to repair his relationship with his son, and finally, in the 2nd half of the movie -in flashbacks during his funeral- what he did to leave this small corner of his world a little better after he was gone. While Ikiru is wordy, and at times Kurosawa indulges that didactic nature of his, he doesn’t overdo it, and butts these moments against ones where he doesn’t fill in every detail; there are gaps in the narrative and the back-story that we have to fill in for ourselves. There are also scenes where he allows facial expression alone tell the story.
Though I found it uplifting, it isn't simply a warm and fuzzy tale; the ending doesn’t tie everything up in a neat bow. While the lead character finally finds what he’s looking for and does something important... life goes on as it always does. Only one other guy (a co-worker) understands this, but he is helpless to do anything to change the course. The wheel grinds on and nobody opens their eyes -- unless they are forced to.
This thoughtful meditation on what it is to live a meaningful life is one of the director’s finest pieces. Offering many a lasting image, it is profound and stays with you long after it's over. The acting is honest and the direction impeccable (this is the last film where Akira leans on wide-angle shots, from here on out telephoto lenses will become his tool of choice).
🎭 I found my best actress a few years after starting the search, in a film titled Secret People, which is probably best known as the movie Audrey Hepburn made before becoming an international superstar with Roman Holiday. While it's cool to see Hepburn (and to watch her dance the ballet) it's Valentina Cortese's bravura performance that carries the picture. She displays a range of emotion that is quite remarkable - shifting from desire and joy to shock and disbelief. The movie itself is philosophical and features some potent camera work - as in the use of shadow and light during Maria's interrogation, or when she explains how an evening ended tragically and we see her move from the window, and into her own flashback. I also liked the expressionistic scenes at the hospital. For insights into the plot, here's a quality review (it's also where I found the image below).
Honorable Mentions:
Jean Simmons, Angel Face * Brigitte Fossey, Forbidden Games * Hideko Takamine, Lightning * Maureen O’Hara, The Quiet Man * Nobuko Otowa, Children of Hiroshima * Kinuyo Tanaka, Life of Oharu & Mother * Ingrid Bergman, Europe '51 * Ethel Waters, The Member of the Wedding
Best Actor: Takashi Shimura, Ikiru (pictured up top)
Honorable Mentions:
John Wayne, The Quiet Man * Laurence Olivier, Carrie * Orson Welles, Othello * James Stewart, Bend of the River * Carlo Battisti, Umberto D * James Mason, 5 Fingers * Dirk Bogarde & Jon Whiteley, Hunted
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Supporting Actress: Jean Hagen, Singin' in the Rain
Honorable Mentions:
John Wayne, The Quiet Man * Laurence Olivier, Carrie * Orson Welles, Othello * James Stewart, Bend of the River * Carlo Battisti, Umberto D * James Mason, 5 Fingers * Dirk Bogarde & Jon Whiteley, Hunted
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