Nominees: Wild Strawberries, Kanal, Pyaasa, Paths of Glory, Nights of Cabiria, Throne of Blood, Sweet Smell of Success, 12 Angry Men, Witness For the Prosecution, A Face in the Crowd, Le Notti Bianche, La Casa del Angel
Oscars pick: The Bridge on the River Kwai
Nominees: Peyton Place, Sayonara, 12 Angry Men, Witness For the Prosecution
1957 was loaded! At the top of my hit parade was Pyaasa and Sweet Smell of Success. Behind them; Kubrick's powerful and bleak anti-war story, Paths of Glory and Billy Wilder's courtroom mystery, Witness For the Prosecution. 12 Angry Men with Henry Fonda giving one of his best performances. Kazan's A Face in the Crowd with Andy Griffiths electrifying staring role. Kurosawa's Throne of Blood, Wadja's Kanal and Fellini's Nights of Cabiria... Among them all though, this year belonged to the Swede, Ingmar Bergman.
Bergman had put together an impressive body of work from the late 40s to the mid-50s. But in 1957 he elevated his game to the level of undeniable genius.
The Seventh Seal's reputation is built upon its art and solemnity: We remember the rich shadowy photography that calls to mind the work of the Dane, Carl Theodor Dreyer. its themes of war and plague and ignorance. Of the dance with death and the chess match. Of the grim Knight (played by Max Von Sydow) who wrestles with existential angst and hungers to know if God and the Devil exist. An answer to which neither a witch nor Death itself can provide.
Woody Allen called the piece a "Sinister fairy tale" and considers Bergman, cinemas most intellectual voice. But what some fail to consider is that Seventh is quite humorous. The banter is reminiscent of Shakespeare in the clever way it slips off the tongue and strikes like pointed daggers. People smile in this movie; they joke around and play, even as they contend with matters of life... and Death - a being that is both sinister and cunning, but is not without a sense of humor of his own (as when he saws a tree in order to take down the doomed man who is hiding there). This then is one of filmdom's most perceptive fusions of comedy and tragedy.
But Ingmar wasn't done; later in that same year he released Wild Strawberries. A poignant and wise drama of an aging professor who looks back at his life as he travels to receive an award. Bergman employs surrealistic dreams, rife with dark symbolism, shock cuts, and sound that reflect the director's passion for German Expressionism. Strawberries was the first Bergman movie I'd ever seen, and it knocked me out. It remains to this day one of my favorites. I could have selected either picture or gone with a tie. But decided to go with the Seventh Seal, as it's the more iconic.
I liked the Academy’s choice, David Lean's highly respected, The Bridge on the River Kwai. Though I feel the film loses focus as it spins towards its end (and after the first 2 hours, I got the point. There was no need to belabor it)
🎭Acting wise, oh what a crowd, even beyond those I nominated (ala Van Heflin in 3:10 to Yuma, Rod Steiger in Across the Bridge, Pedro Infante in Tizoc, Anthony Perkins in Fear Strikes Out, Guinness & Holden, in the River Kwai, and in support, Peter Van Eyck in Retour de manive). While my male lead might not be as accomplished a big screen actor as many of my honorable mentions, he tapped into something special here. It's an iconic, ferocious performance. But I think he really excels -not when he's chewing scenery with the best of 'em- but in those quieter, toned down moments. The ladies? Again, there was some stiff competition, and I really loved Neal and Masina, but -speaking of iconic roles- I felt Joanne was operating on another world.
Honorable Mentions:
Max von Sydow, The Seventh Seal * Henry Fonda, 12 Angry Men * Victor Sjöström, Wild Strawberries * Kirk Douglas, Paths of Glory * Toshirō Mifune, Throne of Blood * Charles Laughton, Witness for the Prosecution * Nikolai Cherkasov, Don Quixote * Tony Curtis, Sweet Smell of Success * Robert Mitchum, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison * Marcello Mastroianni, Le Notti Bianche
Honorable Mentions:
Giulietta Masina, Nights of Cabiria * Patricia Neal, A Face in the Crowd * Tatiana Samoilova, The Cranes Are Flying * Deborah Kerr, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison * Michèle Morgan, Retour de manivel * Elsa Daniel, La Casa del Angel * Nargis, Mother India * Ingrid Thulin, Wild Strawberries * Setsuko Hara & Ineko Arima, Tokyo Twilight
Supporting Actress: Mylène Demongeot, The Witches of Salem
Also, Isuzu Yamada who had a great year with Throne of Blood, Tokyo Twilight, Black River, and The Lower Depths
