Best Picture Mini Reviews

6.) Cavalcade (1932-1933)

2009-07-05T18:36:00.004-06:00

On a Scale of 1 to 10: 4

The word "cavalcade" refers to a procession of people riding horses or in carriages or in cars. The term can also mean a series of noteworthy events. I think this film is titled after the latter definition of the word (as it spans 33 years, showing some high and low points of a couple of families' lives), but these depictions are also inexplicably punctuated by processions of unrelated horsemen. "Cavalcade" is book-ended with News Year's Eve: It begins on the 1899-1900 new year and ends with 1932-1933, bringing the story to the present at the time it was released. Set in London, "Cavalcade" focuses primarily on the women of two families who must endure sending their husbands and sons off to various wars. The plot jumps in and out of historical events and periods, such as the Titanic’s fateful maiden voyage and World War I. What gives “Cavalcade” its poignance is the way it affords a bird’s-eye view of life’s joys and sorrows. Perhaps the most notable aspects of this film are several instances of brand-name advertising and an alarming stunt where a man is run over by a horse-drawn carriage. “Cavalcade” stars Diana Wynyard and Clive Brook.

Director: Frank Lloyd. Starring Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Herbert Mundin. Genre: Drama. Runtime: 110 min. B&W. (No MPAA rating but equivalent to PG)

5.) Grand Hotel (1931-1932)

2009-06-28T22:38:00.000-06:00

On a Scale of 1 to 10: 6

Known for its cast of multiple, heavy-hitting stars, “Grand Hotel” features Greta Garbo as an emotionally unstable dancer, John Barrymore as a gentlemanly thief, Joan Crawford as an opportunistic stenographer, Wallace Beery as an overbearing business man, and Lionel Barrymore as a terminally ill big spender. The Grand Hotel is said to be a place that’s “always the same: People come; people go; nothing ever happens.” But indeed, much happens to the characters listed above, and we get the feeling that the Grand Hotel is a revolving door of human dramas. This film shows us how these particular guests’ lives happen to overlap and entangle during their stay. “Grand Hotel” is filmed in black and white and is evidently an adaptation of a stage play. Notably, the movie’s tone shifts drastically, beginning comedically and ending somewhat grimly.

Director: Edmund Goulding. Starring Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford. Genre: Drama. Runtime: 112 min. B&W. (No MPAA rating but equivalent to PG)

4.) Cimarron (1930-1931)

2007-06-22T09:35:00.002-06:00

On a Scale of 1 to 10: 3

“Cimarron,” which means wild or unruly, begins in the late 1880s, spanning 40 years in the lives of an American frontier family. Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix), newspaper editor and born wanderer, thrills at the prospect of building a new life from scratch. He uproots his wife, Sabra (Irene Dunne), and moves to Osage, Oklahoma, a dangerous new settlement in the “southwest.” Yancey is a multi-faceted hero: gun-fighter, defender of truth, etc., but his wanderlust leads him away for years at a time, leaving his wife to attend to the children and the newspaper alone.

Director: Wesley Ruggles. Starring Richard Dix, Irene Dunne, Estelle Taylor. Genre: Western/Drama. Runtime: 131 min. B&W. (No MPAA rating but definitely equivalent to PG)

3.) All Quiet on the Western Front (1929-1930)

2007-06-22T09:33:00.001-06:00

On a Scale of 1 to 10: 3

This Best Picture winner is a surprisingly violent, somewhat graphic, anti-war film based on the novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. It has a simple message: War is not glorious but nightmarish. This black-and-white film follows a group of German youth who are encouraged to enlist in World War I by hometown propaganda that fills them with heroic, idealistic misconceptions about war. “All Quiet on the Western Front” depicts their horrible enlightenment. Louis Wolheim and Lew Ayres star in the film. (And though the movie follows German soldiers, there are no subtitles. It is filmed in English.)

Director: Lewis Milestone. Starring Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray. Genre: War. Runtime: 133 min. B&W. (No MPAA rating but equivalent to PG)

2.) The Broadway Melody (1928-1929)

2007-06-22T09:30:00.001-06:00

On a Scale of 1 to 10: 4

Hank (Bessie Love) and Queenie (Anita Page) are a sister act that decides to try to make it on Broadway. Eddie (Charles King) invites them to come to New York to help him promote his new hit, “The Broadway Melody.” Eddie and Hank are an item, but complications ensue when Eddie meets and falls in love with Hank’s sister, Queenie. This movie is a story of love, great personal sacrifice and unhealthy relationships that runs fairly deep for a musical. “The Broadway Melody” is the first sound film to win Best Picture.

Director: Harry Beaumont. Starring Charles King, Anita Page, Bessie Love. Genre: Musical/Drama. Runtime: 110 min. B&W. (No MPAA rating but equivalent to PG)

1.) Wings (1927-1928)

2007-06-22T09:22:00.001-06:00

On a Scale of 1 to 10: 6

“Wings” is a story about friendship, love and World War I (particularly aerial warfare). Mary Preston (Clara Bow) loves Jack Powell (Charles “Buddy” Rogers), but the feeling isn’t mutual. Jack loves Sylvia, but she’s in love with David (Richard Arlen), and the feeling is mutual. Jack and David, who are initially jealous competitors, go off to fly fighter planes together in World War I. “Wings” is the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and is a black-and-white silent movie. Surprisingly, this film depicts blood, which is a result of war violence, and very brief partial nudity.

Director: William A. Wellman. Starring Clara Bow, Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Richard Arlen. Genre: War/Drama. Runtime: 141 min. B&W, silent. (No MPAA rating but equivalent to PG)