Schurmy Classics - 1957 Part III: The Big Ones

Schurmy Classics

Part III: The Big Ones

The Cranes Are Flying

Here it is, what you've patiently waited for. You may have even read the other parts of this edition of Schurmy Classics while you were waiting. I applaud you for doing so. Every award in this section will have honourable mentions because 1957 was too good to limit myself to just the nominees. You've already read too much to have to sit through more preamble so let's just move onto the awards.

Part I: Technical Awards
Part II: Genre Awards

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

Best Original Score:

Oscar Winner - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Malcolm Arnold

Honourable Mentions:

1. Funny Face - Adolph Deutsch
2. A Hatful of Rain - Bernard Hermann
3. Les Girls - Cole Porter
4. Night of the Demon - Clifton Parker
5. Paths of Glory - Gerald Freid

Nominees:

1. An Affair to Remember - Hugo Friedhofer
2. The Bridge on the River Kwai - Malcolm Arnold
3. Le Notti Bianche - Nino Rota
4. Sweet Smell of Success - Elmer Bernstein
5. Throne of Blood - Masaru Sato

Some fantastic scoring from 1957 is represented here. Whether it is setting a romantic mood, crafting a war epic, exploring the seedy underbelly of the newspaper business or building pure existential dread they all accomplish their goals supurbly. The jazz fan in me has to award the Schurmy to Elmer Bernstein though. It's amazing how well film noir and 1950s jazz fit together and it's kind of a shame that they weren't concurrent artistic styles for a longer period of time (for another great example check out the French noir Elevator to the Gallows scored by Miles Davis)
Winner - SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS - ELMER BERNSTEIN

Best Cinematography:

Oscar Winner - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Jack Hildyard

Honourable Mentions:

1. An Affair to Remember - Milton Krasner
2. Le Notti Bianche - Giuseppe Rotunno
3. The Seventh Seal - Gunnar Fischer
4. Sweet Smell of Success - James Wong Howe
5. Throne of Blood - Asakazu Nakai

Nominees:

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai - Jack Hildyard
2. The Cranes Are Flying - Sergey Urusevsky
3. Paths of Glory - Georg Krause
4. Sayonara - Ellsworth Fredericks
5. Wild Strawberries - Gunnar Fischer

The best war photography isn't from The Bridge on the River Kwai or Paths of Glory. The best large scale romantic photography isn't from Sayonara. The best dream sequence photography isn't from... well actually this one does belong to Wild Strawberries but I'm sure if The Cranes Are Flying decided to use extensive dream sequences it would own this subcategory as well. Sergey Urusevsky produced some of the best black-and-white cinematography of all time with this film, especially when upping the scale of scenes and expanding the frame.

Winner - THE CRANES ARE FLYING - SERGEY URUSEVSKY

Sweet Smell of Success

Best Original Screenplay:

Oscar Winners - Designing Woman - George Wells

Honourable Mentions:

1. Funny Face - Leonard Gershe
2. Jailhouse Rock - Guy Trosper and Nedrick Young
3. Les Girls - John Patrick and Vera Caspary
4. Nights of Cabiria - Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli and Pier Paolo Pasolini
5. The Tin Star - Joel Kane, Dudley Nichols and Barney Slater

Nominees:

1. Designing Woman - George Wells
2. Forty Guns - Samuel Fuller
3. The Seventh Seal - Ingmar Bergman
4. Tokyo Twilight - Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda
5. Wild Strawberries - Ingmar Bergman

In a 96 minute film Ingmar Bergman explores approximately a dozen themes, crafts a full, lived-in world, creates several compelling characters and keeps everything entertaining despite its density. The Seventh Seal is an absolute masterpiece of a film and it has one of the best screenplays ever written.

Winner - THE SEVENTH SEAL - INGMAR BERGMAN

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Oscar Winners - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson

Honourable Mentions:

1. An Affair to Remember - Delmer Daves, Donald Ogden Stewart and Leo McCarey
2. The Bridge on the River Kwai - Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson
3. A Face in the Crowd - Budd Schulberg
4. Kanal - Jerzy Stefan Stawinski
5. Witness for the Prosecution - Larry Marcus, Billy Wilder and Harry Kurnitz

Nominees:

1. 12 Angry Men - Reginald Rose
2. Le Notti Bianche - Luchino Visconti and Suso Cecchi D'Amico
3. Paths of Glory - Stanley Kubrick, Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson
4. Sweet Smell of Success - Ernest Lehman and Clifford Odets
5. Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? - Frank Tashlin

The razor sharp dialogue would be enough for Sweet Smell of Success to win this award (yes even over 12 Angry Men and Paths of Glory). The dark storyline delving into the seedy hearts of newspaper men is enough to solidify it as one of the best adapted screenplays ever written

Winner - SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS - ERNEST LEHMAN AND CLIFFORD ODETS

Peyton Place

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

Oscar Winner - Miyoshi Umeki - Sayonara

Honourable Mentions:

1. Bibi Andersson - Wild Strawberries
2. Betsy Drake - Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
3. Felicia Farr - 3:10 to Yuma
4. Susan Harrison - Sweet Smell of Success
5. Carolyn Jones - The Bachelor Party
6. Kay Thompson - Funny Face
7. Miyoshi Umeki - Sayonara
8. Diane Varsi - Peyton Place
9. Mary Webster - The Tin Star
10. Isuzu Yamada - Throne of Blood

Nominees:

1. Bibi Andersson - The Seventh Seal
2. Teresa Izewska - Kanal
3. Elsa Lanchester - Witness for the Prosecution
4. Eva Marie Saint - A Hatful of Rain
5. Ingrid Thulin - Wild Strawberries

I almost gave Bibi Andersson two nominations but her work in Wild Strawberries wasn't quite enough to make the cut. Instead, joining her as nominees are the radiant angel in Kanal, the nagging nurse in Witness for the Prosecution, the put upon housewife in A Hatful of Rain and the unloved daughter-in-law in Wild Strawberries. All of these women raise the expectations associated with these roles and deliver outstanding work. None moreso than Ingrid Thulin who absolutely shines as the film starts giving her character depth in the second half.

Winner - INGRID THULIN - WILD STRAWBERRIES

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Oscar Winner - Red Buttons - Sayonara

Honourable Mentions:

1. Aleksey Batalov - The Cranes Are Flying
2. Neville Brand - The Tin Star
3. Red Buttons - Sayonara
4. Maurice Chevalier - Love in the Afternoon
5. Bengt Ekerot - The Seventh Seal
6. EG Marshall - The Bachelor Party
7. Lloyd Nolan - Peyton Place
8. Nigel Patrick - Raintree County
9. Chishu Ryu - Tokyo Twilight
10. Jack Warden - 12 Angry Men

Nominees:

1. Gunnar Bjornstrand - The Seventh Seal
2. Lee J Cobb - 12 Angry Men
3. Sessue Hayakawa - The Bridge on the River Kwai
4. Burt Lancaster - Sweet Smell of Success
5. Tyrone Power - Witness for the Prosecution

There's a reason Ingmar Bergman tended to work with the same group of actors during his career; they were really good at interpreting his scripts and becoming natural parts of his worlds. Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnal Lindblom, Max von Sydow and, the winner of this award, Gunnar Bjornstrand. In The Seventh Seal Bjornstrand is tasked with providing levity to the film lest it become the stuffy foreign art house film you think it is if you've never seen it and he excels.

Winner - GUNNAR BJORNSTRAND - THE SEVENTH SEAL

Tokyo Twilight

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Oscar Winner - Joanne Woodward - The Three Faces of Eve

Honourable Mentions:

1. Lauren Bacall - Designing Woman
2. Setsuko Hara - Tokyo Twilight
3. Audrey Hepburn - Funny Face
4. Audrey Hepburn - Love in the Afternoon
5. Deborah Kerr - An Affair to Remember
6. Dorothy Malone - The Tarnished Angels
7. Giulietta Masina - Nights of Cabiria
8. Maria Schell - Le Notti Bianche
9. Barbara Stanwyck - Forty Guns
10. Lana Turner - Peyton Place

Nominees:

1. Ineko Arima - Tokyo Twilight
2. Marlene Dietrich - Witness for the Prosecution
3. Patricia Neal - A Face in the Crowd
4. Tatiana Samoilova - The Cranes Are Flying
5. Joanne Woodward - The Three Faces of Eve

Arima is absolutely heartbreaking in Tokyo Twilight as a younger sister facing some large personal crises as she learns family secrets. It's a challenging role and she is devastating as everything overwhelms her character. Dietrich is incredible as the wife of a murder suspect as his trial occurs harboring many secrets upon which the film's plot twists and turns delivering a grand finale of a twist. The film hinges on Dietrich's abilities to play all the facets of her character and she is never not up to the challenge. Neal plays the straightwoman to Andy Griffith after setting him loose upon the world and the horror as all of her hopes and dreams for the man she discovered crumble before her very eyes. Neal's intentionally understated performance is exactly what the film needed as Griffith went to the rafters, Neal grounded everything and kept the satire real and biting. Woodward expertly portrays all three personalities of Eve with a sympathetic heart and deservedly won her Oscar delivering the best performance in a Hollywood film from 1957. However, the Schurmy is going to Tatiana Samoilova for her performance as a young lover who watches the love of her life join the Soviet war effort and desperately hangs on to the hope for his return before the amazing final scenes in The Cranes Are Flying.

Winner - TATIANA SAMOILOVA - THE CRANES ARE FLYING

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

Oscar Winner - Alec Guinness - The Bridge on the River Kwai

Honourable Mentions:

1. Peter Cushing - The Curse of Frankenstein
2. Kirk Douglas - Paths of Glory
3. Henry Fonda - 12 Angry Men
4. Glenn Ford - 3:10 to Yuma
5. Anthony Franciosa - A Hatful of Rain
6. Cary Grant - An Affair to Remember
7. Charles Laughton - Witness for the Prosecution
8. Marcello Mastroianni - Le Notti Bianche
9. Toshiro Mifune - Throne of Blood
10. Tony Randall - Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

Nominees:

1. Tony Curtis - Sweet Smell of Success
2. Andy Griffith - A Face in the Crowd
3. Alec Guinness - The Bridge on the River Kwai
4. Victor Sjostrom - Wild Strawberries
5. Max von Sydow - The Seventh Seal

Tony Curtis is perfect as the sleazy and sly Manhattan press agent. Andy Griffith is transcendent as a hillbilly singer who grows corrupt with power as his fame rises. Alec Guinness is so noble as a British commander leading his men through a POW camp. Max von Sydow gives the best performance of his life as a knight facing death in a game of chess. These legends all fall short to a man best know as a silent film director. Victor Sjostrom is incredible as an elderly doctor lost in his memories and living through his nightmares. This performance might just be the best performance of an elderly person looking back on their life ever.

Winner - VICTOR SJOSTROM - WILD STRAWBERRIES

The Seventh Seal

Best Director:

Oscar Winner - David Lean - The Bridge on the River Kwai

Honourable Mentions:

1. Ingmar Bergman - Wild Strawberries
2. Delmer Daves - 3:10 to Yuma
3. Mikhail Kalatozov - The Cranes Are Flying
4. Akira Kurosawa - Throne of Blood
5. David Lean - The Bridge on the River Kwa
6. Yasujiro Ozu - Tokyo Twilight
7. Frank Tashlin - Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
8. Jacques Tourneur - Night of the Demon
9. Luchino Visconti - Le Notti Bianche
10. Billy Wilder - Witness for the Prosecution

Nominees:

1. Ingmar Bergman - The Seventh Seal
2. Stanley Kubrick - Paths of Glory
3. Sidney Lumet - 12 Angry Men
4. Alexander Mackendrick - Sweet Smell of Success
5. Andrzej Wadja - Kanal

This is a list of five men breaking out and announcing their talents to the world. Ingmar Bergman's pre-Seventh Seal work isn't bad but it certainly isn't anywhere near the greatness of The Seventh Seal and the works he would go on to create. The Killing is good but Paths of Glory is the first of many masterpieces Stanley Kubrick would make in his career. Sidney Lumet had only done television work prior to 12 Angry Men. Alexander Mackendrick had made some well received movies prior to Sweet Smell of Success (including the original Ladykillers) and while I haven't seen any of them, Sweet Smell is his only film that routinely makes lists of all time great films. Kanal is Andrzej Wadja's second film after the cooly received A Generation and it would launch his career as one of the most distinguished directors Poland has ever produced. While all these men would be worthy winners, the Schurmy will be going to the immaculate work Ingmar Bergman did with The Seventh Seal. This film is a masterclass of tone requiring a perfect balancing act to reach the levels it did.

Winner - INGMAR BERGMAN - THE SEVENTH SEAL

BONUS ROUND: Video Montage
The following montage is a celebration every film I watched for this project, good or bad. It is also an awarding of the Best Picture Schurmy.

Best Picture:

Oscar Winner - The Bridge on the River Kwai

Ranking of Oscar Nominees:

1. 12 Angry Men
2. The Bridge on the River Kwai
3. Witness for the Prosecution
4. Peyton Place
5. Sayonara

Honourable Mentions:

1. 3:10 to Yuma
2. An Affair to Remember
3. The Bridge on the River Kwai
4. The Cranes Are Flying
5. A Face in the Crowd
6. Forty Guns
7. The Incredible Shrinking Man
8. Night of the Demon
9. The Tin Star
10. Witness for the Prosecution

Nominees:

1. 12 Angry Men
2. Kanal
3. Le Notti Bianche
4. Paths of Glory
5. The Seventh Seal
6. Sweet Smell of Success
7. Throne of Blood
8. Tokyo Twilight
9. Wild Strawberries
10. Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

The Seventh Seal is a special film for me. It was my gateway into the world of classic foreign cinema. Into the world of Seven Samurai, Bicycle Thieves, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Rules of the Game, Le Samourai, A Man Escaped and so many more. Rewatching it for this project just reconfirmed my love of this film. It is everything you think of when you think of foreign classics and so much more. I've already written many words on how great I think it is so I don't think I need any more.

Winner - THE SEVENTH SEAL

And that's it. 1957 in film. One of the all time greatest years in history and I'm sure I missed several great ones in my research. Now I'll leave you a graceful little dance alone on the deck of a cruise ship.

An Affair to Remember

Stats for Nerds:

Number of Nominated Films: 36

Most Nominated Film: The Seventh Seal - 15

Number of Films With Multiple Nominations: 30

15 - The Seventh Seal, 11 - Sweet Smell of Success, 9 - The Bridge on the River Kwai, Wild Strawberries, 7 - 12 Angry Men, Kanal, Le Notti Bianche, 6 - Paths of Glory, Tokyo Twilight, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, 5 - An Affair to Remember, Throne of Blood, 4 - The Cranes Are Flying, Designing Woman, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Witness for the Prosecution, 3 - 3:10 to Yuma, The Curse of Frankenstein, A Face in the Crowd, Forty Guns, Funny Face, Les Girls, Raintree County, Silk Stockings, 2 - The Enemy Below, A Hatful of Rain, Love in the Afternoon, Sayonara, The Tin Star

Number of Winning Films: 19

Most Winning Film: The Seventh Seal - 9

Number of Films With Multiple Wins: 7

9 - The Seventh Seal, 4 - The Cranes Are Flying, Sweet Smell of Success, 3 - Wild Strawberries, 2 - 12 Angry Men, Le Notti Bianche, Raintree County

OK, now we're actually done. Time to go to the bar and get a drink.

3:10 to Yuma