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THE HUSTLER (1961) dir. Robert Rossen cinematography by Eugen Schüfftan

#oscars #academy awards #34th academy awards #the hustler #the hustler 1961 #1960s #film #1960s film

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The Hustler (Robert Rossen, 1961).

#oscars #academy awards #34th academy awards #the hustler #the hustler 1961 #1960s #film #1960s film

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natalie wood

West Side Story (1961)

#oscars #academy awards #34th academy awards #west side story #west side story 1961 #1960s #film #1960s film

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West Side Story (1961 & 2021)

Robert Wise & Steven Spielberg

#oscars #academy awards #34th academy awards #west side story #west side story 1961 #1960s #film #1960s film

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Both films from 1961 were adapted screenplays that spurred additional films - West Side Story was adapted from the 1957 Broadway musical and adapted again in 2021 by Steven Spielberg, while The Hustler was adapted from the 1959 book and continued with a 1986 sequel. I can already tell you that the sequel, The Color of Money, will not be mentioned as a future upset, but will get Paul Newman his one Academy Award win!

West Side Story feels ridiculously cheesy at times, but Leonard Bernstein nails the soundtrack, the dancing is good, and the production quality is ahead of its time. It's an absolute classic and a joy to watch.

(FYI: The "one major role" that was mentioned as not terrific was Richard Beymer as Tony)

There was overwhelming support for The Hustler as the upset for 1961, and I'm still trying to understand why. I sat through the first 10-15 minutes so optimistic that it was going to be a good film, and after the first 30-45 minutes I debated if I wanted to finish it at all.

The plot was decent and the film style was quite pleasing to watch, but it was overwhelmingly slow and could not hold my interest at all! I tried my best!

At the 34th Academy Awards, West Side Story took home the second highest number of Oscars to date (and 4th highest of all time), missing out on only one Oscar for Screenplay.

The Hustler was nominated for 9 Oscars, the third highest of the night, and took home two for Art Direction and Cinematography.

George Chakiris and Rita Moreno (as Bernardo and Anita, respectively), were awarded at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes for their performances.

Unofficial Review: This ain't an upset. Unless I'm SERIOUSLY missing something about The Hustler.

#oscars #academy awards #34th academy awards #west side story #west side story 1961 #the hustler #the hustler 1961 #1960s #film #1960s film #oscarupsets

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"It's not as if is she were a maniac, a raving thing. She just goes - a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?" Cinematography Appreciation - Psycho (1960) dir. Alfred Hitchcock

#oscars #academy awards #33rd academy awards #psycho #psycho 1960 #1960s #film #1960s film

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They’re probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am. I’m not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching… they’ll see. They’ll see and they’ll know, and they’ll say, “Why, she wouldn’t even harm a fly…”

PSYCHO (1960) dir. Alfred Hitchcock

#oscars #academy awards #33rd academy awards #psycho #psycho 1960 #1960s #film #1960s film

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"I love you, Miss Kubelik."

The Apartment (1960) dir. Billy Wilder

#oscars #academy awards #33rd academy awards #the apartment #the apartment 1960 #1960s #film #1960s film

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Why do people have to love people anyway? SHIRLEY MACLAINE in THE APARTMENT (1960) dir. Billy Wilder

#oscars #academy awards #33rd academy awards #the apartment #the apartment 1960 #shirley maclaine #1960s #film #1960s film

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Hello, 1960s! New decade, new vibes.

Widely acclaimed Best Picture winner The Apartment left me upset-less for this year. While critics are lukewarm about the other nominees, one source did hint towards another fan-favorite: Psycho.

I will not hide it, I LOVE The Apartment. I think it's the humor that gets to me. There's also something Jack Lemmon brings to his characters that is just SO good. He's quirky, he's funny, I just can't explain it. Caught between Lemmon and past-Upset star Fred MacMurray, Shirley MacLaine delivers an equally endearing performance.

Released 20 years after his Best Picture winner Rebecca, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is one of his many later films that missed out a Best Picture nomination.

In 1960, Psycho was groundbreaking in terms of violence and sex in film. The violence in question is some stabbing that doesn't actually produce wounds, while the sex is two unmarried people sharing a bed. Not knocking it, just interesting how far we've come from 1960.

The production also felt groundbreaking for the time, especially the camera angles. They were all over the place and super fun, especially the really low shots and the birds-eye-like staircase shots.

Alfred Hitchcock implemented strict standards during the showings of Psycho. People were not allowed to be admitted into the theater once the film had begun, and even pay-per-view equivalent televisions would not allow viewers to start a showing after the start time.

The Apartment was the most nominated and awarded film of the night at the 33rd Academy Awards. And while the actors missed out on wins at the Oscars, they were thankfully recognized previously at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. Psycho's one major award for the season came from the Golden Globes for Janet Leigh.

Psycho was not named as a Top 10 Film by the National Board of Review in 1960, but has been recognized alongside The Apartment in many other, more recent lists.

Unofficial Review: I enjoyed both very much, but I still prefer The Apartment. This should not, however, dismiss the impact Psycho had on film!

#oscars #academy awards #33rd academy awards #the apartment #the apartment 1960 #psycho #psycho 1960 #1960s #film #1960s film #oscarupsets

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Now, the prosecution would like to separate the motive from the act. Well, that’s like trying to take the core from an apple without breaking the skin.

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) dir. Otto Preminger

#oscars #academy awards #32nd academy awards #anatomy of a murder 1959 #anatomy of a murder #1950s #film #1950s film

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Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

#oscars #academy awards #32nd academy awards #anatomy of a murder 1959 #anatomy of a murder #1950s #film #1950s film

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Ben Hur and Messala being in love AF 

#oscars #academy awards #32nd academy awards #ben-hur #ben hur #ben-hur 1959 #ben hur 1959 #1950s #film #1950s film

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Ben-Hur (1959)

#oscars #academy awards #32nd academy awards #ben-hur #ben hur #ben-hur 1959 #ben hur 1959 #1950s #film #1950s film

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The 1959 version of the religious epic Ben-Hur concluded at a whopping 3 hours and 32 minutes (but who's counting?)

The Upset, procedural drama Anatomy of a Murder, ran longer than the average upset but it's nothing we can't handle.

Box office information for high-earning epics is always contradictory. These values fall between those you might see elsewhere, but should best represent the international box office for the initial run.

Comparing religious epics, I preferred Ben-Hur to the previous The Ten Commandments. Charlton Heston successfully led both films, and was met once again by a strong supporting cast.

There is a ton of story to get through, but the pace is quick enough that it doesn't feel like molasses. The film's most famous scene, the chariot race, still holds up today. Overall, it's a very well-done epic, but one can't forget it's 3.5 hours long.

As for Anatomy of a Murder, I'm so excited we're exiting the era of film in which the actors speak so very slowly. Not only was it fast-paced, everyone spoke at a reasonable speed!

Besides Jimmy Stewart cramming a bunch of uncontained fish into his freezer, this film was practically perfect. The dialogue-heavy courtroom scenes are carefully broken up by additional evidence gathering and a smart amount of humor! Who knew panties was such a funny word in the 1950s.

Ben-Hur holds current record for Oscar wins, with only 2 other films reaching 11 awards.

Interestingly enough, it missed out on a typical Oscar for screenplay, which instead went to fellow Best Picture nominee Room at the Top. There's a detailed section of the Wikipedia that describes the dispute over the writing credit for the film, which some believe attributed to this loss.

Sadly, Anatomy of a Murder walked away with zero Oscars from 7 nominations, mostly because Ben-Hur overlapped with them in almost every category. Anatomy of a Murder at least won 3 Grammys for Duke Ellington's work. He also plays a small cameo in the film as Pie Eye! (Note: category names are shortened because they are weirdly wordy)

Anatomy of a Murder holds a perfect 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as high ratings across all sources. Ben-Hur is not far behind, and still commendable.

Unofficial Review: This is personal preference. Ben-Hur is more Oscar-adjacent, but both are great.

#oscars #academy awards #32nd academy awards #ben hur #ben-hur #ben hur 1959 #ben-hur 1959 #anatomy of a murder #anatomy of a murder 1959 #1950s #film #1950s film #oscarupsets

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Sidney Poitier & Tony Curtis in The Defiant Ones (1958) dir. Stanley Kramer

#oscars #academy awards #31st academy awards #the defiant ones 1958 #the defiant ones #1950s #film #1950s film #sidney poitier #tony curtis

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The Defiant Ones (1958) — 1/2

#oscars #academy awards #31st academy awards #the defiant ones 1958 #the defiant ones #1950s #film #1950s film #sidney poitier