Oscar History Part 1: 1927-1940

* This initially appeared on my Xanga blog, but has been reproduced here, with some additional material.




I've decided to do a quick overview of the Best Picture winners, from Wings in 1927-1928 to The Hurt Locker in 2009, concluding with whatever is chosen as the Best Picture of 2010 on February 27, less than two months fron now. 


My first few posts will consolidate the years and move quickly, but I might write more on a given year when I think there were several worthy films.  I will highlight the winner and then discuss my pick for Best Picture. 


I generally follow the rule of thumb for foreign films that their eligibility for Best Picture is tied to when the film is released in the United States.  This results in a gap of 1 or more years for many foreign films, but addresses something the Academy often fails to do- recognize world cinema.  In some years, the offerings from abroad are of far better quality than the American productions.


1927-1928
Winner: Wings
My pick: Metropolis
Other notable films: Sunrise, The Passion of Joan of Arc, The Circus
German director Fritz Lang's silent masterpiece has grown in stature since its initial release.  While it was butchered in its American release, we have seen the cut expanded, most recently in 2010 with the inclusion of recently-discovered footage previously believed to be lost.  The influence of this film on directors from Ridley Scott to Terry Gilliam to Tim Burton cannot be overstated.

1928-1929
Winner: Broadway Melody
My pick: Nosferatu (German release in 1922)
Other notable films: Pandora's Box, Napoleon, The Wind
F.W. Murnau's "symphony of horror" didn't receive an American release until the director had already immigrated to the states and begun to work with the Hollywood studio system, with films such as Sunrise and City Girl.  The performance of Max Schreck as Count Orlok stands strong alongside the work of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney.

1929-1930
Winner and my pick: All Quiet on the Western Front
Other notable films: City Girl, Hell's Angels
Lewis Milestone's World War I adaptation moved audiences at the time of its release.  It remains a powerful statement on the costs of war, with a tragic ending that still packs a punch.

 




1930-1931
Winner: Cimarron
My pick: City Lights
Other notable films: Dracula, Le Million, The Public Enemy
Charlie Chaplin's work as the Tramp was never better than in City Lights.

 




1931-1932
Winner: Grand Hotel
My pick: Scarface
Other notable films: Vampyr, Frankenstein
Forget the Al Pacino parody from the 1980s.  The work of director Howard Hawks and actor Paul Muni elevates this pre-Code crime film that shocked the audiences of the day.  Carl Dreyer's Vampyr and James Whales' Frankenstein both represent classic horror films that hold great power. 

 




1932-1933
Winner: Cavalcade
My pick: King Kong
Other notable films: M (Germany 1931), Duck Soup, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
One of the all-time greats.  Like Metropolis, Snow White and The Wizard of Oz, it is a timeless tale that continues to enthrall.  Fritz Lang's classic thriller M is a very close second in my book.  And you can't do much better with the Marx Brothers than Duck Soup.

 




1934
Winner and my pick: It Happened One Night
Other notable films: The Thin Man, The Gay Divorcee
Director Frank Capra makes a classic romantic comedy, with the appropriate amount of screwball.  Great performances by Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.

 




1935
Winner: Mutiny on the Bounty
My pick: Bride of Frankenstein
Other notable films: The Informer, The 39 Steps
A sequel that improves greatly on the original horror classic, Bride features career bests from both director James Whale and Boris Karloff, who injects great pathos into the Monster.

 




1936
Winner: The Great Ziegfeld
My pick: Modern Times
Other notable films: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, A Tale of Two Cities, My Man Godfrey
Chaplin's last "silent film" gives the Tramp an appropriate send-off.

 




1937
Winner: The Life of Emile Zola
My pick: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Other notable films: A Star Is Born, The Awful Truth, Make Way for Tomorrow
Walt Disney changed film forever with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  Today, there's a glut of derivative animated movies playing to the lowest common denominator, but there's still some work that continues the legacy begun here.

 




1938
Winner: You Can't Take It With You
My pick: Grand Illusion (France release in 1937)
Other notable films: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Bringing Up Baby, Pygmalion
Grand Illusion was the first foreign film to be nominated for Best Picture by the Academy.  This work of Jean Renoir is one of the cornerstones of French cinema and a humanistic portrayal of individuals operating in a war footing.  The best American film was easily Robin Hood, but the power of Grand Illusion cannot be denied.

 






1939
Winner: Gone with the Wind
My pick: The Wizard of Oz
Other notable films: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Stagecoach, Wuthering Heights, The Lady Vanishes (UK, 1938), Alexander Nevsky (USSR, 1938)
It wasn't as successful at the time as the winner, but The Wizard of Oz's legacy in film has been secured.  Both films were directed by Victor Fleming, but Oz gave us the best musical and best song in film history.  This may be the perfect film, in a year filled with great films, both American and otherwise.

 




1940
Winner: Rebecca
My pick: The Grapes of Wrath
Other notable films: The Philadelphia Story, The Great Dictator, Pinocchio
I love early Alfred Hitchcock and Rebecca is certainly a key film for him, but director John Ford's adaptation of Steinbeck's classic novel about Depression era migrant workers is a seminal film for both Ford and actor Henry Fonda.  Fonda's closing monologue is one of film's most powerful.  Chaplin's first "sound" film The Great Dictator and Disney's second animated feature Pinocchio also made it a compelling year.

 






I shall return with another brief overview to bring us through the 1940s and 1950s.  The plan is to catch up to 2010 by the time of the Academy Awards on February 27, so please keep reading and commenting.