WHAT???? ‘Gone with the Wind’ racist?? Are they MAD????

Hattie mcDaniel as Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939)

If Americans think that one of the biggest racial issues Trumpland is facing today, is the viewing of Gone with the Wind (1939); they’ve totally gone BONKERS!!

The Orpheum Theatre, in Memphis, Tennessee; recently pulled out the showing of this iconic Hollywood epic, on the grounds it was too insensitive for modern audiences. That’s soooo stupid. Are they insane??? Gone with the Wind, especially taking into account the time period it was made in (minus modern day technical wizardry), happens to be one of the greatest Hollywood creations ever. Plus, it’s my second favourite film ever (pls also see my post My Favourite movie by decade, My Favourite Oscar Winner per decade from March 2014; and my list of critiques Why I love …. from November/December 2012 on IMDB)

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The movie depicts the Deep South, during the Civil War!!! A very racist era. So I don’t think the film itself is being racist. It just shows what Americans were like back then. And it actually could be educational, showcasing the way non-Caucasians were treated, in a secondary manner. One can learn as to how wrong slavery was, or any form of subjugation is, even today. The mistakes of past centuries are well highlighted. Added to which one shouldn’t forget that Hattie McDaniel bagged the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ trophy at the 12th Annual Academy Awards, for this movie (see my post 75 years ago – At The Oscars from February 2015). Not only did she win, but McDaniel became the first black actress to be nominated for, and win, an Oscar, ever. Making it a major landmark event, in modern American history. Besides there are far worse racist acts, all around the world, than showing a classic movie!!

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What do you think, my fellow Bloggers??????

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Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense

My ‘Mystery Blogger’ Award

A couple of months ago, today (on the 16th of February, 2017), I was nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award, by Charlene of charsmoviereviews; but I never got to work on it, until now. So first of all, let me Thank you, Charlene, for nominating me for this mysterious award 😉 ; and let me also apologise for the delay. Sorry!!
This award was created by Okoto Enigma.

So here are the rules:-

– Put the award logo/image above. Done
– List the rules. Done
– Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their Blog. Done
– Mention the creator of the award and provide the creator’s link as well. Done
– Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
– Nominate 10 to 20 people & notify your nominees by commenting on their Blog
– Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
– Share a link to your best post(s)

Fellow Film Buffs: Gingerella (in front) in a playful stance; whilst Nudin (in the back) looks on

Three3 Things about myself :-

1. My two Dogs (Gingerella & Nudin Sen), are the best thing that happened to my life; and the only good thing in this Dog forsaken country, that I happen to live in.

2. I detest the country I live in (although I hate hating), the country of my unfortunate roots (not my birth, thankfully); and I have 41 years of depressing experiences of reasons for it (I am not going to tell you my whole life story now, am I 😛 ).

3. Being an untouched loner, I long to have a good partner; with a good, kind, heart, and intellect; someday (sooner the better). ❤

Done

Nominees :-
Any fellow blogger that even glances at this post for even a second, consider yourself nominated. But don’t feel obligated. Accept it, If you like, and continue this chain of Blog awards. If you don’t enjoy it, you don’t have to. Rules are meant to be broken, and am bending them a little here, for the sake of my dear bloggers. You are all NOMINATED!!!!!
Done
Here are the Questions that ‘I’ have to answer:-

Q.1 What is one place on Earth you would like to visit but have not yet had the chance?
A.1 Niagara Falls

Q.2 What is your favourite Academy Award Best Picture winner?
A.2 Gone with the Wind (1939)

Q.3 What is one hairstyle you would like to try?
A.3 That’s hard to say, I’ve practically done everything I liked, from Billy Idol/Grease look/Elvis blend -minus the gel (teens n’ 20’s), to floppy long locks with Beatle Bangs/Parveen Babi Bangs (30’s; as you can see on my Gravatar image); the Mohawk/Mr. T look doesn’t really interest me (It’s just not me). So I really don’t know!!!! 😦 What else is there left to try?? Now, I’ve re-cut it really short.

Q.4 What is one project or new hobby you would like to start?
A.4 Something in the Arts field; but again, I’ve tried a lot of stuff, I don’t know. What’s new??

Q.5 What is your favourite song?
A.5 Imagine by John Lennon

Done
AND Here are my Questions that ‘YOU’, my fellow bloggers reading this post, have to answer (Enjoy):-

Q.1 What’s your favourite film adaptation of a novel you have read?
Q.2 What’s your favourite film adaptation of a novel you have not read?
Q.3 Who is your favourite film character? And Why?
Q.4 If you could go back into the 20th century, which classic celebrity, who died last century, would you like to meet?
Q.5 Who is/are the actor(s)/actress(es) of today, still in their early 20’s, you would like to get naked with, in real life? (Crazy/Weird/Naughty Question) 😀

Link to your best posts (that’s a hard one, so here are some of my personal favourites; 2 from each year) :-

PAST POSTS

Year 2012
Bookish Nuwan (More of a TWEET, than a Blog Post, my very 1st official write-up)
Prater Violet

Year 2013
Édith Piaf: 50th Death Anniversary
Sissi : 115th Death Anniversary of Empress Elisabeth of Austria

Year 2014
THE BILLY WILDER BLOGATHON: Love in the Afternoon
The Essential 60’s Blogathon : Dr Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Year 2015
Classic Movie History Project Blogathon – 1966: The Year dubbed as Nineteen Sexty Sex
Classic Cinematographers: Jack Cardiff

Year 2016
Love Wins – 1 YEAR!!
Shakespeare: Intellectual Minds and Beyond!!

POST OF 2017, so far

Year 2017
90 Years of Sidney Poitier Blogathon: To Sidney, with Love
Mardi-Gras, Movies-Gay

That’s it folks!
Enjoy
Nuwan Sen
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense (NSFS)
#‎NuwanSensFilmSense

3 Nu Posts on Nu Site

Do check out the 3 posts, I have done so far, on my new website, nu Sense on Film.

• Craving for Craven’s non-Horror

(From Today: 6th of September, 2015)

• Noughties Bollywood’s taste for the 70’s

(From Last Month: 30th of August, 2015)

• Nuwan Sen’s TOP-10

(From Last Month: 22nd of August 2015)

Your comments are welcome, either on the nu site, or here.

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense

Elvis on Film

‘‘I sure lost my musical direction in Hollywood. My songs were the same conveyer belt mass production, just like most of my movies were.’’
– Elvis Presley
(1935-1977)

Elvis the Pelvis, was one of the greatest rock sensations to have ever existed, in the previous century. His unique signature pelvis shake, his hair puff, dashing good looks and baritone voice, brought about a rapid change to the pop scene, back in the 1950’s. Added to which, Elvis, who never believed in segregation, and was anti-racial prejudice, brought black and white youth together through his music. In fact when audiences first heard his songs on the radio, they assumed he was a black man. Young Elvis also broke Memphis’ segregation laws, by attending a local amusement park on what was designated as its coloured night.
Though a great musical artiste, he was however unable to have a similar impact on film. Not much of an actor, yet he wasn’t really given much of an opportunity as such, to explore his cinematic side, as well. He was typecast, even though he played diverse characters like a boxer, an army Specialist 5 (SP5), a race car driver and a jailbird, to name a few of his Big Screen characters.

“Only thing worse than watching a bad movie is being in one.”
– Elvis Presley
(1935-1977)

Yet, though not necessarily great, none of his movies are out and out bad. Most, in fact, are quite enjoyable, thanks to the melodic music, the soothing songs, talented vocals, the scenic location shots, pretty girls, and of course – the most beautiful creature; batting those long eyelashes and flashing that charming smile, the movie revolves around – Elvis Presley, who else. He’s prettier than his female co-stars. A rarity in Hollywood, back in the day.

Elvis Presley’s brilliant performance, in the movie, Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Set of Seven Presley Pictures I’ve seen so far (& My Ratings)     

Love Me Tender (1956)
Elvis’ very first cinematic venture, was the very film of his I saw. This was as a teenager, back in 90’s. I have no memory of having watched any Elvis film prior to that, as a kid in the 80’s.
I loved the music, loved Elvis’ presence, and was saddened by his tragic end, in this classic western, set just after the American Civil war. This movie isn’t a musical as such, though it contains a few songs, by Elvis Aaron Presley, in his Big Screen debut.

My favourite song from the movie: Love Me Tender!

My Rating: 8/10

Post Love Me Tender, I’ve seen quite a few of his films, within the last 20 years. Here are the rest of his cinematic ventures, that I’ve seen so far, in order of year released.

Jailhouse Rock (1957)
A pretty good movie, where Elvis plays a prisoner, serving time for manslaughter. Post his release from prison, he ends up being a singing sensation. I loved the whole performance choreographed around the song, Jailhouse Rock. A performance, as an ode to his character’s days in prison.

My favourite song from the movie: Jailhouse Rock!

My Rating: 7/10
King Creole (1958)
Directed Michael Curtiz, produced by Hal B. Wallis and based on a  novel by Harold Robbins, A Stone for Danny Fisher; this is touted as the best performance by Elvis Presley. In fact Elvis himself apparently loved King Creole the most, among his movies. Yet I beg to differ. Though a brilliant story, and a very good Elvis flick, this wasn’t his best performance. He’s capable of doing better. But story wise, yes King Creole, had more of a concrete story line, compared to most of his latter films. This movie also starred Walter Matthau (as a crook) and Carolyn Sue Jones (as the crook’s frightened mistress).

My favourite song from the movie: Crawfish! (the very first song in the movie, a duet with veteran jazz vocalist, Kitty White)

Also see my post DVD Films From Last Month PART-II from December 2014, in regard to King Creole.

My Rating: 8/10

Blue Hawaii (1961)
Another romantically enjoyable musical, with scenic locations, songs, music and Elvis Presley of course. Watch out for the brilliantly comical performance by Angela Lansbury, who plays mother to Elvis’ character.

My favourite songs from the movie: Can’t Help falling in Love with You and Moonlight Swim!

Also see my post DVD Films From Last Month PART-III from January 2015, in regard to Blue Hawaii.

My Rating: 7/10

Kid Galahad (1962)
A pretty good re-make of a 1937 noir classic. A sporty flick, where we see Elvis put on his boxing gloves. In a very different avatar, to the kind of characters he’s played before. The movie also starred Charles Bronson, Joan Blackman and Ed Asner.

My Rating: 7/10

Elvis Presley & Ann-Margret on the sets of Viva Las Vegas (1964)

Viva Las Vegas (1964)
One of my guilty pleasures. I thoroughly enjoyed this insight into 60’s Vegas. The music, the songs, the dances, the sexy clothes and the great chemistry between Elvis and Ann-Margret.

My favourite song from the movie: The Lady Loves Me! (poolside duet with Ann Margret)

My Rating:10/10 (as I said, guilty pleasure, though I’ve only watched it once, over a decade ago)

Frankie and Johnny (1966)
Not to be confused with the more famous 1991 romantic comedy, starring  Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer; this 1966 (a not so sexy film released in the year dubbed as Nineteen Sexty-Sex) musical, set in a riverboat, where Elvis Presley plays a riverboat gambler, has some amazing musical performances. The movie also happens to be a period piece set in the late 1800’s.

My Rating: 7/10

Unless you are die hard Elvis fan, or love his music in general, you won’t really enjoy sitting through his movies. For it’s the songs that make these movies memorable. But one should still notice that none of his films are actually bad as such, though no where near, among the greatest films ever made. None of films are musicals in the traditional sense as well. A musical is a movie, where the story is told through music. In the case of Elvis films, the music is more of an icing on the cake, that can be tasted without the songs, yet the songs just add to the flavour, and beautify it.

Elvis Presley photographed by William Speer

The Death of an Icon

“I want to entertain people. That’s my whole life. To my last breath.”
– Elvis Presley
(1935-1977)

Today is the 38th Death anniversary of the famed King of Rock n’ Roll, Elvis Presley. Presley died on the 16th of August, 1977; at the time believed to be due to years of prescription drug abuse, and a result of suffering from multiple ailments for a long period of time; including – glaucoma, high blood pressure, liver damage, and an enlarged colon. He was only 42 years old. Amidst many a conspiracy theories, in the early 1990’s; in 1994, Presley’s autopsy was reopened. It was deduced that he had actually died of a violent heart attack, and not due to drugs, as earlier stated. A tragic loss for the music industry, a sad loss of a beautiful human being.

Elvis Presley photographed by William Speer

Elvis Aaron Presley, is till date, the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music, with an estimated record sales of around 600 million, and counting, worldwide.

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense!!!!!
Nuwan Sen n’ Musical Greats!!!!!
Nuwan Sen n’ Elvis Presley Films!!!!!

75 years ago – At The Oscars

A Page From History –  Rewind to 1940
A look back at The 12th Annual Academy Awards, held in February 1940.
The 87th Annual Academy Awards, will be held tonight. Really looking forward to catching the live show (tomorrow early morning out here), to see who wins what.

So, for today’s post, I’ve decided, to travel back in time, to celebrate this years Oscars, with an insight, into the 12th Annual Academy Awards, from the ‘Year 1940’.

BEST PICTURE

The civil war epic Gone with the Wind (1939), grabbed the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar that year. No doubt the Best movie to come out of the 30’s decade, Gone with the Wind, has aged well, and happens to be amongst the best loved Hollywood classics ever, from the 120 year history, of global cinema. Gone with the Wind received 13 nominations altogether, and took home 10 Academy Awards (8 from the competition, out of the 13 nominated, plus 2 Honorary awards). Among the winners, of this highest grossing film of 39’, included:-

• The ‘Best Director’ Oscar to Victor Fleming. Although, initially, after the script went through many a revisions, it was Director George Cukor, who started working on this project. But Cukor was fired after three weeks of shooting, due to a disagreement, regarding the film’s pace and the script, between Producer David O. Selznick and Cukor. Actresses, Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland heard that Cukor was fired, while the ‘Atlanta bazaar scene’ was being filmed, the two actresses apparently went straight to Selznick’s office, in full costume, and requested him to reconsider, as the film had already been delayed by two years, due to various other problems. Then Victor Fleming, took over the reins, for most of the project. But Fleming briefly left the project due to exhaustion, and director Sam Wood, worked on the film for a couple of weeks. Soon Fleming came back to complete the picture. Thus, though Victor Fleming directed majority of the picture, about 15 to 20 percent of the direction, should be credited to Cukor and Wood, each (i.e. 30 to 40 percent of the whole film). Thus, Victor Fleming was responsible for directing about 60 odd percent of this classic film.
• The ‘Best Actress’ Oscar to Vivien Leigh. The search for someone to play the lead character, of Scarlett O’Hara, led to 1,400 potential Scarlett O’Hara’s being interviewed. Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Jean Arthur, Lucille Ball, Susan Hayward, Lana Turner and Paulette Goddard, were some of actresses tested for the part. None seemed to be right to play Scarlett O’Hara. When David O. Selznick watched the British flick, A Yank at Oxford (1938); an excellent film, related to sports and sportsman, starring Robert Taylor, in the lead; O. Selznick felt the British actress Vivien Leigh, was an excellent actress, but too British to play O’Hara. Yet Leigh was given a series of screen tests to do, and Voilà!! O. Selznick found his O’Hara.

Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American ever, to be nominated and, to win an Academy Award. She bagged the Oscar for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, for her incredible performance as ‘Mammy’, in Gone with the Wind (1939) NSFS

• The ‘Best Supporting Actress’ Oscar to Hattie McDaniel. Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American ever, to be nominated and, to win an Academy Award. Olivia de Havilland, from this same epic tear jerker, too, was nominated, in this same category.
• The ‘Best Screenplay’ Oscar to Sidney Howard. Sidney Howard died in August 1939, thus became the first person to garner a posthumous Oscar nomination and win.
• The ‘Best Cinematography (in Colour)’ to Ernest Haller & Ray Rennahan.
• The ‘Best Art Direction’ to Lyle Wheeler.
• The ‘Best Film Editing’ to Hal C. Kern & James E. Newcom.
• An ‘Honorary Award’ to William Cameron Menzies. The production designer and art director, was acknowledged for his outstanding achievement in the use of colour, for the enhancement of dramatic moods, in the production of Gone with the Wind.
• The ‘Technical Achievement Award’ to Don Musgrave and Selznick International Pictures. Which was yet another ‘Honorary Award’, for pioneering in the use of coordinated equipment, in the production Gone with the Wind.

Added to these 10 trophies, Producer David O. Selznick, was also given the ‘Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award’ for his body of work, which includes this epical classic. Gone with the Wind was the highest-grossing film of all-time, back then, and remained so until, 1965, when The Sound of Music (1965), displaced Gone with the Wind, as the highest-grossing film of all-time. When adjusted for monetary inflation, it is still the most successful film in box-office history, till date. Added to which, Gone with the Wind, set records for the total number of Oscar wins, and nominations, at the time.

This, almost four hours long, timeless masterpiece was also nominated for; ‘Best Actor’ to Clark Gable, Gable lost out to Robert Donat, who won for Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), a movie I haven’t watched, thus can’t judge, but Gable’s, now famed, role of Rhett Butler, is definitely Oscar worthy; ‘Best Special Effects’, but lost out to a movie called The Rains Came (1939), am bit surprised here, though I haven’t watched The Rains Came, am aware that Gone with the Wind has some exceptional visual effects for it’s time, sans modern day CGI, especially the ‘Burning of Atlanta’, the scene in which Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara escape the burning city, saving three more lives, is so realistic, that the technique used, is till date, one of the most impressive feats in film history, Gone with the Wind was actually a breakthrough in special effects, at the time, despite that, it didn’t bag the Oscar for ‘Best Special Effects’, a pity; ‘Best Original Score’, which went to Herbert Stothart for The Wizard of Oz (1939), The Wizard of Oz is a brilliantly colourful children’s movie, with marvellously rhythmic music, but again, the superb background score by Max Steiner for Gone with the Wind, is unforgettable, and one can just drift off listening to the brilliant score, thus I feel Gone with the Wind, at least deserved two more wins, for ‘Best Special Effects’ and ‘Best Original Score’; ‘Best Sound Recording’, and lost out to a love story called, When Tomorrow Comes (1939), another film I haven’t seen.

Acting Duo, Husband & Wife to be, Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh.

Other films nominated in the ‘Best Picture’ category, included some amazing movies, after Gone with the Wind:-

• William Wyler’s brilliant adaptation, that was Wuthering Heights (1939), which was based on one of my favourite novels, spanning three generation, that I studied in school (Grade 8) when I was 13 years old, authored by Emily Brontë. Watched this movie, over a decade ago. Love the movie, almost as much as the book, besides the fact that a whole generation is missing in the movie. The film is still brilliant on it’s own. Nominated for 7 Oscars altogether; including for ‘Best Director’, ‘Best Actor’ to Laurence Olivier, and ‘Best Supporting Actress’ to Geraldine Fitzgerald; Wuthering Heights, won an Oscar for ‘Best Cinematography (in Black & White)’ to Gregg Toland.
• Ninotchka (1939), a hilarious comedy, where Greta Garbo plays a very rigid Russian woman, (i.e. the Soviet Union back then, under Joseph Stalin), with a lack of sense of humour, who is sent to Paris, France, on official business and learns to laugh and what true happiness is. The tag line reads ‘Garbo Laughs’. She also falls in love with the city, the free spirited and romantic Parisian society (pre-World War -II), and of course a handsome Count (played by Melvyn Douglas). Besides for ‘Best Picture’, Ninotchka, was nominated for 4 Oscars, including a ‘Best Actress’ nomination for Greta Garbo’s hilarious performance. Ninotchka was banned in the Soviet Union, at the time. Watched this a decade ago as well.
• The much loved children’s classic, The Wizard of Oz (1939), I watched when I was about 14. A little too late for me to enjoy, as I found it pretty childish at the time, but none the less I realised it was an excellent film for kids. Nominated for 13 awards, it won 2 Oscars, for ‘Best Original Score’ (as mentioned above) and ‘Best Original Song’ for the song ‘Over the Rainbow’. Then child actress, Judy Garland, won a special award, ‘Academy Juvenile Award’, for her exceptional performance as little Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz.

Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh at the 12th Annual Academy Awards, held on the 29th of February, 1940 (They married later that year) NSFS

OTHER AWARDS & FILM NOMINATIONS

Only Angels Have Wings (1939), is a movie I got to study, back 2002, in my first semester, for the module ‘Film Analysis’ (where we analysed films of director, Howard Hawks), for my MA in International Cinema (2002-2003), University of Luton, Luton, UK. Only Angels Have Wings is a very good emotional drama, though not a great movie, starring Cray Grant, Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth. This Hawks/Grant aviation classic, was nominated in only 2 categories, ‘Best Cinematography (in Black & White)’ and ‘Best Special Effects’, and won neither.

OSCARS 1940
The 12th Annual Academy Awards (NSFS)

Thomas Mitchell won the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ Oscar for Stagecoach (1939). A famous John Ford directed western (for which Ford was nominated), with John Wayne in the lead, that am yet to watch. Stagecoach also bagged the Oscar for ‘Best Musical Score’. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), another much loved classic, am yet to see, won an Oscar for ‘Best Original Story’. James Stewart was nominated for ‘Best Actor’, as well as Frank Capra, for ‘Best Director’, for this film.
American actor/screenwriter/film director/producer, Douglas Fairbanks, who died in December 1939, was given a posthumous ‘Honorary Award’, as well, for his contribution to the international development of the motion picture industry, as the very first President of the Academy. Douglas Fairbanks had hosted the very first Oscars Ceremony in 1929.
The 12th Annual Academy Awards, was held on the 29th of February, 1940, at a banquet, in the Coconut Grove, at The Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, USA. Hosted by Bob Hope, this was the very first Academy Award function, Hope hosted. Bob Hope altogether ended up hosting the Oscars, a total of 19 times. I haven’t seen this show (obviously again as I didn’t, nor did my parents still, exist back then), but would love to check it out, some day. Yet I watched a few scenes from the show; online, on Youtube; including the celebrity guests arriving for the function, a very young Mickey Rooney presenting young Judy Garland with the special award, and Hattie McDaniel’s touching humble speech, paying credit to her ‘‘race and the motion picture industry’’, when she made history by winning the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ trophy.

GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) – Best Picture. Winner of 10 Academy Awards.

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
Nuwan Sen n’ the Oscars

P.S.  Also see my previous post 50 years ago – At The Oscars.

Favourite Titles of Feature Films

Judging the film by the titles.
Doesn’t matter whether I love these movies or not, I love these interesting film titles. They sound pretty cool.

I took part in a poll on IMDB, about favourite film titles. In two parts, it asked us to select our favourite film title, pre-1975 & post-1975. For pre-1975, I chose A Clockwork Orange (1971) as my favourite title, and for post-1975, I chose Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) as my favourite title. For overall favourite title I chose A Clockwork Orange, of course. See their polls as well Run-Off: The Best Film Title Ever, Run-Off: The Best Film Titles Part I & Run Off Poll: The Best Film Titles Part II.

Have your ever loved the title of a movie, but not necessarily the film? Let me know your favourite film title, from a literary sense. I love most of the 100 movies listed below, some more than others. But the list is mainly to do with my favourite film titles, some are based on novels, plays etc etc.. that I happen to love too. There might be many a films I’ve missed out, as I’ve narrowed this down to just 100 films out of the zillion that exist. Feel free to add, and let me know your favourite title of a film, not your favourite film, unless of course they are one and the same.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)

A Room with a View (1985)

Thank you for Smoking (2005)

Woman in the Dunes (1964)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? (1966)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

The Last Emperor (1987)

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Breakfast on Pluto (2005)

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

The Lady Vanishes (1938 & 1979)

36, Chowringhee Lane (1981)

Last Tango in Paris (1972)

La Mala Educación (2004)

Through a Glass Darkly (1961)

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

The Great Gatsby (2013)

The Sheltering Sky (1990)

I Heart Huckabees (2004)

1947 Earth (1998)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Carnage (2011)

Heat and Dust (1983)

Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)

Rebecca (1940)

Casablanca (1942)

Anna Karenina (1935 & 2012)

Cleopatra (1963)

Malèna (2000)

The Knife in the Water (1962)

Double Indemnity (1944)

Zwartboek (2006)

The Namesake (2006)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Jules et Jim (1962)

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)

The Cider House Rules (1999)

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2002)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

No Country for Old Men (2007)

A Passage to India (1984)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 & 1956)

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

The Americanization of Emily (1964)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Shakespeare Wallah (1965)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

West Side Story (1961)

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

The Pelican Brief (1993)

Roman Holiday (1953)

City Lights (1931)

A Few Good Men (1992)

12 Angry Men (1957 & 1997)

Salaam Bombay! (1988)

Silkwood (1983)

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

The 39 Steps (1935)

The Thirty-Nine Steps (1978)

Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Life of Pi (2012)

The Iron Lady (2011)

To Sir, with Love (1967)

My Fair Lady (1964)

Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

Metropolis (1927)

Paris, Texas (1984)

Erin Brockovich (2000)

Chinatown (1974)

Hideous Kinky (1998)

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Brief Encounter (1945)

Tess (1979)

Modern Times (1936)

WALL-E (2008)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Trainspotting (1996)

The Rainmaker (1997)

Easy Rider (1969)

The Sound of Music (1965)

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Latter Days (2003)

The Sheik (1921)

Notting Hill (1999)

Dans Paris (2006)

Wilde (1997)

This is not in order of my favourite films; as I like Breakfast at Tiffany’s more than A Clockwork Orange, and Gone With The Wind more than both of them put together, and Roman Holiday, which happens to be my all time favourite movie is no.63 in the list; but in order of my favourite titles, of unique names, that tend to have a nice ring to them. Would like to hear about your favourites.

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
Nuwan Sen’s Film Title Sense

The Liebster Award

I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award. I was nominated end of last month (30th April 2014), but just found out 11 days ago, on the 11th of May, 2014.
Like in my previous Blog Awards (Blog Awards), the rules are similar.

Rule.1 Thank the person who nominated me, and add the picture of the award on top.

I know, last time I mentioned not to be nominated for any more awards after I completed a post for…

The Sunshine Award

…(last year) and …

A Multitude of Awards

… (January 2014), but this is the first time Jim Turnbull of ‘The Good, the Bad and the Average’ (http://goodbadaverage.com/) has nominated me, so I thought I might as well do this post. So Thank you Jim, for this great honour you have bestowed upon me.

Rule .2 Answer 11 questions given by the person who nominated me.

Q1. What got you into blogging originally?
A1. My love and desire to write about cinema. I use to make lists/write-up critiques on IMDB (nuwansdel_02 and/or See all lists by nuwansdel_02), soon I wished to have my own page, my own blog.

Q2. What was the first movie you saw at the cinema?
A2. Oh Boy, I don’t remember, I was most probably a toddler when I first visited the cinema.

Q3. What was the last movie you saw at the cinema?
A3. Ramchand Pakistani (2008), a Pakistani Art film, based on a true story set in a prison in India, near the India/Pakistan border. I watched this around October last year, when it came for a Film Festival here. Prior to that, the last movie I watched at a cinema, that wasn’t in a festival, was Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children (2012), exactly one year ago, in May 2013. Rarely are there good movies shown in the cinema’s here, thus these two movies are the only ones I watched on the big screen here, last year. I haven’t been to the cinema this year at all, so far.

Q4. If you could write and direct any film, what would it be about?
A4. Conversations with my Shrink Ha!!!

Q5.What do you think the most underrated film of all time is?
A5. There might be so many, but nothing specific comes to mind.

Q6. Who is your favourite director and why?
A6. Alfred Hitchcock, ‘cause it’s Hitchcock man, of course !!!! The greatest film director that ever existed. He had a unique style to convey psychological horror and tension, without any modern day visual antics. He manages to conjure up the atmosphere of a movie, and make you feel the presence of something that doesn’t exist on the screen. For example, in Rebecca (1940), he manages to make you feel the existence of a ghost without ever showing you one on screen, not even flicker or a hint of a sprit. The titular character ‘Rebecca’ doesn’t exist in the movie, but you feel her presence throughout while watching it. How many film directors today can do that without showing visually horrific images.

Q7. Where do you stand on blu-ray?
A7. Never, seen a film on ‘blu-ray’, so can’t comment. Prefer to check out the fishy ‘sting-ray’ whip it’s tail in warm water instead 🙂 .

Q8. What is your favourite movie line?
A8. “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”, from Gone with the Wind (1939)

Q9. If you could recast any role with any actor/actress, who would it be?
A9. Why, Audrey Hepburn of course!!! Or do you mean someone alive, then I’d go for – actor Jude Law/actress Kate Winslet.

Q10.What is the longest film you have seen?
A10. Man, I’ve seen sooooo many long films; from Metropolis (1927) to Gone with the Wind (1939) to Taj Mahal (1963) to Cleopatra (1963) to Mera Naam Joker (1970) to Gandhi (1982) to Schindler’s List (1993) to more recently Les Misérables (2012); thus, am not sure which is the longest film I’ve seen till date. The shortest film, however,  that I’ve seen till date, happens to be the very first movie ever made, Lumière Brothers L’arrivée d’un train à La Ciotat (1895), which lasted only one minute.

Q11. Popcorn. Sweet or salted?
A11. Salted, Definitely!!! Ironic, considering the fact I have a sweet tooth.

Rule.3 Nominate 11 people, let them know and prepare 11 questions for them to answer. And, I cannot nominate the person who nominated me.

Through my experience of previous posts on Blog Awards, am aware that many of you don’t like to continue this chain. So I shall be kind enough to bend the rules for you here. All my fellow Bloggers, who wish to continue this chain, and any other newer blogger, who might come across this post, within this month, are nominated. Other than you of course, dear Jim, for you nominated me. Sorry!! And so far as answering the 11 questions are concerned, you may either answer the 11 questions prepared by Jim Turnbull, that I’ve answered myself, or check out my older Blog Awards (press on the link) and answer the questions I prepared in my previous Blog awards. Luckily this time I didn’t have to write something ‘About myself ’, unlike earlier.

So wish you all the best, and thank you Jim once again.

Cheers mate
Nuwan Sen

Today: The Last two Years

Check out what I blogged about today, last year and the year before :-

Bookish Nuwan from 12th April 2012

The American Civil War & Yuri Gagarin from 12th April 2013

Enjoy

Nuwan Sen 🙂

Bookish Nuwan

Nuwan Sen n’ The Space age
Nuwan Sen’s Historical Sense

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense

My Favourite movie by decade, My Favourite Oscar Winner per decade

My Favourite movie by decade, My Favourite Oscar Winner per decade (Oscar 2014 Special)

Back in April 2011, I made a list titled My Favourite movie by decade, and in November 2012, I made a list titled Why I love …., comprising of my TOP-10 all time favourite movies, and critiquing on each one of them, on IMDB.
This evening, prior to watching this years Oscars, which will be shown live tomorrow early morning (i.e. tonight in the United States), I decided to do a post, both about my Favourite movie from each decade and my Favourite Oscar Winner per decade. For my Favourite movie from each decade is not necessarily the Best film of the decade, neither is it necessarily an Oscar Winner for ‘Best Picture’.

Three Centuries, Ten decades (I’ve omitted out the first two decades of the 20th century, for I don’t have a favourite from those two decades so far)

PRE-OSCARS
The 19th Century
1890’s
L’arrivée d’un train à La Ciotat (1895)
French Film (Silent Cinema)
The very first moving picture made, by the two Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumière. It just showcased a train coming to a platform and stopping. Sadly, like the Birth of a child, which starts with a frightened baby crying his/her lungs out, the Birth of Cinema, was marked with tragedy. People had never seen a moving picture before, and when the audience saw a train approaching towards them, on the Big screen, they started to run. So Lumière Brothers’ L’arrivée d’un train à La Ciotat resulted in a tragic stampede.
I saw this film, most probably somewhere in the 90’s, when I accidentally came across a documentary about cinema, on the telly. I don’t recall the documentary, for it was late one night, and I couldn’t watch the rest of the programme, but at least I got to watch the very first film ever made, and learn about the tragic aftermath. I haven’t seen this movie since, worth checking out for any movie buff.

The 20th Century  
1920’s
Metropolis (1927)
German Film (Silent Cinema)
An excellent German Expressionism, avant-garde, surreal, science fiction, cinematic wonder. I got to watch this classic on the big screen, back in 2007, at the Sydney public library, Sydney, Australia. I fell in love with this movie, set in a futuristic urban dystopia, almost instantly. And in 2008, when I was in Paris, France; I saw the metallic costume worn by actress Brigitte Helm, who played the lead female character, and the female android; when I visited the Cinémathèque Française there.

POST-OSCARS
The very first Academy Awards was held in May 1929. The winner for the most ‘Outstanding Picture’ Oscar (which was later, after going through many a name changes, from 1944 to 1961, known as the ‘Best Motion Picture’ award, and from 1962 onwards, till date, is known as the ‘Best Picture’ award), went to the silent venture, Wings (1927). Am yet to watch this silent classic, that bagged the very first Best film award. The oldest Best Picture winner I’ve watched is All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), which was excellent. Thus, my favourite Oscar winner from the end of the roaring 20’s, and the best, is All Quiet on the Western Front, which was the first film to win awards for both, ‘Outstanding Production’ (award name for Best Film at the time) and ‘Best Director’.

1930’s
Gone with the Wind (1939), my favourite movie of the 1930’s, my favourite Oscar Winner of that decade, and the Best Film to come out in that decade. My second all time favourite movie.

1940’s
Casablanca (1942), my favourite movie from the 1940’s, my favourite Oscar Winner of that decade, and the Best Film to come out in that decade. My third all time favourite movie.

1950’s
Roman Holiday (1953) – My Favourite movie from the 1950’s, also happens to be my all time favourite movie. Audrey Hepburn, my all time favourite film star, bagged the ‘Best Actress’ Oscar for Roman Holiday.
Special mention: Ben-Hur (1959), my Favourite Oscar Winner, and the Best Film, to come out of the 1950’s. (Also see my lists 50-50’s, The Foxy Fifties, These are a Few of my Favourites, Hepburn flicks through pictures and many more on IMDB)

1960’s
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) – My Favourite movie from the 1960’s.
My Fair Lady (1964) is my favourite Oscar Winner from the sizzling 60’s.
Special mention: I think François Truffaut’s, French new wave flick, Jules et Jim (1962), is the Best film of that decade, which also happens to be my second favourite film from the 1960’s. (Also see my lists The Essential 60’s (Top 60), The Late 60’s (1966-1970) öö, My Top 5 Musicals from the sizzling 60’s & 70’s and many more on IMDB)

1970’s
A Clockwork Orange (1971) – My Favourite movie from the 1970’s, and the best film of that decade.
The Godfather: Part II (1974), is my favourite Oscar Winner from the suave n’ sophisticated 70’s. A very masculine decade for film, with a blend of classy and thuggery. The Godfather: Part II, also happens to be my second favourite from the 70’s. (Also see my lists My 70’s Top 5 and The Great 70’s Picture Show on IMDB)

1980’s
Rain Man (1988) is my favourite movie of the 1980’s, my favourite Oscar Winner of that decade.
Special mention: Another Oscar winner, which I feel is the Best Film to come out in the 1980’s, is, the epic scale, bio-pic, of a modern day saint, directed by Richard Attenborough. The British film, Gandhi (1982). The 1980’s were a great decade for British, Historical and Heritage, films.

1990’s
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), is my favourite movie from the naughty 90’s.
Forrest Gump (1994), which also happens to be my second favourite from the 90’s, is my favourite Oscar Winner from that decade.
Special mention: Schindler’s List (1993), my third favourite from the 90’s, yet another Oscar winner, I feel, is the Best Film of that decade. (Also see my list The Nineteen Nineties (Top-5) on IMDB)

The 21st Century  
2000’s (2001-2010)
From the first decade of the 21st century, my favourite flick happens to be,  Closer (2004).
A Beautiful Mind (2001), my favourite Oscar winner from the last decade.
Special mention: Brokeback Mountain (2005), is the Best film to come out of the noughties. The Biggest mistake the Oscars made, this century, was not handing the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar to this gay themed epic.

This Decade
From this decade, which is only just over three years old, so far my favourite film, favourite Oscar winner and the Best Film, happens to be, The Artist (2011), a great tribute to early cinema and the roaring 20’s. One of my favourite silent films with sound.

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
(Also see nuwansdel_02 , for the menu page, for all my list on IMDB)

Everybody wants to see GONE WITH THE WIND

Everybody wants to see GONE WITH THE WIND

I was going through IMDB’s Reader Lists: Essential Valentine’s Day Viewing, hundreds of lists made by many a IMDB readers, but not me. And I was delighted to see how many of my favourite classics had made the cut, in various lists. Some made by readers pretty young, for they’ve mentioned these films came out during their great grandparents era. Gone with the Wind (1939), Casablanca (1942) and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), were a common trend in most of the lists I went through.
Altogether, City Lights (1931), Gone with the Wind (1939), Wuthering Heights (1939), Casablanca (1942), Brief Encounter (1945), Notorious (1946), Vertigo (1958), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), West Side Story (1961), Jules et Jim (1962), Two for the Road (1967), Annie Hall (1977), When Harry met Sally … (1989), Titanic (1997) and Notting Hill (1999), were  somewhat common when it came to movies from the last century.
From this century, there were films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Wall-E (2008), Up (2009) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012), to name a few, all of which too I happen to love.

In memory of St. Valentine, after all if he didn’t exist, neither would this day. Not that I’ve ever had a valentine in my life.
(Also see my Post St. Valentine’s Death Anniversary from February 2013 as well)

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
Valentines Day 2014