Monty @ 100: Stardom's Peak in "From Here To Eternity"

by Nathaniel R

Calling your picture From Here To Eternity, even if that's the name of the book its based on, is a major flex and a tempting of fate. How to live up to the title? 1950s and 1960s movies did this frequently, of course, in their battle against the looming threat of television. Screens got bigger and wider and the studio system was, if already mortally wounded, still working hard at making their movie stars iconic. Titles like Giant, The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Greatest Show on Earth, frequently dared to proclaim their epic-ness, and if the titles weren't size-conscious, why not add an exclamation point a la Oliver!, Hello, Dolly!, Viva Zapata! or I Want To Live!  In this lust for enormous movies, From Here To Eternity stands out, not just for living up to its promise and being eminently swoon-worthy but for its relative modesty -- capturing something grandiose merely by inhabiting the sealed world and social lives of soldiers and their women on the brink of cataclysmic change. It might have been mere soap opera without the skillful direction of Fred Zinneman and the simple fact that the stars themselves were monumental.

Chief among them was Montgomery Clift, scoring his third Best Actor nomination with his eighth film...

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The Best Costumes of 1965

by Cláudio Alves

Last month, before the 1938 Best Supporting Actress Smackdown, Nathaniel and I discussed what could have been the Costume Design Oscar lineup had the category existed back then. Now, before the '65 Smackdown, I return to the topic of costuming and the Academy Awards. This time, though, there are actual nominees to consider, both for black-and-white films and color pictures. Furthermore, we know some of the runners-up that came close to the nomination.

Before the reveal of my personal Best Costume Design ballot for 1965, let's examine AMPAS' choices…

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The Damon Identity

Please welcome new contributor Patrick Gratton...

To succeed in Hollywood, one must finesse the art of self-branding. Moving up the echelon of struggling up-and-comers trying to break out is, often enough, an impossible task. Self-branding helps gets you through doors and to build a following. It also builds the foundation for narratives, whether it be industry, populist or award based (these narratives don’t happen in a vacuum). But brands can be a double-edged sword, pigeonholing and often crippling the potential to explore and grow as an artist.  Winning Oscars early on in one’s career is problematic too. It can either derail a narrative, or implement a forced one. Today, commemorating Matt Damon's 50th birthday, let's look at how major misconceptions of his work have plagued him through a 30 year run on screen.

As narratives go, sometimes it’s a burden to win an Oscar at the outset of someone’s career. Granted, Damon’s Oscar for Gus Van Sant’s 1997 film Good Will Hunting, was for the screenplay he co-wrote with childhood best friend and soon-to-be Hollywood heartthrob Ben Affleck, and not for his performance, but the point still stands...

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1965: The Swinging Sixties are in, and “Beach Party” films are on their way out

by Mark Brinkerhoff

The mid-‘60s were as stark and as seismic a cultural (and political) turning point as any, and few places was that more evident than on movie screens. Sure, many a cinephile and film historians will cite 1967 as the year of full-on revolutionary American cinema—when the Hollywood of old was overthrown from within—but seeds of this were planted in 1965, as old, quaint fads gave way to new, bold ideas.

For those of us old enough to remember, either first or secondhand, the phenomenon that was the American teenager can not be overestimated. From the ‘50s into at least the early ‘60s, “teenagers” became a novel, powerful consumer and cultural force...

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How had I never seen... "Doctor Zhivago"?

Every once in a while we ask Team Experience members to finally get around to a famous film they've been meaning to watch forever. Here's Christopher James...

I hate to say it, but when does one put on a three hour epic? The time never quite seems right, especially in a pre-quarantine world. That’s why David Lean’s epic extravaganzas had long been blind spots in my filmography. Both The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia become instant personal favorites after finally watching them for the first time in the past five years. Yet, somehow Doctor Zhivago (1965) always seemed just a bridge, or perilous train ride, too far. When I would think of it, I would picture the sets and costumes from stills. But was it worth sitting through over three hours of a movie just for, in the words of Aretha Franklin, “gowns, beautiful gowns”? Luckily, the epic is way more than just its trappings. As Team Experience gushed a few years back, there are so many memorable scenes and subplots in this involving romantic quartet.

To compliment Doctor Zhivago appropriately, one must go down each Oscar craft category one by one. It’s a technically stunning achievement that is beautiful, towering and simultaneously warm and cold all in the same breath...

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