1973--The Sting, George Roy Hill

1973--The Sting, George Roy Hill

Nominated: American Graffiti, Cries and Whispers, The Exorcist, A Touch of Class

Should have won: The Exorcist

Be sure to see: Don't Look Now, Enter the Dragon, Fantastic Planet, Westworld, The Wicker Man

“He's not as tough as he thinks”--Kelly

 “Neither are we”--Shaw

   

      Joliet, IL, 1936. Two con men plan revenge for the murder of a mutual fried. The mob responsible is led by a master conman himself. They set up a fake gambling ring to carry out a sting.

     Robert Redford and Paul Newman team up four years after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, this time with Redford taking the reins for the lead. The plot gets complicated yet utterly involving with con men, police, and the design of the film itself taking over.  The score might be the main star of the movie. It seemed that, unlike most films, the score wasn't under the action but right in front; it wanted to be heard not just be made aware of.  It was almost a character. The color pallet was almost comic bookish at times, not that that is a bad thing. It is hard to determine which characters to trust, and that is all anyone can ask for in a film like this. There is one death in particular I was completely shocked by and wouldn’t dream of spoiling and the ending sure surprised me, too. It would easily make a list of the best twist endings in a movie.

     David Ward, the screenwriter, said he wanted to make a movie about pickpockets because he'd never seen one before. I guess he missed Oliver! which won best picture only five years before. The movie makes another case for rooting for the bad guys, I would guess. It has a great cast, not just in the leads. It was nice seeing Robert Shaw appear. He seems to have decent range playing completely different roles in the few movies I've seen him in. And as a MacGyver fan, it was neat seeing Dana Elcar take part.

     One of the biggest problems with the Oscars is there are no separate genres. I enjoyed The Sting but to think it beat The Exorcist is absurd. Part of me wants to say you can't compare apples to oranges since they are completely different genres of films. However, the fact they were in the running together means you have to. The Sting is a fun, fast, enjoyable film. I've spoken to a handful of people who swear this is one of the best movies they've ever seen; that it is a shoe-in as best picture of 1973. But I am compelled to say the golden man should have gone to The Exorcist that year. Not just because it is a more memorable movie but it is a miracle, both behind the scenes and what ended up on screen. It is a masterpiece while The Sting is entertainment. It is worth a look for a fun story, good visuals, twist ending and, my favorite aspect of the movie, the score.

 

1972--The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola

1972--The Godfather—Francis Ford Coppola

Nominated: Cabaret, Deliverance, The Emigrants, Sounder

Should have won: Deliverance

Be sure to see: Frenzy, Last House on the Left, Night of the Lepus, Tombs of the Blind Dead

“Fredo, you're my older brother and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever.”--Michael Corleone

     I don't think there will be a more tricky film to review than The Godfather. Its fan base and following is so loyal I would think anything other than a “this is a top three movie ever made” review would cause an uproar. The fact is, I think the movie is great. It is very solid and has memorable performances, characters, dialogue, and sequences. But calling it the best, or even the top five best, movies ever made is a stretch for me. To be honest, I don't even think it is the best movie of 1972. But I did like it. A lot. It is just...well...calm down, people, not that good. I enjoyed it but it didn't involve me and make me sympathize with the characters the way Deliverance (my choice for best picture of the year) did. The family consists of mafia, drug dealing, murderous bad guys. I bet if someone did a poll of movies where you root for the bad guy, this one would be at the top of the list, along with The Devil's Rejects perhaps. Not that that is a bad thing.

     I'm sure you know the story but if not Don Corleone is the head of a mafia family; a family where everyone calls him Godfather. The family has a rivalry with other mafia families over drugs and a hit is taken out on Corleone. He survives but the family takes revenge. Leading up to this storyline we see many points on the family's strength. People come to Corleone for help, one rehearsing before doing so out of so much fear of talking to the man. And in one of the most famous scenes, the Corleones send Tom Hagen (the iconic Robert Duvall; not a family member but he speaks for the family) to convince a movie producer to give a man a part in his next picture. When the producer doesn't comply, he wakes up the next morning with a little surprise. It is probably my favorite scene because it sets a tone on how this family operates. When the outraged producer tells Tom his opinion, Tom keeps his cool. Is even polite. I liked this a lot more than if Tom had returned with a threat. Actions speak louder than words.

     A hit is taken out on Corleone that doesn't succeed and the family takes it very seriously. You wouldn't want to get on the wrong side with anyone in this family. One brother is Michael who seems to want out of the family business and has issues with the police chief. A meeting is set up between the two which climaxes with one of the best death scenes I've ever seen. Michael goes into exile overseas. In Sicily, Michael meets a woman and intends to marry her (in the movie tradition of couples getting married virtually days after meeting each other) and asks her father for permission. I didn't understand why he was talking to him in English with an Italian translator when he knows Italian himself. Why not just speak Italian? But considering this movie is so flawless, I suppose I missed a point. 

     Meanwhile, Sonny, another brother in the family, (James Caan in his best role) has it in for his sister's boyfriend who keeps beating her. What a moron this guy is, the boyfriend I mean. I believe I'd mind my Ps and Qs if I were involved with anyone in this family. Though Marlon Brando's performance as the title character is the most iconic I found Caan to pretty much own the movie.

    The movie has countless memorable lines, is loaded with colorful characters and has numerous iconic scenes. It has great death scenes, one of which I believe is lifted straight from the climax of Bonnie and Clyde (a movie I would rank above this one, by the way) though I've never heard anyone else make the comparison. I've seen it four times, once in the theater, and I like it a lot. I just don't get the love for it. It wasn't my favorite of the year, that goes to Deliverance. It isn't even my favorite mobster movie; many people say Goodfellas or The Godfather or even The Godfather 2 are the best, but I recommend James Cagney's White Heat. Look, if you walk away from here saying “He didn't like The Godfather” you would be wrong. It just wasn't my thing. I'm reminded of that “Family Guy” episode where Peter says he doesn't care for the movie because it insists upon itself. Yeah, I don't know what that means either but I'm sure he has a good point. Not to mention I don't understand how a deeply religious family can break the most important commandment so easily. Technically and performance-wise, the movie is a ten. But overall I just don't get the hype.

1971--The French Connection, William Friedkin

 

1971--The French Connection—William Friedkin

Nominated: A Clockwork Orange, Fiddler on the Roof, The Last Picture Show, Nicholas and Alexandra

Should have won:The French Connection

Be sure to see: Bay of Blood, Brian's Song, Dirty Harry, Duel, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Tombs of the Blind Dead , Vanishing Point, Willard

“I'm going to nail you for picking your feet in Poughkeepsie”--Popeye Doyle

     Certain movies have iconic scenes. Psycho's shower scene; Singin' in the Rain's title dance number; and of course when you think of the term “car chase” most people would immediately think of 1971's best picture winner The French Connection.

    Right off the bat I'd like to point out that the car/train chase in The French Connection is pretty amazing but I would still rank it third. The chase in The Blues Brothers would fill my runner-up spot but Bullitt tops the list with the gold standard car chase of all time, nothing has topped it. Look up these chases on youtube and decide for yourself. But what makes The French Connection's chase impressive are some behind the scene tidbits. The car that crashes was real with the driver having no idea a movie was being filmed. The other cars on the road were not driven by stunt doubles but real motorists, unaware they were in a movie.  Gene Hackman did his own driving rather than a stunt double. And the entire scene was done in one take with the camera mounted on the hood. Action was called and Hackman floored the gas pedal; there is no way that would fly today. The scene ends with the hero shooting the unarmed villain in the back, an image that ended up on the poster for the movie, angering police, and rightfully so, that an officer would kill in this manner.

     Directed by future Exorcist director William Friedkin, the film is based on a novel about a real drug bust case, the largest drug seizure in United States history, $220 million worth. The imagery is the gritty side of New York, shot in a documentary style, like Kids (1995). Many times Friedkin would rehearse the actors and the camera crew separately to get a more unnatural feel. Popeye Doyle (which is where Popeye’s Chicken gets its name; not from the cartoon character), played by Gene Hackman in an Oscar winning role, was based on real life cop Eddie Egan who was oftentimes on the set giving his input with dialogue saying “I wouldn't say that” to Hackman or Friedkin. The French Connection is an all around solid police thriller. My favorite scene other than the car/train chase is one where a car is completely stripped by the police looking for drugs, which they are convinced must be hidden somewhere due to the poundage of the car. But where are the drugs?

     Hackman ran away with a best actor Oscar but I kind of like Roy Scheider's part as well. It is a mystery to me how that actor didn't just take off. He was solid in this; brilliant in his role three years later in Jaws, one of the biggest fan favorites of all time, and then the following year played a tough yet smooth role in Marathon Man. Why audiences didn't eat him up for decades is a mystery to me.

     I understand why this movie could be disliked by some, but I liked it okay. It isn't as good of a police thriller as In the Heat of the Night four years before but it is still good. I liked the cold feeling in the air. I liked the unpolished look of the cinematography. And Hackman and Scheider gave genuinely tough and mean likeness to their characters.

Note: In the Tom Hanks movie Big, Josh is watching The French Connection is his scummy motel when he hears the gunshots outside. So if you've ever watched Big and wondered what that was, there you go. 

 

1970--Patton, Franklin J. Schaffner

1970—Patton—Franklin J. Schaffner

Nominated: Airport, Five Easy Pieces, Love Story, MASH

Should have won: Patton

Be sure to see:Beneath the Planet of the Apes, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

“When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do.”--George Patton

     It is an iconic image. General George S. Patton, standing in front of Old Glory so big it fills the frame. He addresses the audience as though we were about to be sent into battle. It is a lasting moment in cinema history...and the screenwriter, Francis Ford Coppola, was fired because the producers thought the idea of the audience being his troops was weird.

     With Planet of the Apes director Franklin J. Schaffner at the helm, Patton tells the story of a General so tough he makes Vince Lombardi look like a pee wee coach. United States Commander General George S. Patton leads his men to the conquest of Sicily, England, and Normandy during World War II. He lifts the siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge and is forced by President Eisenhower to make way for the northern front. This is one of the best war movies ever made and the funny thing is there is very little screen time for battles. Only about eleven minutes of the nearly three hour long picture was during battle.

     Patton was born to be a leader during wartime. He oozed toughness and a no-nonsense, “win this war” attitude. When he walks into a room, people didn’t stand at attention out of respect, it was out of fear. A key moment that triggers an important segment in the film is when he goes off on a crying soldier. While visiting the injured soldiers, he finds some are severely injured and some who, according to him, should get back out on the battlefield. One kid who works there is crying over seeing such carnage. Patton hits him and sends him directly to the front lines to fight. Word of this outburst leaks out and he is forced to apologize. This results in him getting massive amounts of letters from parents of soldiers, 89% in his favor.

     Patton has a big mouth, and admits it; never denies it. In a speech to a group of old ladies in England he says he wants to team up with the Brits and rule the world. He doesn't include the Russians in this speech so the Russians believe the United States and England intend to rule the world. He explains if he had been speaking to a group of Russians he would not have said it and he was told there would be no press at this meeting. Nevertheless this causes him to be in the most trouble yet which I won't spoil.

    There are not too many battle scenes but Scott’s performance is so commanding he could have been leading the local middle school cheer leading squad and I would have been interested. The movie opens and closes with poetic soliloquies. As mentioned, the one in front of the flag and at the end he speaks of Roman conquerors riding in chariots with prisoners in chains and a slave holding a golden crown, whispering all glory is fleeting. I watched this scene four times.

     Patton is one of the better best picture winners and certainly one of the best war movies even with little on screen combat. But it is all because of George C. Scott.It should be noted that Scott won the Oscar for best actor but refused to accept it. He believed actors should not be in competition with each other and called the whole Academy Award process a cattle call and meat parade. Perhaps George C. Scott and George S. Patton were torn from the same cloth. 

 

1969--Midnight Cowboy, John Schlesinger

1969--Midnight Cowboy, John Schlesinger

Nominated: Annie of the Thousand Days, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Hello Dolly, Z

Should have won: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Be sure to see: Last Summer, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, The Wild Bunch

“Two basic items necessary to stay alive are sunshine and coconut milk”--Ratso Rizzo

     High Noon, is one of the finest westerns of all time. Its only setback for me is the song “Do not forsake me oh my darling” is played on a continuous loop and I got tired of hearing it. After about eight minutes of Midnight Cowboy, I was tired of “Everybody's Talkin'”. The difference between the two films is High Noon is a great movie while Midnight Cowboy is the second worst best picture winner of all time.

     The only interesting aspects about this movie are the rating and its famous line. Midnight Cowboy is the only best picture winner rated X by the MPAA, interesting considering the previous year's winner was the only G-rated movie to win. Going in I was intrigued on this fact and was wondering what exactly I was in for. But with no explicit sex, nudity or language I am baffled by the rating. There is an awkward scene in a movie theater that is risque but not enough for an X. The second point is the famous line “I'm walking here” which Rizzo yells at a taxi driver. What is interesting about it to me is the wonder of if you were on a game show and the topic was “famous movie quotes” and “I'm walking here” came up and you said Forrest Gump would you be called incorrect? Remember Lieutenant Dan says it? Or even Back to the Future Part 2 because Marty says it. I suppose this line has become part of our vernacular even for people who don't know where it came from.

     I'm weaseling around the review because I hated the movie so much. Joe Buck (no not the baseball announcer) is a Texas hustler, new to New York wanting to become a gigolo. But his luck with the local ladies is not panning out. He meets an ailing and crippled hustler name Ratso Rizzo who, naturally hustles him. Joe finds Rizzo and is ready to work him over. But Rizzo, fearing the beating, decides to teach Joe the ropes.

     The ending is sad but instead of feeling emotional I was reminded of a Seinfeld episode that spoofs it. If I had to think of something positive to say it would have to go to the harmonica score by Jean “Toots” Thieving and the performances of the two leads were decent, though I've always thought Dustin Hoffman hams up the screen in everything he is in, even things I've liked. In fact both Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman were nominated for best actor, neither for a supporting role. Rightfully so, I suppose. And of course that X rating is a great trivia tidbit. But ultimately it is the second worst best picture winner I've seen even though people seem to love it. Crash gets the top honor. I'll go ahead and recommend it anyway because it is such a well-respected movie. The novelty of an X and two strong leads will probably keep it afloat for most people but I just didn't get it. I hated it even more than I did Tom Jones and Mrs. Miniver. But it is better than Crash. What was the Academy thinking on that one?

1968--Oliver!, Carol Reed

 

1968—Oliver!--Carol Reed

Nominated: Funny Girl, The Lion in Winter, Rachel Rachel, Romeo and Juliet

Should have won: Rosemary's Baby

Be sure to see: Bullitt, Night of the Living Dead, Once Upon a Time in the West, Planet of the Apes, Therese and Isabelle, 2001: A Space Odyssey

“If we get enough work out of him without putting too much food into him then we'll keep him”--Mr. Salsury

     1939 is generally considered the greatest year of all time for movies, but 1968 is surly in the running. And with titles like Rosemary's Baby, Planet of the Apes, Night of the Living Dead, Bullitt, Once Upon a Time in the West (possibly the best western of all time), and 2001: A Space Odyssey (horribly overrated and boring for my taste but its reputation gives it respect to include here), Oliver! taking home the Oscar has to be one of the biggest “What was the Academy thinking?” moments of all time, though 1996, 2001, and 2005's winners take top honors for me.

    Oliver! is a musical based on Oliver Twist. It tells the story of a boy who goes from an orphanage to a stint with a pack of child pickpockets. Oliver is kidnapped by Bill Sikes, played by Oliver Reed who I know more from the Curse of the Werewolf. Sikes is a pretty menacing villain which is one of the things that keep the movie afloat. Every movie, even bad ones, need a good antagonist. Not to say the movie is bad, it has its moments. But I believe the movie belongs to two of the boys. Oliver, of course, played by Mark Lester who is actually a decent singer and pulled off the “pitiful orphan” quite well. Another kid named Dodger is more experienced as a pickpocket troublemaker than our title character and drives his scenes pretty well.

     Two dance numbers stood out, “Who will buy these wonderful roses?” and “Consider yourself”. Both are large ensemble numbers but other than those, none are really memorable. Plus the movie is very long and if the movie is great, length doesn't bother me, The Sound of Music, Schindler's List, etc. I really didn't care about any of the characters in the movie other than Oliver. I didn't even care about one character who suffers a rather frightening death at the hands of Bill. It was cute in parts and pretty well crafted but to win in such a solid year is pushing it. The true best picture want even nominated. Perhaps I recommend giving Oliver! a look but the statue should have gone to the snubbed Rosemary's Baby, one of the greatest movies ever made and the best movie of the 1960s. 

 

1967--In the Heat of the Night, Norman Jewison

 

1967--In the Heat of the Night—Norman Jewison

Nominated: Bonnie and Clyde, Dr. Doolittle, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Should have won: Bonnie and Clyde

Be sure to see: Cool Hand Luke,Wait Until Dark

“What do you mean I'm holding the wrong man? I got the motive which is money and the body which is dead!”--Bill Gillespie

     In the Heat of the Night caught my attention immediately with the visual of the train and Ray Charles' voice singing the theme. I loved this movie and one of the main reasons is the music, in particular, the score written specifically for the screen by Quincy Jones. No piece of music had already existed; every bar of music was original.

     It is a hot night in the racially tense Sparta, Mississippi, and an officer on patrol discovers a body in the street. Doing rounds in the area looking for suspects he finds a black man waiting for the 4:05 train to Memphis and arrests him as a suspect. Upon returning to the station it is revealed the man is Virgil Tibbs, Philadelphia's number one homicide expert who is in Mississippi visiting his mother. After his identity is cleared he is free to go. But when a suspect the police is positive is the killer is arrested, Tibbs uses his intellect and experience to prove the man's innocence. Rather than going home, he stays and takes the case.

     I loved every moment of this movie. Sydney Poitier is a very commanding presence. Rod Steiger rightfully won the Oscar for his performance as Bill Gillespie. His character is constantly chewing gum (it is reputed Steiger chewed 263 packs of gum during filming) examining the situations. He probably knows (but won't admit) he isn't as smart as Tibbs. He is also thankful to have someone as capable as Tibbs on his side but at the same time is concerned about his presence. The people of Sparta aren't too keen on the idea of a capable black man in town, much less running the ship, as when Gillespie saves Tibbs from a group of white men who have him cornered. I love the climax of this scene. When one of the men states what is on his mind, Gillespie slaps him around, then moves on to the next one.

     The movie was very popular with black audiences because of Tibbs and though he has many key moments the one that seems to stand out has to be “the slap heard around the world.” Tibbs finds a plant in the victim's car so he and Gillespie go to Mr. Alvacot's greenhouse. Tibbs questions Alvacot on the case and gets slapped. He immediately slaps Alvacot back. Alvacot is stunned but so is Gillespie, even when Alvacot asked what will be done about it. In 1967, it was a very powerful moment to see Tibbs strike a white man. I, of course, thought of the moment in Night of the Living Dead the following year when Ben strikes Barbara.If you've seen it, you understand.

     Who actually committed the murder, the motive, the location of where the murder took place compared to where the body ended up, and other instances in the case seem to be secondary to the performances and the racial tension. In the Heat of the Night is one of the best detective movies I've seen and though Poitier drives the film, my favorite aspect is Steiger as Gillespie. But I must say whenever he was on screen I couldn't help but picture Carroll O'Connor in his role from the television show.

     In the Heat of the Night is completely worthy of a best picture nomination, but Bonnie and Clyde is a monumentally superior cops vs. bad guys movie. By far the correct choice for what should have won the Oscar. I wonder if it was one of those cases where the award "had to" go to Heat. Just a theory but it is still very good and worth a look.

1966--A Man For All Seasons

 

1966--A Man for All Seasons—Fred Zinnemann

Nominated: Alfie, The Russians are Coming The Russians are Coming, The Sand Pebbles, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Should have won:The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Be sure to see: Fahrenheit 451

“It is a bad sign when people are oppressed by their good fortune.”--Cromwell

    King Henry VIII wishes to divorce his wife, so that he may marry another. Thomas More, England's Roman Catholic Chancellor, opposes this and feels the church would look down on the king. King Henry is outraged at this and tries to attack More through the courts. So More resigns for a private life. Because More's resignation speaks so loudly (referred to in the line by the prosecutor “Silence can, under the circumstances, speak”) of his thoughts on the king, the king demands More's approval of the divorce. More, however, refuses to give in despite imprisonment and possible beheading.

    At least that's what I gathered. I've heard so many good things about this movie and this was the first of the best picture viewings where I felt I had my work cut out for me. Even others I didn't enjoy I could still follow. Even my notes I had taken on this one were scattered and unfocused. My favorite moments were the scenes of More before the judges, both the big court scene at the end and the one in front of the the three judges. His dialogue was sharp and focused, flustering the judges. I found it interesting More is on trial for keeping silent where, today in the United States, we have the right to remain silent.

    Typically when a story loses me I focus on other aspects of the film. The sets were great and seeing Robert Shaw playing the king was certainly different. I'd seen him as the rugged old salt in Jaws and the sneaky mob boss in The Sting (another best picture winner). I also thought it was neat the first lines are spoken over six minutes after the start of the film. Rio Bravo, There Will be Blood and The Good the Bad and the Ugly are other movies where the first lines are held off for a while. But that is not to say the movie was bad. It has a great message and technically had a lot going for it, I was just a little bored. It certainly made me glad to live in a democracy.

1965--The Sound of Music, Robert Wise

1965--The Sound of Music, Robert Wise
Nominated: Darling, Dr. Zhivago, Ship of Fools, A Thousand Clowns
Should have won: The Sound of Music
Be sure to see: Color me Blood Red, Repulsion
“When you know what notes to sing, you can sing most anything,”--Maria 

     There are many great movies out there but a handful that are simply a delight every time I see them. The Sound of Music is certainly one of them. I would put it third on my favorite musical list behind The Blues Brothers and Singin' in the Rain but there is a difference between “favorite” and “greatest” which I've tried to explain to people for years. I've seen The Sound of Music three times and I've been lucky enough to have two of those times in the theater. Plain and simply, it is one of the best movie-watching experiences I've ever had. 

     The film opens with a series of beautifully photographed areal shots of the countryside before zooming in on Maria, a pretty young nun, singing the title number. We soon find, in a musical number by the nuns, Maria means well but has her problems. It should be noted that of the 11 songs in the movie, this song called “Maria” (“How do you solve a problem like Maria” not to be confused with the one in West Side Story) and “Climb Every Mountain” are the only songs I didn't like. Actually, “Climb Every Mountain” was sung a couple of times, I didn't care for it either time. And in a wedding scene the nuns sing “How do you solve a problem like Maria” which was out of place to call a bride a problem on her wedding day; plus there was a line I didn't understand. I could have sworn they sing something about a bullet in her head; I didn't hear that line the other times they sang it. In fact there were three lines in this movie that I misunderstood as something obscene or out of place, one of which I know is just a misunderstanding and that is “What is it you can't face?” But the bullet line left me scratching my head and I could swear (and I've heard from others who hear this line too) at the beginning of the second act Max calls the kids a bunch of gloomy pussies. If I am not mistaken, and he really said that, then that is officially my all time favorite movie line. 

     But because I like ranking things I'd say my top three are “Sixteen going on seventeen”, “The Lonely Goat herder” (sung in a very clever puppet show), and “Do Re Mi” which, in my mind, is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard, and certainly my favorite in this movie. It is sung a few times in the movie, but when Maria and the children are in the meadow and then riding bikes and singing it, it is by far my favorite scene; one of my all time favorite scenes in fact. I find the song to be a brilliant teaching tool to someone learning music. When the scene ended I wished the projectionist had rewound the film so I could see it again.

   Gaylord Von Trappe, an Austrian naval hero, leaves for Vienna and needs a governess for his seven children, ages ranging from 5 to 16 (going on 17). The abbey sends Maria to be the new governess and she finds she is the twelfth governess the children have had. Von Trappe runs his house with an iron fist, using whistles, treating his children like soldiers instead of his offspring, and expects Maria to do the same. She will have nothing of it and, after finding the children aren't allowed to sing, play, or, well, be children, she takes them on a bike ride and teaches them how to sing. The setup to these scenes fall into place beautifully. We see the children play tricks on Maria in ways they had tricked former governesses. But Maria goes along with it rather than becoming angry and there is a lovely bonding scene between Maria and the oldest of the children, the lovely Liesl who has found romance with a boy who might not be what he seems. 

     Von Trappe is engaged to be married so the children will have a new mother. They aren't happy about this and neither is Maria because she starts to fall in love with Von Trappe. The character arc Gaylord Von Trappe goes through must be the biggest personality change for any character since the Grinch. He is so militant; so happy with being unhappy early in the film that later when he accepts the childrens' singing and accepts Maria I almost didn't believe it. But I don't find it a flaw, he is much more likeable later on. One thing I didn't understand, however, is if music wasn't allowed in the house for so many years, how did Liesl know how to play guitar? And the baroness comes in and out of the plot in such a way that I couldn't tell if she was supposed to be a villain. I suppose she was an important character though thinking back she's forgettable. I can't even remember if she had a name. 

     The movie is cut into two parts, the bonding of the children and Maria in the first and the darker half of the second when Von Trappe is summoned by the Nazis to join the third Reich. But the family has entered a singing competition which sets off a fantastic final act. I liked that both halves of the film were incorporated at the contest. The singing of the first half and the military of the second. Also we get to discover Liesle’s beau's dark side. But it all leads to one of the most satisfying endings of all time though I do wonder how the children can hack it in the hills. Gaylord is a military man so he would have no problem but how could little Gretel and Marta make it to safety? I guess we can just hope for the best and assume they stay positive and sing of their favorite things to help them get by.

     Though I agree with the decision to award The Sound of Music best picture of 1965, I can not express enough how incredible Doctor Zhivago is. Yes, I think the correct choice was made, but not by a landslide. Doctor Zhivago comes highly recommended.