Notices by Nicholas Whyte (nwhyte@wandering.shop), page 5

45) Green Book (2018)

True, it’s a white man’s education about racism; but it’s also a witty buddy movie, of two men who are different in many ways coming to a joint understanding of their common humanity, and each humanising the other.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/green-book/

43) You Can’t Take It with You (1938)

The charming chaos of the Vanderhof household is tremendously attractive. The comic punchlines of the fireworks explosion, the drunk tank and the court room are beautifully set up. A great discovery for me.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/you-cant-take-it-with-you-1938-and-play-by-moss-and-hartman/

42) The Lost Weekend (1945)

About alcoholism, and the mess that it makes of the lives of alcoholics and of the people around them. The scene in the hospital ward stands out for its bleakness. Ray Milland thoroughly compelling. Jane Wyman very good too.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-lost-weekend-1945-and-book-by-charles-l-jackson/

40) From Here to Eternity (1953)

3 soldiers, and the women who love 2 of them, in the suffocating environment of Hawaii immediately before Pearl Harbour. Very impressive use of buildings and landscape. Standout performance by Frank Sinatra.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/from-here-to-eternity-1953-film-and-book-by-james-jones/

39) Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)

Phileas Fogg bets that he can travel around the world in 80 days. He brings his manservant and acquires an Indian princess. Lots of exotic settings. Not deep, but entertaining.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/around-the-world-in-80-days-1956-and-book-by-jules-verne/

33) Parasite (2021)

It’s very funny and very well done. The Jungian theme of buried secrets is nicely executed. The chutzpah of the Kims is also class struggle. I found the violence at the end jarring after an hour and a half of solid laughs.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/parasite/

29) Oliver! (1968)

Looks very convincing, the music is very catchy and the choreography is spectacular. But the portrayal of Fagin is anti-Semitic. Also the title character is a bit of a drip.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/oliver/

27) All About Eve (1950)

An aging actress is flattered by attention from a young fan, but then alarmed when the younger woman starts to infiltrate her professional and personal life. I liked it immensely.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/all-about-eve-1950/

28) The Apartment (1960)

Stolen by Shirley MacLaine, whose Fran knows perfectly well that she is being exploited by Sheldrake and is working through the consequences for herself. For a comedy, it’s a heart-jerking performance. Jack Lemmon, always watchable, is brilliant here

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-apartment-1960/

26) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Three servicemen, demobbed after the war, return to their home city and face agonies of readjustment, as do the women they love. I was really impressed.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-best-years-of-our-lives-1946-and-glory-for-me-by-mackinlay-kantor/

24) Moonlight (2016)

The first of the three sections is outstanding, while the other two are merely very good. The story is a simple one told well. Although it’s fundamentally about the protagonist and the men in his life, the women get decent screen time too.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/moonlight-oscar-winning-film/

25) Amadeus (1984)

The whole thing looks gorgeous. Sustained throughout by the music of Mozart, glorious two hundred years ago and glorious now. Salieri is fundamentally a monster, but knows it and struggles with the guilt of it.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/amadeus/

20) The Shape of Water (2017)

I really liked the detailed paranoid portrayal of the world of 1962, the navigation of race, gender and disability, and the core question of what makes us human at the end of the day. It looks and sounds fantastic.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-shape-of-water/

21) A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Henry VIII takes power over the Church to marry Ann Boleyn; Sir Thomas More disapproves, and is executed. The script is witty and moving, a big story told without a huge budget. Dominated by Paul Scofield as More.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/a-man-for-all-seasons-1966/

19) Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Story of a young Texan who tries to make his fortune in New York in the swinging Sixties, and makes friends with a local; but both of them are chewed up and spat out by the naked city. I liked it very much.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/midnight-cowboy/

10) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

A great film from a good book. The composer Malcolm Arnold is at his best. The new wide screen format enables a vast amount of spectacle to go on the screen. And Alec Guinness keeps you watching to the very end.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-bridge-on-the-river-kwai-1957-and-book-by-pierre-boulle/

9) All Quiet on the Western Front (1929-30)

A young man signs up for the first world war, and discovers that military life is not as glamorous or honourable as he thought. The end is gut-wrenching. Tremendous stuff.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/all-quiet-on-the-western-front-1930-film-and-1928-book/

8) Rebecca (1940)

The tension is superbly ratcheted up, with the main characters very well delineated and music so manipulative that you barely notice it at the time.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/rebecca-1940-film-and-1936-novel/

https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who-episodes-that-define-each-doctor/

Oscar-winning films from worst to best (in my humble opinion), apart from Oppenheimer which I haven’t seen yet.

(If I remember to do two every day, I’ll get through them all before the ceremony.)