Once Again—Good Old Custom of Picking the Year's Best Films

Radio Record, 9 December 1938, Page 36

Once Again—Good Old Custom of Picking the Year's Best Films

The "‘Record" again indulges in its end-of-the-year pastime of naming the best ten pictures of the year, but this time the paper protects itself from criticism by sheltering behind the opinions of four worthy citizens. First, there is the choice of our own film critic, Gordon Mirams; secondly, the "ten best’’ by Alec Regan, well-known manager of the Wellington Majestic Theatre and popular broadcaster; thirdly, the opinion of a country theatre manager, J. J. Healey, of the Arcadia Theatre, Waimate; _and fourthly, the choice of the man in the street-or, in this case, the "average 7 woman," represented by none other than Aunt Daisy.

ORDON MIRAMS, ' film | critic for the *‘Record,’’ writes: This is the Picking Season of the year. Strawberries, green peas, and the Ten Best Piectures. While ordinary folk are invading their. gardens, film critics are to be observed poring, with more than usually harassed expressions, over old newspaper files, concocting lists of what they, in their own opinions, consider to be the films that pleased them most during the past 12 months. This is the annual penalty they must pay for presuming to tell the ordinary picturegoer where he should spend his humble one-

and-sixpences, and the film producer how he should do his job. For at least once in each year, the critic must deliberately invite criticism of himself. From one such excursion into the past I have just returned, and with much travail have produced a list of the ten films that I consider to be the best I have seen between January 1 and the date of writing. Rather retuctantly, i have been led by my researches to the conclusion that 1938 did not produce such good pic. tures.as 1937. There are prac-

tically none of the really outstanding landmarks-like "The Good Earth," "Emile Zola," "Romeo and duliet" and "Green Pastures’-that the average critic would include without a moment’s hesitation in his survey. At the same time, though the peaks are missing, the general standard is perhaps more uniform and possibly just a shade higher than it was in 1937. The studios have been making fewer super-pic-tures, concentrating instead on entertainment of moderately high average quality. A Harder Job | AST year, after running | through the files and jotting down anything that had any real pretentions to merit at all, I was left with a total of 60 pictures from which to select my ten best. | | This year, after a similar process, the total amounted to only 40. But, to support my contention that the cinema landscape has been flatter, with fewer peak pictures, the process of elimination to arrive at the triumphant ten proved considerably harder. With a few exceptions, there was not much to pick and choose between them all. Accordingly, this year I expect far more general disagreement with my list than before, nor do I anticipate that it will corre- , spond anywhere nearly as closely to the Academy choice (to be announced in March), as was the case in 1937. With less inescap-

able merit to .guide one’s choice, the factor of purely personal preference becomes far more evident. However, this is the result I arrived at when I had cut my original list of 40 down by half (please note that these are the pictures I have seen between January 1-and the present date, and they have all not necessarily been released as yet): "Prisoner of Zenda," "Stage Door," "Letter of Introduction,’ "Of Human Hearts,’ "Souls at Sea," "A Slight Case of Murder,’ "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Dead End," "Nothing Sacred," "That Certain Age," "Marie Walewska," "Tom Sawyer," "A Yank at Oxford," "Merrily We Live," "Mad About Music," "Alexander’s Ragtime Band," "Holiday," "Algiers," "Yellow Jack," and "Port of Seven Seas."

Then came the hardest task-to cut this list of 20 down by half and so arrive at my list of what I personally consider the "Ten Best Pictures of 1938." Here it is; but observe that I have said the "best" pictures, not necessarily those

most successful at the box-ofiice, many of which were eliminated early in the game. Nor are they in order ‘of merit-spare me that! "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." ‘A Slight Case of Murder," "That Certain Age." "Marie Walewska." "A Yank at Oxford." "Holiday." "Of Human Hearts." "Dead End." "Letter of Introduction." "Algiers." [I dealt. with "Emile Zola" and "The Awful Truth" in last year’s survey, otherwise room would certainly have to be found for them in the above lHist.] "Snow White" OR the honour of being the very best picture of the year I nominate "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Without a doubt, it is the most notable screen achievement of 1938, not only for itself but for what it foreshadows. And the best performances? Here again the choice is much more difficult than in 1937; but for the best performance by an actor I nominate Charles Boyer for his masterly portrayal of Napoleon in "Marie Walewska." Of the women, | vote for Greta Garbo as the heroine of the same picture, An easier way out would be to choose "Dopey," of "Snow White" fame, or Charlie McCarthy of "‘Letter of Introduction" and "Goldwyn Follies’; but that seems rather like cheating. Choosing the best supporting performances [| find easier. Women: Andrea Leéds as the stage-struck girl in "Stage Door." Men: Lew Ayres, as the dissolute, disillusioned brother of "Holiday."

Best direction: Edward Ludwig, for "That Certain Age." Best script: Bruce Manning, also for "That Certain Age." Now, have at me-all ye who disagree! | Alec Regan’s Choice ERE is the choice of Alec Regan, manager of the Majestic ' Theatre, Wellington, and in mak- ; ing it, he stresses the fact that he has not been considering the boxoffice, and hes chosen films irre spective of the studio from which they came:"Maytime." "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." "Prisoner of Zenda." "Dead End." "Merrily We Live." (Continued on page 37)

Picking The Ten Best Films

(Continued from Page 36.)

"Life of Emile Zola." "That Certain Age." "Wells Fargo." "A Yank at Oxford." "Alexander’s Ragtime Band." With reference to "Wells Fargo," Alec Regan writes: "Maybe you think this is a funny choice, but I have a particular leaning toward films of this type-that is why I still rank "The Covered Waggon’ among the best pictures I have ever seen." Country Choice *, ik other theatre manager’s pick of the "ten best" comes from J. J. Healey, of the Arcadia Theatre, Waimate. Through pictures being released later in the country than the cities, his list contains one cr two films that are more than a year old: "Maytime." "Wings of the Morning." "Captains Courageous." "Mad About Music." "The Awful Truth." "Good Earth." "A Yank at Oxford." "Romance for Three." "Mr, Deeds Goes to Town." "Victoria the Great." And Aunt Daisy ELL, now," said Aunt Daisy, as the "Record" pounced on her the other morning as she came ont of 2ZB’s studios, "you’ve set me a real poser this time." "You want to know what I consider the ten best pictures of the year? I’m afraid I’m not a real film fan---T mean I don’t know who

made this picture and who directed that picture, but I do know when I enjoy a show, which is the main thing, isn’t it? "Probably some of the pictures I'll give you are as old as the hilis -not 1937 films at all-but it simply means that I saw them this year, probably from 2 shilling seat in a little second-run cinema." So Aunt Daisy, after some thought, gave us her list and here it is:"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." "Maytime." "The Story of Louis Pas teur,"" "Elephant Boy." "The Rage of Paris." "Mad About Music." "Letter of Introduction." "Night Must Fall.’ "The Goldwyn Follies." "Firefly." She confessed that her choice was a little prejudiced. For instance, there are very few people who would have put "The Rage of Paris" in their list of 1937’s best ten pictures, but Aunt Daisy happened to be on the set in Hollywood when Danielle Darrieux was making this film, And, a month or two later, when. Aunt Daisy and Barbara were strolling along the Champs Elysees in Paris, there was the film advertised and in they went and saw the very scene they had watched being shot in Hollywood! "Mad About Music," too-well, more prejudice maybe, for Aunt Daisy is a great fan of Deanna Durbin’s. You know, of course, that she met this charming littic star in Hollywood.