The impact of many movies increases or decreases through the years. A film that was passed by for honors at the time of its release can become a classic through the passage of time. Here are six such films from the hands of two masters.
Alfred Hitchcock Films Not Nominated for Best Picture
Hitchcock’s first American movie, Rebecca, did win the best picture Oscar in 1941, and it is a good story, but it’s not in the AFI top 100 American films. Four other Hitchcock works are.
- Rear Window (1954). The ultimate voyeur film. Jimmy Stewart is a photographer who while recovering from a job injury is temporarily wheelchair-bound. To relieve his boredom, he begins to spy on his neighbors, a pastime that almost results in his death. If a viewer watches carefully, there are actually several side stories going on at the same time. Rated #48 overall by AFI and #3 in its top ten mysteries. Grace Kelly co-stars.
- Vertigo (1958). This story of a police detective (Jimmy Stewart) obsessed by the memory of a woman (Kim Novak) is rated #9 overall and #1 in mysteries. At the time of its release, it did not do well at the box-office and was panned by many critics. Even Hitchcock considered it a failure, feeling that he made a poor choice in selecting an “old” Stewart for the lead.
- North by Northwest (1959). The title makes no sense and the plot, centered around a man mistakenly believed to be a spy, is not very believable, but who cares. It’s a fun film with some suspenseful moments and Cary Grant, as the befuddled innocent man, is in top form. Rated #55 overall and #7 in mysteries. Eva Marie Saint co-stars.
- Psycho (1960). Rated #14 overall, this story of a young man (Anthony Perkins) and his strange “relationship” with his mother was probably the first slasher film. A mixture of horror and black comedy that led some people into developing fears of motel showers. And, who else but Hitchcock would eliminate his leading lady (Janet Leigh) halfway through the film!
Charles Chaplin Films Not Nominated for Best Picture
Unlike the four Hitchcock films above which did receive some Oscar nominations in other categories, Chaplin’s two finest masterpieces received no attention at all from the Academy. This may have been due in part to the facts that the two were basically silent movies trying to compete in an era when the “talkies” had taken over; and were made at a time when Chaplin’s personal beliefs were coming under criticism.
- City Lights (1931). In the American Film Institute’s 2007 revised list of the greatest 100 American movies, this film is ranked #11 overall, up from #65 ten years before, and is first in the AFI’s romantic comedy category. It is a bittersweet tale of the Little Tramp (Chaplin) and his attempts to befriend a young, blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill in her first role). As with many of Chaplin’s best works, the movie is a combination of comedy and pathos and has one of the most poignant endings in movie history.
- Modern Times (1936). This movie was the last in which Chaplin played his Little Tramp character. Along with some of his most memorable comedy routines, the film also had strong political overtones with its attack against greedy capitalists, industrialized society, and overbearing authority figures. Not only did some people condemn these attacks, but his personal life as well. At the time of the film, Chaplin and his co-star and soon-to-be wife, Paulette Goddard, not only lived together in the movie, but also in real life.
Related articles: Directors Never Winning Oscars, Films Not Nominated as Best Pictures, Films That Were Not Oscar Nominated
John K. Davis - John is a retired teacher/librarian and has also been doing freelance writing since the late 1970s. Over this period of time, he has had ...
