Winner '49:
First Saw It:
Gentleman's Agreement
October 31, 2004, on video
Bridesmaids: 12 O'Clock High, Battleground, The Heiress, A Letter to Three Wives
My Vote: A Letter to Three Wives, though I still have two nominees to catch
Overlooked: Bicycle Thieves (!!), Criss Cross, A Canterbury Tale, The Reckless Moment


All the King's Men (1949)
First screened in October 2004 / Most recently screened in February 2016
Director: Robert Rossen. Cast: John Ireland, Broderick Crawford, Joanne Dru, Mercedes McCambridge, Shepperd Strudwick, Anne Seymour, Raymond Greenleaf, John Derek, Katherine Warren, Grandon Rhodes, Walter Burke, Ralph Dumke, Will Wright, Houseley Stevenson. Screenplay: Robert Rossen (based on the novel by Robert Penn Warren).


Twitter Capsule: Warren's perpetually timely tale retains its basic potency but Rossen's staging needs more texture and clarity.

VOR:   Rating it highly here despite its fairly old-fashioned techniques. Even if Warren deserves most of the credit, the sociopolitical nausea here makes a strong impression.



Photo © 1949 Columbia Pictures

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B

(in October 2004: B+)


Academy Award Nominations and Winners:
Best Picture
Best Director: Robert Rossen
Best Actor: Broderick Crawford
Best Supporting Actress: Mercedes McCambridge
Best Supporting Actor: John Ireland
Best Screenplay: Robert Rossen
Best Film Editing: Robert Parrish & Al Clark

Golden Globe Nominations and Winners:
Best Picture (Drama)
Best Director: Robert Rossen
Best Actor (Drama): Broderick Crawford
Best Supporting Actress: Mercedes McCambridge
Most Promising Newcomer (Female): Mercedes McCambridge
Best Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Best Score: George Duning

Other Awards:
Directors Guild of America: Best Director
Writers Guild of America: Best Written American Drama; The Robert Metzler Award
New York Film Critics Circle: Best Picture; Best Actor (Crawford)

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