Academy Collection: The Envelope Please, Vol. 1

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The words that immediately precede the presentation of the coveted Oscar- for Best Picture always conjure up visions of Hollywood grandeur. This collection of eight nominees from the earliest years of the event all just missed capturing the ultimate industry prize when the prestigious envelope was opened. Volume 1 includes The Racket (1928/84 min.), Alibi (1929/91 min.), The Front Page (1931/101 min.), A Farewell to Arms (1932/89 min.), The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933/97 min.), A Star Is Born (1937/111 min.), Pygmalion (1938/89 min.) and Love Affair (1939/88 min.). 4 DVDs. Color-b&w/NR/fullscreen.

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 4
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Color
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Screenplay - 1938 (W.P. Lipscomb, George Bernard Shaw, Ian Dalrymple, Cecil Lewis)
•     Won Best Original Story - 1937 (Robert Carson, Alan Campbell, William Wellman)
•     Won Honorary and Other Awards - 1937 (W. Howard Greene)
•     Won Best Actor - 1932- (Charles Laughton)
•     Won Best Cinematography - 1932- (Charles B. Lang)
•     Nominated Best Actress - 1939 (Irene Dunne)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1939 (Van Nest Polglase, Albert Herman)
•     Nominated Best Original Story - 1939 (Leo McCarey, Mildred Cram)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1939
•     Nominated Best Song - 1939 (Buddy G. DeSylva)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1939 (Maria Ouspenskaya)
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1938 (Leslie Howard)
•     Nominated Best Actress - 1938 (Wendy Hiller)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1938
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1937 (Fredric March)
•     Nominated Best Actress - 1937 (Janet Gaynor)
•     Nominated Best Assistant Director - 1937 (Eric Stacey)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1937 (William Wellman)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1937
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1937 (Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1932- (Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1932-
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1932- (Harold Lewis)
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1930- (Adolphe Menjou)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1930- (Lewis Milestone)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1930-
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1928- (Chester Morris)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1928-
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1927-

• Film Daily

•     Won 10 Best Films - 1937
•     Won 10 Best Films - 1932
•     Won 10 Best Films - 1931

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Acting - 1938 (Wendy Hiller)
•     Won Best Foreign Film - 1933
•     Won Best Picture - 1931
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1937
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1932

• New York Times

•     Won 10 Best Films - 1937

• Venice International Film Festival

•     Won Volpi Cup for Best Actor - 1938 (Leslie Howard)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Adolphe Menjou - Walter Burns
       Binnie Barnes - Katheryn Howard
       Adolphe Menjou - Maj. Rinaldi
       Edward Everett Horton - Bensinger
       Andy Devine - Danny McGuire
       George E. Stone - Earl Williams
       Al Hill - Brown
       Edgar Kennedy - Pop Randall
       Claud Allister - Cornell
       Burr McIntosh - "The Old Man"
       Cathleen Nesbitt - Old Lady
       A.W. Sweatt - Esther's Brother
       DeWitt Jennings - O'Brien
       Eugene Strong - Endicott
       Arthur Hoyt - Ward
       Edward Jardon - Singer
       Effie Ellsler - Mrs. Grant
       Dorothea Wolbert - Jenny
       James Gordon - The Mayor
       Adrian Rosley

• Director:

  Lewis Milestone, Roland West, Frank Borzage, Alexander Korda, Jack Conway, William Wellman, Anthony Asquith, Leslie Howard, Leo McCarey

• Producer:

  Howard R. Hughes, Roland West, Alexander Korda, Ludovico Toeplitz, David O. Selznick, Gabriel Pascal, Leo McCarey

• Screenwriter:

  Bartlett Cormack

• Play Author:

  Bartlett Cormack

• Screenwriter:

  Del Andrews, Harry Behn

• Play Author:

  J.C. Nugent

• Screenwriter:

  C. Gardner Sullivan, Roland West

• Play Author:

  John Griffith Wray, Elaine Sterne Carrington, Eugene S. Carrington, Ben Hecht

• Screenwriter:

  Charles Lederer

• Play Author:

  Charles MacArthur

• Screenwriter:

  Oliver H.P. Garrett, Benjamin Glazer

• Book Author:

  Ernest Hemingway

• Screenwriter:

  Arthur Wimperis, Lajos Biró, W. Howard Greene, Ben Hecht, Ring Lardner, Jr., John Lee Mahin, Dorothy Parker, David O. Selznick, William Wellman, Budd Schulberg, Adela Rogers St. John, Alan Campbell, Robert Carson, Anthony Asquith, Ian Dalrymple, Cecil Lewis, W.P. Lipscomb, George Bernard Shaw

• Play Author:

  George Bernard Shaw

• Screenwriter:

  Delmer Daves, Leo McCarey, Donald Ogden Stewart

• Cinematographer:

  Tony Gaudio, Ray June, Glen MacWilliams, Hal Mohr, Charles B. Lang, Georges Périnal, W. Howard Greene, Harry Stradling, Rudolph Maté

• Composer (Music Score):

  Hugo Riesenfeld, W. Franke Harling, Bernhard Kaun, Ralph Rainger, John Leipold, Paul Marquardt, Herman Hand, Kurt Schroeder, Max Steiner, Arthur Honegger, Harold Arlen, Buddy G. DeSylva, Ted Koehler, Roy Webb

• Editor:

  Tom Miranda, Hal Kem, Hal Kern, Duncan Mansfield, Otho Lovering, Stephen Harrison, Harold Young, James Newcom, Anson Stevenson, David Lean, Edward Dmytryk, George Hively

• Production Designer:

  Lansing C. Holden, Alfred Herman, Van Nest Polglase

• Art Director:

  William Cameron Menzies, Richard Day, Roland Anderson, Hans Dreier, Vincent Korda, Lyle Wheeler, Laurence Irving, Alfred Herman

• Associate Producer:

  Edward A. Blatt

• Set Designer:

  Edward Boyle, Darrell Silvera

• Costume Designer:

  Travis Banton, John Armstrong, Omar Kiam, Prof. Czettell, Worth, Schiaparelli, Howard Greer, Edward Stevenson

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Howard Campbell, Harold Lewis

• Makeup:

  Robert Stephanoff

• Special Effects:

  Ned Mann, Harry Zech, Jack Cosgrove, Vernon Walker

• First Assistant Director:

  Arthur Jacobson, Eric Stacey, James H. Anderson

• Consultant/advisor:

  Charles Griffin, Peter Lindsey

• Choreography:

  Fanchon, Espinosa

• Short Story Author:

  Mildred Cram

REVIEWS:

• Although the ending was altered, this A Farewell to Arms is one of the best cinematic adaptations of an Ernest Hemingway work. True, the film doesn't quite capture the unique Hemingway voice and style, but it does have some of his flavor; more importantly, it translates the story into "Hollywood" terms that make it more cinematically appealing. If the film lacks the depth of the novel, it still packs an emotional wallop. Certainly a great deal of the credit must go to stars Helen Hayes and Gary Cooper, who make an odd physical pair but who have a genuine, affecting chemistry. Hayes is radiant in one of her finest screen performances, playing suffering, nobility, and heartbreak in an outsized style that still rings true. Cooper utilizes his considerable charm to good effect, helped by his truly impressive good looks; while he's not as comfortable as Hayes with some of the heightened emotion, he still pulls it off. Director Frank Borzage skillfully blends the romance with the war-themed story, creating both impressive battle vistas and intimate, softly lit duets -- all with the inestimable help of cinematographer Charles B. Lang. Modern audiences will undoubtedly find portions of the film (and its style) dated and over the top, but those willing to meet it on its own terms will be rewarded. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
• A Star is Born showcased Janet Gaynor's last great performance and established one of the screen's most enduring tales of tragic love. A triumph of top-grade production values, writing, and acting, it represented the zenith of efforts from United Artists in the late 1930s, and remains entertaining and relevant when viewed by current-day audiences. This is one of the best films of the 1930s, particularly notable for the acting and the high level of technical work, as director William Wellman adroitly combines a rich visual style with the luminous performances of the film's stars. An honorary Oscar selected by a panel of cinematographers went to Howard Greene's Technicolor work, helping to change Academy rules two years later to recognize color cinematography as a separate category from Black & White. The film received seven Oscar nominations overall, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Gaynor, and Best Actor for Fredric March, winning for Wellman and co-scripter Robert Carson as "Best Original Story." ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
• A "transition" film as the movies tried to adapt to the new medium of sound, Alibi was critically hailed when first released but is less impressive when seen today. Like many films of the period, Alibi was trying to find a way of reconciling the cinematic freedom that had developed in the silent films with the demands of filming in sound, which at the time largely precluded much camera movement. Thus, there are several impressive segments with no dialogue (sound effects being added in later) which demonstrate director Roland West and cinematographer Ray June's considerable talents; there are also many more (and much longer) dialogue-heavy scenes that are largely of the point-and-shoot variety. These latter scenes weigh the movie for modern viewers, especially as they seem so cliched and trite. At the time of the film's release, however, they were striking some new chords, both in the manner in which the characters were presented as essentially all lacking in morals (e.g., the cops are not really a whole lot better than the robbers) and in which conventions of the gangster film were being set that would become important in later, more lasting films. When allowed to run free with the camera, West is impressive, creating expressionistic angles that, with June's careful, evocative lighting and William Cameron Menzies' striking sets, make quite an impact. But too much of the film is static, and the over-the-top performances, especially from Regis Toomey, are a distraction. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
• Charles Laughton's Oscar-winning performance as Henry VIII rises above the stuffy limitations of the period piece to give us a portrait as rounded and exuberant as any on film. Laughton is well-supported by fine actresses as his wives, particularly Wendy Barry as the doomed Jane Seymour and Merle Oberon as the dim but delightful Anne Boleyn. Director Alexander Korda is the chief beneficiary of Laughton's larger-than-life performance, as his conservative helmsmanship fails to provide the film with a distinctly personal stamp. However, the sensual gusto in the scenes of Henry's indulgences is enthusiastically presented, and Korda deserves credit for giving us a very human portrait of this controversial figure. The film also benefits from some insidious dialogue by Arthur Wimperis (based on the story by Lajos Biro) that punctures the pomp of the English costume drama with tongue-in-cheek humor. Particularly entertaining are the exchanges between Henry and his prospective and coquettish wives (and mistresses), while some of the minor characters deliver wickedly insightful social criticism directed more at the state of the world's economy in 1933 than at the film's period. ~ Dan Jardine, Rovi
• Long unavailable due to a couple of highly successful remakes, the original screen version of Ben Hecht's and Charles MacArthur's 1928 Broadway hit remains perhaps the most faithful to it theatrical origins -- although, as an inside joke, several character names were altered to reflect the change in medium, e.g. "George Kid Cukor" and "Judge Mankiewicz." But Walter Burns (Adolphe Menjou) is still attempting to keep star reporter Hildy Johnson (Pat O'Brien) from leaving his place at the paper in favor of marrying the upwardly mobile Peggy Grant (Mary Brian). And poor Earl Williams (George E. Stone's), whose upcoming hanging drives the plot, is still more or less ignored while the tough reporters crack wise. The overlapping lines are much in evidence here and obviously not the invention of Howard Hawks, whose gender-switch remake His Girl Friday (1941) may be faster but not nearly as gritty. Menjou, who actually fits his bombastic role better than perhaps expected, was actually a last minute replacement when the original choice, Louis Wolheim, suddenly died. Menjou went on to win an Academy Award nomination for his efforts. Producer Howard Hughes drew mightily from the Warner Bros. stock company and every role, no matter how small, is filled with such notorious scene stealers as Edward Everett Horton as the prissy Bensinger; Clarence H. Wilson as the inane sheriff, and Mae Clarke as the self-sacrificing streetwalker Molly Malloy. In fact; Miss Clarke conveys the character's desperation skillfully. According to Mary Brian, The Front Page was this charming actress' favorite film. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
• Love Affair is among the most influential romance films of its era, a smooth tale of a shipboard romance and the obstacles that love must overcome. At the core of the film are the performances of Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne as the lovers. They make the audience want their love to succeed and overcome the obstacles in its way. Leo McCarey was among Hollywood's top commercial directors of the 1930s and 1940s, and Love Affair, with its 87-minute running time and brisk pace, is a good example of his skills. In the 1950s, McCarey attempted to become a more serious director, but the public rejected his propagandist anti-Communist films. The one success he found in the 1950s was a direct remake of Love Affair -- An Affair to Remember, which was the inspiration for the later hit Sleepless In Seattle. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
• One of George Bernard Shaw's most popular and durable plays concerns the stuffy British professor of phonetics who, on a bet, tries to transform a flower girls' speaking style from lower-class Cockney to proper English, with all it implies. Pygmalion was first filmed in Great Britain in 1938 and became an instant classic. Featuring well-pitched performances from Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller in the lead roles, this Anthony Asquith film has the exquisite timing and tenor of a sophisticated comedy of manners. Barely concealed beneath the story is a devastating satire of British class pretensions. This material was adapted as the musical My Fair Lady in the 1950s and the film of the same name in 1964. It also inspired numerous imitatations, such as Educating Rita. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi