Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1963)

WINNERS. David Lean holds his Oscar for Best Achievement in Directing ("Laurence of Arabia" ). Gregory Peck, Best Aactor ("To Kill a Mockingbird" ), in a scene with Mary Badham. Anne Bancroft, Best Actress, and Patty Duke, Best Supporting Actress, in scene from "The Miracle Worker". Ed Begley clutches his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor ("Sweet Bird of Youth") a.id gets bussed by Rita Moreno. DSCAR DERBY ( Continued from Page 7) and tended to slow down the proceedings for the millions on the outside. The filmed inserts of speeches by former award winners who could not be present were dull. Turn that task over to some glamorous live personalities next year! The Oscar show is an important enough event for any performer to fly into California from any corner of the world. And why were the Best Song nominations compressed into an abridged medley, rather than given imaginative production dressings? A dance or two would have been welcome. The awards, for the most part, were richly deserved. "Lawrence of Arabia", as anticipated, walked off the big winner with seven awards. Film BULLETIN likes to recall that its review in the December 24 issue said of it: "A motion picture masterpiece . . . Will rank high on list of all-time film greats." Columbia Pictures enjoyed the unique distinction of having two films it distributes win Best Picture honors: "Lawrence" and "Sundays and Cybele", the Best Foreign Film. Universale hopes hung high on "To Kill a Mockingbird", and it won three Oscars, including Peck's as Best Actor. "The Miracle Worker", which did not set boxoffices afire in its initial release, got a new lease on life with the awards to Anne Bancroft (Best Actress) and young Patty Duke (Best Supporting Actress). United Artists rushed "Miracle Worker" back into release, and now a new audience has a chance to discover what a fine film it is and how superb are the Bancroft and Duke performances. Diversification and some difference of opinion marked the top awards. Peck's performance as the "Mockingbird" father was indeed outstanding, and though some leaned to Peter O'TooIe's "Lawrence" as a more complex and fascinating delineation, there was little argument with the final choice, which was extremely popular Sam Spiegel, producer of "Lawrence of Arabia", gets Oscar from Olivia deH av ill an d . Scene from "Divorce — Italian Style" Best Original Screenplay Scene from Darryl Zanuck's "The Longest Day" , winner of two awards with those in attendance. Perhaps the biggest suprise of all was the Best Supporting Actor award to Ed Begley for his work in "Sweet Bird of Youth". Most anticipated that this category would bring another award to "Lawrence" in the person of Omar Sharif, but Mr. Begley's victory was roundly applauded by the audience in the auditorium. Hardly any dispute was heard about Horton Foote's brilliant adaptation of Harper Lee's "Mockingbird" or about the award to the Messrs. Ennio DeConcini, Alfredo Giannetti and Pietro Germi for their highly original screenplay, "Divorce — Italian Style". There is a strong view in some quarters that some thought should be given to breaking down the Best Picture awards in the future. They point to the fact that recent years have seen almost clean sweeps by blockbusters — "Ben Hur", "West Side Story", "Lawrence of Arabia". While not taking anything away from such outstanding films, they ask what chance smaller pictures of real merit have in the Oscar sweepstakes. Is it possible that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will consider separate awards for different types of Best Pictures (Best Spectacle, Best Modest-Budget Picture)? Bigness must not be allowed to become the governing factor in the choice of Best Pictures. A final word or two about the rankling comments of some of the television columnists, who seem to live from year to year only for the opportunity to pan the Oscar show. Kay Gardella, in the New York Daily News mourned for the movie industry in these terribly sad words: "Whether the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences realizes it or not, 'The Days of Wine and Roses', as filmland once knew them, are over. Past. Done for." Could it be that they're jealous of the bigness of the motion picture and the minuteness of the medium they view? Page 10 Film BULLETIN April 15, 1963