Review and Analysis of the 3rd Academy Awards

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Review and Analysis of the 3rd Academy Awards

The 3rd Academy Awards are a big improvement over the previous ceremony thanks to an inclusion of better films and some classics. It still could have been better, but they made a better effort here at actually honoring good quality films that stood the test of time. The ceremony encompassed films released in the second half of 1929 and the first half of 1930 and once again it features a very small number of categories.

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OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

This is a pretty strong year when it comes to the Best Picture category. Yes, Disraeli is a weak, boring and dated biopic, but The Divorcee is an important early feminist picture, The Love Parade is such a fun musical and The Big House is a groundbreaking early prison flick. Of course All Quiet on the Western Front got the award and I am incredibly happy with that choice as this masterpiece is the best war film of all time. You can read my full ranking of the nominees here.

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BEST DIRECTOR

Robert Z. Leonard’s direction on The Divorcee is far from great and thus an underserved nominee here whereas Clarence Brown’s work on Anna Christie is nominated, but the movie was snubbed which was odd. Ernst Lubitsch is a worthy nominee here as his work on The Love Parade is quite advanced for this period. The same goes for King Vidor whose work on Hallelujah is both groundbreaking and highly professional. But the award thankfully went to Lewis Milestone who directed All Quiet on the Western Front with such amazing confidence and craftsmanship.

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BEST ACTOR

Maurice Chevalier is quite charming in The Love Parade, but I wouldn’t call his performance Oscar-worthy. Wallace Beery, on the other hand, was deservedly nominated as his performance in the Big House is the best and he plays such a fascinating, complex, mysterious man. George Arliss eventually won for Disraeli and even though I found him charismatic and memorable, I still wouldn’t honor him personally. The award should have gone to Lew Ayres who was shamefully, oddly snubbed for a terrific, moving performance in a great film.

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BEST ACTRESS

This category is an unknown to me as I haven’t seen most of the nominees. I would say that Greta Garbo was overly theatrical and over-the-top in her first sound film and thus she didn’t deserve her nomination. Either Helen Morgan or Joan Peers from Applause would have been much better choices. The award went to Norma Shearer for The Divorcee and I agree with the Academy on this one as her performance is the best thing about that film.

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BEST WRITING

Disraeli has a bad screenplay not deserving of the nomination, but The Divorcee is a sophisticated look into adultery and sexism so that was a great choice. The Big House eventually won over All Quiet on the Western Front and although that film is very well scripted, the sheer power of this anti-war epic in its message and dialogue should have persuaded the Academy otherwise. But still it was a solid choice to honor the prison film instead in what is definitely a strong slate.

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BEST SOUND RECORDING

The Love Parade entirely deserved its nomination as that movie is a rare musical from 1929 that sounds stupendous. The Big House is also superbly recorded so that was a solid choice for the winner here. However, All Quiet on the Western Front clearly has the best, most polished sound and thus it was shamefully snubbed by the Academy. It’s very odd that they obviously loved this film and honored it, but just in the biggest categories.

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BEST ART DIRECTION

I am not familiar with this category all too much except for The Love Parade’s nomination which is deserved as that film is well put together. This year doesn’t have the strongest sets, but Anna Christie comes to my mind as the most memorable film in that regard. I haven’t seen the winner King of Jazz.

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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Again All Quiet on the Western Front was ignored. At least it was nominated, but it deserved to win as this masterpiece looks splendid and very realistic. Anna Christie and The Love Parade are both worthy nominees too as both films are memorably shot. With Byrd at the South Pole won and I haven’t seen it.

In the end, this was a pretty good, strong year for the Academy. They still made some bad choices, but actually most of their picks are pretty good and the nominations slates are mostly satisfactory and even excellent in some examples. It’s a strong beginning of the decade.