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Ranking 1944 Best Picture Nominees

1944 wasn’t the greatest year for Hollywood given that it was WWII. The Best Picture slate consisted of one solid, but undeserving winner, two forgettable and overlong flicks and two obvious masterpieces. It was a messy slate of five in the first year when the number of nominees went down from ten to five and will stay that way for decades to come.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

5. Since You Went Away

This is probably one of the easiest Best Picture rankings of them all as I cannot possibly understand how anybody would rank these movies differently. Case in point, Since You Went Away. This bloated drama clearly is the worst of these five nominees. It has its charming moments and the acting performances are uniformly strong, but the movie isn’t cinematic enough and the directing was quite mediocre. They attempted so desperately to emulate ‘Gone with the Wind’ in this instance, but unfortunately they failed miserably, leading to the most dated and tiresome movie on this slate.

4. Wilson

Wilson is a competently made biopic that is particularly memorable for the terrific central performance of Alexander Knox. The entire cast did a great job here, the score was strong and the dialogue was excellent. The film is surprisingly interesting in its historical aspects, but it is still overlong at two and half hours and lacking in truly inspired cinematic qualities that should have elevated it to greater heights. Similarly to the above entry, it received numerous Oscar nominations, the majority most definitely undeserving. At the end of the day, when biopics are concerned, this stands firmly in the middle of the pack.

3. Going My Way

Now, I actually like Going My Way. It’s a perfectly solid, charming musical that benefits from some lovely personalities and a great soundtrack. It’s a cozy, fun movie for the whole family. The issue here is that in terms of the plot it was a slim flick that also lacked artistry and sophistication. The fact that it won Best Picture over two classics that are still very fondly remembered is truly frustrating. It shouldn’t be regarded among the worst winners, but it is far from the best ones too.

2. Gaslight

Probably the best movie that Alfred Hitchcock never made, Gaslight is an atypical career effort from George Cukor, a director better known for lighter fare. But he delivered in spades, creating a highly atmospheric psychological thriller that is gorgeously shot, edited and composed. The standout is the acting. Charles Boyer was superbly cast in one of his best roles while Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for her wonderful turn here. It is also famous for the first big role for Angela Lansbury, who shined bright among these two huge stars.

1. Double Indemnity

Darkly atmospheric, consistently riveting and brilliantly written in its immaculate script, Double Indemnity introduced and perfected all of the staples of the noir genre that would never be duplicated afterward. Barbara Stanwyck is iconic as the movie’s femme fatale, Fred MacMurray is incredible as the complex protagonist whereas Edward G. Robinson is the heart and soul of this otherwise very cold movie. Billy Wilder’s directing is phenomenal while the score, cinematography and editing are all top-notch. Consequently, this was the only right choice for Best Picture this year and it’s a shame that one of the best movies of all time ended up losing the big award.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Laura – One of the most gorgeous movies of the year and one of the most sophisticated, Laura is a classic noir picture that has stood the test of time and is still wildly enjoyable to this day. Its technical aspects are highly accomplished, but the acting performances and the intriguing characters along with clever dialogue are the highlights. Despite getting five nominations, including the one for its director, it somehow failed to garner a Best Picture nom.

Lifeboat – While clearly flawed and not among the greatest Hitchcock efforts, Lifeboat is still an underrated gem of a film that makes perfect use of its boat setting, delivering in particular in its suspenseful atmosphere. The characters and actors playing them are very interesting here while the dilemmas and conflicts brewing between them made the film immensely engaging.

Arsenic and Old Lace – Although too over-the-top at times, Arsenic and Old Lace is still a wildly enjoyable, fun meta comedy that was surprisingly modern for its era. Though not fully working at all times, the humor is mostly terrific and the colorful cast of characters was delightful to watch. In a weak year for comedies, this was clearly the best one.