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Ranking 1949 Best Picture Nominees

1949 wasn’t the best year for cinema, which did reflect on the Academy’s slate. It’s a fine list of nominees, but far from the most accomplished ones like the previous year’s slate clearly was. Two war movies comprise this list, one political movie, a romantic drama and a psychological drama. Of these movie nominees, only two were genuinely great with the others ranging from serviceable to pretty good. Ranking these movies was quite easy for me, so here we go.

My Ranking of the Nominees:

5. Twelve O’Clock High

This subpar war drama deals with an interesting subject – the difficulty of decisions that generals must take during wars – but it didn’t have interesting enough characters or dialogue to take it to the next level. It’s a stuffy drama that is well acted by Gregory Peck, but weakly directed and most definitely overlong. This is one of those movies that was obviously quite respected due to their subject matter back when it was released, but nowadays it feels quaint, boring and forgettable. Thus, it gets the last spot on this list.

4. All the King’s Men

Speaking of movies that were respected much more upon their initial release we have All the King’s Men, which is a film about the dangers of political corruption and quick rise to power. The critics and the Academy were enamored with this picture due to its important subject and strong commentary, but they failed to notice just how flawed and messy the end product was. Broderick Crawford was superb and the dialogue is excellent, but the second act is weak and the movie is poorly structured and paced. It won Best Picture, but undeservedly so.

3. Battleground

Battleground is one of the rare WWII features from the forties that has aged like fine wine and is still an engaging watch today. The prime reason for that lies in its approach – instead of the usual patriotic speeches and sweeping tales of heroism, what we got here is a grounded take on the war experience with the soldiers feeling believable in their fears and insecurities. Comparing this to the last placement on this list, it is evident which war movie ends up on top. It’s a wonderfully shot, directed and acted picture that also has a very inspiring ending.

2. The Heiress

The Heiress is definitely rushed and over-the-top in its third act, but still featuring a very interesting and unpredictable turn of events. It is such a well told and relevant story imbued by excellent direction and terrific performances from Montgomery Clift who is admirably subtle in his role, Olivia de Havilland who is phenomenal and deserved her Oscar, and even Ralph Richardson who shouldn’t be forgotten as he wonderfully acted the most fascinating character in the film. This is one of the best and most engaging movies on this list for sure.

1. A Letter to Three Wives

A Letter to Three Wives is one of Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s most crowning achievements. It has its flaws, but it also has a stellar opening and a wonderfully hopeful, inspirational conclusion. Strong performances from its talented cast, a uniquely versatile tone and a phenomenal structure made this movie a treat to watch. This wasn’t the strongest movie year, but the right movie won out of these nominees when all things are considered. This was the first of two BP and directing wins for Mankiewicz and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer filmmaker. This is a wonderful film that has stood the test of time gloriously and it’s difficult not to love it.

Films That Should Have Been Nominated:

Late Spring – Late Spring is a pleasingly simple tale of what it was like being a single woman in 1940s Japan. The central father-daughter relationship is very nuanced, grounded in reality and touching whereas the performance from Setsuko Hara is beautifully subdued and fantastic. It’s an absolute masterpiece from the great Yasujiro Ozu and the best film of the year, but the Academy back then did not recognize foreign cinema for the top awards sadly.

Kind Hearts and Coronets – Kind Hearts and Coronets is a very fun and funny comedy. It is always involving and energetic, very authentic and sophisticated and filled with so many great performances, intriguing characters, superb dialogue and such a crazy, but incredibly satisfying story. The Academy rarely honors comedies, which is why this movie was snubbed.

White Heat – White Heat is one of the best and most iconic James Cagney movies and one of the finest noirs of the late forties. This movie is immensely grim and memorable, featuring strong acting, directing and cinematography. It also has an unforgettable ending. It’s a shame that it was entirely ignored by the Academy.