Fred Zinnemann

Fred Zinnemann






RANKED:


3. From Here to Eternity (1953)


Winner for Best Picture at the 1954 Academy Awards, "From Here to Eternity" details the fictional struggles of three United States Army soldiers in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor in the fall of 1941. The three soldiers are played by Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, and Frank Sinatra, each fully in the middle of a high point in their career during this time. "From Here to Eternity," directed by Fred Zinnemann, offers a great blend of romance, drama, and by the film's explosive climax, war.




2. The Nun's Story (1959)


Despite being a piece of the Hollywood 'commercial machine,' famed director Fred Zinnemann often found himself directing films with far more internality than the typical Hollywood director. His 1959 film "The Nun's Story" epitomizes this concept. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a nun in training. Throughout the film, she attempts to reach a perfected version of herself, utterly selfless and lacking any pride. However, the constant lack of attaining this religious devotion and spiritual perfection ignites the internal drama of the film. "The Nun's Story" doesn't have big action or a snappy plot. What it does have, however, is something far more spiritual than anything Hollywood had to offer at the time: an internal battle of morality, spirituality, and devotional work to an idealized version of what it means to be an elevated human being.



1. High Noon (1952)


Fred Zinnemann's insanely successful 1952 Western "High Noon" is a hugely impactful film in American culture. The film itself is rather simple, Cary Cooper's town marshal must decide if he should stay and fight a nasty villain or leave town with his Quaker wife and retire. The villain in question arrives at the strike of noon and everyone in town in anticipating his arrival. However, what's even more engaging is the external elements of the film that provoke discussion. For one thing, the film was viewed as an anti-McCarthyism piece as the film's writer was blacklisted. Secondly, its emotional resonance to Cold War anxieties made it a remarkably timely film. All of these elements created hostility within the filmmaking community as many felt the film was 'unpatriotic' or 'un-American.' However, the film still garnished immense success with audiences, as well as winning 4 Academy Awards, including Gary Cooper's Best Actor prize. It is a film of its moment and has been referenced, mimicked, and paid homage to since. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

La Dolce Vita (1960)

Image
  Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" The famed Italian poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini once said that Federico Fellini's 1960 masterpiece " La Dolce Vita " was too important to be discussed in the usual way one discusses a film. I absolutely agree. " La Dolce Vita " is not only a monolith in cinematic history - it set a new precedent for how films could be constructed. Its DNA lies in the very components of modern cinematic convention. The themes and narrative beats remain as relevant today as they were in 1960, lending the film a remarkable sense of timelessness. To call " La Dolce Vita " a masterpiece almost feels like an understatement.  The film departs from traditional narrative structure, unfolding instead through a series of interconnected episodes. Marcello Mastroianni stars as Marcello Rubini, a tabloid journalist who aspires to write literature. Navigating the glamorous yet hollow world of Rome's café society, he spend...
Read more

Oliver Twist (1948)

Image
  David Lean's "Oliver Twist" After the success of David Lean's 1946 adaption of Charles Dickens classic 1861 novel " Great Expectations ," Lean decided once again to adapt a classic work by Dickens. This time, his focus was on the 1837 novel, " Oliver Twist ." His 1948 adaptation once again proved that Lean was able to take Dicken's classic work and visualize it for the big screen.  Centering on a young orphan boy in 19th century England, " Oliver Twist " details the boy's plight as he is hired out as an apprentice after asking a cruel taskmaster for a second serving of gruel. Falling in with a street urchin and a criminal, the boy's fate between wealth and poverty hangs in the balance when his kindly benefactor decides to take him in. From all of the Charles Dickens adaptations I have seen, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a fan of Dicken's work. I know, blasphemous. From " Great Expectations " to ...
Read more

The Browning Version (1951)

Image
  Anthony Asquith's "The Browning Version" I was very caught off guard by Anthony Asquith's 1951 British film " The Browning Version ." Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect. Regardless, what I received was something far more emotionally complex than anticipated.  The film centers on Andrew Crocker-Harris, an embittered, middle-aged schoolmaster. He is resigning from his post due to his poor health, his wife is cheating on him, and the person she's cheating on him with is the one replacing him at his post. This sets off a series of emotional and existential reflections on whether his hardnose and authoritarian teaching methods made any difference with the students throughout his teaching career. However, one grateful student forces Crocker-Harris into an emotional reckoning. The film forces reflection on one's life and the difference we make in the lives of those around us. Perhaps you hold too tightly to your ideals and perhaps you've ...
Read more