Catch up with the idea behind this series here.
1933 was the only year without an Oscar ceremony as the Academy switched its eligibility calendar around and began honoring films released from January 1 through December 31. The result was the 1934 ceremony honoring films from the past seventeen months. And still they picked “Cavalcade” as the best film from that time. Why do we care about this body again?
Song, Score and Editing were added in 1934, as was a space for write-in candidates, which lasted all of two years with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” cinematographer Hal Mohr being the only person ever to win an Oscar they weren’t officially nominated for. So, in these instances, both the nominating committee and the members failed to do the right thing.
1933 – “Duck Soup” (Leo McCarey)
I once heard that you’re either a Marx Brothers guy or a Three Stooges guy. It certainly proves true with me, as I can’t stand the constant mugging and bopping on the head of the latter, while I consider the former to be absolute geniuses. Vaudeville caricatures, slapstick physical comedy, sophisticated zingers and showstopping musical performances are all thrown into a stew and blended to perfection in this film and its immediate follow-up, “A Night at the Opera.”