"The Broadway Melody" Review

Release Date: June 6, 1929

Running Time: 1 hr 40 min

Director: Harry Beaumont 

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 38% (yikes!)

Name Of The Award This Year: Outstanding Production (Previously "Outstanding Picture")

Notable Achievements: First musical to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Notable Nominees: None.

Interesting Facts: The lowest rated Best Picture. 

Synopsis: Harriet and Queenie Mahoney, a vaudeville act, come to Broadway, where their friend Eddie Kerns needs them for his number in one of Francis Zanfield's shows. A love triangle happens. (That last part isn't in the official synopsis).

Review: 

It's not the worst movie of all time. I didn't hate it. But I can't help but wonder how in the world it ended up as one of the 84 Best Pictures. What's wrong with the film, you ask? Simply put: it's boring. It's less of a musical and more of a movie with some songs in it. The music doesn't drive the story, teach me about the characters and what they're feeling, or really do anything besides just being music. And that would be fine, but I just don't care about the main characters. In fact, I had trouble getting invested in the story at all.

There's really not much to say about this one. I feel like the only reason it won is because the idea of a musical was exciting and new at the time. Not much relevance anymore. Has not aged well. 

Rank: 

Wings has well-written characters, an engaging and exciting story, and its age is charming instead of being a detriment. Sadly, none of these things can be said for The Broadway Melody.

1. Wings
2. The Broadway Melody

Next Film: All Quiet On The Western Front

"Wings" Review

Release Date: May 19, 1927

Running Time: 2 hrs 22 min

Director: William A. Wellman

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%

Notable Achievements: First film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture (Although at the time the name of the award was "Outstanding Picture")

Notable Nominees: None.

Interesting Facts: First of two silent films to win Best Picture. The second being The Artist, released in 2011. But we'll get to that a bit later. 

Synopsis: Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.

Review:

Who knew a black-and-white silent film could keep my interest for two-and-a-half hours? And no, I'm not talking about The Artist! (I know you already knew that considering there's a giant picture of a different movie that I already said I'm talking about at the top of the screen, but just play along for the sake of the joke ok, smart guy?) But really, it's pretty amazing that I can sit in one place for so long just staring at a colorless, wordless screen that's trying to tell me a story and still be entertained. To be fair though, this movie is a commitment. While the music is solid and the actors are expressive and the visual effects are absolutely stunning for their time, once an hour has gone by the film starts to feel a bit monotonus. Between the cool action sequences, funny situations, and intriguing story, there's enough to keep your interest, but you need to know what you're getting into beforehand.

Overall, it's a solid film. I'm glad I saw it, but I would only recommend it if you have patience for older films.

Rank: 
I will not be using a rating system (i.e. "scale of 1-10"), instead I will be comparing these movies to each other. Every time I review a film, it will be ranked among the rest. So, as of right now, seeing how I haven't watched any more Best Pictures yet, Wings is number one!

1. Wings

Next Film: The Broadway Melody