Best Picture Winners: 1935 - 1936

Mutiny On the Bounty (1935)

Charles Laughton is deliciously hammy as Captain Bligh, tyrant of the Bounty, who pushes his crew towards mutiny because of his cruelty. First Mate Fletcher Christian (Clark Cable), stands up for Bligh at first, but then even he can no longer stomach Bligh’s abuses and leads a mutiny. Unfortunately for new Midshipman Byam (Franchot Tone), he gets caught in the middle and must decide between his loyalty to the captain and his friendship with Christian.This truly rousing adventure story features fine performances, impressive sea effects, a twisty plot, and a suspenseful courtroom finale. Laughton, who was so funny as the shy butler Ruggles in Ruggles of Red Gap, excelled in villainous roles (e.g. Dr. Moreau) and here he’s nastier than ever. Bligh has no sense of humor, and his complete lack of compassion makes him an easy man to dislike. But one cannot help but admire his seafaring abilities, such as when he’s able to survive after being booted off the Bounty with a minimum of supplies. And while Clark Gable is better known for his romantic leading roles, his playing of Christian as the unwilling hero is every bit as strong as Laughton’s. They have great chemistry and it makes the audience feel the tension as their relationship becomes more combative. Tone is sympathetic as Christian’s friend, coming to Christian’s defense during the court martial. Byam’s fate is quite a punch to the gut.Under Frank Lloyd’s direction, Mutiny on the Bounty moves swiftly and holds up very well as one of the best action/adventure films from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. was one of the great showmen of the 20th Century. His lavishly produced Broadway shows made him rich and famous, but he died in 1932 in debt (due to the 1929 stock market crash). MGM’s three-hour opus to the Ziegfeld hits the highlights and lowlights of his career.We first meet Ziegfeld (William Powell) at the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition where he’s promoting strongman Sandow (Nat Pendleton) and competing with fellow showman Billings (Frank Morgan), a friendly competition that lasts their entire lives. Ziegfeld hits upon away to exploit Sandow and the two eventually end up in New York. Not being satisfied, Ziegfeld cons and cajoles his way into a contract with hot French songstress Anna Held (Luise Rainer), promising her stardom in America. She signs, the two fall in love, but Ziegfeld is still driven to make his shows bigger and bigger.The Great Ziegfeld is certainly entertaining, features a winning performance by Powell, and boasts some impressive stage numbers (“A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody”, Ray Bolger’s dance number). Luise Rainer is adorable as Anna Held. But like so many bio-pics, we never get a really good idea of what makes Ziegfeld tick. He is constantly broke, squandering his money instead of putting something aside. We aren’t clued in to why Ziegfeld takes such risks. He is a likeable fellow, even when he’s not the most loyal of husbands (the film has him and Held married, although they were not in real life.) But it would have been nice to get inside his insecurities, or whatever it was that made him so reckless financially.Myrna Loy as Billie Burke is second-billed but doesn’t show up until the final hour. Not surprisingly, she and Powell (who had already made their first Thin Man film together) have terrific chemistry and their love story makes the last third the best part of the film.The Great Ziegfeld is so good natured that it’s an easy film to like. But the final dramatic moments don’t have the power they should have because the character of Ziegfeld is still something of a mystery. It’s a shortcoming that prevents this good film from being great.