Columbia
Oscar Nominations: 8
Picture, produced by Stanley Kramer
Screenplay (Adpated): Abby Mann
Actor: Oskar Werner
Actress: Simone Signoret
Supporting Actor: Michael Dunn
Cinematography (black-and-white): Ernest Laszlo
Art Direction-Set Decoration (black-and-white): Robert Clatworthy; Joseph Kish
Costume (black-and-white): Bill Thomas and Jean Louis
Oscar Awards: 2
Cinematography
Art Direction-Set Decoration
Oscar Context
The 1965 competition for Best Picture was rather weak. Stanley Kramer's flawed and pretentious “Ship of Fools” and the screen adaptation of the Broadway comedy “A Thousand Clowns” stood no chance of winning. The other two contenders were made by British directors, David Lean's “Doctor Zhivago,” a romantic spectacle, and John Schlesinger' “Darling!” clearly the most innovative of the nominees, earlier singled out by the New York Film Critics.
For most Academy members, the choice was between “The Sound of Music” and “Doctor Zhivago,” each of which received ten nominations. At the end of the day, the awards were also equally divided, with each movie getting five, though, except for screenplay (Robert Bolt), “Doctor Zhivago” received mostly technical awards, such as Color Cinematography (Freddie Young), Color Art Direction-Set Decoration (John Box and Terry Marsh), and Color Costume Design (Phyllis Dalton).
Julie Christie won the Best Actress Oscar for “Darling,” and Martin Balsam the Supporting Actor Oscar for “A Thousand Clowns.”
