UA (Selznick International Pictures)
Oscar Nominations: 9
Picture, produced by David O. Selznick
Actress: Claudette Colbert
Supporting Actor: Monty Woolley
Supporting Actress: Jennifer Jones
Cinematography (b/w): Stanley Cortez and Lee Garmes
Interior Decoration (b/w): Mark-Lee Kirk, art direction; Victor A. Gangelin, set decoration
Film Editing: Hal C. Kern and James E. Newcom
Scoring (Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Max Steiner
Special Effects: John R. Cosgrove, photographic; Arthur Johns, sound
Oscar Awards: 1
Scoring
Oscar Context:
“Since You Went Away” competed for the top award with Leo McCarey's “Going My Way,” which swept most of the Oscars, Billy Wilder's noir melodrama “Double Indemnity,” George Cukor's psychological thriller “Gaslight,” and the patriotic biopic “Wilson.”
Though boasting some of the most innovative stylistic, film noir is the least nominated genre in the Academy annals, probably due to its dark mood and downbeat tone. Which may explain why Fritz Lang, the master of film noir, has never been nominated for an Oscar. Billy Wilder's “Double Indemnity” was one of the few nominated noirs; significantly, it was the only film that did not win any Oscar. In the following year Wilder and “The Lost Weekend,” would win Director and Best Picture, though most industry people–and the public–related to “Lost Weekend” as a social problem picture (about alcoholism) rather than noir.
Next to “Going My Way,” the most nominated films were “Wilson” (10) and “Since You Went Away (9).
Though considered to be commercially disappointing, “Wilson” won 5 awards, mostly in the technical categories (Cinematography and Interior Decoration, both in color, and Special Effects).
