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Awards Don't Matter

Awards Don't Matter

By Andrew Peirce & David Giannini

The Academy Awards are the pinnacle of success for filmmakers all over the globe. Each year, a film is voted by a peer group to be the 'Best Picture' of that year. On Awards Don't Matter, hosts David and Andrew look at each winner, from Wings to Parasite, asking the question, does this film matter? Is it important and worthy of the illustrious claim of being the 'Best Picture' of that year?

Find out each month as they take a tour through film history.
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1943 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: The Ox-Bow Incident (William A. Wellman) - Awards Don't Matter

Awards Don't MatterSep 07, 2021

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56:16
1945 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: Spellbound (Alfred Hitchcock) - Awards Don't Matter

1945 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: Spellbound (Alfred Hitchcock) - Awards Don't Matter

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For some reason, the last Alfred Hitchcock film to be nominated for Best Picture is his 1945 psychological thriller, Spellbound. Featuring an early performance from Gregory Peck, and another lead performance from Ingrid Bergman, Spellbound was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and winning the Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Oscar for Miklós Rózsa.

While co-hosts Dave and Andrew could have gone the easy route by discussing Mildred Pierce, a much more worthy Best Picture nominee (and deserving winner too), they instead digest how psychology is presented by Hitchcock, how to present a good amnesia film, while also being surprised by the fun of the film.

Spoilers abound for The Yearling too.

Clips presented in this episode: Spellbound trailer // Liverwurst scene // Therapy Scene

Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce – @TheCurbAU
David Giannini – @Darnthatdave
Awards Don’t Matter – @AwardsDontPod

Oct 19, 202135:03
1945 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: The Lost Weekend (dir. Billy Wilder)
Oct 05, 202101:46:60
1944 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: Gaslight (George Cukor) – Awards Don’t Matter

1944 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: Gaslight (George Cukor) – Awards Don’t Matter

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Trigger Warning: This episode discusses instances of abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting.

We arrive at one of the films that Andrew was anticipating the most when coming to discussion Best Picture winners and nominees: George Cukor's thriller Gaslight. Starring Ingrid Bergman in one of her Oscar winning roles, alongside Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, and Oscar nominee Angela Lansbury, this thriller is a film that coined a phrase that has become synonymous with a horrifying act of bruality that people enact on one another.

Co-hosts Dave and Andrew discuss the intensity of this  powerful, enduring classic, while also discussing the morality of Joseph Cotten's heroic character, exploring the 'one perfect shot' aspect of the film, and theorising what kind of impact Gaslight might have had on the film industry if it won Best Picture. And then they wrap up deciding how to pronounce Dune.

Clips featured in this episode: A Wife's Revenge Scene // Gaslight trailer // Bloodthirsty Bessie Scene // You Think I'm Insane Scene

Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce – @TheCurbAU
David Giannini – @Darnthatdave
Awards Don’t Matter – @AwardsDontPod

Sep 27, 202156:38
1944 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: Going My Way (Leo McCarey)
Sep 23, 202138:52
1943 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: The Ox-Bow Incident (William A. Wellman) - Awards Don't Matter

1943 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: The Ox-Bow Incident (William A. Wellman) - Awards Don't Matter

While the 16th Best Picture winner - Casablanca - stands proudly as a bonafide classic, it isn't the only nominee of that year that stands the test of time as a genuine masterpiece. That honour also falls on William A. Wellman's undervalued social drama, The Ox-Bow Incident.

At a tight 75 minutes long, The Ox-Bow Incident manages to deliver a stunning thriller that leaves the three hour bloated epics in its wake. Co-hosts Dave and Andrew delve into the power of masculinity, the cruelty of mob justice, and more in this deep discussion here.

Read Dave's review of The Ox-Bow Incident at Insession Film here.

Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce – @TheCurbAU
David Giannini – @Darnthatdave
Awards Don’t Matter – @AwardsDontPod

Sep 07, 202156:16
1943 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: Casablanca (Michael Curtiz) - Awards Don't Matter
Aug 24, 202158:03
1942 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: Yankee Doodle Dandy (Michael Curtiz) - Awards Don't Matter
Aug 10, 202143:04
1942 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: Mrs Miniver (William Wyler) - Awards Don't Matter
Jul 27, 202141:50
1941 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: Suspicion (Alfred Hitchcock) - Awards Don't Matter
Jul 14, 202153:09
1941 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: How Green Was My Valley (John Ford) - Awards Don't Matter
Jul 07, 202101:00:34
1940 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin) - Awards Don't Matter
Jun 28, 202149:29
1940 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock) - Awards Don't Matter
Jun 22, 202147:26
2020 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: Nomadland (Chloé Zhao)
Jun 14, 202140:03
1939 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: Ninotchka (Ernst Lubitsch) – Awards Don’t Matter
May 17, 202155:12
1939 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming) - Awards Don't Matter
May 03, 202101:22:14
1938 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: Grand Illusion [La Grande Illusion] (Jean Renoir) - Awards Don't Matter
Apr 19, 202101:00:14
1938 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: You Can't Take it With You (Frank Capra)
Apr 12, 202137:47
1937 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee: A Star is Born (William A. Wellman) - Awards Don't Matter
Apr 05, 202139:53
1937 Academy Award Best Picture Winner: The Life of Emile Zola (William Dieterle) - Awards Don't Matter
Mar 29, 202146:28
1936 Academy Award Best Picture Winner The Great Ziegfeld (Robert Z. Leonard) - Awards Don't Matter
Mar 22, 202132:46
1935 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee Top Hat (Mark Sandrich) - Awards Don't Matter

1935 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee Top Hat (Mark Sandrich) - Awards Don't Matter

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Gosh, after that rather well executed sojourn into darkness with Mutiny on the Bounty, it feels appropriate to give ourselves a break as we approach the classic romantic musical Top Hat. Nominated for Best Picture, and walking away with no Oscars at all, Mark Sandrich's enduring dance film has weathered time and stands up as one of the most joyous films ever.

For Andrew, this is a repeat viewing, but for co-host Dave, this is a first watch. As such, we're left wondering... does Top Hat still matter? The two discuss that question, and explore why the Academy is so afraid of rewarding comedy and joy at the ceremonies.

Make sure to check out Dave's new podcast, Off Screen Death with co-host Michael Denniston.

Subscribe via RSS Feed, Anchor.fm, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce – @TheCurbAU
David Giannini – @Darnthatdave

https://anchor.fm/awards-dont-matter/episodes/1932-1933-Best-Picture-Nominee---42nd-Street-Lloyd-Bacon---Awards-Dont-Matter-epqidh

Mar 15, 202137:05
1935 Academy Award Best Picture Winner Mutiny on the Bounty (Frank Lloyd) - Awards Don't Matter

1935 Academy Award Best Picture Winner Mutiny on the Bounty (Frank Lloyd) - Awards Don't Matter

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We head to sea with the 8th Best Picture winner, Frank Lloyd's colonial drama, Mutiny on the Bounty. Featuring lead performances from Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, this adaptation of Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall's book tells the true story* of the HMS Bounty and its occupants as they travail across the oceans to Tahiti in search of some plants.

Co-hosts Dave and Andrew talk about the social relevance of this drama, while also reflecting on the timeless qualities of this tale, ultimately leading to the eternal question of the podcast: does Mutiny on the Bounty still matter?

*with some highly fictionalised aspects.

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Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce – @TheCurbAU
David Giannini – @Darnthatdave

Mar 08, 202144:35
1934 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee The Thin Man (W. S. Van Dyke) - Awards Don't Matter

1934 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee The Thin Man (W. S. Van Dyke) - Awards Don't Matter

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The utterly delightful and charming first entry in the six (6!) long film series, The Thin Man, was nominated for Best Picture in 1934, losing out to It Happened One Night. In this episode of Awards Don't Matter, hosts Dave and Andrew discuss the charm of this mystery film, the impact it had on films going forward, the difficulty in discussing light hearted fare, and the need for joy in moments of darkness. Dig on in.

Watch the trailer for The Thin Man here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqpO6mx8WCE

And check out this montage of the 'alcohol moments' from the film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1tnbPBCtnI

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Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce – @TheCurbAU
David Giannini – @Darnthatdave

https://anchor.fm/awards-dont-matter/episodes/1932-1933-Best-Picture-Nominee---42nd-Street-Lloyd-Bacon---Awards-Dont-Matter-epqidh

Mar 01, 202141:39
1934 Academy Award Best Picture Winner It Happened One Night (Frank Capra) - Awards Don't Matter

1934 Academy Award Best Picture Winner It Happened One Night (Frank Capra) - Awards Don't Matter

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We reach one of the greatest, grandest, and most celebrated Best Picture winners of all time: Frank Capra's It Happened One Night. This charming, delightful romantic comedy that helped spawn a genre, and cemented the romance of Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as one of the most entertaining on screen romances ever. It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay, and yet... as we always have to do... we are left asking, does It Happened One Night matter?

Subscribe via RSS Feed, Anchor.fm, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce – @TheCurbAU
David Giannini – @Darnthatdave

https://anchor.fm/awards-dont-matter/episodes/1932-1933-Best-Picture-Nominee---42nd-Street-Lloyd-Bacon---Awards-Dont-Matter-epqidh

Feb 27, 202150:51
1932-1933 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee - 42nd Street (Lloyd Bacon) - Awards Don't Matter

1932-1933 Academy Award Best Picture Nominee - 42nd Street (Lloyd Bacon) - Awards Don't Matter

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After the debacle that was Cavalcade, we take a dig into one of the films it triumphed over: Lloyd Bacon's enduring classic 42nd Street. Digging into the reason why films like this endure, hosts Andrew and Dave lament about the need for positive films in times of darkness.

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Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce – @TheCurbAU
David Giannini – @Darnthatdave

https://anchor.fm/awards-dont-matter

Feb 02, 202144:02
1932-1933 Academy Award Best Picture Winner Cavalcade (Frank Lloyd) - Awards Don't Matter
Feb 02, 202149:31
1931-1932 Academy Award Best Picture Winner - Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding)

1931-1932 Academy Award Best Picture Winner - Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding)



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As expected, going through the Best Picture winner history, we were bound to find a forgotten classic, neglected by time and popular culture, and worthwhile celebrating. Well, here we are with Edmund Goulding's Best Picture winner, Grand Hotel.

Featuring stellar performances from an all star cast, with Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, Jean Hersholt, and more, Grand Hotel was nominated for one single Oscar - Best Picture - and triumphed in its sole category.

Hosts Andrew and Dave discuss the tragedy of its sole nomination, and the value of a talkie like this. Dig on in.

Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce – @TheCurbAU
David Giannini – @Darnthatdave

Feb 02, 202155:03
1930-1931 Academy Award Best Picture Winner - Cimarron (Wesley Ruggles) - Awards Dont Matter

1930-1931 Academy Award Best Picture Winner - Cimarron (Wesley Ruggles) - Awards Dont Matter

From the peaks of All Quiet on the Western Front to the possible valley of Wesley Ruggles Best Picture winner, Cimarron. As the Academy Awards first major epic film to win the big prize, this outwardly racist and categorically theatrical film covers the decades after the historic Oklahoma land rush in the late 1800's, following the Cravat family.

In this episode, hosts Andrew and Dave have their first disagreement about the value of this Best Picture winner. Andrew stumbles in his defence of a film that is possibly indefensible, while Dave stands steadfast in the evisceration of this Western film.

Clips used in this episode are pulled from Cimarron, copyright owned by Fox Pictures. The music at the end is from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, copyright owned by Sony ATV Publishing.

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Show Page // Apple Podcasts // RSS Feed // Spotify // Deezer
Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:
Andrew F Peirce - @TheCurbAU
David Giannini - @DaveAGiannini
Jul 14, 202044:35
Cimarron Teaser Episode - Awards Don't Matter
Jun 30, 202006:08
1929-1930 Academy Award Best Picture Winner - All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone) - Awards Dont Matter

1929-1930 Academy Award Best Picture Winner - All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone) - Awards Dont Matter

From the valley of The Broadway Melody, Andrew and Dave reach a peak with the exceptional All Quiet on the Western Front, a masterful anti-war epic that looks at World War One through the perspective of German soldiers. Directed by Lewis Milestone, this powerful film has been banned in many countries around the world, from Germany to Australia, and leaves a searing mark on anyone who watches it.

In this discussion, Andrew and Dave explore their relationships to war, alongside the importance of telling this kind of narrative on film. Eventually, the two hosts ask the important question: Does the Best Picture winner All Quiet on the Western Front matter anymore?

Clips used in this episode are all pulled from All Quiet on the Western Front, copyright owned by Universal Pictures.

Subscribe to the show via the links here:

Show Page // Apple Podcasts // RSS Feed // Spotify // Deezer

Follow the hosts on social media at the links below:

Andrew F Peirce - @TheCurbAU
David Giannini - @DaveAGiannini
Jun 14, 202001:04:01
All Quiet on the Western Front Teaser Episode - Awards Dont Matter
May 31, 202005:20
1928-1929 Academy Award Best Picture Winner - The Broadway Melody (Harry Beaumont) - Awards Don't Matter
May 14, 202054:53
2nd Best Picture Winner: The Broadway Melody Episode Teaser
Apr 30, 202005:11
1927-1928 Academy Award Best Picture Winners - Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (F.W. Murnau) and Wings (William A. Wellman)
Apr 14, 202001:19:45
Awards Don't Matter Introduction Episode
Apr 07, 202036:37