In movie news, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the practice of block booking violated federal anti-trust laws. The Actors Studio, a rehearsal group for professional actors, was established in New York City by Elia Kazan, Robert Lewis, and Cheryl Crawford. It soon became the epicenter for advancing “the Method” – a technique of acting that was inspired by Konstantin Stanislavski’s teachings. The Motion Picture Code forbade derogatory references to a character’s race. Ernst Lubitsch died.
The HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) opened its hearings for an investigation of alleged communist influence in the Hollywood movie industry. Its first wave of witnesses included the ‘unfriendly’ “Hollywood 19” (13 of 19 were writers). On November 24, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 346–17 to approve citations of Contempt of Congress against the “Hollywood Ten” after the screenwriters and directors refused to co-operate with the committee. They were blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios on the following day. Ronald Reagan was elected President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Dedicated to stamping out Communism, he pledged to notify the FBI of names of actors who were “communist sympathizers” in the film industry. On November 17, 1947, the Screen Actors Guild voted to force its officers to take a “non-communist” pledge.
1947 saw continued shortages in housing and consumer goods in the U.S. The National Security Act created the United States Air Force, National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency. The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, both seeking to stop the spread of Communism by granting aid for reconstruction and relief in Europe, were announced. The Voice of America began to transmit radio broadcasts into Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
Jackie Robinson, the first African American in Major League Baseball since the 1880s, began playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The microwave oven, transistor, mobile phone, and Polaroid camera were demonstrated. All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The number one popular song of the year was “Near You” by Francis Craig.
In world news, the Communists took power in Poland and Hungary. The International Monetary Fund and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade began to operate. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank was published. Thor Heyerdahl’s balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki, proved that pre-historic peoples could hypothetically have traveled to the Central Pacific islands from South America.
The Muslim majority region formed by the Partition of India gained independence from the British Empire and adopted the name Pakistan. The greater Indian subcontinent with a mixed population that was formed by the Partition of India gained independence from the British Empire and retained the name India. In December, 400,000 people were slaughtered during mass migration of Hindus and Muslims into India and Pakistan.
On November 29, The United Nations General Assembly voted to partition Palestine between Arab and Jewish regions, resulting in the creation of the State of Israel.
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The list of films I will select from can be found here and here. I have previously reviewed the following films from 1947 on this site: Out of the Past; Nightmare Alley; The Lady from Shanghai; Crossfire; They Won’t Believe Me; T-Men; and Nora Prentiss.
I’ve seen 35 of the films released in 1947. Based on my current ratings, my ten favorites are, in no particular order: Out of the Past; The Bishop’s Wife; Body and Soul; The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer (???!); Black Narcisscus; Odd Man Out; Miracle on 34th Street; Quai des Orfevres; Pursued; and Nightmare Alley. I expect that will change somewhat as I re-watch some and catch up on some others.
Montage of stills from Oscar Winners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrN0CEt48-4
In 1947, the Academy began to recognize a Foreign Language film annually, at first with an Honorary Award and, starting in 1956, in competition. Since I no longer have my Oscar nominee montage to give you, I hope you enjoy this collection of short clips showing the history of the award.
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