The Beguiled

Stanley Kubrick’s follow-up to the foreboding A Clockwork Orange (1971) is a stately, gorgeously crafted, epic adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel about the curious fates of an Irish rogue. Ryan O’Neal portrays Lyndon, and the film earned seven nominations, including Best Picture, Directing, and Adapted Screenplay (all for Kubrick), with Oscars going to the Art Direction, Costume Design, Adaptation Score, and John Alcott’s painterly, natural and candlelit cinematography, which remains immensely influential.

Baz Luhrmann’s take on Shakespeare’s tragedy is perhaps one of the best-loved adaptations and is the second installment in his Red Curtain Trilogy, which closed with Moulin Rouge! (2001). Featuring Luhrmann’s distinctive, stylized palate coupled with frenetic, MTV-style editing and an all-star soundtrack, Romeo + Juliet became a classic for its casting, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes playing the star-crossed lovers.

Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman’s most sentimental and autobiographical work is set in turn-of-the-century Sweden and appropriately bathed in the candlelit interiors common of the era. Unfolding through the eyes of 10-year-old Alexander, a boy from a wealthy family that operates the town theater, the narrative spans seasons and holidays, marriages and deaths, with small moments of daily life punctuating childhood milestones. Originally conceived as a television miniseries of more than five hours, the final, 188-minute version allowed the visuals of two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Sven Nykvist (Fanny & Alexander was one of his wins) to be admired at a scale befitting this epic drama.

New print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

Miloš Forman directed Peter Shaffer’s screenplay, based on his Tony Award–winning play, about the 18th century rivalry between journeyman court composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham in an Academy Award–winning tour de force) and young upstart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (fellow Best Actor nominee Tom Hulce). Saul Zaentz’s lavish production features opulent period details, while Shaffer’s witty script speaks eloquently about the challenge of art while leaving room for Mozart’s gorgeous music. The film earned 11 nominations, and its eight Oscar wins include Best Picture, Art Direction, Costume Design, Directing, Makeup, Sound, and for Shaffer’s adapted screenplay.

The first film directed by a woman to receive the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, Céline Sciamma’s 18th-century romance revels in the sensuous affair between aristocrat Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) and artist Marianne (Noémie Merlant), who is commissioned to paint her portrait. Though betrothed to a wealthy man of the Milanese upper class, the stubborn Héloïse refuses to be captured, either by her male suitor or the artist meant to paint her. Sciamma’s tale of sexual liberation finds beauty in the electric connection between her leading women for a gorgeous and aching story of forbidden love and the fleeting nature of romance.

Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) keeps the curtains drawn at all hours of the day in her opulent manor to protect her children, Anne and Nicholas, from crippling photosensitivity. When three travelers appear in search of work, Grace hires them to tend to the home and the children, noting the previous employees “vanished” just days ago. The arrival of the new workers seems to trigger paranormal incidents throughout the home. Set in 1945 Jersey, United Kingdom, this brooding psychological horror highlights the depths of Kidman’s range and Amenábar’s imagination.