Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Adapted Screenplay 1965

The Contenders:

Cat Ballou
The Collector
Dr. Zhivago (winner)
Ship of Fools
A Thousand Clowns

Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Picture 1965

The Contenders:
Darling
Dr. Zhivago
Ship of Fools
The Sound of Music (winner)
A Thousand Clowns

Thankfully, They're not on Screen

Film: A Thousand Clowns
Format: Video from The Magic Flashdrive.

I went into A Thousand Clowns completely cold, knowing nothing about it except that it existed on a flashdrive I got from Chip Lary. I didn’t even know who was in it until it started up and I was treated to the unmistakable face and sound of Jason Robards. This is a film that’s been almost completely forgotten, like a lot of films I seem to be watching lately. It’s kind of a shame, if only for the brilliant performance of Robards and the Oscar-winning performance of Martin Balsam.

This is another film that leaves me in something of a quandary in how to write it up. In terms of plot, it’s pretty simple and straightforward, because it’s far more of a character study than it is a film that has an actual plot. On the other hand, it’s surprisingly intricate in places. There’s a depth here that is surprising underneath the bizarre comedy and strange happenings that occur on screen.