1930 Oscars (November)

Award Winners

The winner is listed first, and my choice is underlined.

Best Actor

George Arliss – Disraeli as Benjamin Disraeli and The Green Goddess as The Raja

Wallace Beery – The Big House as Butch

Maurice Chevalier – The Big Pond as Pierre Mirande and The Love Parade as The Count Alfred Renard

Ronald Colman – Bulldog Drummond as Hugh Drummond and Condemned as Michel

Lawrence Tibbett – The Rogue Song as Yegor Granted, I didn't get to see George's winning performance, but I saw him in the Green Goddess and was not impressed. I think Ronald did a fantastic job and at no point succumbed to the overacting style of the time. He was also good in multiple movies. Beery was also excellent. I think it was a bit stiff that Louis Wolheim wasn't nominated as he did a great job in multiple roles too, with my favourite being Kat.

Best Actress

Norma Shearer – The Divorcee as Jerry Martin

Nancy Carroll – The Devil's Holiday as Hallie Hobart

Ruth Chatterton – Sarah and Son as Sarah Storm

Greta Garbo – Anna Christie as Anna Christie and Romance as Rita Cavallini

Norma Shearer – Their Own Desire as Lucia 'Lally' Marlett

Gloria Swanson – The Trespasser as Marion Donnell

I liked Norma's performance but there were times it just seemed forced. I feel she should have won this award the year before so maybe this makes up for it. My favourite performance for this year though was Nancy Carroll and she just pips it for me. She was realistic and able to act in a melodrama without too much exaggeration. Gloria was also fantastic. I think Claudia Colbert should have been nominated too.

Best Picture

All Quiet on the Western Front – Carl Laemmle, for Universal Studios

The Big House – Irving Thalberg for Cosmopolitan

Disraeli – Jack L. Warner and Darryl F. Zanuck for Warner Bros.

The Divorcee – Robert Z. Leonard for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The Love Parade – Ernst Lubitsch for Paramount Famous Lasky The Academy got it right here. No doubt. My second favourite movie was Condemed! which was a big step down from AQOTWF.

My top three movies for the year were 1) All Quiet on the Western Front, 2) Condemned!, and 3) Joint - The Divorcee, Hell's Angels, and King of Jazz.

Worst Picture

My least favourite picture for the year was The Green Goddess. What in the world was that movie!? Weird and not in a good way.

Best Director

Lewis Milestone – All Quiet on the Western Front

Clarence Brown – Anna Christie

Robert Z. Leonard – The Divorcee

King Vidor – Hallelujah

Ernst Lubitsch – The Love Parade

Clarence Brown – Romance

Goes without saying.

Best Writing

The Big House – Frances Marion

All Quiet on the Western Front – George Abbott, Maxwell Anderson, and Del Andrews, based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque

Disraeli – Julien Josephson, based on the play by Louis N. Parker

The Divorcee – John Meehan, based on the novel Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott

Street of Chance – Howard Estabrook, based on a story by Oliver H. P. Garrett

I didn't like the changes in the story from the original for The Big House. I think AQOTWF did a fantastic job of bringing the story from the book to the screen.

Best Sound Recording

The Big House – Douglas Shearer

The Case of Sergeant Grischa – John E. Tribby

The Love Parade – Franklin Hansen

Raffles – Oscar Lagerstrom

Song of the Flame – George Groves

Best Art Direction

King of Jazz – Herman Rosse

Bulldog Drummond – William Cameron Menzies

The Love Parade – Hans Dreier

Sally – Jack Okey

The Vagabond King – Hans Dreier

I agree with the Academy here.

Best Cinematography

With Byrd at the South Pole – Joseph T. Rucker and Willard Van der Veer

All Quiet on the Western Front – Arthur Edeson

Anna Christie – William Daniels

Hell's Angels – Tony Gaudio and Harry Perry

The Love Parade – Victor Milner

Very impressive work to film in such terrible conditions.