Audrey Hepburn presenting producer Fred Zinnemann with the Oscar® for Best Picture for "A Man for All Seasons" at the 39th Academy Awards® in 1967. Introduced by Bob Hope.
I am sure that Audrey herself would beg to disagree, as she never elevated anyone at the cost of another, and saw the beauty in people, no matter who they were.
Fred Zinnemann cast her perfectly in a Nuns Story. Everyone loved Audrey, but most directors thought her too fragile or genteel for gritty roles. He saw in her the toughness and resilience she had. The role would have to go to someone intelligent, classy, educated, and old-world civilized, but they would also have to face enormous hardship with courage and shining dignity. Grace Kelly perhaps could have pulled this off, but they needed someone continental. Audrey was born in Belgium and was multilingual. I can’t imagine anyone else in this role.
What a masterpiece. Brilliant screenplay, authentic costumes, fascinating cast... The scene where More says Goodbye to his family is one of the most powerful scenes I've ever seen.
Audrey Hepburn gave her greatest performance in Fred Zinneman's The Nun's Story. Zinneman and Audrey had class and their likes do not exist in today's Hollywood. A Man For All Seasons justly won Best Picture, Director, Actor (Paul Scolfield)
Audrey Hepburn, Enchanting Lady, Great Star, Great Humanitarian...worked with Fred Zinneman in movie masterpiece The Nun's Story which I feel was her greatest performance. Audrey seemed thrilled Fred Zinneman's brilliant A Man For All Seasons won.
1965, 66 - so many great films! And the people who made them (actors, directors) come across in the Awards as so decent and humble. There was less sarcasm, cynicism, ego(?) than today.
Audrey at her glorious best. Unfortunately, this was the year that most of the nominees decided not to show up. It was becoming fashionable not to attend. What a difference from today with the red carpet and everyone looking for attention.
It only became fashionable not to attend in the late '60s through the '70s, because of the whole anti-establishment attitude prevalent at the time. It wasn't until the '80s that it became a big to-do again, with it having gotten bigger as Hollywood became more globalized into the new millennium. But in the '50s, they held two televised ceremonies, simultaneously, in LA and NY, and almost every star showed up, dressed to the nines.
There is a widely quoted anecdote regarding the film's director Fred Zinnemann, who had previously won an Oscar for his direction of 'High Noon" with Gary Cooper [best actor] and 'From Here To Eternity" with Clift, Sinatra and Lancaster. A young studio executive met with Zinnemann about a project in the 80's and asked, "What have you done recently, Mr. Zinnemann?" He replied,"You first, young man".
It was a brilliant movie and i really liked it for the impeccable acting and great writing. but personally for me i would have given it to the Sand Pebbles. because that's one of my all time favorite films. but i think AMFAS was the proper choice.
I Love watching A man For all Seasons and The Other Boleyn Girl at the same time: it does the story well. And my honest belief is Audrey Hepburn should have won Best Actress for her role in My Fair Lady--her act was phenomenal and better than the winner. But that's my educated opinion.
Bob jumped the gun a bit there and Audrey kind of saved him by interrupting with her line about "getting nervous",his punch line about fainting wouldn't have made sense otherwise.
Audrey! What can you say? I never thought she looked lovelier than this Oscar night. When she says "I Love You" to Hope it reminds me of what a REAL star is. There will never be another. As Fred goes to stage, there's Ginger Rogers on the aisle. Looks like Donald Pleasence behind her (!?!?) and Andy Devine in front! There's Joan Blondell behind Anouk Aimee w/ the Gregory Pecks next to her. Alan Arkin in front of Anouk with Jocelyne LaGarde, Mako, & Ida Kaminska in successive rows.
What wonderful films. Any one of them could have won. Now we have the wreckage. Fox is gone and has been absorbed by Disney. Warner Brothers is part of AT&T. Universal is part of Comcast. Paramount will merge with CBS. And the independents like Mirish, where are they. And the films are relegated to comic strip characters being brought to the screen. No reason to go to a movie theater.
Miss Hepburns accent is a little dutch and english which comes out, a little american... my opinion... what a stunning lady, I think she is nervous here, Bob Hope just looks like a grouch trying to be funny
Robert Wise wasn't there when he won for A Man For All Season. I know that he was over in Hong Kong filming The Sand Pebbles when he won for The Sound of Music. I wonder why he wasn't there when he won again.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? -- A timeless classic piece of cinematic art that is just as relevant and intellectually/emotionally pungent as it was back in '66. Vividly memorable work, that also gives a treat of three of the best performances in cinema history. Like, dinaszite said, time has spoken and it's loss of the Best Picture award was a travesty.
Exceptional woman. Did charity work b4 it became a necessary 'tool 4 jobs/PR'. What's super exceptional is that, aside from men adoring her, all women want 2 b with her + LOVE her. ie I never trust women or men who say 'my sex doesn't like me'....
Virignia Woolf lost as it was too risque in 1967 for Academy voters but 3 lyears later they loosened up and voted for Midnight Cowboy. A Man For All Seasons was also typical Academy fair back then. Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai. etc.
In retrospect, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" was the Best Picture that year, but at the time was so ground-breaking and controversial that the then pretty traditional Academy went with the safe choice of "A Man for All Seasons".
Charlton Heston had the audacity to star in a remake of this. They tried to deny him but he yelled ...' From my cold dead hand..'! Ever afterwards Thomas More supported the NRA.....
Why was it audacious for an actor to perform in another version? So it was audacious for Judy Garland to do another A Star is Born after Gaynor? It was audacious for Charles Laughton to do Hunchback after Chaney?
