Here we are in 1964: one of the best years ever for movie musicals, with classics from Hollywood and Europe, and the breakout year for legendary directors like Sergio Leone and Stanley Kubrick. The French New Wave is rippling worldwide, the Cold War is as hot as it will ever be, and the Beatles have taken over the airwaves. All of those trends factor into our five Best Picture nominees, plus a few other classics that didn't quite make our cut. But which one film best stands the test of time?
Join Rachel Schaevitz and Aaron Keck as they discuss the year in cinema, Peter Sellers, P. L. Travers, clean old men, the filming of sand, secret New Wave films, secret horror movies, sung-through musicals, spoonfuls of sugar, and the merits of fighting in the War Room - and then we dig into the data and the numbers (and our expert panel votes) to identify the best picture of 1964.
The nominees (with apologies to Leone) are Dr. Strangelove, A Hard Day's Night, Mary Poppins, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and Woman in the Dunes. Who wins the Moonlight?