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It must have been a weak year at the movies for this to have been the winner of the Best Picture Oscar. Tom Jones is a meandering mess of a narrative, with no strong through line and a bizarre sense of humor that I can only describe as a hybrid of Oscar Wilde, Woody Allen, and Benny Hill. I like Albert Finney, but his character does little more than dip his wick in every lustful hussy he finds (and the English countryside is apparently full of them). There’s a nice deer chase sequence, though, and I was amused to see a young David Warner (Time Bandits, Tron) in a supporting role.

Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Tony Richardson), Best Music Score (John Addison), Best Adapted Screenplay (John Osborne)
Nominations: Best Actor (Finney), Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith), Best Supporting Actress (Diane Cilento, Edith Evans, Joyce Redman), Best Art Direction