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The CiNobels: The Nobel Prize in Cinema

I think of all the hare-brained ideas I ever came up with while participating on movie message boards, the one I am proudest of is concocting a game to vote for the winners of a theoretical Nobel Prize in Cinema.

The way the game worked was as follows:

We designated the years 1946-2002 in which, like with the real Nobel Prizes, we would choose one laureate for each year for an outstanding achievement to the art of the motion picture.

We then divided the years into rounds, each round covering a 5-year span (starting with 1946-1950, and so on). Within each round, all participants could nominate up to three laureates for the prize. The group would then discuss the relative merits of each nomination. At the end of each round a rotating panel of five jurors would then vote on which five laureates would be selected for the five slots of each round. And so you have the following results.

None of this really reflects the passion and insanity that transpired throughout this game, where arguments ranged from Charlie Chaplin's alleged pedophilia to the revolutionary impact of Marlene Dietrich's vagina. Well, it wasn't always that high-minded -- we also heard some inspired presentations on behalf of lesser known film artists such as Victor Sjostrom, Karl Freund, Glauber Rocha and Youssef Chahine, for starters, with an exhaustive amount of artistic, social and political discussion brought into the mix. It was an amazing experience. In fact, I credit this game for opening my eyes to dozens of filmmakers and hundreds of films upon which to broaden my exploration of the world of movies. I shall be eternally grateful to all of the participants in this game and all of the thoughts and feelings that they passed on to me and others.

Arriving now at the red carpet are the CiNobel Laureates of 1946-2002.

1946. AUGUSTE AND LOUIS LUMIERE

For creating the instrument that allowed men to capture and project the marvels of light and movement, thus giving birth to a new art: Cinema.

1947. DAVID W. GRIFFITH AND LILLIAN GISH

For their collaborations that gave birth to the feature-length narrative film and film acting. INTOLERANCE, BROKEN BLOSSOMS, WAY DOWN EAST

1948. SERGEI EISENSTEIN

For his pioneering filmmaking, theoretical writings, and revolutionary use of film editing. STRIKE, BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN, IVAN THE TERRIBLE

1949. BUSTER KEATON

In consideration of his unique talent for physical comedy, the dauntless spirit he portrayed, and his celebration of similarities rather than differences among people. SHERLOCK, JR., THE GENERAL, STEAMBOAT BILL, JR.

1950. WALT DISNEY

For his creation of indelible images of innocence and play, and for making animation a respected medium for the feature-length film. STEAMBOAT WILLIE, THE BAND CONCERT, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

1951. VICTOR SJOSTROM

For his pioneering naturalistic approach to the art of filmmaking and film acting, his superb lyrical use of landscape, and his unparalled contribution to the film industry of Sweden. THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE, THE MAN WHO GETS SLAPPED,THE WIND

1952. CHARLES CHAPLIN

For his use of humor, pathos and visual invention in celebrating the triumph of the human spirit. THE GOLD RUSH, CITY LIGHTS, MODERN TIMES

1953. JEAN RENOIR

For his vividly realistic depictions of life, and a profoundly complex understanding of human character. GRAND ILLUSION, RULES OF THE GAME, FRENCH CANCAN

1954. KENJI MIZOGUCHI

For his pioneering technical innovations, visual storytelling, and, his humanism, which was exemplified by his courageous and honest examination of his culture, especially as regarded the status of women. LIFE OF OHARU, SANSHO THE BAILIFF, UGETSU MONOGATARI

1955. CARL DREYER

For his psychological insight, his spiritual intensity, and his hauntingly unique visual imagery. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, DAY OF WRATH, ORDET

1956. HUMPHREY BOGART

For creating the defining image of the film noir genre and of two decades of American cinema, without losing the versatility of the true cinema actor. CASABLANCA, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, THE DESPERATE HOURS

1957. FRITZ LANG

For his masterful cinematic achievements in both Germany and America, reflecting his pungent insights into modern society. METROPOLIS, M, THE BIG HEAT

1958. FRED ASTAIRE

For his genius in interpreting a generation of music through dance and his creative work in redefining the way dance was portrayed on film. TOP HAT, SWING TIME, ROYAL WEDDING

1959. YASUJIRO OZU

For his iconoclastic visual style and sensitive portrayals of the understated dramas of everyday life. LATE SPRING, TOKYO STORY, FLOATING WEEDS

1960. JOHN FORD

For his celebration of the myths and legends of the American West and making them universal, for his commitment to the visual art of storytelling, and for his peerless gift for combining the epic and intimate in a single moment. YOUNG MR. LINCOLN, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, THE SEARCHERS

1961. MAYA DEREN

For her creative and institutional contributions to the experimental and independent cinemas. MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON, AT LAND, RITUAL IN TRANSFIGURED TIME

1962. GEORG WILHELM PABST

For outstanding human dramas about friendship, love, and honor that preached against war and national divisions.DIARY OF A LOST GIRL, COMRADESHIP, THE LOVE OF JEANNE NEY

1963. ORSON WELLES

For dramatically expanding the vocabulary of the cinema, for penetrating the truth at the core of the most elaborate artifice, and for illuminating that truth on film without regard to obstacle or obstruction. CITIZEN KANE, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, TOUCH OF EVIL

1964. HENRI LANGLOIS

For his work in preserving the the world's cinematic heritage through the Cin?math?que Fran?ais.

1965. MICHAEL POWELL AND EMERIC PRESSBURGER

For their imagination and ingenuity in creating a magical, Cinematic Universe which has enchanted filmgoers all over the globe. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, BLACK NARCISSUS, THE RED SHOES

1966. KARL FREUND

For his inventive spirit and technical and artistic innovations in the art of cinematography, redefining the possibilities for visual storytelling. DER LETZE MANN/THE LAST LAUGH, METROPOLIS, THE GOOD EARTH

1967. MARCEL CARNE AND JACQUES PREVERT

For an exemplary marriage of verbal and visual poetry that exemplified the spirits of a people amidst war and peace.QUAI DES BRUMES, LE JOUR SE LEVE, LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS

1968. ALFRED HITCHCOCK

For a body of deeply personal films that are at once masterful entertainment and profoundly introspective about loneliness, sexuality and fear. NOTORIOUS, VERTIGO, PSYCHO

1969. VITTORIO DE SICA AND CESARE ZAVATTINI

For formulating and practising a deeply influential cinema rooted in social reality. SCIUSCIA, LADRI DI BICICLETTE, UMBERTO D.

1970. MARLENE DIETRICH

For her remarkable and varied screen performances and her relentless courage in advancing images of independent and resourceful women. THE BLUE ANGEL, THE SCARLET EMPRESS, RANCHO NOTORIOUS

1971. JOHN GRIERSON

For his pioneering work in developing a world-wide documentary movement and for his theoretical work on understanding documentaries as a public service. DRIFTERS, SONG OF CEYLON, NIGHT MAIL

1972. LUIS BUNUEL

For bringing a unique, Surrealist vision to filmmaking, and for his challenging cinematic inquiries into existence, religion and the human condition. EL ANGEL EXTERMINADOR, VIRIDIANA, THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE.

1973. LUCHINO VISCONTI

For finding truth in details, humanity in epic visions, and for his integrity in examining the underbelly of political and social systems. LA TERRA TREMA, THE LEOPARD, THE DAMNED

1974. AKIRA KUROSAWA AND TOSHIRO MIFUNE

For an uncommon collaboration through sixteen films that scrutinized the Japanese character in depth and human morality at large. RASHOMON, THE SEVEN SAMURAI, RED BEARD

1975. BETTE DAVIS

For her prolific body of work and influence in expanding the roles of women in film. DARK VICTORY, MR. SKEFFINGTON, ALL ABOUT EVE

1976. ROBERTO ROSSELLINI

For a distinguished body of work, ranging from his groundbreaking post-war neo-realist films to his recent, meticulously crafted histories. OPEN CITY, PAISAN, IL GENERALE DELLA ROVERE

1977. HOWARD HAWKS

For developing a consistently singular artistic vision over four decades of diverse filmmaking. ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS, THE BIG SLEEP, RIO BRAVO

1978. ABEL GANCE

For unstinting devotion to experimentation and innovation in service to filmmaking as an art form. LA ROUE, J'ACCUSE!, NAPOLEON

1979. FEDERICO FELLINI

For the wonderful, affectionate portraits of his native Italy and for the rich and diverse array of characters displayed in his films. LA STRADA, 8 1/2, AMARCORD

1980. GLAUBER ROCHA

For his passionate commitment to creating films and critical writing aimed at advancing third world cinema and giving voice to the struggles of oppressed peoples. BLACK GOD, WHITE DEVIL, TERRA EM TRANSE, THE LION HAS SEVEN HEADS

1981. JEAN-LUC GODARD

For tireless critical exploration of the possibilities which cinema holds for renewing our vision of the contemporary world and its images A BOUT DE SOUFFLE (BREATHLESS), PIERROT LE FOU, VOTRE FILM PREFERE DE GODARD ICI

1982. ANDREI TARKOVSKY

For his consummate vision to produce films exploring the nature of spirituality and human existence. ANDREI RUBLEV, MIRROR, STALKER

1983. SATYAJIT RAY

For creating a body of work reflecting his culture but universal in its beauty and humanity, and bringing international attention to the thriving film industry of India. THE APU TRILOGY, JALSAGHAR, CHARULATA

1984. OUSMANE SEMBENE

For bringing Africa and its culture into the focus of the World of Cinema. LA NOIRE DE..., EMITAI, CEDDO

1985. GENE KELLY

For his unprecedented achievements in cinematic dance and the filmed musical, as part of a collaborative effort within the Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios. ON THE TOWN, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

1986. JORIS IVENS

For his remarkably innovative and courageous contributions to the film documentary. THIS SPANISH EARTH, FAR FROM VIETNAM, A TALE OF THE WIND

1987. SERGEI PARAJANOV

For his lyrical, pictorially breathtaking, celebrations of the culture and legends of his Armenian homeland. COLOR OF POMEGRANATES, LEGEND OF SURAM FORTRESS, SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS

1988. INGMAR BERGMAN

For his inspired filmmaking, in which the mystical and the deeply personal combine to create a totally unique genre, refecting the nature of Man's existence. WILD STRAWBERRIES, PERSONA, FANNY AND ALEXANDER

1989. ROBERT BRESSON

For paring narrative film down to its most basic essentials in a personal quest to better understand the individual's significance in the universe. DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST, PICKPOCKET, L'ARGENT

1990. ANDRZEJ WAJDA

For chronicling the political and social changes of his native Poland with sensitivity, passion, and powerful honesty . ASHES AND DIAMONDS, KANAL, MAN OF IRON

1991. MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI

For his distinctive, serene style in which he explores the depths of human isolation and reflects upon the despair of emotional alienation through the use of haunting images and barren landscapes. L'AVVENTURA, LA NOTTE, L'ECLISSE

1992. MASAKI KOBAYASHI

For courageous and groundbreaking analyses of the brutality masked by the military code and for his devotion to compassion and reason in human affairs. SEPPUKU, J(TM)i-uchi: Hairy(TM) tsuma shimatsu [SAMURAI REBELLION], and Ningen no joken [HUMAN CONDITION]

1993. AGNES VARDA

For blurring the boundaries of documentary and fiction to show in her films how, in seeing the world, we manipulate it. CLEO FROM 5 TO 7, ONE SINGS, THE OTHER DOESN'T, VAGABOND

1994. CHUCK JONES

For vastly enlarging the language of animation, for bringing the innovations of modern and post modern art to the mass audience, and for infusing wild entertainments with the life of the mind. ONE FROGGY EVENING, DUCK AMUCK, WHAT'S OPERA, DOC?

1995. YOUSSEF CHAHINE

For exploring, through films consistently ambitious in style and scope, the complexities of national and personal identity. CAIRO STATION, THE LAND, THE ALEXANDRIA TRILOGY (ALEXANDRIA...WHY?, AN EGYPTIAN STORY, ALEXANDRIA AGAIN AND FOREVER)

1996. KON ICHIKAWA

For the brilliant visual means he used to both display and explore Japan's post WWII 'pain of the age' and to celebrate its fascinating traditions. THE BURMESE HARP, FIRES ON THE PLAIN, AN ACTOR'S REVENGE

1997. ALAIN RESNAIS

For a body of work that has made groundbreaking advances in the formal, intellectual, ideological and emotional possibilities of modern film. NIGHT AND FOG, HIROSHIMA MON AMOR, STAVISKY

1998 STANLEY KUBRICK

For the uncompromising use of his personal artistic vision in films confronting controversial facets of politics, war, technology, and sexuality. PATHS OF GLORY, 2001: A SPACE ODDYSSEY, FULL METAL JACKET

1999. ENNIO MORRICONE

For his alternately dreamily hypnotic, bracingly dissonant and tensely pulsating scores and for his unforgettable melodies that helped to create magical moments of cinema. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST; THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY; BATTLE OF ALGIERS

2000. CHRIS MARKER

For his singular achievement in documenting the state of the cinema and of the world, past, present and future. LA JETEE, SANS SOLEIL, THE LAST BOLSHEVIK

2001. WIM WENDERS

For combining his genuine passion for Cinema with his unique view of alienation and loneliness in the modern world. KINGS OF THE ROAD, THE AMERICAN FRIEND, WINGS OF DESIRE

2002. BILLY WILDER

For his excellence in the art of cinematic storytelling; writing, directing and producing timeless tales of wit and insight into the human condition that transcend the bounds of traditional genres. SUNSET BOULEVARD, SOME LIKE IT HOT, and DOUBLE INDEMNITY