1948 was an Oscar duel between the British import “Hamlet” by Laurence Olivier (with six nominations) and the American production of “The Treasure of Sierra Madre” by John Huston (with four Oscar bids). Both dramatic pictures were B/W and were heavy favorites to dominate the awards (and did so with seven wins between them).
John Huston deservedly won best director and best screenplay (with the joke that William Shakespeare wasn’t eligible for “Hamlet” that year). The film is a dark one that explores the themes of greed and madness with superb all-around performances, especially by Walter Huston and Humphrey Bogart. By directing his father, a veteran character actor of stage and screen, to the best suporting actor prize, John Huston made Oscar history — it mark the first time that a father and son won Oscars in the same year for the same film.
Inexplicably, Mr. Bogart was not even nominated for best actor in what arguably was his finest performance of his long career — this oversight would contribute to his win three years later in another John Huston production of “The African Queen.” He is mesmerizing as the American who literally and ever so slowly goes insane over his pot of gold.
At the end of the 1948 Oscar awards, “Hamlet” and “The Treasure Of Sierra Madre” were tied with three Oscars each — “Hamlet” would break the tie by winning best picture and giving Mr Olivier his second Oscar win of the evening (to go with his best actor win). Similiar in themes, both films are worth seeing and the viewer can decide which they prefer more.
Cast
- Humphrey Bogart as Fred C. Dobbs
- Walter Huston as Howard
- Tim Holt as Bob Curtin
- Bruce Bennett as James Cody
- Barton MacLane as Pat McCormick
- Alfonso Bedoya as Gold Hat
- Arturo Soto Rangel as El Presidente
- Manuel Dondé as El Jefe
- José Torvay as Pablo
- Margarito Luna as Pancho