Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Friday 9 July 1937, page 8


BEST FILM PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR

NOVA PILBEAM'S. SUCCESS "Ghost Goes West" Most Popular Annually since 1928 a leading London picture magazine, "Film Weekly," has conducted a ballot among its readers in the United Kingdom asking them to vote for the best film of the year and the best performance by a player in an English picture. The public voted as the best British picture released during 1936 "The Ghost Goes West," and the best acting performance went to Nova Pilbeam as Lady Jane Grey in "Tudor Rose." There was very little doubt about the winner of the "best film" section. "The Ghost Goes West" led right from the start, and finished with a substantial lead. "Tudor Rose" started rather weakly, but a great spurt towards the end brought it just ahead of "Peg of Old Drury." Of the other films in the first ten perhaps the most surprising was *1Turn of the Tide," which won sixth place. At the time of the release of the picture, "Film Weekly" protested against the very poor showing it was accorded in the cinemas a and readers evidently took the trouble I to hunt the picture out-and found .1 themselves well rewarded for their p pains. h There was a much closer fight in l the "best perforn'mance" section. Not n until the closing day of the ballot was , it certain whether Nova Pilbeam or t Robert Donat would win first place, It with the former eventually winning by I the narrowest of margins. A comparison with the results of previous ballots provides an interesting study. Miss Pilbeam, for instance, was not placed in the first ten for 1935, though she had won third place in 1934 for r her performance in "Little Friend." a Robert Donat, second in last year's 7 ballot, retains the same place this ti year. Anna Neagle has moved up one position from fourth in 1935 with e "Nell Gwyn" to third in 1936 with i "Peg of Old Drury." a The detailed placings were:- e c Ten Best British Films 1. "The Ghost 6. "Turn of the c Goes West." Tide." 2. "Tudor Rose." 7. "Ourselves t 3. "Peg of Old Alone." Drury." 8. "Rhodes of 4. "The Passing Africa." of the Third 9. "Things to Floor Back." Come." 5. "Secret Agent." 10. "The Amateur Gentleman." Ten Best Performances 1. Nova Pilbeam in "Tudor Rose." 2. Robert Donat in "The Ghost Goes West." 3. Anna Neagle in "Peg of Old Drury." 4. Conrad Veidt in "The Passing of the Third Floor Back." 5. Rene Ray in "The Passing of the Third Floor Back." 6. Walter Huston in "Rhodes of Africa." 7. Peter Lorre in "Secret Agent." 8. Oscar Homolka in . "Rhodes of Africa." 9. Douglas Fairbanks jun. in "The Amateur Gentleman." 10. John Lodge in "Ourselves Alone." Previous Awards Results of the previous ballots conducted by the paper were as follows: 1928-"The Constant Nynr.ph." 1929-"Blackmail.' 1930-"Rookery Nook." 1931-"The Middle Watch"; Harold Huth in "The Outsider." 1932-"Sunshine Susie"; Emlyn Willlams In "The 'Frightened Lady." 1933-"I Was a Spy"; Madeleine Carroll in "I Was a Spy." 1934-"Blossom Time"; Charles Laughton in "The Private Life of Henry VIII." 1935-"The 30 Steps": Elisabeth Bergner in "Escape Me Never."