Clear the detritus from your TiVo.
Learn how to program that DVD recorder.
Dust off the VCR tapes.
The Turner Classic Movies annual Oscar festival, that glorious gift to film lovers and TV addicts, begins Thursday. More than 350 Oscar-nominated movies from 80 years of film history will play on TCM over the following month.
And to use TCM’s own, magical words: “Commercial-free, and without interruption.”
It’s a welcome onslaught that can only be met with the firepower of maximum recording space.
TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” peaks on Thursday, Feb. 22, three days before this year’s live Oscar awards telecast, with 72 hours of nothing but past “best picture” winners.
Boss, if you’re editing this, don’t expect me in the office: I’ll be home pressing “record” for “Lawrence of Arabia,” “American Beauty,” “Cimarron,” “An American in Paris” and “Annie Hall.”
The criterion for this 13th TCM festival is that all the movies shown were nominated for some kind of Oscar, from best picture to best costume design. Movies are grouped by category, so that in the March 3 finale – yes, there are that many films – you can see why “Crimson Tide,” “North by Northwest” and “The Manchurian Candidate” were all nominated for best editing.
“You’re really getting the best of the best that were made, at least by the standards of that day,” said TCM host Robert Osborne, who has also written histories of the Academy Awards and serves as “official red carpet host” the night of the ceremony. “In one 31- day lump, you get the best that Hollywood has turned out in the past 79 years. So you’re getting a great history lesson in the most fun way you could possibly do it. And it’s all on great prints.”
With one of the best jobs in the world, it’s no surprise that Osborne is perpetually enthusiastic about the movies his channel shows. But he adds an extra layer of endorsement for this year’s Oscar films that have never been shown on TCM before, because of print or licensing hangups.
“We’ve never shown ‘Broadway Danny Rose’ (1984, Feb. 1) as part of this, and that’s a great treat, with Mia Farrow giving a great performance,” Osborne said. “And then there’s ‘A Passage to India’ (1984, Feb. 3); ‘Queen Bee’ (1955, Feb. 3); ‘Cinema Paradiso’ (1990, Feb. 4), one of my all-time favorites; ‘They Shoot Horses, Don’t They,’ (1969, Feb. 6) with Jane Fonda; and a 1929 film I’ve never seen called ‘Alibi’ (Feb. 7).”
Wait – an Oscar nominee that Osborne hasn’t seen?
“It’s never been available before, so I’m really looking forward to that,” he said with a chuckle.
Perusing the past best-picture winners, Osborne said he is constantly surprised how well they hold up with modern audiences. Only a few seem dated.
“Having been on film sets, it’s a miracle that a great movie is ever made,” Osborne said. “When you can come up with a movie that can reach audiences all over the world, and they are touched or moved by that in the same way, that’s just amazing to me, whether you live in Korea or Canada.”
Some other best bets from the TCM festival include “Witness for the Prosecution” (1957, Feb. 5); “Tender Mercies” (1983, Feb. 8); “Silkwood” (1983, Feb. 12); “Sleuth” (1972, Feb. 17); and “The Silence of the Lambs,” (1991, March 2).
Osborne’s penchant for the red carpet takes him to premiers of new films throughout the year, and he is pleased with this year’s Oscar nominees.
“They’re all excellent, but there’s not one that levitates above the others, so it will make for an interesting race and an interesting Oscar show,” he said.
“And it will be interesting again because we’ll know who the big players are this year, Helen (Mirren) and Leonardo (DiCaprio) and Eddie (Murphy). It’s tough in an Oscar year when you don’t know who any of the people are.”
Reach Michael Booth at mbooth@denverpost.com; try the “Screen Team” blog at denverpostbloghouse.com
