...the Academy had been established before 1925?
There is no "off" position on the genius switch.
Yes! I'd like to think so.
"I wished Her back but the dead adored Her, Even wild winds sang in chora for Her"
I think it would have had fierce competition from THE BIG PARADE.
shareI agree. THE BIG PARADE would have been stiff competition for Best Picture. As for idividual performances, I think Renee Adoree's Melisande would win Best Actress over May McAvoy's Esther. I also think that John Gilbert's James Apperson would win over Ramon Navarro's Judah Ben-Hur.
Don't get me wrong -- I think the 1925 version of BEN-HUR is a great and wonderful film, and one of my favorites, but THE BIG PARADE is also a very strong picture.
Spin
Good question. I'd personally consider "Ben-Hur" the easy shoo-in. But, the timeliness and subject matter of "The Big Parade" (not to mention, of course, that movie's excellence) could have given it an edge with Academy voters. I'd have given my own vote to "Ben-Hur," though. It's one of my all-time favourite movies, and a major piece of cinematic history that I consider not only a true work of art but also pretty much perfect.
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