"The Resurrection of Broncho Billy" is a film which was awarded the Oscar for Best Live Action Short. While this category as very competitive in the 1930s-50s, as Hollywood made thousands of short films, by 1970 the genre was different...and most shorts were made by young filmmakers and not big studios. The same trend has continued since then...as the category is more a showcase for young wannabe filmmakers.
The people making this film were able to get the services of Johnny Crawford...which is a good thing. Crawford had starred in the TV western "The Rifleman" and made a name for himself in westerns. Sadly, Crawford died a few months ago.
The film was made on the streets of Los Angeles and it's set in the present day. However, despite this, the film is mostly in sepia tones and stars a young guy (Crawford) who dresses like a cowboy and is in many ways a bit of a weirdo.
The film won the Oscar. However, according to IMDB it earned the film students a grade of B in their class! I can actually understand this, as some of the camera work and editing were poor (such as when the old man is talking to Crawford about the old west) and the film technically could have been a lot better. But as I alluded to above, the number and quality of shorts has diminished by 1970 and so a highly flawed film was still able to take the golden statue. Mildly interesting overall...but probably a lot more interesting to those who love old westerns.
The people making this film were able to get the services of Johnny Crawford...which is a good thing. Crawford had starred in the TV western "The Rifleman" and made a name for himself in westerns. Sadly, Crawford died a few months ago.
The film was made on the streets of Los Angeles and it's set in the present day. However, despite this, the film is mostly in sepia tones and stars a young guy (Crawford) who dresses like a cowboy and is in many ways a bit of a weirdo.
The film won the Oscar. However, according to IMDB it earned the film students a grade of B in their class! I can actually understand this, as some of the camera work and editing were poor (such as when the old man is talking to Crawford about the old west) and the film technically could have been a lot better. But as I alluded to above, the number and quality of shorts has diminished by 1970 and so a highly flawed film was still able to take the golden statue. Mildly interesting overall...but probably a lot more interesting to those who love old westerns.