78%  Winner:   Oliver!  153 min,  G,  [Drama, Family, Musical]  [Carol Reed]  [27 Sep 1968]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 75%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 82%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 5 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 25 nominations.
Actors:  Harry Secombe, Mark Lester, Oliver Reed, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis
Writer:  Lionel Bart (book), Vernon Harris (screenplay), Charles Dickens (freely adapted from "Oliver Twist" by)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  UK
Plot:  Musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic tale of an orphan who runs away from the orphanage and hooks up with a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Inspired by Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, this film version of the musical hit does a masterful job of telling its story almost exclusively through song and dance. Once 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist falls in with such underworld types as pickpocket Fagin, it becomes necessary to inject more "straight" dialogue.

86%  Nominee:   Funny Girl  151 min,  G,  [Biography, Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance]  [William Wyler]  [19 Sep 1968]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 76%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 93%,   Metacritic: 89%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 16 nominations.
Actors:  Anne Francis, Barbra Streisand, Kay Medford, Omar Sharif
Writer:  Isobel Lennart (based on the musical play by), Isobel Lennart (screenplay by)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  Early twentieth century New York. Fanny Brice knows that she is a talented comedienne and singer. She also knows that she is not the beauty typical of the stage performers of the day, she with skinny legs and a crooked nose among other physical issues. So she knows she has to use whatever other means to get her break in show business, that break so that she can at least display her talents. With the help of Eddie Ryan who would become her friend, Fanny is able to get a part in a novelty act in a vaudeville show, the renown from which eventually comes to the attention of famed impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.. Fanny does become one of the Ziegfeld Follies most popular acts, despite she almost getting fired after her first performance by defying Flo's artistic vision for her closing number. Beyond stage success, Fanny also wants a happy personal life, most specifically with the suave Nicky Arnstein, a gambler in every respect of the word. Fanny loves him and loves that he loves her despite her lack of traditional beauty, but she does not love that he comes in and goes out of her life based on his financial standing at any given time and his need to earn that quick buck by the next poker game or high stakes business deal as he feels he needs to play the traditional role of money maker in their relationship on his own terms.
Rotten Tomatoes:   "Hello, gorgeous!" was Barbra Streisand's first comment to the Oscar statuette which she won for her performance in this biopic of entertainer Fanny Brice. This is also her first line in the film itself, the catalyst for a movie-long flashback. Repeating her Broadway role, Streisand stars as legendary comedienne Brice (1891-1951), whose life until the mid-1920s is romanticized herein. A gawky New Yawker, Brice fast-talks her way into show business, certain that she's destined to be "The Greatest Star." Hired as a "dramatic" singer by impresario Flo Ziegfeld (Walter Pidgeon), Brice defies orders to play it straight, turning a "Beautiful Bride" tableau into a laugh riot by dressing herself up as an extremely pregnant newlywed. The stratagem turns Brice into an overnight star and the toast of Broadway. But all is not roses for Brice, especially in her turbulent private life as the wife of big-time gambler Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif). Nicky at first finds it amusing to be referred to as "Mr. Brice," but he begins to resent his wife's fame and fortune and starts taking foolish risks with other people's money. The film was nominated for 8 Oscars, including Best Picture and Kay Medford for her portrayal of Brice's mother, Rose. Funny Girl was produced by Ray Stark, Brice's real-life son-in-law, who had enough material left over for a sequel, 1975's Funny Lady. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

80%  Nominee:   Rachel, Rachel  101 min,  APPROVED,  [Drama, Romance]  [Paul Newman]  [26 Aug 1968]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 75%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 86%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations.
Actors:  Estelle Parsons, James Olson, Joanne Woodward, Kate Harrington
Writer:  Stewart Stern (screenplay), Margaret Laurence (novel)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  Thirty-five year old spinster and virgin Rachel Cameron is a sad, lonely woman. She lives in the small town of Japonica, Connecticut where she grew up. She teaches second grade at Japonica Elementary School and lives with her highly demanding widowed mother (her funeral director father passed away fourteen years ago) in the same apartment above a funeral home where she grew up, despite the home now not owned by them. Rachel often uses her mother as an excuse not to do things. Rachel represses her emotions, and is prone to daydreaming to envision alternate paths for herself in certain situations if she only had the nerve to do those things. Even when Nick Kazlik, a childhood acquaintance who has returned to Japonica for a summer visit with his family, makes it clear that he wants to have fun with her while he's in town, she can't act on his request out of fear of the unknown. But after a couple of incidents with her only real friend Calla Mackie, who is a fellow teacher at the school, Rachel begins to allow herself more freedom. But as Rachel's repressions slowly melt away, how her emotions will manifest themselves becomes the question.
Rotten Tomatoes:   In this melodrama, Rachel Cameron is a 35-year-old unmarried schoolteacher who feels as though she's wasted her life. Rachel's best friend invites her to attend a religious revival meeting. This is the first of several cathartic incidents which convince Rachel to kick over the traces and express her own needs.

85%  Nominee:   Romeo and Juliet  138 min,  PG,  [Drama, Romance]  [Franco Zeffirelli]  [08 Oct 1968]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 76%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 94%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 15 nominations.
Actors:  John McEnery, Leonard Whiting, Milo O'Shea, Olivia Hussey
Writer:  William Shakespeare (play), Franco Brusati (screenplay), Masolino D'Amico (screenplay), Franco Zeffirelli (screenplay)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English, French    Country:  UK, Italy
Plot:  Shakespeare's classic tale of romance and tragedy. Two families of Verona, the Montagues and the Capulets, have been feuding with each other for years. Young Romeo Montague goes out with his friends to make trouble at a party the Capulets are hosting, but while there he spies the Capulet's daughter Juliet, and falls hopelessly in love with her. She returns his affections, but they both know that their families will never allow them to follow their hearts.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Zeffirelli's acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare's timeless love story. Nominated for Best Picture Academy Award!

86%  Nominee:   The Lion in Winter  134 min,  PG,  [Biography, Drama, History]  [Anthony Harvey]  [30 Oct 1968]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 81%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 92%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 3 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 18 nominations.
Actors:  Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Katharine Hepburn, Peter O'Toole
Writer:  James Goldman (screenplay), James Goldman (play)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  UK, USA
Plot:  It's Christmas 1183, and King Henry II is planning to announce his successor to the throne. The jockeying for the crown, though, is complex. Henry has three sons and wants his boy Prince John to take over. Henry's wife, Queen Eleanor, has other ideas. She believes their son Prince Richard should be king. As the family and various schemers gather for the holiday, each tries to make the indecisive king choose their option.
Rotten Tomatoes:   The most royal of the cycle of '60s films dealing with the history and castle intrigues of medieval England, Anthony Harvey's The Lion in Winter returns in a new 4K restoration by Studiocanal. At Christmas Court in 1183 King Henry II argues with his estranged wife, Eleanor, over whether Prince John or Richard shall inherit the throne. Complicating matters, King Philip II of France seeks his own fortune by demanding his sister Alais, currently Henry's mistress, be betrothed to Richard, all the while stirring insurrection among all of Henry's sons toward their father.