20 Great Years of Movies, Part 15: 1952
- Ikiru (director: Akira Kurosawa): I think I mentioned at the outset that I'm game for sentimentality; at the same time, I can abide with cynical works as the many examples of film noir I've listed will testify. I suppose this film is a middle ground between the two - it has sentiment and cynicism living side-by-side. It has cynical figures who can't see the world beyond the tip of their nose and an aching sentimentality for life, for meaning, for sacrifice. I love this little film.
- High Noon (director: Fred Zinnemann): One of the few westerns to rank high with me - it is considered one of the greatest as a sheriff looks for help in facing a band of killers -- but no one is willing to take a stand. Considering what was going on around this movie - the "Red Scare" - it's themes are all the more biting.
- The Bad and the Beautiful (director: Vincente Minnelli): Another Hollywood insider-type film in the spirit of Sunset Blvd. This one concerns a filmmaker who became a legend but didn't mind stepping on his collaborators along the way. It's an interesting ensemble piece, although Kirk Douglas' leading role really takes the cake!
- The Holly and the Ivy (director: George More O'Ferrall): As the son of a pastor I probably enjoy this far more than most - it's a British drama about a pastor's family gathering at the holidays as all their interpersonal drama comes out in a confrontation.
- O. Henry's Full House (director: Jean Negulesco): An anthology which adapts many of O. Henry's best known stories such as "The Ransom of Red Chief" and "The Gift of the Magi." It's a neat little movie if you like O. Henry (I really do).
- Ivanhoe (director: Richard Thorpe): A decent adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's novel; it's a fun adventurous movie, although I think it was later surpassed by the 1982 television version.
- Limelight (director: Charles Chaplin): Chaplin's last great film, a drama in which he portrays a has-been who sees an opportunity to inspire a young woman and give her a chance at stardom. A very fine sentimental drama.
- Singin' in the Rain (director: Gene Kelly): I'm not as into this movie as some and as a silent film buff I kind of resent how its version of silent film history has supplanted the much more interesting true history, but heck, I ain't made of stone -- this film is a ton of fun with great songs, great dancing and great jokes.
- Beware, My Lovely (director: Harry Horner): Our favourite creep Robert Ryan plays a hired hand who is on the verge of a violent breakdown. It's adapted from an episode of the radio series Suspense ("To Find Help") which I like a lot more than this film, but this is an interesting gem worth reappraising.
- Androcles and the Lion (director: Chester Erskine): An amusing adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play about Christians being thrown to the lions, with Alan Young as the titular Androcles, who just happens to be the lion's BFF.
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