20 Great Years of Movies, Part 17: 1954

1. Rear Window (director: Alfred Hitchcock): Cornell Woolrich's story of a man who discovers his neighbour has committed a murder is given a slightly sleazy treatment by Mr. Hitchcock, who certainly seemed to love bringing out the voyeurism of the scenario. But it's such a great idea for a thriller (no wonder it's been ripped-off so many times). James Stewart is in fine shape, Raymond Burr is a very effective villain and I have seen people genuinely awestruck by Grace Kelly.
2. The Seven Samurai (director: Akira Kurosawa): A long but always captivating story - you probably know it: villagers face ruin at the hands of organized bandits; seven ragtag samurai agree to defend them. It's a very human story - neither the samurai nor the villagers are saints, but they are underdogs so you do root for them.
3. On the Waterfront (director: Elia Kazan): With A Streetcar Named Desire, one of those transformative 1950s pictures with Marlon Brando (and Karl Malden). This one is by far my favourite of the two, with Brando as a dockworker whose conscience gradually causes him to rise up against corruption.
4. Sabrina (director: Billy Wilder): Again, it's wild that Humphrey Bogart spent the last few years of his career as a romantic icon. Here he was opposite Audrey Hepburn which should not be credible but, gosh dang it, Bogart is so likeable that he succeeds.
5. Dial M for Murder (director: Alfred Hitchcock): This film is a bit stagier than Hitchcock normally was but it's a great thriller - the scene of the attempted murderer's attack is realized perfectly. It's a very satisfying thriller.
6. White Christmas (director: Michael Curtiz): This an extremely light and fluffy movie but it's one of my family's favourite Christmas films. Most of the songs are catchy (though I think "It's not my watch you're holding, it's my heart" is a lousy lyric) and Danny Kaye is always fun.
7. The Caine Mutiny (director: Edward Dmytryk): An interesting film that didn't entirely come together for me, but Bogart appears in the crucial role of a captain who might be out-of-line (prompting said mutiny). Bogart's breakdown in the climax handily stops the show.
8. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (director: Richard Fleischer): A great Disney version of the Jules Verne novel with strong special effects, particularly the nightmarish giant squid.
9. Father Brown (director: Robert Hamer): A pretty good adaptation of G. K. Chesterton's character, although it makes him a bit more physical and less cerebral. Still, Alec Guinness is a lot of fun as Father Brown and there's enough Chesterton to make me smile.
10. Them! (director: Gordon Douglas): There were a lot of movies about giant creatures going on a rampage but Them! is the one I'm most fond of. Here, the adversaries are giant ants, rendered using giant puppets. I'm sure it's campy to most, but I think this movie pulls it off.