20 Great Years of Movies, Part 20: 1957

1. 12 Angry Men (director: Sidney Lumet): Another great adaptation of a TV film, this one starring Henry Fonda. It's a pretty simple idea - 12 jurors get into a debate about the case they've been asked to provide a recommendation for. Slowly, one man changes the minds of the rest of the jury. It's also fascinating as a crime story which is told out-of-sequence as details about the murder being tried are only revealed as jurors mention them.
2. Paths of Glory (director: Stanley Kubrick): A film as rough and challenging as the original book. This is Kubrick's great World War I picture about three French soldiers who are chosen to be killed in order to set an example; Kirk Douglas plays the officer who tries to defend those men, but the system is more cynical than he imagined.
3. The One That Got Away (director: Roy Ward Baker): I'm really into this under-appreciated gem - the true story of a German pilot who repeatedly escaped the Allies and finally got back to Germany. It's an interesting companion piece to Paul Brickhill (The Great Escape)'s stories about various British pilots' escapes from the Germans.
4. Throne of Blood (director: Akira Kurosawa): This is Kurosawa's amazing version of Macbeth adapted to the culture of feudal Japan. It's a real trip, especially if you love Macbeth. Kurosawa would revisit Shakespeare later in his career and it was a win every time.
5. Witness for the Prosecution (director: Billy Wilder): A really fun adaptation of Agatha Christie's play with Charles Laughton as a defense lawyer; the film changed the ending (that often happened to Christie, it seems), but it's still a great mystery film.
6. The Bridge on the River Kwai (director: David Lean): Once you've finished Paths of Glory, how about another "feel-good" war picture? This one famously concerns British POWs who build a bridge for their Japanese captors, apparently oblivious to how they've become collaborators.
7. Sweet Smell of Success (director: Alexander Mackendrick): I've heard this film called a companion to The Bad and the Beautiful; whatever, they're both fine films about horrible men. This concerns Burt Lancaster as a newspaper columnist who seems to enjoy making Tony Curtis squirm as Curtis tries to curry his favour. It's very different from the other films on this year's list and well worth seeking out.
8. Old Yeller (director: Robert Stevenson): The childhood classic about a boy and his dog (most notorious for its climax). This film didn't register as strongly with me as it seems to have with others, but it's a very good children's film.
9. Night of the Demon (director: Jacques Tourneur): Tourneur ought to be a great adaptor of M. R. James' horror fiction which are about unseen menace; after all, he pioneered unseen menace with Cat People. Yet this film breaks from the original story by showing you the demon in all his glory. I should be upset, but dang it, that demon is instantly memorable.
10. The Devil Strikes at Night (director: Robert Siodmak): And here's a German film which is hard to get with English subtitles. This one is about a serial killer on the loose in Nazi Germany. The killer keeps getting away because the Nazi's are unwilling to admit to the public that serial killers exist in their "perfect" society. A very fascinating subject and a different kind of look at Nazi culture.

And with that, the lists are done. Thank you for following this series of posts, I hope I shed some light on under-appreciated films.

20 Great Years of Movies, Part 19: 1956

1. The Wrong Man (director: Alfred Hitchcock): An oddity for Hitchcock, this film relates a true story and as such, it's not as neat as most of his films - the resolution is not tidy as although the protagonist clears his name, his life is in shambles. It's a different take on the "wrong man" theme which Hitchcock had visited so often. In the 1930s, it seemed like the worst thing that could happen to you would be to be chased by the police. In the 1950s, the worst thing is being judged by your peers.
2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (director: Don Siegel): This is one of the best Cold War science fiction thrillers; the concept of extraterrestrials replacing people is done in terrifying fashion. A great picture.
3. The Killing (director: Stanley Kubrick): Kubrick's first great movie, the story of a heist; like all heist films, it doesn't go according to plan. This one stands apart thanks to superb craft employed in putting it together.
4. Patterns (director: Fielder Cook): Like Marty, a television film which was remade for cinemas. This one concerns the heartless nature of business - of the ruthless ways in which loyal employees are cast aside in the name of progress.
5. The Ten Commandments (director: Cecil B. DeMille): One of the be-all-to-end-all Biblical epics with Charlton Heston as Moses. It's as overblown as anything DeMille ever made, but this is the one time I actually like DeMille's work; it seems to me that if you're going to tell the story of Moses, you pretty much do have to go ridiculously big.
6. Reach for the Sky (director: Lewis Gilbert): A fine adaptation of the true story of a pilot who lost both of his legs but through determination got himself back into the pilot's seat when World War II broke out. This film doesn't capture everything that I liked about Paul Brickhill's book but it's mighty good.
7. The King and I (director: Walter Lang): A fine family musical with some very catchy tunes; this was a childhood favourite of mine.
8. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (director: Fritz Lang): This is an unusual film which is in some ways reminiscent of Lang's Fury. A reporter wants to prove a point about the legal system by framing himself for a murder. His problems multiply when the man who was supposed to clear his name dies in an accident. (contrast against The Wrong Man)
9. The Harder They Fall (director: Mark Robson): Another good boxing movie, this one featuring Humphrey Bogart's final role. Bogart plays a promoter who exploits his boxer but his conscience gnaws at him.
10. While the City Sleeps (director: Fritz Lang): Wow, I really do like Fritz Lang's 1950s output! Somewhat similar to The Blue Gardenia, this concerns a newspaper office which tries to draw out a serial killer with seemingly little regard for the lives in danger.

20 Great Years of Movies, Part 18: 1955

1. Les diaboliques (director: Henri-Georges Clouzot): The movie that outdid Hitchcock; you may not have seen this (after all, it's French) but I strongly suggest you give it a chance. A man is targeted for murder by his wife and his mistress, but in the fallout this thriller starts to creep into the horror genre!
2. Bad Day at Black Rock (director: John Sturges): This is a kind of contemporary western in which a one-armed man goes to a small town to find the father of a soldier who saved his life - but everyone in the town is extremely hostile to him and unwilling to aid in his mission. Much like a standard western film, it's one righteous man against a town!
3. The Ladykillers (director: Alexander Mackendrick): Another very fine Ealing Studios black comedy, this being the great film about a team of crooks living as boarders to a sweet old lady but find themselves divided when their success means her death.
4. The Court Jester (director: Melvin Frank): I believe this is the last comedy to appear in this series of lists. This one is a particular favourite of my brother - I think at one point he would test potential friends by showing them this movie and seeing if they liked it. It's certainly Danny Kaye at his utmost! It's zany and very funny.
5. The Night of the Hunter (director: Charles Laughton): A very offbeat film - so offbeat that it feels timeless. It's the story of two children who are terrorized by an insane preacher (Robert Mitchum) who pursues them through the southern USA. It has the feeling of a somewhat-askew fairy tale.
6. Pete Kelly's Blues (director: Jack Webb): Adapted from Webb's short-lived radio series, this is a great jazz picture with Webb as horn blower Pete Kelly brushing up against the mob during the days of prohibition. A great jazz score and some nice camerawork helps this movie stand out.
7. Marty (director: Delbert Mann): Adapted from a TV movie, this is a thoughtful film about two average people who fall in love. It suceeds thanks to the well-written and well-performed characters - it really showed a way forward for movies that focused on everyday relationships.
8. The Dam Busters (director: Michael Anderson): A very good adaptation of the true story of the development of the bouncing bomb, used by the British to destroy German dams. It's rare to see a World War II film that is about the development of new technology and the trial & error involved and that helps this film stand out from many similar pictures.
9. The Prisoner (director: Peter Glenville): An unsettling film in which a communist dictatorship attempts to break a Catholic cardinal (Alec Guinness). It is not a pleasant journey, but Guinness is compelling throughout the film.
10. Land of the Pharaohs (director: Howard Hawks): This doesn't really feel like a Howard Hawks movie, but it's interesting to see him attempt a film on the scale of a Biblical epic. This one concerns the story of building the pyramids and it's a pretty entertaining fiction (also Joan Collins in vamp mode does not hurt).

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.

20 Great Years of Movies, Part 16: 1953

1. The Big Heat (director: Fritz Lang): A phenomenal film noir proving Lang was still on his game - in this film, Gloria Grahame easily overshadowed the rest of the cast with her performance as a disfigured gangster's gal who decides to help the law bring her boyfriend down. To look at recent video releases you'd have almost no idea Glenn Ford is the star of this film - pretty much all the box covers feature Gloria front and center.
2. Angel Face (director: Otto Preminger): Yes, I have a lot of noir on these lists; in my defense, most of the best movies in this period were noir. This one frequently ties with Out of the Past (also starring Robert Mitchum) as noirest of the noirs. It has what must surely be the most in-your-face nihilism of any noir. I'm impressed at how destructive this story is.
3. Roman Holiday (director: William Wyler): At the other end of the scale, a very memorable and charming romantic comedy about a member of royalty who tries to live like a commoner and unexpectedly finds love. It's simply charming.
4. The Band Wagon (director: Vincente Minnelli): So here's an interesting Fred Astaire musical - it has a lot of interesting numbers, particularly the dance sequence inspired by Mickey Spillane's dime novels. That scene alone makes this a departure from any other musical and therefore worth seeking out.
5. Peter Pan (director: Jack Kinney): It's a pity that this film was so racist in regards to Indigenous peoples, because it does have plenty of other great things going for it - fun songs and memorable character designs. If you can get past the racism, it's a quality kids' flick.
6. The Blue Gardenia (director: Fritz Lang): Another great noir from Lang about a woman on the rebound who takes a date with a stranger; the next day, the stranger is dead. A well-meaning reporter joins the hunt for the killer.
7. The Wages of Fear (director: Henri-Georges Clouzot): One of those films I was used to hearing about in hushed tones but no one ever seemed to describe. It turns out it's a thriller about four men transporting volatile cargo across a very rocky road and how it tests each man's strength of will. Quite a good film (the remake, Sorcerer, is an interesting odd duck too).
8. The War of the Worlds (director: Byron Haskin): Aw man, did I love this film as a kid! The Martian machines, although little like those of H. G. Well's novel, were instantly iconic and the Martians themselves really freaked me out. One of the best 1950s science fiction movies.
9. The Robe (director: Henry Koster): This was the film which kicked off the era of Biblical epics (also ridiculously large aspect ratios). It's an interesting premise: whatever happened to the Roman who won Jesus' robe while gambling over his possessions? This, to me, is one of the best of the 50s Biblical epics.
10. House of Wax (director: André De Toth): A fun horror remake of Murders in the Wax Museum with Vincent Price as the villain. I saw this before the remake and I think the reveal of the villain's true condition lands perfectly in each of them!

20 Great Years of Movies, Part 15: 1952

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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.
5. 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).
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.

20 Great Years of Movies, Part 14: 1951

1. Scrooge (director: Brian Desmond Hurst): This phenomenal adaptation of A Christmas Carol simply obliterates the need to bother with any other adaptation. This is definitive and a staple of my Christmas - a perfect film.
2. Strangers on a Train (director: Alfred Hitchcock): One of Hitchcock's best, the famous story of two men who "swap murders." Or rather, one man decides that what they've decided to do, does his part then insists his "ally" follow suit. The protagonist is a lot more likeable here than he was in the book, but he has some interesting flaws which add to the drama - though the antagonist is the most meaty part in the film by far!
3. The African Queen (director: John Huston): A great romantic comedy and wartime drama with Bogart and Hepburn filmed in the actual Congo. It's amazing that at this point in his career, Bogart had basically become Clark Gable -- that is, a credible romantic lead, a tough guy with some hidden softness. Quite a feat!
4. The Lavender Hill Mob (director: Charles Crichton): Another great Ealing Studios comedy, featuring gold thieves who try to smuggle the gold in the form of souvenir statuettes, which tunrns out to be a bad idea!
5. On Dangerous Ground (director: Nicholas Ray): An interesting noir which quickly steps away from the city and into the country, which is not the usual setting for such stories. It concerns a cop chasing a criminal into the snowy wilderness; and since the cop is Robert Ryan, you know he's not a clean-cut hero. If you think all noir is the same, give this one a try.
6. Der Verlorene (director: Peter Lorre): AKA "The Lost One" this is the movie Peter Lorre went back to Germany to make, but by the time he got it into cinemas he found out audiences were basically tired of feeling bad about World War II. Lorre is terrific in this film as a scientist whose conscience is tormented over what did for the Nazis, but as far as I know it has no official subtitled release - I got my copy bootleg.
7. The Man in the White Suit (director: Alexander Mackendrick): A brilliant Ealing Studios comedy with Alec Guinness as the inventor of a suit which cannot become dirty -- and all the forces who want to prohibit his product from being released.
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still (director: Robert Wise): This film did a lot to set the tone for science fiction of the 1950s. It's mostly remembered for the robot Gort, but the film's message of peace is still a worthy one and was a bit against the grain of its time. It's better than most 1950s science fiction, largely due to Robert Wise.
9. Native Son (director: Pierre Chenal): This film was so hard to make at the time that it was done in Argentina; it also stars the book's author Richard Wright in the lead role, who does well for a non-actor. It's a tough movie and one can see how, say, rape, racism and dismemberment might not be what US studios wanted to produce.
10. A Streetcar Named Desire (director: Elia Kazan): One of the definitive 1950s drama films, the movies where interpersonal drama and method acting gave a different sort of energy than the "classic" Hollywood pictures. The film holds up - it's not really one of my favourite but I admire the craft that went into it.