kingrat
-
Posts
4,574 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Posts posted by kingrat
-
-
LOOT and ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE were both plays by Joe Orton. I've never seen either film, but some of us have probably seen PRICK UP YOUR EARS, the film about Joe Orton.
Yes, THE BOYS IN THE BAND now seems very dated, but was extremely important in its time. A play about gay men that made money. That was a big lesson, and a surprising one for some.
I discovered a list of 1970 films I made from a thread on another website from a few years back. One of the contributors noted that from today's perspective, it's remarkable how many were made for adult audiences:
Favorites:
Five Easy Pieces
Little Big Man
Diary of a Mad Housewife
Lovers and Other Strangers
Patton – mostly for George C. Scott
Also liked these to various degrees:
The Boys in the Band – dated now, never as good as the play, but important in its time
Catch-22 – very mixed feelings, felt it didn’t really work but had some good bits
House of Dark Shadows – nothing special, but I loved the TV show and had to see it
Joe
Loving
M*A*S*H – liked it, didn’t identify with the frat boy spirit of the film
There Was a Crooked Man
Two Mules for Sister Sara
Zabriskie Point – gorgeous and stupid in equal measure
Others:
The Ballad of Cable Hogue – not bad, but the reviews had made me hope for more
I Never Sang for My Father – only fair; adaptation of a play; good acting
The Twelve Chairs – fair; not a big fan of Dom DeLuise
Husbands – hated it; as a result avoided Cassavetes films and Peter Falk in anything for years
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever – don’t remember much; loved the title song-
3
-
-
Oh Lawrence, one other thing about Cassavetes: geography seems to make a serious difference in one's response to his films. More often than not, his fans are straight men from the urban areas of the Northeast or Midwest. They are much likelier to see his characters and films as being "real." This is particularly true of HUSBANDS.
To a lesser extent, this is also true of Scorsese, but Scorsese is about a hundred times more talented as a director, and that does make a difference.
-
2
-
-
Favorite 60s films--foreign
L'AVVENTURA
LA DOLCE VITA
PURPLE NOON
IL POSTO
LES BONNES FEMMES
JULES AND JIM
CLEO FROM 5 TO 7
THE VIRGIN SPRING
THE FIRE WITHIN (LE FEU FOLLET)
THIS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP (LES AMITIES PARTICULIERES)
LIFE UPSIDE DOWN
THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG
Favorite 60s films--English-language
KING RAT
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE
WILD RIVER
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
ZORBA THE GREEK
ZULU
SECONDS
THE SUNDOWNERS
THE HILL
-
2
-
-
LE BOUCHER is one of Chabrol's finest and most approachable films. MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S has fine performances by Jean-Louis Trintingant and Francoise Fabian. It's talky; there's a lot about Pascal and Catholicism. If you like Rohmer, you'll probably like it. This film helped Rohmer catch on in America.
-
1
-
-
Well, I hope you don't lose too much respect for me or my tastes when they show up on my lists!
I had Faces on my runner-up list. I think Cassavetes' films presage the independent, character driven films of the next couple of decades. To many viewers, their improvisational style comes across more true to real-life. I don't necessarily want my films too true to real-life ( I have enough of that in...real life), but I can see their point. A lot of the time though, they can come across sloppy and unfocused (which is partially the point, too, I think).
To me, the improvisational style is usually the opposite of true to life. Cassavetes preens himself on his style being truer to life than the usual Hollywood film, as if it took a lot of skill to look sloppy and unfocused. FACES is okay, but HUSBANDS makes me want to kick Cassavetes into the middle of next week. He's a much better actor than director.
-
1
-
-
I would like to see the director's cut of Joseph Losey's EVA. Of course, it's possible that the shortened version the producers wanted actually plays better. Still . . . .
-
1
-
-
Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 1968:
2001: A Space Odyssey
David Holzman's Diary**
Faces
Gaav/The Cow**
High School** (documentary)
Hour of the Wolf
if....
Memories of Underdevelopment**
Night of the Living Dead
Once Upon a Time in the West
Planet of the Apes
The Producers
Rosemary's Baby
Shame
Targets
**denotes films I have not seen
This list makes 1968 look like not the greatest of years, which may be correct. 2001 is a must, even if you don't like it. SHAME is quite good, but I don't think HOUR OF THE WOLF is essential Bergman. IF seems badly dated (which might be an argument to include it, like THE KNACK in an earlier year). No one here showed much enthusiasm for FACES or TARGETS. Do we need to include P. Bogdanovich's first feature just because it's his first? I vote "No." Really, they could clear away a bunch of these films to make room for better years that have more essentials. I'm not even positive that ROSEMARY'S BABY has to be here, though I do like it.
-
1
-
-
A couple of neglected films:
JEU DE MASSACRE (THE KILLING GAME) (1968) - Alain Jessua's second film. If you ever find it, give it a look. A rich and crazy guy (Michel Duchaussoy, who's wonderful) tries to act out the adventures of the comic book hero created by a husband and wife team. Think Comic-Con, only more so. About three quarters of the way through, it's unclear whether the resolution will be comic or tragic, because either way might be satisfying.
A DREAM OF KINGS (1969) - TCM showed this during one of the Anthony Quinn tributes. The ending doesn't quite work for me, and the cinematography is muddy brown (at least the print TCM showed), but the acting is great. Quinn plays a Greek-American living in Chicago; his young son is seriously ill. Irene Papas is his wife; Inger Stevens is his mistress (this may have been her last role); and Sam Levene is his best friend.
-
3
-
-
HA! I thought that list was too short. They misplaced a 1967 film a few pages too soon, so I stopped looking too soon. Here are the remaining 1001 Movies for 1966.
AU HASARD, BALTHAZAR
MASCULINE-FEMININE
PERSONA
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
Now that's more like it, even though I can't stand that Bresson film.
-
1
-
-
Here are my unseens for 1967:
THE DOUBLE MAN
GAMES
TWO FOR THE ROAD
THE SNOW QUEEN
HAPPY END
I EVEN MET HAPPY GYPSIES
A GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN
THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE
THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT
DIVORCE AMERICAN STYLE
MOUCHETTE
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
MARAT/SADE
THE STRANGER
ULYSSES
THE VULTURE
HOTEL
ACCIDENT
FITZWILLY
THE FOX
OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE
UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE
WHO'S MINDING THE MINT?
THE STRANGER is the Visconti film for people not all that fond of Visconti. A fine adaptation of the Camus novel. ACCIDENT: I'll repeat what I said about THE PUMPKIN EATER, that Harold Pinter's time-tricksy script is the least satisfying part of the film. Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker make the film worth seeing. They usually do.
TWO FOR THE ROAD has recently been restored. Looked really good on the big screen at the festival a couple of years back. Lots of very short shots (Stanley Donen talked about this; some academic had actually measured each shot in the movie and come up with an average.) Very different in style from Donen's old MGM films. The basic problem for me is that the script wants to show us flaws in both husband and wife, but as soon as Albert Finney is mean to Audrey Hepburn, I want to run him out of town on a rail. The audience can't help being too much on Audrey's side.
BUONA SERA, MRS, CAMPBELL is MAMMA MIA! without the music. Fun fact: in New York City I once saw Bergman's SHAME (love it, love your description, Lawrence) on the lower half of a double bill with--BUONA SERA, MRS. CAMPBELL.
-
3
-
-
Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 1967:
Belle De Jour
Bonnie and Clyde
Closely Watched Trains
Cool Hand Luke
Earth Entranced**
The Fireman's Ball
The Graduate
Hombre
In the Heat of the Night
The Jungle Book
Le Samourai
Marketa Lazarova**
Playtime
Point Blank
The Red and the White**
Report** (short film)
Two or Three Things I Know About Her**
VIY
Wavelength (short film)
Weekend
The Young Girls of Rochefort**
**denotes films I have not seen, 6 again
Wow, I am very pleasantly surprised that they included HOMBRE. One of Martin Ritt's very best films, and I'm bonkers about Diane Cilento's performance. Too bad her career didn't take off after this. Good supporting work by Richard Boone, Barbara Rush, the very variable Martin Balsam who's excellent here (coarse and vulgar in THE ANDERSON TAPES and CATCH-22), and others.
POINT BLANK may be the only film whose plot confused me more on second viewing than on first. If there's such a genre as acid noir, that's what this is. Belongs in the 1001, I think.
-
2
-
-
Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 1966:
Blowup
Come Drink With Me
Daisies
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Hold Me While I'm Naked (short film)
Seconds
...and that's it! Small list this year.
Of the two we didn't mention, Come Drink With Me is a very good kung-fu film with a terrific lead performance by Cheng Pei-Pei. 34 years later she had a prominent role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in honor of that earlier film.
The short film Hold Me While I'm Naked is a ridiculous if influential lark of intentional camp (think Douglas Sirk by way of John Waters). It's very low budget, really not much more than a home movie. It's only about 15 minutes long, and it was available on YouTube.
I'm amazed that WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? isn't on the list. Thrilled that SECONDS is there. Are THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, PERSONA and CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS not on the list for some other year? I can't imagine that the first two aren't among the 1001, and I'm not speaking just for myself.
-
For 1967 - 115 films seen
1. Belle de Jour
2. In Cold Blood
3. Bonnie and Clyde
4. Cool Hand Luke
5. Bedazzled
6. In the Heat of the Night
7. The Graduate
8. Le Samourai
9. War and Peace
10. The Dirty Dozen
Here are just some from my runner up list: To Sir, With Love, You Only Live Twice, The Jungle Book, Wait Until Dark, Two For the Road, The Producers (premiered in Philadelphia), Mouchette, Samurai Rebellion and Weekend.
Bogie's curio: A Guide For the Married Man.
I have yet to see Larry's choices and VIY.
My current choices for performances for 1967 are:
Best Actor
Robert Blake, In Cold Blood
Best Actress
Faye Dunaway, Bonnie and Clyde
Best Supporting Actor
Gene Hackman, Bonnie and Clyde
Best Supporting Actress
Estelle Parsons, Bonnie and Clyde
Bogie, swap out Parsons for Jo Van Fleet in COOL HAND LUKE and I could be with you 100% on the performances. Great list. When CHL is on, I will watch just to see her one amazing scene.
-
I've got some things to do, and a show to watch, so I may post the '66 1001 movies late tonight and maybe my 1967 list, and everyone can post theirs throughout the late night/morning, since I don't get started until late in the day.
On a side note, Bogie and I swapping the ten best of 1967 lists on another thread is what inspired this one's creation.
Many thanks to you and Bogie. This has been great fun.
-
1
-
-
This will be my last top ten list. For most of the succeeding years, I probably haven't seen ten films of any kind. When I tried a few years ago to do a top ten for 1967, I would have had to use films I barely liked instead of ones I could recommend enthusiastically. Movies quickly became too violent and sadistic.
I have thoroughly enjoyed putting together lists for 1940-1966, my favorite years of cinema both foreign and domestic, and have learned a lot along the way, acquiring some recommendations for further investigations as well. 1966 is the best date for the end of the studio era. It's the last year Oscar had separate categories for B&W cinematography and for B&W set design/art decoration. Haskell Wexler won for B&W cinematography over James Wong Howe (top two choices below), and both were great. 1967 gave us BONNIE AND CLYDE and THE GRADUATE, both of which I loved when I first saw them, and a new era was born.
Actors, writers, and directors chafed at the power of the studios and wished they could be independent. What if the constraints on sex, language, and violence were removed, too? Be careful what you wish for because you might get it.
1966 was not a great year, and I had some difficulty filling out the top ten. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, PERSONA, and CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS (all 1966 per imdb) would have claimed positions if foreign films had been eligible. And I’ve never seen HOW TO STEAL A MILLION.
Top 10 for 1966:
1. SECONDS – Brilliant direction even by John Frankenheimer’s standards. Rock Hudson has his most challenging role. Excellent supporting cast, James Wong Howe as cinematographer.
2. WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? – One of the best translations of play to film ever, thanks to Haskell Wexler and Mike Nichols. Although the women won the Oscars, Richard Burton and George Segal are the ones who impress me the most.
3. BLOW-UP – Some of BLOW-UP has dated very badly—the scene at the Yardbirds’ performance, for instance. Antonioni’s eye saves much of it, and the sequence where David Hemmings develops the film and discovers the dead body holds up very well. In a better year, though, BLOW-UP would be fighting for one of the last spots in the top ten. I no longer share my youthful enthusiasm for it, but that youthful enthusiasm pushed me to see many other films.
4. ALFIE – In some ways, ALFIE holds up better than BLOW-UP because it’s less dependent on the “Swinging London” scene. No wonder this made Michael Caine a star.
5. GAMBIT – Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine make a charming pair in this clever confection.
6. A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM – Even Richard Lester’s distracting direction and the chauvinist piggy set-up can’t dim the comedy of Zero Mostel, Michael Hordern, and Jack Gilford.
7. THE PROFESSIONALS – None of the earlier Richard Brooks films I’ve seen have this much visual flair. Conrad Hall is the cinematographer, as he will be for 1967’s IN COLD BLOOD. These are Brooks’ two best films. This is not a coincidence. A solid western with a strong cast. Sign of the changing times: Burt Lancaster has fourth billing, below even Robert Ryan.
8. A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS – It’s a great pleasure to hear every syllable of Paul Scofield’s performance, which is only one of the strengths of the film.
9. GEORGY GIRL – Lynn Redgrave’s charming performance makes this one work, along with the cheerful title song.
10. THE WRONG BOX – If you can accept the archness of the style, an amusing comedy.
Best Actor: Richard Burton (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Michael Caine (Alfie), or Paul Scofield (A Man for All Seasons)
Best Actress: Lynn Redgrave, Georgy Girl
Best Supporting Actor: George Segal, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Supporting Actress: Vivien Merchant (Alfie) or Frances Reid (Seconds)-
5
-
-
Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 1965:
Alphaville
The Battle of Algiers^
Chimes at Midnight**
Dr. Zhivago
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Golden River/Subarnarekha**
Juliet of the Spirits
The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short**
Pierrot Le Fou
Repulsion
The Saragossa Manuscript**
The Shop on Main Street
The Sound of Music
Tokyo Olympiad** (documentary)
Vinyl** (underground film)
The War Game (short film)
^this film appears on my 1966 list; I've read four different release dates for it!
**denotes films I have not seen, 6 again!
If I remember correctly, THE WAR GAME isn't all that impressive. Indy film, schoolboys, idealistic against nuclear war. I'd gladly see TOKYO OLYMPIAD, highly praised by many, if Criterion had been able to keep it in print. Somehow I find it possible to pass on F,P,K!K!
-
A region-free dvd player would make the 1001 movie list much easier to see. I've just been too cheap and lazy to get one.
I have to say that 1965 validates my whole idea for this thread, at least for me. I started this primarily to learn about recommended films, and if not for the 1965 list, I would probably have never bothered with King Rat. I know of the movie, as in I think I had it on the shelf at the store back in the vhs days, but never took it home. I don't dislike George Segal, really, but he's not someone that makes me want to see a film just because he's in it. And the movie was never mentioned in my various movie tomes. So I wouldn't have thought to seek it out if it wasn't for Bogie and kingrat's high recommendation.
I also haven't seen:
Chimes at Midnight (but I have it taped)
The Ipcress File (until recently, the Harry Palmer films have been difficult to see, in the US anyway)
The JFK film (purportedly being released by Criterion sometime this year)
The Epic That Never Was (this sounds fascinating)
The Knack and How to Get It
Never Too Late
Return from the Ashes
The Money Trap
Operation Crossbow
Ten Little Indians
A Very Special Favor
I don't want to oversell KING RAT, but it's well worth seeing. It's like the second half of GWTW where the social order gets turned topsy turvy. On films not being mentioned in film tomes: there are primarily two kinds of film tomes available. 1) Oscar histories, with lists of nominated films, etc. This represents official taste for the particular era. 2) The French auteurists and their American followers had their lists of the saved and the damned. When film schools suddenly spring up everywhere, starting in perhaps the late 60s, even the laziest professor had a syllabus ready to hand in the auteurist lists. There were very few critics who looked independently at the body of film, an overwhelming task in any case. 1001 Movies is a kind of hodgepodge of the two strands.
TCM gives us a different opportunity. We can watch the films and make up our own minds. I should note that the original French auteurists essentially hated all established French directors with a few exceptions like their friends Renoir and Melville, and they pretty much hated all British directors who had remained in Britain.
The particular case of Bryan Forbes was that he was betwixt and between. He hadn't become part of the establishment in Hollywood, and the French didn't take him up. Left-wing critics in Britain boosted Anderson and Reisz, but Forbes didn't share their politics. Lots of 1950s directors in Britain simply got lost. Asquith was rejected, along with Lean and Reed, although they were established in Hollywood; people like Robert Hamer and Philip Leacock were never found. Who knows why Losey was taken up, but not Endfield?
-
3
-
-
I still haven't seen your eponymous movie! I am not a fan of The Hill and The Train. I found them only moderately interesting. I did like The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; and think A Patch of Blue is a fine film and that Ms. Hartman was a fine actress. She was particularly lovely -- directed by Sidney Lumet -- in The Group, a few years later. I am not in that camp that likes Dr. Zhivago. Something about it -- t doesn't connect. Years later, Warren Beatty wanted Julie Christie for Reds. You can see that a little, in his direction of Diane Keaton. Reds is a romantic film set in Russia that definitely does connect for me. On a Shakespearean note, Othello on film doesn't quite work for me, though I do love Joyce Redman's Emilia. and it is nice to have the record of Olivier's performance. Chimes at Midnight works even less well.
Swithin, you'll appreciate this: REDS as a romantic film doesn't connect with me at all. I never realized that the Russian Revolution occurred so that Beatty and Keaton could get back together. To me, almost everything about it except Maureen Stapleton and the wonderful interviews = hot mess. Yes, the Olivier OTHELLO is not really a film, just a filmed record of a play. CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT is better the less it has to do with Shakespeare.
The Olivier HENRY V and RICHARD III and the Branagh HENRY V are my standards for Shakespeare on film.
-
I had a film prof (Donald Spoto) who loved Marnie -- said it was the conclusion (and resolution) of the Psycho -- The Birds -- Marnie trilogy. I don't remember much about Dr. Spoto's reasoning or the film and haven't seen it in yonks!
For true believer auteurists, it was necessary to light a candle at the shrine of the Virgin Marnie.
-
4
-
-
The foreign contingent has the admirable SIMON OF THE DESERT and RED BEARD, but you can probably guess which movie a guy who writes under the name of kingrat is going to pick as the top film of the year. 1965 has the most famous and popular movie I’ve never seen—that would be THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and I do like Julie Andrews and Alps and Salzburg, even if this isn’t one of the best Rodgers and Hammerstein scores.
Oscar’s top three faves—THE SOUND OF MUSIC, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, and DARLING—all have their detractors as well as their admirers. Some people have confessed to having difficulty finding ten top films this year, although I think some of the better movies just aren’t well enough known. The two best films are set in prison camps, and no one has a prayer of getting out of either one before the war’s over, which hurt the popularity of both. By the way, THE TRAIN was shown in France in 1964, but not in the United States until 1965, so that’s why it’s on this year’s list. In deciding on the last couple of entries, I eliminated two films I admire, THE COLLECTOR and REPULSION, on the grounds that I really have no desire to see either of them again.The collection of well-made thrillers in 1965 shows an interesting variety: MIRAGE is a throwback to classic noir; RETURN FROM THE ASHES is classic noir but with the sexes reversed, as Maximilian Schell plays the femme fatale role; BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING is the kind of classic mystery/suspense film which will in the future mainly appear on television; THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD sets the pattern of downbeat spy films where one side seems little different from the other; THE COLLECTOR establishes the crazy stalker/kidnapper archetype which will spawn many imitators on film and television; and REPULSION establishes the template for the arty horror/suspense film.
The best individual scene from this year may be the opening of RETURN FROM THE ASHES. Ghislain Cloquet’s cinematography for MICKEY ONE is great, though otherwise MICKEY doesn’t take me by the heart when it takes me by the hand. The top eight picks below are all in black and white.
Top 10 for 1965:
1. KING RAT – A great script which improves on James Clavell’s novel, a superb cast, solid direction by Bryan Forbes. The social order gets turned upside down in a Japanese prison camp where the streetwise Corporal King (George Segal) becomes King Rat.
2. THE HILL – A British prison in North Africa for British military prisoners. Sean Connery (who proved that he could do some serious acting) plays the prisoner who provides a challenge for the sadistic Ian Hendry. Great supporting cast includes Harry Andrews and Ossie Davis. Sidney Lumet’s direction varies greatly in quality from film to film, but this is top drawer. Oswald Morris as cinematographer is, as usual, an enormous plus.
3. THE TRAIN – Frankenheimer in top form again. How can Burt Lancaster prevent a trainload of stolen art from going to Nazi Germany and still preserve the paintings? By the way, this is sometimes considered the last major action film in black and white.
4. MIRAGE – Edward Dmytryk’s stylish thriller introduced quick, partial flashbacks, a technique now used by everyone. Gregory Peck, Diane Baker, Walter Matthau and Jack Weston head the cast. There aren’t many 1960s examples of true film noir, but this is one.
5. THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD – John le Carre’s huge bestseller, which found ambiguities in the Cold War, was turned into an equally good film. Richard Burton at his best, with Claire Bloom and Oskar Werner in support. One of Martin Ritt’s best films.
6. A PATCH OF BLUE – Unfortunately, Elizabeth Hartman did not go on to have a big career, but her performance as a blind girl is very believable. Sidney Poitier is, as usual, excellent. Guy Green keeps the film focused on these specific characters, and that’s why it holds up so well.
7. DARLING – The first film which has 2016 attitudes about homosexuality, simply taking it for granted. Can’t be bettered as a study of what adultery does to an adulterer (Dirk Bogarde, who is great). Giving up wife and family for Julie Christie is completely believable.8. THE PAWNBROKER – Boris Kaufman’s cinematography successfully combines film noir moments with neorealistic location shooting. The flashbacks, complete with slow motion, are pretty bad, however; this is a problem of script and direction, not cinematography. Sidney Lumet reins in Rod Steiger’s usual temptation to ham it up. Juano Hernandez, great as usual, is the character who breaks my heart.
9. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO – One of the great romantic films. Did I mention that I love Julie Christie? She and Omar Sharif are a gorgeous couple. Lots of good supporting actors, many fine touches by David Lean.
10. OTHELLO – Only a filmed play, but it’s good to have a record of Olivier’s Othello—a remarkable piece of acting, if not quite the Othello of my imagination. Frank Finlay’s Iago and Maggie Smith’s Desdemona are close to definitive.10A (tie). CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT – Visually strong, otherwise variable. The best Kurosawa film not directed by Akira Kurosawa. The battle scenes recall SEVEN SAMURAI and THRONE OF BLOOD, and the interiors of Mistress Quickly’s brothel are based on YOJIMBO. The cast is all over the place. Keith Baxter is a fine Prince Hal, and John Gielgud an excellent King Henry. Orson Welles should be a great Falstaff, but he skates on the surface. In his later years Welles doesn’t seem to devote much attention to his performances, for himself or for other directors. Some of the others are just wildly miscast, though Margaret Rutherford is a lot of fun as Mistress Quickly.
Honorable mention: The Flight of the Phoenix, The Collector, Repulsion, Return from the Ashes, The Loved One
Best Actor: James Fox (King Rat) with honorable mention to George Segal (King Rat), Dirk Bogarde (Darling), Richard Burton (The Spy Who Came In From the Cold), and Terence Stamp (The Collector)
Best Actress: Elizabeth Hartman (A Patch of Blue) or Maggie Smith (Othello)
Best Supporting Actor: Harry Andrews (The Hill), Ossie Davis (The Hill), or Frank Finlay (Othello)
Best Supporting Actress: Martita Hunt (Bunny Lake Is Missing), Maggie Smith (Young Cassidy), or Flora Robson (Young Cassidy)-
4
-
-
Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 1964:
Before the Revolution**
Black God, White Devil**
Dr. Strangelove
Gertrud**
Goldfinger
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
A Hard Day's Night
Marnie
Mary Poppins
The Masque of the Red Death
My Fair Lady
Onibaba
The Red Desert**
Scorpio Rising** (short film)
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors**
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Woman in the Dunes
**denotes films I haven't seen, 6 this time!
Definitely not a fan of MARNIE, and there's nothing particularly new or unusual about it except the hideous process shots. I suppose one could make an argument for MY FAIR LADY on historical grounds, but booting these two out for ZULU and ZORBA would improve the list considerably. Also THE TRAIN, if that's a 1964 film. BEFORE THE REVOLUTION is surprisingly hard to find, and I haven't.
-
A lot here I haven't seen, if anyone wants to comment:
Hamlet
The Luck of Ginger Coffey
Attack and Retreat
Nothing but the Best
This Special Friendship
Life Upside Down
Dear Heart
I'd Rather Be Rich
Goodbye Charlie
I Am Cuba ( I know this one)
Guns at Batasi
Psyche 59
A special note about LIFE UPSIDE DOWN: This got rave reviews from the top American critics. Alain Jessua was seen as one of the most promising new directors. I also love his second film, THE KILLING GAME, about a rich wacko who tries to act out the adventures of his comic book hero. Subsequently, only a handful of additional films, mostly in horror/SF. I don't know what his story is.
THIS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP: Truffaut infamously said that the worst film of Jean Renoir is better than the best film of Jean Delannoy. Scarcely. The only Delannoy films I've seen are this one and THE ETERNAL RETURN, both excellent. His other well-known one is THE PASTORAL SYMPHONY, based on the Gide novel. Pauline Kael's note on THIS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP in, I think, KISS KISS BANG BANG, is the only reason I knew of this film and sought it out on video. She said that the movie was seen almost exclusively by homosexuals even though the movie isn't about homosexuality. Pauline, Pauline. The setting is a Catholic boarding school for boys, and yes, this film acknowledges that the priests are sometimes interested in the boys that way. The priests discourage amities particulieres among the boys because these special friendships can lead to sex. The main character is a young aristocrat. One of the other boys his age (about 17) would like a special friendship with him, but instead he chooses a boy of twelve. This is as disturbing as it sounds. Delannoy's direction could hardly be better, and this easily ranks with the three or four best films of Truffaut. Or Renoir.
NOTHING BUT THE BEST used to be on TV many years ago; that's where I saw it. Unlike most of the British New Wave films, this one is in color. Alan Bates as the ambitious young man and Denholm Elliott as the aristocrat are as good as you would expect. I don't think any of these three films are available on DVD.
I'll agree with filmlover about I AM CUBA. Brilliant camera work in places. The first and third sections (city) are way better than the second and fourth sections (country). Part three is a superb little film noir. Part four, where the farmer gives shelter to
JesusFidel and gets the true faith, comes perilously close to camp when the farmer joins the army ofGodCastro.PSYCHE '59 is weird, not altogether successful, but interesting to watch. Beatrix Lehmann, who was mainly a stage actress, is the weird mother.
-
1
-
-
Bogey, I'm keeping THE TRAIN until 1965 because it only was shown in France at a film festival in 1964. But the important thing is that THE TRAIN would have a place of honor on either list.
In 1964 three French films stand out, as different as can be: old-line director Jean Delannoy’s LES AMITIES PARTICULIERES (THIS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP)—imagine, if you can, DANGEROUS LIAISONS in a French Catholic boarding school for boys; first-time director Alain Jessua’s LIFE UPSIDE DOWN, which details Charles Denner’s almost Zen-like withdrawal from normal life into madness; and Jacques Demy’s opera in pastels THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG. The Delannoy and the Jessua are probably available only on VHS. In Japan, Hiroshi Teshigahara gave us the Kafkaesque allegory WOMAN IN THE DUNES.
Oddly, most of the best English-language films were filmed outside of America, too, and not just the English films like THE PUMPKIN EATER, NOTHING BUT THE BEST, THE CHALK GARDEN, and SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON. DR. STRANGELOVE was filmed in a London studio and in various far-northern locations. ZORBA THE GREEK was filmed in Crete, TOPKAPI in Turkey, Greece, and France; THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA in Mexico; ZULU in South Africa; THE SEVENTH DAWN in Malaysia. The American contingent was led by SEVEN DAYS IN MAY, THE BEST MAN, THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, LILITH, and MARY POPPINS.
As for Oscar’s fave, the eagerly awaited MY FAIR LADY, the music is great, the gowns are lovely, and the performances are all enjoyable. There’s more picture than motion in this long, slow film, however.
This is the only year that my two favorite films of the year both begin with the letter “Z.”
Top 10 for 1964:
1. ZORBA THE GREEK – Michael Cacoyannis seems to have put everything he knew about filmmaking into this one film. Anthony Quinn’s greatest role. Alan Bates does as well as possible with the role of the dull, repressed outsider who needs to be brought to life by the larger-than-life characters played by Quinn and Lila Kedrova, as well as the beautiful widow (Irene Papas). Some have objected that the life which is affirmed in this film has some pretty dark aspects, but isn’t that the point? To have gorgeously composed shots and motion in the same film is a difficult task which ZORBA, unlike MY FAIR LADY, manages to achieve.
2. ZULU – By all means, see this on the big screen if you get the chance. Can a director who made four films as good as TRY AND GET ME, HELL DRIVERS, SANDS OF THE KALAHARI, and ZULU be totally neglected? If Cy Endfield’s day finally comes, better late than never, the TCM Film Festival will have played a large role in giving his work the attention it deserves. A film which honors equally the intelligence and bravery of both Zulu and British.
3. DR. STRANGELOVE – Peter Sellers at his best, and one of Kubrick’s best.
4. THE PUMPKIN EATER – Harold Pinter’s oblique and time-tricksy script, so fashionable at the time, is the weakness, but Anne Bancroft, director Jack Clayton, and the sublime bright-white cinematography of Oswald Morris make up for it.
5. THE SEVENTH DAWN – Who wants to see a film about post-WWII politics in Malaysia? Not the viewers of 1964, but with the perspective of Vietnam, a story about Communism and colonialism in Malaysia seems more than relevant, with a solid suspense element as well. Capucine’s best work, opposite William Holden and Susannah York. Lewis Gilbert directs capably.
6. SEVEN DAYS IN MAY – If this John Frankenheimer thriller isn’t so brilliant as THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, not many other films are, either. A smart and solid movie.
7. NOTHING BUT THE BEST – It’s been years since I’ve seen this one. Alan Bates is a none too scrupulous working-class youth who seeks riches and power. Denholm Elliott is the posh gent in his way.
8. THE BEST MAN – Gore Vidal’s play makes an effective film, with Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson as the dueling candidates, and Lee Tracy in a juicy role as a former president.
9. THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA – Of all the Tennessee Williams adaptations, this is the one I’d rather see. I particularly like Richard Burton in one of his best roles, Ava Gardner in probably her best late-career part, and Grayson Hall calling “Seducer!”
10. THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN – In a tough choice for #10, I decided some enjoyable musical numbers gave MOLLY the nod.
Honorable mention: Mary Poppins, Lilith, Séance on a Wet Afternoon, Topkapi, The Chalk Garden
Best Actor: Anthony Quinn, Zorba the Greek
Best Actress: Anne Bancroft, The Pumpkin Eater
Best Supporting Actor: Lee Tracy, The Best Man
Best Supporting Actress: Grayson Hall, The Night of the Iguana-
4
-
-
Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 1963:
8 1/2
An Actor's Revenge**
Barren Lives/Vidas Secas**
The Birds
Blonde Cobra** (short film)
Contempt
The Cool World**
Flaming Creatures** (short film)
The Great Escape
The Haunting
The House Is Black (short film)
Hud
The Leopard
Mediterranee** (short film)
The Nutty Professor
Passenger**
The Servant
Shock Corridor
**denotes films I have not seen, which is a lot this time!
I once outraged a Fuller fanatic by referring to SHOCK CORRIDOR as camp. To me it's falling off the couch hysterically funny. The opening scene in the psychiatrist's office shows the split in Fuller most vividly. The directing is very clever, as we keep learning that there are additional people in the room. But the dialogue, holy moly! It could be used in Screenwriting 101 as an example of what not to do. If only the talented director Samuel Fuller hadn't insisted on working with that not-so-gifted writer Samuel Fuller.
-
3
-
Top Ten Films of...
in Your Favorites
Posted
I know what GIMME SHELTER means to the baby boomers, but wonder what it means to younger people. The subject is perhaps so interesting (but I'm a boomer) that maybe the poor camerawork and unattractive colors don't matter. Is PERFORMANCE on the list because other directors wish they had ripped off PERSONA as blatantly as Roeg did? TRISTANA seems to me awfully dull. The woman who plays the maid is so good that I wish Bunuel had filmed the entire script from her point of view, poker-faced and dry-eyed as she observed the follies of everyone else. ZABRISKIE POINT is an interesting curiosity, if not an essential. It's a clear indication of what can go wrong when you put utterly untalented non-actors at the center of a big movie, and maybe a useful cautionary tale for that reason alone.