BLACHEFAN

D.O.A. (1950) Told entirely in flashbacks, "D.O.A." is even more cynical than the average film noir, and this cynisism helps distinguish if from other films of the genre. Directed by Rudolph Mate, the film is fast-paced and suspenseful. The use of jazz music, combined with intense close-ups of the musicians, adds to the chaotic, claustrophobic feeling of the film. Edmond O'Brien plays a certified public accountant who awakens after a hard night of drinking feeling worse than the worst hangover. When he goes to the doctor, he learn he's suffering from "iridium" poisoning and has only a few days to live. Determined to find his killer, and aided by his secretary and fiancé Paula (Pamela Britton), he traces a shipment of iridium and kills the men who poisoned him with the lethal chemical. O'Brien is excellent as an ordinary man doomed by circumstance and trapped in a nightmare world.

Born Yesterday (1950) Judy Holliday's sparkling lead performance as not-so-dumb "dumb blonde" Billie Dawn anchors this comedy classic based on Garson Kanin's play and directed for the screen by George Cukor. Kanin's satire on corruption in Washington, D.C., adapted for the screen by Albert Mannheimer, is full of charm and wit while subtly addressing issues of class, gender, social standing and American politics. Holliday's work in the film (a role she had previously played on Broadway) was honored with the Academy Award for Best Actress and has endured as one of the era's most finely realized comedy performances. The expanded essay is below this description. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/born yesterday.pdf

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) Corrupt attorney Louis Calhern embraces Marilyn Monroe, whom he introduces to his associates as his "niece." Library of Congress Collection. John Huston's brilliant crime drama contains the recipe for a meticulously planned robbery, but the cast of criminal characters features one too many bad apples. Sam Jaffe, as the twisted mastermind, uses cash from corrupt attorney Emmerich (Louis Calhern) to assemble a group of skilled thugs to pull off a jewel heist. All goes as planned — until an alert night watchman and a corrupt cop enter the picture. Marilyn Monroe has a memorable bit part as Emmerich's "niece."

All About Eve (1950) Scheming ingénue Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) ingratiates herself with aging Broadway star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) moving in on her acting roles, her friends and her stage director beau. The dialog is often too bitingly perfect with its sarcastic barbs and clever comebacks, but it's still entertaining and quote-worthy. The film took home Academy Awards for best picture, best director (Joseph L. Mankiewicz), best screenplay (Mankiewicz) and costume design (Edith Head and Charles Le Maire). George Sanders won a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as the acid-tongued theater critic Addison DeWitt. Thelma Ritter as Margo's maid, Celeste Holm as Margo's best friend, and Marilyn Monroe, in a small role as an aspiring actress, give memorable performances.

Cinderella (1950) Courtesy of Walt Disney Co. It would take the enchanted magic of Walt Disney and his extraordinary team to revitalize a story as old as Cinderella. Yet, in 1950, Disney and his animators did just that with this version of the classic tale. Sparkling songs, high-production value and bright voice performances have made this film a classic from its premiere. Though often told and repeated across all types of media, Disney's lovely take has become the definitive version of this classic story about a girl, a prince and a single glass slipper. Breathtaking animation fills every scene, including what was reportedly Walt Disney's favorite of all Disney animation sequences: the fairy godmother transforming Cinderella's "rags" into an exquisite gown and glass slippers.

White Heat (1949) This pulsating gangster film was directed by Raoul Walsh and stars James Cagney as a mother-obsessed, psychopathic gangster exiting the world with the legendary "Made it, Ma. Top of the world" ending. One of the toughest and most brilliant crime films ever made, "White Heat" marked a breakthrough in the explicitly psychological depiction of screen bad guys. The expanded essay is below this description. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/white heat.pdf

Twelve O'Clock High (1949) Based on an actual Air Force bomber group, this Henry King-directed drama is one of the first films to take a complex look at World War II heroism. It depicts the physical and emotional stress of day-in and day-out flight combat and shows both pilots and officers as vulnerable individuals. Gregory Peck plays a callous general the brass brings in to replace a commander (Gary Merrill) deemed too undisciplined and sympathetic to effectively lead the squadron. Dean Jagger portrays an introspective veteran of the First World War who serves as the glue holding together the frayed ends of the beleaguered squadron. In addition to the fine acting, "Twelve O'Clock High" features impressive camerawork by Leon Shamroy who masterfully captures the harrowing tension of a dangerous aerial attack. The expanded essay is below this description. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/twelve_clock.pdf

The Lead Shoes (1949) "The Lead Shoes" is a dreamlike trance showing the unconscious acts of a disturbed mind through a distorted lens and other abstract visual techniques (such as reverse and stop motion). Sidney Peterson, considered the father of San Francisco avant-garde cinema, said of this film, "Narrative succumbs to the comic devices of inconsequence and illogic." The expanded essay is below this description. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/lead_shoes.pdf

The Heiress (1949) William Wyler spins Henry James's novel "Washington Square" into a cinematic battle of wills between a timid old maid (Olivia de Havilland); her cold, arrogant father (Ralph Richardson); and a rakish fortune-hunting suitor (Montgomery Clift). Wyler adeptly harnesses the diverse acting styles -- Hollywood studio, Shakespearean, and Method, respectively -- exhibited by the leads to heighten the psychological tension. Richardson was nominated for an Oscar and de Havilland captured one for her transformation from wallflower to iceberg. A poignant score by Aaron Copland punctuates the inflexibility and deliberate grandeur of 1880s New York Society that Henry James depicted.

Gun Crazy (1949) This quintessential "B movie," also known as "Deadly is the Female," dramatizes the criminal escapades of a Bonnie-and-Clyde-like couple on the run. John Dall plays an emotionally disturbed World War II veteran with a lifelong gun fixation. He meets a kindred spirit in carnival sharpshooter Peggy Cummins, who is equally disturbed -- but a lot smarter, and hence a lot more dangerous. They embark on a crime spree, with Cummins as the brains and Dall as the trigger man. Appreciation for this low-budget film noir, directed by onetime editor Joseph H. Lewis, has grown since its release thanks to its bold, stylized look and an objectivity that approaches cinema verite. The expanded essay is below this description. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/gun_crazy.pdf

All the King's Men (1949) Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Robert Penn Warren and directed by Robert Rossen, "All the King's Men" was inspired by the career of Louisiana governor Huey Long. Broderick Crawford won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Willie Stark, a backwoods Southern lawyer who wins the hearts of his constituents by bucking the corrupt state government. The thesis is basically that power corrupts, with Stark presented as a man who starts out with a burning sense of purpose and a defiant honesty. Rossen, however, injects a note of ambiguity early on (a scene where Willie impatiently shrugs off his wife's dream of the great and good things he is destined to accomplish); and the doubt as to what he is really after is beautifully orchestrated by being filtered through the eyes of the press agent (Ireland) who serves as the film's narrator, and whose admiration for Stark gradually becomes tempered by understanding. In addition to its Oscars for Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, the film won the Best Picture prize.

Adam's Rib (1949) With an Oscar-nominated script by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, "Adam's Rib" pokes fun at the double standard between the sexes. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play husband and wife attorneys, each drawn to the same case of attempted murder. Judy Holliday, defending the sanctity of her marriage and family, intends only to frighten her philandering husband (Tom Ewell) and his mistress (Jean Hagen) but tearfully ends up shooting and injuring the husband. Tracy argues that the case is open and shut, but Hepburn asserts that, if the defendant were a man, he'd be set free on the basis of "the unwritten law." As the trial turns into a media circus, the couple's relationship is put to the test. Holliday's first screen triumph propelled her onto bigger roles, including "Born Yesterday," for which she won an Academy Award. The film is also the debut of Ewell, who would become best known for his role opposite Marilyn Monroe in "The Seven Year Itch", and Hagen, who would floor audiences as the ditzy blonde movie star with the shrill voice in "Singin' in the Rain."

On the Town (1949) Courtesy of Warner Bros. Three sailors with 24 hours of shore leave in New York doesn't sound like much to build a film around, but when Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin portray them under the sparkling direction of Stanley Donen (and Kelly), movie magic occurs. "On the Town" was based upon the Comden and Green Broadway musical of the same name. Shot on location all over New York City, the film carries over such splendid songs as "New York, New York," the close-to-opening iconic scene with the sailor trio performing while still in their navy togs. Female song-and-dance pros Vera-Ellen, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller match the guys step for step in the numerous musical numbers. "On the Town" represents the upbeat, post war musicals of the era, which summed up the national optimism of the period.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) John Huston wrote and directed this intense character study of gold fever among an unlikely trio of prospectors (Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt, and the director's father, Walter Huston). Bogart is outstanding as the pathetic bully Fred C. Dobbs, a tragic hero brought down precisely by his flaws. Walter Huston won an Oscar for best supporting actor as a giddy, grizzled old-timer. Critic Roger Ebert noted the film's "pitiless stark realism" that gives the film its honesty and truth.

Red River (1948) Director Howard Hawks' second western was also his first collaboration with John Wayne. Based on Borden Chase's novel "The Chisholm Trail," the film stars Wayne as headstrong frontiersman Tom Dunson. On his way to seek his fortune in Texas, Dunson splits off from the wagon train with which he'd been traveling and leaves behind his fiancé. Not long afterward, Dunson and his companion, an old camp cook (Walter Brennan), see smoke on the horizon and turn back to find the travelers – including his fiancé – murdered in an Indian raid. The only survivor is a young boy, Matthew Garth (Mickey Kuhn), orphaned in the raid, and subsequently adopted by Dunson. In time, Dunson becomes the most powerful cattle baron in the territory, but adult Garth (played by Montgomery Clift in his first film appearance) eventually rebels against Dunson's tyranny and strikes out on his own away from his vengeful mentor. Garth, leading his own cattle drive, becomes Dunson's most formidable rival. The film is distinguished by a stirring Dmitri Tiomkin score and black-and-white cinematography by Russell Harlan. The cast includes John Ireland, Joanne Dru, and both Harry Carey, Sr. and Harry Carey, Jr. Hawks reportedly spent $1 million over budget and several months over schedule, but the end result was a $4 million hit. The expanded essay is below the description. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/red _river.pdf

The Pearl (La Perla) (1948) Based on the tragic novella "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, who also co-wrote the screenplay, this film adaptation is considered a landmark among English-language films released for Hispanic audiences in the United States. Directed by Emilio Fernández with award-winning black-and-white cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa, the film tells the tale of a poor Mexican fishing family whose lives are altered when the patriarch finds a perfect pearl. It was acclaimed by critics and film festivals upon its original release.

The Naked City (1948) The opening credits reveal this is a different kind of movie; not filmed on a Hollywood back lot but on actual locations in New York City. Winning Oscars for best photography and editing and nominated for best writing (Malvin Wald), this cutting-edge, gritty crime procedural introduced a new style of film-making. "The Naked City" offers up slices of several stories, building and dove-tailing into a logical, heart-pounding resolution. Based on six months of interviews with the NYPD and using three-dimensional characters, it changed the way police were portrayed and crimes solved. Another unique aspect of Mark Hellinger's production and Jules Dassin's direction was to hire local radio and theater actors new to film – it launched several character-acting careers.

Louisiana Story (1948) Like his previous films "Nanook of the North," "Moana" and "Man of Aran," Robert Flaherty's "Louisiana Story" is a portrait of an isolated community: here, the Cajuns of the Louisiana bayous. In 1944 Standard Oil commissioned Flaherty to make a film depicting the difficulties of extracting oil, and in his usual style, he told his story from the perspective of a single family. The conflict between personal ownership and corporate enterprise is mediated and eventually resolved through the efforts of the Cajun family's young son (Joseph Boudreaux). As in his previous films, Flaherty shot not a real family, but one assembled from local inhabitants. The film's extended nature sequences are considered among Flaherty's greatest examples of his talent for creating beautiful and stirring images.

Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) Max Ophuls had 18 European films to his credit when he fled Europe in 1941 for Hollywood, where he initally freelanced as a writer and director, and later helmed "Letter from an Unknown Woman." The bittersweet costume drama set in 1900 Vienna is an intimate portrait of a woman (Joan Fontaine) and her consuming adoration for a charming, womanizing concert pianist (Louis Jourdan). Told primarily in flashback, the film's fluid long takes, elaborate camera movement, opulent detail, and visual repetition are some of Ophuls' stylistic trademarks. Deemed "too European" and "schmaltzy," the picture was a box-office failure in the United States, but gained popularity through television in the ‘50s.

In the Street (1948) This lyrical, slice-of-life documentary (by Helen Levitt, James Agee and Janice Loeb) about East Harlem is one of several outstanding children's documentaries ("The Quiet One" and "Louisiana Story," among others) produced immediately after World War II. The filmmakers captured the energy-filled streets as part theater, part battleground and part playground. In their everyday lives and actions, people project an image of human existence against the turmoil of the street.

Force of Evil (1948) Abraham Polonsky came to prominence with the box-office success of "Body and Soul" in 1947, and made his directorial debut a year later with "Force of Evil." Acclaimed as a masterpiece of postwar American noir, the film critiques the capitalist ethos turned hard-boiled. Polonsky's unflinching portrait of two brothers caught in a downward spiral of corruption suggests comparison to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Its eloquent prose, that some have likened to blank verse, drips with cynicism. John Garfield adds a virile edge as the mob lawyer who tries to save his small-time bookie brother from financial ruin in a numbers racket takeover. As the film plunges deeper into an amoral abyss, the congested New York City of its opening frames gives way to a bleak landscape reminiscent of an Edward Hopper painting. Finally, the abyss swallows Garfield "down, down, down... to the bottom of the world."

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) Freight handlers Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Dracula and Frankenstein's monster when they arrive from Europe for a house of horrors exhibit. After the monsters outwit the hapless duo and escape, Dracula returns for Costello whose brain he intends to transplant into the monster. Lon Chaney Jr. as the lycanthropic Lawrence Talbot, Bela Lugosi in his final appearance as Dracula and Glenn Strange as the Monster all play their roles perfectly straight as Bud and Lou stumble around them. Throughout the film, Dracula and the Monster cavort in plain view of the quivering Costello who is unable to convince the ever-poised and dubious Abbott that the monsters exist. until the wild climax in Dracula's castle, where the duo are pursued by all three of the film's monstrosities. The expanded essay is below this description. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/abbott_cost.pdf

The Way of Peace (1947) Frank Tashlin, best known for making comedies with pop icons like Jerry Lewis or Jayne Mansfield, directed this 18-minute puppet film sponsored by the American Lutheran Church. Punctuated with stories from the Bible, the film's purpose was to reinforce Christian values in the atomic age by condemning the consequences of human conflict with scenes of the crucifixion, lynching and Nazi fascism. Wah Ming Chang, a visual- effects artist who specialized in designing fantastic models, characters and props, created the puppets for the stop-motion animation and also produced the film, which reportedly took 20 months to complete. The film is narrated by actor Lew Ayres, who starred in the anti-war film "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930). He was so influenced by that experience, that he became a vocal advocate for peace and famously declared himself a conscientious objector during World War II. The Reverend H. K. Rasbach, a frequent adviser on big-budget films such as "The Ten Commandments" and "The Greatest Story Ever Told," provided technical supervision and story concept. The film premiered at Constitution Hall in Washington D.C., with more than 2,700 in attendance, including members of Congress, representatives of the Supreme Court and 750 leaders from various branches of government.

Out of the Past (1947) This classic example of 1940s film noir features some of the genre's best dialog. Daniel Manwaring, under the pseudonym Geoffrey Homes, smartly adapted his novel "Build My Gallows High," and the stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer breathe life and larceny into his characters. Private eye Mitchum is hired by a notorious gangster (Kirk Douglas) to find his mistress Kathie (Jane Greer) who shot him and ran off with a load of dough. Jeff traces Kathie to Mexico, but falls for her and gets caught in her web of deception and murder. Directed with supreme skill by Jacques Tourneur and brilliantly photographed by Nicholas Musuraca, this film introduced the famous Mitchum screen persona of sleepy-eyed cynic ready to toss out a line like "Baby, I don't care" with nonchalant sex appeal. Jane Greer is equally effective, a combination of erotic fire and cool detachment. The expanded essay is below this description. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/out_past.rev.pdf

Motion Painting No. 1 (1947) German-born Oskar Fischinger was a painter, filmmaker and animator whose work involved brilliant colors, abstract forms and inventive photography and film techniques to capture them both. His "Motion Painting No. 1" is made up a series of oil paintings on acrylic glass repeatedly overlaid on top of each other which, via stop motion photography, causes them to appear to move and transmute, multiply and recede. The "moving" paintings are timed to the strains of Bach's Second Brandenburg Concerto. Fischinger's finished film would influence for generations filmmakers and animators such as Norman McLaren, Jordan Belson, and Harry Smith.