Top Ten Films of...

[LawrenceA]

I hadn't heard of SO LONG AT THE FAIR. It sounds interesting.

[film lover 293]

LawrenceA--I saw it more than 20 years ago and am having a dreadful time trying to find it online.  It's one of the ten best movies Jean Simmons ever did.  It's a British Historical noir.

[Swithin]

HOUSE OF WOMEN was also produced by Warners, and it seems like they were in some regards recycling the script for CAGED. 

If memory serves, Barbara Nichols gave an excellent performance in House of Women, in a supporting role.

[TopBilled]

A film I neglected to mention for 1950:

 

[TopBilled]

LawrenceA--I saw it more than 20 years ago and am having a dreadful time trying to find it online.  It's one of the ten best movies Jean Simmons ever did.  It's a British Historical noir.

I am glad you mentioned it. I should have had it on my list, too.

 

SO LONG AT THE FAIR is available on Amazon Prime.

[LawrenceA]

I am glad you mentioned it. I should have had it on my list, too.

 

SO LONG AT THE FAIR is available on Amazon Prime.

Thanks for mentioning that. I found a handful of other titles you guys have mentioned, as well. Added them to my watch list.

[speedracer5]

Here's my "not-seens" :

 

speedracer: THREE LITTLE WORDS, MONTANA, SUMMER STOCK, and TWO WEEKS WITH LOVE.

 

Montana is a western with Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith.  It's the classic Western tale of the cow-people versus the sheep-people and never the twain shall meet.  The cow-people hate the sheep people so much, that they promise to shoot any sheep farmers on sight.  Flynn portrays an Australian (I believe this is 1 of 2 times Flynn portrayed a character of his own nationality) sheep farmer and Smith owns a large cattle ranch.  Flynn ends up winning a piece of Smith's ranch in a bet.  Will she find out about Flynn's true occupation or will she assume he's a cattle rancher?  I like this film.  Flynn and Smith sing and there's a great showdown at the end of the film.

 

Three Little Words. This is a musical starring Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen and Red Skelton.  Astaire and Skelton portray real life song writing team Bert Kalmar (Astaire) and Harry Ruby (Skelton).  Vera-Ellen portrays Astaire's wife.  Debbie Reynolds has a small role as singer Helen Kane.  There is a funny scene at the beginning where Astaire is trying to perform and Skelton has a major mishap backstage.  Then of course, there are some fabulous Astaire and Vera-Ellen dance routines.  One of my favorite numbers is the "Mr. and Mrs. Hoofer at Home" number, which features Astaire and Vera-Ellen dancing around a living room. 

 

Summer Stock.  This is the third and final film that Judy Garland and Gene Kelly made together.  It features Garland as the owner of a struggling farm.  Her help walks out and she's forced to do all the farm work alone.  Her aspiring actress sister (Gloria DeHaven) comes to visit, but doesn't tell Garland that she promised the use of her barn to the theater troupe she's involved in.  DeHaven's boyfriend (Gene Kelly) is the director of the play.  Eddie Bracken portrays Garland's stuffy fiancee and Marjorie Main serves as Garland's maid.  Phil Silvers is Kelly's right hand man.  I personally find his shtick annoying, but others might like him.  The main conflict of the film is that Bracken and his father want Bracken to marry Garland because it would be a union of the two great families of the area.  However, they're very stodgy and do not approve of Garland's involvement with the theater troupe.  This is really just one of those "Let's put on a show in the barn" type musicals that Judy made ten years prior with Mickey Rooney, but it was her last MGM film and Kelly appeared in the film as a favor to Garland.  The highlights of the film are Gene Kelly's squeaky board and newspaper dance and Judy's showstopping "Get Happy" number.  The lowlight is the horrible "Heavenly Music" number.

 

Two Weeks With Love.  This is another light and fluffy MGM musical starring Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds.  Powell and Reynolds are sisters who are both accomplished in the performing arts.  Powell is the older sibling.  She is interested in boys, but her parents think she is too young to date.  The family and Powell's friend go on vacation to the Catskills, where both Powell and her friend meet Ricardo Montalban and compete with each other for his affections.  This film was definitely not going to win any awards, but it's fun.  One of the best songs is Debbie Reynolds' and Carleton Carpenter's "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" song. 

 

I saw that SansFin mentioned Kim.  This is another Errol Flynn film where he stars as "The Red Beard" who lives in India, but Flynn is also a British agent. He ends up becoming aware of a Russian plot to instigate a rebellion.  The film co-stars Dean Stockwell who portrays the title character, "Kim" and Paul Lukas.  Errol Flynn has red hair in this film, which is interesting.  

[Swithin]

I saw that SansFin mentioned Kim.  This is another Errol Flynn film where he stars as "The Red Beard" who lives in India, but Flynn is also a British agent. He ends up becoming aware of a Russian plot to instigate a rebellion.  The film co-stars Dean Stockwell who portrays the title character, "Kim" and Paul Lukas.  Errol Flynn has red hair in this film, which is interesting.  

 

Kim is a very enjoyable, satisfying movie, and I'm glad it made Sans' list. Btw, Dean Stockwell is the lead in one my top 1950 films -- The Happy Years, an utterly delightful film based on Owen Johnson's Lawrenceville Stories. Directed by William Wellman, whose nine year-old son Tim had a tiny role as bell ringer.

[LawrenceA]

Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 1950:

 

 

ALL ABOUT EVE

THE ASPHALT JUNGLE

IN A LONELY PLACE

LOS OLVIDADOS

ORPHEUS

RASHOMON

RIO GRANDE

SUNSET BLVD.

WINCHESTER '73

[Swithin]

Here are the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die entries for 1950:

 

 

ALL ABOUT EVE

THE ASPHALT JUNGLE

IN A LONELY PLACE

LOS OLVIDADOS

ORPHEUS

RASHOMON

RIO GRANDE

SUNSET BLVD.

WINCHESTER '73

 

You know Larry, there's no accounting for taste -- I mean mine! I've just never been able to appreciate fully the two 1950 biggies -- Eve and Sunset. I enjoy them up to a point, but they're certainly not in my top ten. But -- I have enjoyed the two musical adaptations of those films -- Applause with Lauren Bacall; and Sunset with Patti LuPone.

[LawrenceA]

1951 - 83 films seen

 

 

1. THE THING

Science fiction horror film that features the fastest dialogue in the history of the genre. Howard Hawks' fingerprints are all over this, from the strong female character to the lightning pace. The cast of lesser knowns helps the air of no-nonsense reality. The "creature lurking around dark corridors" format is still recycled 4 or 5 times every year. I love the scene where they circle the buried spacecraft in the ice.

 

2. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

The polar opposite of that first film, this is the kinder, gentler alien visitation. The anti-nuke message was daring at the time. The great cast, including Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, and Michael Rennie as the alien, are all excellent. And who can forget Gort? Klaatu Barada Niktu!

 

3. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

Terrific Hitchcock, with a terrific performance from Robert Walker.

 

4. DETECTIVE STORY

American films take another step toward gritty reality, with Kirk Douglas as a harried police detective. Outstanding support roles for Lee Grant and Joseph Wiseman.

 

5. A PLACE IN THE SUN

Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift were never prettier, and Shelley Winters established her permanent screen persona. Dark look at the American dream.

 

6. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Four amazing performances in the best version of the play possible at that time of American cinema. Brando changes the game forever here.

 

7. ACE IN THE HOLE

Razor-sharp critique of sensationalistic journalism, anchored by what may be Kirk Douglas' best performance. More timely than ever.

 

8. THE AFRICAN QUEEN

Bogart, Hepburn, and Huston. Three pros bringing their "A" game.

 

9. WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

Disaster movie that set the standard. The step-by-step preparation for the survival of humanity is great. John Hoyt is delightfully hateful as the rich jerk funding everything.

 

10. DECISION BEFORE DAWN

Terrific wartime espionage with a star-making turn by Oskar Werner.

 

 

Runner-ups: THE IDIOT, DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST, THE RIVER, THE LAVENDER HILL MOB, and THE PROWLER.

 

 

 

Larry's Choice: BRIDE OF THE GORILLA

 

Plantation foreman Raymond Burr has the hots for boss' wife Barbara Payton, so he kills him. Angry workers put a curse on Burr, making him a were-gorilla. Can local cop Lon Chaney Jr put an end to this monkey business, or will this gorilla thrilla drive him as ape as the audience?

[LawrenceA]

You know Larry, there's no accounting for taste -- I mean mine! I've just never been able to appreciate fully the two 1950 biggies -- Eve and Sunset. I enjoy them up to a point, but they're certainly not in my top ten. But -- I have enjoyed the two musical adaptations of those films -- Applause with Lauren Bacall; and Sunset with Patti LuPone.

I've heard good things about both shows. I'm surprised you couldn't get into the dialogue of ALL ABOUT EVE. It has so many quotable lines.

[Bogie56]

For 1951 - 86 films seen

 

1.  Scrooge (aka A Christmas Carol)

2.  The African Queen

3.  The Day the Earth Stood Still

4.  Outcast of the Islands

5.  Strangers on a Train

6.  The Magic Box

7.  Decision Before Dawn

8.  A Streetcar Named Desire

9.  Alice In Wonderland

10. Bright Victory

 

Here are just some from my runner up list: The Red Badge of Courage, The Browning Version, Ace In the Hole, Detective Story, American In Paris, Cry the Beloved Country and The Lavender Hill Mob.

 

Bogie's curios: The 13th Letter and Der Verlorene. 

 

My current choices for performances for 1951 are:

 

Best Actor

 

Alastair Sim, Scrooge

 

Best Actress

 

Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire

 

Best Supporting Actor

 

Marlon Brando, A Streetcar Named Desire  (yes, supporting)

 

Best Supporting Actress

 

Kim Hunter, A Streetcar Named Desire

[Swithin]

1951 - 83 films seen

 

 

1. THE THING

Science fiction horror film that features the fastest dialogue in the history of the genre. Howard Hawks' fingerprints are all over this, from the strong female character to the lightning pace. The cast of lesser knowns helps the air of no-nonsense reality. The "creature lurking around dark corridors" format is still recycled 4 or 5 times every year. I love the scene where they circle the buried spacecraft in the ice.

 

2. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

The polar opposite of that first film, this is the kinder, gentler alien visitation. The anti-nuke message was daring at the time. The great cast, including Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, and Michael Rennie as the alien, are all excellent. And who can forget Gort? Klaatu Barada Niktu!

 

3. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

Terrific Hitchcock, with a terrific performance from Robert Walker.

 

4. DETECTIVE STORY

American films take another step toward gritty reality, with Kirk Douglas as a harried police detective. Outstanding support roles for Lee Grant and Joseph Wiseman.

 

5. A PLACE IN THE SUN

Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift were never prettier, and Shelley Winters established her permanent screen persona. Dark look at the American dream.

 

6. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Four amazing performances in the best version of the play possible at that time of American cinema. Brando changes the game forever here.

 

7. ACE IN THE HOLE

Razor-sharp critique of sensationalistic journalism, anchored by what may be Kirk Douglas' best performance. More timely than ever.

 

8. THE AFRICAN QUEEN

Bogart, Hepburn, and Huston. Three pros bringing their "A" game.

 

9. WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

Disaster movie that set the standard. The step-by-step preparation for the survival of humanity is great. John Hoyt is delightfully hateful as the rich jerk funding everything.

 

10. DECISION BEFORE DAWN

Terrific wartime espionage with a star-making turn by Oskar Werner.

 

 

Runner-ups: THE IDIOT, DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST, THE RIVER, THE LAVENDER HILL MOB, and THE PROWLER.

 

 

Larry's Choice: BRIDE OF THE GORILLA

 

Plantation foreman Raymond Burr has the hots for boss' wife Barbara Payton, so he kills him. Angry workers put a curse on Burr, making him a were-gorilla. Can local cop Lon Chaney Jr put an end to this monkey business, or will this gorilla thrilla drive him as ape as the audience?

Now that is a very juicy list!  I haven't compiled my list yet -- will do so tomorrow. I had to read Bresson's Diary of a Country Priest for a theology course years ago and found the movie equally moving. At least two of your sci-fi films will probably be on my list, as will Streecar certainly! I want to see The Idiot -- my favorite Dostoievsky novel, read for a class in existentialism.  (Btw, I once worked with a woman named Pearl Lang -- a dancer/choreographer. Her husband was Joseph Wiseman, of the excellent Detective Story.)

[Swithin]

I've heard good things about both shows. I'm surprised you couldn't get into the dialogue of ALL ABOUT EVE. It has so many quotable lines.

 

I know it does -- too many. I don't go as far as this wag in my feelings about Eve, but I do understand how he feels (from a review I found online):

 

"Considered the apex of sharp wit, All About Eve should also be regarded as the nadir of story-telling technique. A film that begins with so much narration you feel as if you’re watching a book on tape... all yakity-yak ... not even fun by bitchy standards..."

[speedracer5]

1951 films

 

1. An American in Paris

2. A Place in the Sun

3. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

4. The African Queen

5. Alice in Wonderland

6. A Streetcar Named Desire

7. Ace in the Hole

8. I'll See You in My Dreams

9. Strangers on a Train

10. The Lemon Drop Kid

 

 

[kingrat]

Good grief, I go out of town for half a day and I'm two years behind. Now about 1950:

 

1950: another very good year for Hollywood. Three films are so iconic that they have become part of our culture. THE ASPHALT JUNGLE is one of the most imitated films ever made. The plots, characters, and ambiance of ALL ABOUT EVE and SUNSET BOULEVARD are part of our common movie culture, although the imitators never come up with lines as good as “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night” or “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.”

Film noir continues to flourish, with IN A LONELY PLACE, THE BREAKING POINT, PANIC IN THE STREETS, TRY AND GET ME, NIGHT AND THE CITY, NO WAY OUT, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, and the “femme noirs” NO MAN OF HER OWN, THE DAMNED DON’T CRY, and MADELEINE adding to the darkness. This was the year Anthony Mann transitioned from film noir to the western. I prefer THE FURIES and DEVIL’S DOORWAY to WINCHESTER ’73, but all three have their points. Add WAGON MASTER, RIO GRANDE, and TWO FLAGS WEST, and the western looks like a major genre this year. Its prominence will continue through the decade. (Some also consider STARS IN MY CROWN a western, but I would classify it as Americana.)

Two films which depict the human consequences of war, THREE CAME HOME and THE MEN, also add to the excellence of the year, as does a fine re-telling of the Paris Exposition story, SO LONG AT THE FAIR. On the lighter side, KING SOLOMON’S MINES is an enjoyable adventure tale; two hit Broadway comedies, HARVEY and BORN YESTERDAY, made it to the screen; and FATHER OF THE BRIDE pleases many Spencer Tracy fans.

Top 10 for 1950:

1. ALL ABOUT EVE – As the theater has become a more and more marginal part of American life, it’s interesting, and perhaps nostalgic, to watch films where it mattered greatly. With the witty lines of Joseph L. Mankiewicz perfectly delivered, this is perfect of its kind.
2. SUNSET BOULEVARD – The good folk of the contemporary Hollywood scenes inevitably seem a little dull compared to the creepy decadent types of the previous era. Those aspiring screenwriters could only dream of writing a script as great, and with as much resonance as, this one. William Holden, who seems like such a sturdy masculine type, does self-loathing better than any other actor. Billy Wilder at his best.
3. THE ASPHALT JUNGLE –I’d love to cut or at least trim some of Jean Hagen’s scenes; she’s almost as annoying here as in SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, where’s she supposed to be annoying. Otherwise, this is perfection. My favorite Marilyn Monroe performance. I smile whenever Sam Jaffe or James Whitmore or Louis Calhern is on screen. Sam Jaffe delaying his escape to watch the teenage girl dance to the jukebox is one of my favorite moments in film. The silent robbery scene has been much imitated.
4. IN A LONELY PLACE – My favorite Nicholas Ray film, favorite Gloria Grahame performance, and perhaps my favorite Humphrey Bogart performance. Yet another film this year about an aspiring screenwriter.
5. THE FURIES – The ending doesn’t quite work (and I wish it were Richard Widmark or Glenn Ford instead of Wendell Corey), but the rest of the movie is wonderful. The scenes between Barbara Stanwyck and Gilbert Roland are the heart of the film. Blanche Yurka is one of the most terrifying mothers or mothers-in-law you could have, and Judith Anderson is the stepmother Stanwyck loathes. Walter Huston is perfectly cast as the patriarch of the ranch.
6. THREE CAME HOME – Thanks to TCM, this film is beginning to attract a following. Claudette Colbert plays a writer who is interned in a Japanese prison camp in Borneo, along with her husband and son. Jean Negulesco underplays the dangers and horrors, so that when they do come, they arrive with even more of a punch. Sessue Hayakawa is excellent as the sometimes sympathetic camp commandant.
7. WAGON MASTER – I tend to feel suspicious of the pastoral impulses of John Ford, but this film, a sympathetic portrayal of a group of Mormons heading west, is an exception. One of his best films.
8. THE BREAKING POINT – Who could believe that this is based on the same Hemingway novel as TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT? Film noir Hemingway, with John Garfield in top form and Patricia Neal in one of her best roles as a good bad girl.
9. STARS IN MY CROWN – It’s hard to believe the scene where the handsome young preacher (Joel McCrea) makes up Uncle Famous’ will and saves him from hanging, but I certainly want to believe it. A mix of fable and realism, a gentle and episodic film with some painful parts, well directed and acted.
10. THE MEN – Hard to choose between THE MEN, DEVIL’S DOORWAY, PANIC IN THE STREETS, and MADELEINE for the last spot. Marlon Brando’s screen debut, but both the script and director Fred Zinnemann firmly place Brando and his character as one among the group of paraplegics in a hospital. Teresa Wright plays the fiancée who has difficulty coming to terms with the actual condition of the man she loves.

Best Actor: William Holden, Sunset Boulevard
Best Actress: Bette Davis, All About Eve
Best Supporting Actor: Sam Jaffe, The Asphalt Jungle
Best Supporting Actress: Judith Anderson, The Furies

[kingrat]

Now about those other 1940s favorites: the first eight directors are the ones mentioned three times or more in my top ten lists for the decade.

 

Favorite Directors of the 1940s:

 

Preston Sturges

William Wyler

Michael Powell

Jean Negulesco

Alfred Hitchcock

John Huston

David Lean

Orson Welles

Max Ophuls

Carol Reed

 

Favorite Actresses of the 1940s:

 

Ida Lupino

Jennifer Jones

Vivien Leigh

Bette Davis

Barbara Stanwyck

Paulette Goddard

Joan Crawford

Olivia De Havilland

Gene Tierney

Mary Astor

 

Favorite Actors of the 1940s:

 

Cary Grant

Henry Fonda

Humphrey Bogart

Tyrone Power

Claude Rains

John Garfield

Robert Ryan

Walter Pidgeon

Ray Milland

Peter Lorre

[kingrat]

Man, am I glad to see the love for DECISION BEFORE DAWN. Sometimes you feel like the only person who's ever seen a particular movie. Anatole Litvak is one of the two most underrated directors of the classic era (Negulesco is the other), with three films I consider masterpieces, THE LONG NIGHT and THE JOURNEY being the other two.

 

Now I'm finally caught up with the gang.

 

1951: the movies this year have such variety that no strong overall themes emerge, as far as I can tell, except that there are a staggering number of superb performances. A Streetcar Named Desire dominated the acting awards, even though Marlon Brando failed to win an Oscar (which at that point in his career he very much wanted), but the list of great performances by men in leading roles would also have to include Robert Ryan (On Dangerous Ground), Alastair Sim (A Christmas Carol), Robert Walker (Strangers on a Train), Montgomery Clift (A Place in the Sun), Michael Redgrave (The Browning Version), John Garfield (He Ran All the Way), Kirk Douglas (Ace in the Hole), Canada Lee (Cry, the Beloved Country), and Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen).

The women weren’t too shabby, either, with Vivien Leigh being joined by Ida Lupino (On Dangerous Ground), Thelma Ritter (The Model and the Marriage Broker), Katharine Hepburn (The African Queen), and Pier Angeli (Teresa).

Early Summer and Diary of a Country Priest would be contenders for the top ten if I were including foreign films.

Top Ten for 1951:

1. CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY – Not a movie that’s supposed to be good for you, just a great film. Location shooting in South Africa helps. The bitterly ironic plot—a basically good man accidentally kills one of the few white men trying to help—leads to a moving conclusion where much is implied in the few words that one of the grieving fathers can say to the other.
2. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN – One of Hitchcock’s best, with Robert Walker in his greatest role as the pathological Bruno. Hitch doesn’t really know what to do with the insufficiently blonde Ruth Roman, but otherwise it’s terrific.
3. WESTWARD THE WOMEN – Not a big hit at the time, but it looks mighty good today, as the mail order brides on a wagon train learn how to cope with difficulties on their own.
4. DECISION BEFORE DAWN – One of the most obscure films ever nominated for Best Picture, but you know what? It fully deserved the nomination. Litvak films in the rubble of Germany. Oskar Werner returns to his native land to spy for the Americans. What he sees, and what we can see in his eyes, make the movie unforgettable.

5. M - Joseph Losey's remake is, astonishingly, about as good as the original. Sensational cinematography, with much location work in downtown L.A. Strong cast, too.
6. THE AFRICAN QUEEN – Bogart and Hepburn make a great combination.
7. ON DANGEROUS GROUND – I think Nicholas Ray unbalances the film by devoting so much time to Robert Ryan’s cop on the edge, a much fresher character then than now, and for me the film doesn’t really begin until he drives to the snow country. The romantic subplot, which Ray didn’t like, is exactly what I do like, and Ryan and Ida Lupino are both remarkable, with Ward Bond excellent as the father of the murdered boy.
8. THE PROWLER – Losey has two films on this year's list. This film has problems of balance also, but the final third, in the ghost town, makes up for any previous shortcomings. Who knew that the desire to own a motel on the road to Vegas could prove so treacherous?
9. PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN – Only Jack Cardiff’s sensational cinematography and Albert Lewin’s direction are enough for Ava Gardner’s goddess-like beauty. A bit slow in places, with too much narration (but in James Mason’s voice!), and some dazzling, unforgettable moments.
10. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS – The final ballet is so great that nothing else matters.


Honorable mention: The Browning Version, Ace in the Hole, The Lavender Hill Mob, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Place in the Sun, A Christmas Carol, The Model and the Marriage Broker, He Ran All the Way, The House on Telegraph Hill, The Steel Helmet, The Tall Target, Show Boat, Teresa

Best Actor: Robert Ryan, On Dangerous Ground
Best Actress: Ida Lupino, On Dangerous Ground
Best Supporting Actor: Oskar Werner, Decision Before Dawn
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Collinge (Teresa) or Hildegard Knef (Decision Before Dawn)

[SansFin]

My favorite Hollywood movies of 1951:

 

Another Man's Poison

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Desert Fox

The House on Telegraph Hill

The Lavender Hill Mob

The Man With A Cloak

No Highway in the Sky

Rhubarb

Strangers On A Train

The Thing From Another World

 

Foreign movies of 1951:

 

Hakuchi

The Idiot

The Night Before Christmas - This movie is available on: YouTube with English subtitles. Go to: YouTube and paste: "The night before Christmas 1951 noch pered rozhdestvom EN subs Russian animation by Russian animation eus347 subtitles" into Search box. 

[TheGayDivorcee]

Here are my top ten.  So many yet to be seen from 1951!

 

The Man in the White Suit

The Lavender Hill Mob

A Streetcar Named Desire

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

No Highway in the Sky

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Strangers on a Train

Father's Little Dividend

His Kind of Woman

An American in Paris

 

[Swithin]

1951 Favorites

 

The Browning Version

 

The Day the Earth Stood Still

 

Diary of a Country Priest

 

The Lemon Drop Kid

 

The Man in the White Suit

 

Miss Julie

 

Murder, Inc. (aka The Enforcer)

 

The River

 

A Streetcar Named Desire

 

The Thing

[TopBilled]

Good grief, I go out of town for half a day and I'm two years behind. Now about 1950:

 

1950: another very good year for Hollywood. Three films are so iconic that they have become part of our culture. THE ASPHALT JUNGLE is one of the most imitated films ever made. The plots, characters, and ambiance of ALL ABOUT EVE and SUNSET BOULEVARD are part of our common movie culture, although the imitators never come up with lines as good as “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night” or “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.”

 

Film noir continues to flourish, with IN A LONELY PLACE, THE BREAKING POINT, PANIC IN THE STREETS, TRY AND GET ME, NIGHT AND THE CITY, NO WAY OUT, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, and the “femme noirs” NO MAN OF HER OWN, THE DAMNED DON’T CRY, and MADELEINE adding to the darkness. This was the year Anthony Mann transitioned from film noir to the western. I prefer THE FURIES and DEVIL’S DOORWAY to WINCHESTER ’73, but all three have their points. Add WAGON MASTER, RIO GRANDE, and TWO FLAGS WEST, and the western looks like a major genre this year. Its prominence will continue through the decade. (Some also consider STARS IN MY CROWN a western, but I would classify it as Americana.)

 

Two films which depict the human consequences of war, THREE CAME HOME and THE MEN, also add to the excellence of the year, as does a fine re-telling of the Paris Exposition story, SO LONG AT THE FAIR. On the lighter side, KING SOLOMON’S MINES is an enjoyable adventure tale; two hit Broadway comedies, HARVEY and BORN YESTERDAY, made it to the screen; and FATHER OF THE BRIDE pleases many Spencer Tracy fans.

 

Top 10 for 1950:

 

1. ALL ABOUT EVE – As the theater has become a more and more marginal part of American life, it’s interesting, and perhaps nostalgic, to watch films where it mattered greatly. With the witty lines of Joseph L. Mankiewicz perfectly delivered, this is perfect of its kind.

2. SUNSET BOULEVARD – The good folk of the contemporary Hollywood scenes inevitably seem a little dull compared to the creepy decadent types of the previous era. Those aspiring screenwriters could only dream of writing a script as great, and with as much resonance as, this one. William Holden, who seems like such a sturdy masculine type, does self-loathing better than any other actor. Billy Wilder at his best.

3. THE ASPHALT JUNGLE –I’d love to cut or at least trim some of Jean Hagen’s scenes; she’s almost as annoying here as in SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, where’s she supposed to be annoying. Otherwise, this is perfection. My favorite Marilyn Monroe performance. I smile whenever Sam Jaffe or James Whitmore or Louis Calhern is on screen. Sam Jaffe delaying his escape to watch the teenage girl dance to the jukebox is one of my favorite moments in film. The silent robbery scene has been much imitated.

4. IN A LONELY PLACE – My favorite Nicholas Ray film, favorite Gloria Grahame performance, and perhaps my favorite Humphrey Bogart performance. Yet another film this year about an aspiring screenwriter.

5. THE FURIES – The ending doesn’t quite work (and I wish it were Richard Widmark or Glenn Ford instead of Wendell Corey), but the rest of the movie is wonderful. The scenes between Barbara Stanwyck and Gilbert Roland are the heart of the film. Blanche Yurka is one of the most terrifying mothers or mothers-in-law you could have, and Judith Anderson is the stepmother Stanwyck loathes. Walter Huston is perfectly cast as the patriarch of the ranch.

6. THREE CAME HOME – Thanks to TCM, this film is beginning to attract a following. Claudette Colbert plays a writer who is interned in a Japanese prison camp in Borneo, along with her husband and son. Jean Negulesco underplays the dangers and horrors, so that when they do come, they arrive with even more of a punch. Sessue Hayakawa is excellent as the sometimes sympathetic camp commandant.

7. WAGON MASTER – I tend to feel suspicious of the pastoral impulses of John Ford, but this film, a sympathetic portrayal of a group of Mormons heading west, is an exception. One of his best films.

8. THE BREAKING POINT – Who could believe that this is based on the same Hemingway novel as TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT? Film noir Hemingway, with John Garfield in top form and Patricia Neal in one of her best roles as a good bad girl.

9. STARS IN MY CROWN – It’s hard to believe the scene where the handsome young preacher (Joel McCrea) makes up Uncle Famous’ will and saves him from hanging, but I certainly want to believe it. A mix of fable and realism, a gentle and episodic film with some painful parts, well directed and acted.

10. THE MEN – Hard to choose between THE MEN, DEVIL’S DOORWAY, PANIC IN THE STREETS, and MADELEINE for the last spot. Marlon Brando’s screen debut, but both the script and director Fred Zinnemann firmly place Brando and his character as one among the group of paraplegics in a hospital. Teresa Wright plays the fiancée who has difficulty coming to terms with the actual condition of the man she loves.

 

Best Actor: William Holden, Sunset Boulevard

Best Actress: Bette Davis, All About Eve

Best Supporting Actor: Sam Jaffe, The Asphalt Jungle

Best Supporting Actress: Judith Anderson, The Furies

Glad you mentioned THE BREAKING POINT. I think it's the best of the remakes, but I still prefer UNDER MY SKIN a little more as far as Garfield-Hemingway movies go. Your comments about this being a big year for Anthony Mann resonate strongly. The decade would be a good one for him, and not just in the western genre as he did a Glenn Miller biopic and STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND (both with Stewart).

 

Regarding your comments about THE FURIES-- I don't mind Wendell Corey and think he's quite a decent actor who does a certain type of role to a tee. I feel the fight scene between Stanwyck & Anderson is the highlight of the picture. And in a way, it seems like a continuation of the conflict in THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS. It allows us to see what might have happened if Stanwyck's character (and the young actress who played her in the earlier scenes) hadn't accidentally killed Martha Ivers' aunt as a child. 

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I know it does -- too many. I don't go as far as this wag in my feelings about Eve, but I do understand how he feels (from a review I found online):

 

"Considered the apex of sharp wit, All About Eve should also be regarded as the nadir of story-telling technique. A film that begins with so much narration you feel as if you’re watching a book on tape... all yakity-yak ... not even fun by bitchy standards..."

I think this is a legitimate complaint about EVE. It does take too long for the story to get going at the start of the picture. And it is almost as if Mankiewicz is trying to make Sanders' character not only the Greek chorus and narrator but also a fully involved supporting player, peripherally damaged by the main character. It doesn't quite work.  It would be like the queen directly addressing the audience and commenting on the madness of Hamlet as he tries to assume the throne. 

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Man, am I glad to see the love for DECISION BEFORE DAWN. Sometimes you feel like the only person who's ever seen a particular movie. Anatole Litvak is one of the two most underrated directors of the classic era (Negulesco is the other), with three films I consider masterpieces, THE LONG NIGHT and THE JOURNEY being the other two.

 

Now I'm finally caught up with the gang.

 

1951: the movies this year have such variety that no strong overall themes emerge, as far as I can tell, except that there are a staggering number of superb performances. A Streetcar Named Desire dominated the acting awards, even though Marlon Brando failed to win an Oscar (which at that point in his career he very much wanted), but the list of great performances by men in leading roles would also have to include Robert Ryan (On Dangerous Ground), Alastair Sim (A Christmas Carol), Robert Walker (Strangers on a Train), Montgomery Clift (A Place in the Sun), Michael Redgrave (The Browning Version), John Garfield (He Ran All the Way), Kirk Douglas (Ace in the Hole), Canada Lee (Cry, the Beloved Country), and Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen).

 

The women weren’t too shabby, either, with Vivien Leigh being joined by Ida Lupino (On Dangerous Ground), Thelma Ritter (The Model and the Marriage Broker), Katharine Hepburn (The African Queen), and Pier Angeli (Teresa).

 

Early Summer and Diary of a Country Priest would be contenders for the top ten if I were including foreign films.

 

Top Ten for 1951:

 

1. CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY – Not a movie that’s supposed to be good for you, just a great film. Location shooting in South Africa helps. The bitterly ironic plot—a basically good man accidentally kills one of the few white men trying to help—leads to a moving conclusion where much is implied in the few words that one of the grieving fathers can say to the other.

2. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN – One of Hitchcock’s best, with Robert Walker in his greatest role as the pathological Bruno. Hitch doesn’t really know what to do with the insufficiently blonde Ruth Roman, but otherwise it’s terrific.

3. WESTWARD THE WOMEN – Not a big hit at the time, but it looks mighty good today, as the mail order brides on a wagon train learn how to cope with difficulties on their own.

4. DECISION BEFORE DAWN – One of the most obscure films ever nominated for Best Picture, but you know what? It fully deserved the nomination. Litvak films in the rubble of Germany. Oskar Werner returns to his native land to spy for the Americans. What he sees, and what we can see in his eyes, make the movie unforgettable.

5. M - Joseph Losey's remake is, astonishingly, about as good as the original. Sensational cinematography, with much location work in downtown L.A. Strong cast, too.

6. THE AFRICAN QUEEN – Bogart and Hepburn make a great combination.

7. ON DANGEROUS GROUND – I think Nicholas Ray unbalances the film by devoting so much time to Robert Ryan’s cop on the edge, a much fresher character then than now, and for me the film doesn’t really begin until he drives to the snow country. The romantic subplot, which Ray didn’t like, is exactly what I do like, and Ryan and Ida Lupino are both remarkable, with Ward Bond excellent as the father of the murdered boy.

8. THE PROWLER – Losey has two films on this year's list. This film has problems of balance also, but the final third, in the ghost town, makes up for any previous shortcomings. Who knew that the desire to own a motel on the road to Vegas could prove so treacherous?

9. PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN – Only Jack Cardiff’s sensational cinematography and Albert Lewin’s direction are enough for Ava Gardner’s goddess-like beauty. A bit slow in places, with too much narration (but in James Mason’s voice!), and some dazzling, unforgettable moments.

10. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS – The final ballet is so great that nothing else matters.

 

 

Honorable mention: The Browning Version, Ace in the Hole, The Lavender Hill Mob, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Place in the Sun, A Christmas Carol, The Model and the Marriage Broker, He Ran All the Way, The House on Telegraph Hill, The Steel Helmet, The Tall Target, Show Boat, Teresa

 

Best Actor: Robert Ryan, On Dangerous Ground

Best Actress: Ida Lupino, On Dangerous Ground

Best Supporting Actor: Oskar Werner, Decision Before Dawn

Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Collinge (Teresa) or Hildegard Knef (Decision Before Dawn)

Interesting choices. Glad you mentioned WESTWARD THE WOMEN, which tends to be an overlooked gem. Also, as you noted, it was an important year for Losey, before he went off to England. 

 

I don't care for the Technicolor version of SHOW BOAT. Gardner seems as miscast as a musical lead in this film as Audrey does in MY FAIR LADY. They might have thought they were going with a bigger box office name, but you can't really do a full-scale musical with a weak untrained singer. Shades of Susan Alexander Kane trying to perform opera. 

 

Patricia Collinge is one of the best character actresses of her generation.