Your Favourite Performances from 1929 to present are...

[LawrenceA]

The Admirable Crichton is a fine re-telling of J.M. Barrie's famous play about a shipwrecked party of Brits. On the island, Crichton, the butler, becomes the natural leader of the community.  Would this change if the group is rescued? Martita Hunt isn't part of the shipwrecked bunch, but she steals every scene she's in, which is often the case.

 

I've seen the 1919 version of this, directed by C.B. DeMille, and starring Gloria Swanson and Thomas Meighan.

[Bogie56]

 

The Admirable Crichton is a fine re-telling of J.M. Barrie's famous play about a shipwrecked party of Brits. On the island, Crichton, the butler, becomes the natural leader of the community.  Would this change if the group is rescued? Martita Hunt isn't part of the shipwrecked bunch, but she steals every scene she's in, which is often the case.

 

I watched the Bergman Anastasia (1956) again recently and Martita Hunt steals every scene in that picture too.

[Bogie56]

Before we hit 1958 I would just like to mention that personally, I am going with 1958 with regards Room at the Top.  Both the imdb and wikipedia list it as 1959.  Wikipedia goes as far as to say it was released in the UK on January 22, 1959.  Yet it won Britain's BAFTA Award for Best Picture of 1958 and Simone Signoret won Best Actress for 1958 as well.  This is well before the days of vhs or dvd screeners so I would say that Room at the Top had to have been in release in the UK in late 1958.  A google search of Variety reviews came up with December 31, 1958.  That would infer a public screening.  There are many publications that list Room as a 1958 film.  Lots more list it as 1959.  

This may explain the confusion:  In July 1958 the film (note that it was finished mid-1958) went before the British censor Board and was given an X rating.  Terry Bolas writes in his book Screen Education: From Film Appreciation to Media Studies about Room at the Top.  It is complicated, but it includes a report that was written in 1958 based on a review of the film.  "...the controversy which had surrounded the release of Room at the Top in 1958 when the Report was being written.  Given an X certificate, Rank cinemas had refused to screen the film, which had consequently been released in smaller independent cinemas.”  So, I would think that the January 1959 general release came on the heels of the films growing popularity in 1958.  But hey, feel free to choose whichever year you see most fitting.  Let you conscience dictate as Ted Cruz might advise. 

[LawrenceA]

Before we hit 1958 I would just like to mention that personally, I am going with 1958 with regards Room at the Top. 

 

I made the appropriate corrections to my '58 and '59 lists. This changes my winners.

[Swithin]

The Admirable Crichton is a fine re-telling of J.M. Barrie's famous play about a shipwrecked party of Brits. On the island, Crichton, the butler, becomes the natural leader of the community.  Would this change if the group is rescued? Martita Hunt isn't part of the shipwrecked bunch, but she steals every scene she's in, which is often the case.

 

We're Not Dressing (1934), with Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, Leon Errol, Ethel Merman, and Burns and Allen, is a film adaptation of the play as well. Very amusing, with a great score. 

 

I saw the play on stage with Rex Harrison, Edward Fox, and Martin Clunes.

[TomJH]

 

The Admirable Crichton is a fine re-telling of J.M. Barrie's famous play about a shipwrecked party of Brits. On the island, Crichton, the butler, becomes the natural leader of the community.  Would this change if the group is rescued? Martita Hunt isn't part of the shipwrecked bunch, but she steals every scene she's in, which is often the case.

 

 

I've seen the 1919 version of this, directed by C.B. DeMille, and starring Gloria Swanson and Thomas Meighan.

 

Renamed by De Mille as Male and Female. However, being a De Mille film, it is most remembered for this scene with Swanson:

 

 

That was the actress herself posing with a lion. When asked by the same director to work on screen with a lion years later in Samson and Delilah, Victor Mature declined the offer (thus Samson's incredibly fake fight with a lion in that film). I'm not knocking Mature for doing so (I would have done the same thing). But obviously Swanson was made of different stuff when she posed for this shot.

 

From http://gswanson.weebly.com/male-and-female.html:

 

The inevitable flashback scene called for Gloria to be fed to a den of lions because she will not abandon her religion. When the famous scene was ready to be filmed (it was filmed last) Gloria, wearing a fabulous dress made of pearls and feathers, bravely walked onto the set and into the lions den and lay on the floor. The lion walked over to her and placed his paw on her back. Everyone on the set was holding their breath and Gloria herself claimed that she was terrified. After the completion of the scene, De Mille gave Gloria a mesh purse adorned with a sapphire as a token of his appreciation.

 

Quite frankly, this is pretty crazy stuff. I can't envision any film production today endangering anyone outside of a stunt person in this manner. But to do it with a major star like Swanson - it was a different world in the fledgling film community back then.

 

Sorry for the deviation from 1957 but this is too good an anecdote (even if a 1919 one) to let go by.

[Bogie56]

It’s time for 1958.  We will be on 1958 until next Friday so plenty of time for everyone to respond.  We'll start 1959 next Friday to give time for a best of the decade review before starting 1960 the week after.

 

Here are Oscar’s choices for 1958.  Winners in bold. 

 

Best Actor

 

David Niven, Separate Tables*

Tony Curtis, The Defiant Ones

Paul Newman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Sidney Poitier, The Defiant Ones

Spencer Tracy, The Old Man and the Sea

 

Best Actress

 

Susan Hayward, I Want to Live!*

Deborah Kerr, Separate Tables

Shirley MacLaine, Some Came Running +

Rosalind Russell, Auntie Mame

Elizabeth Taylor, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

 

Best Supporting Actor

 

Burl Ives, The Big Country*

Theodore Bikel, The Defiant Ones

Lee J. Cobb, The Brothers Karamazov

Arthur Kennedy, Some Came Running

Gig Young, Teacher’s Pet 

 

Best Supporting Actress

 

Wendy Hiller, Separate Tables*  

Peggy Cass, Auntie Mame

Martha Hyer, Some Came Running

Maureen Stapleton, Lonelyhearts

Cara Williams, The Defiant Ones

 

IMO Shirley MacLaine belongs in the supporting actress category for Some Came Running.

[LawrenceA]

1958

 

BEST ACTOR

James Stewart  Vertigo****

Laurence Harvey  Room at the Top

Marlon Brando  The Young Lions

Paul Newman  Cat On a Hot Tin Roof

Youssef Chahine  Cairo Station

Zbigniew Cybulski  Ashes & Diamonds

Burl Ives  Cat On a Hot Tin Roof

Spencer Tracy  The Old Man and the Sea

Jacques Tati  Mon Oncle

Orson Welles  Touch of Evil

David Niven  Separate Tables

Sidney Poitier  The Defiant Ones

Robert Mitchum  Thunder Road

Chhabi Biswas  Jalsaghar: The Music Room

 

BEST ACTRESS

Simone Signoret  Room at the Top*****

Elizabeth Taylor  Cat On a Hot Tin Roof

Shirley MacLaine  Some Came Running

Jeanne Moreau  The Lovers

Susan Hayward  I Want to Live!

Misa Uehara  The Hidden Fortress

Jean Seaberg  Bonjour Tristesse

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Marcello Mastroianni  Big Deal On Madonna Street****

Torin Thatcher  The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad

Kamatari Fujiwara  The Hidden Fortress

Trevor Howard  The Key

Maximillian Schell  The Young Lions

Minoru Chiaki  The Hidden Fortress

Ray Walston  South Pacific

Ernest Borgnine  The Vikings

Akim Tamiroff  Touch of Evil

Robert Donat  The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

Christopher Lee  Horror of Dracula

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Wendy Hiller  Separate Tables****

Maureen Stapleton  Lonelyhearts

Cara Williams  The Defiant Ones

Gladys Cooper  Separate Tables

Marlene Dietrich  Touch of Evil

Judith Anderson  Cat On a Hot Tin Roof

Peggy Cass  Auntie Mame

 

BEST JUVENILE PERFORMANCE

Charles Herbert  The Fly**** (Not that great, but I got nothing else)

[Bogie56]

Here are my choices of the 91 films I've seen from 1958 for…

 

Best Supporting Actress of 1958

 

1.  WENDY HILLER (Pat Cooper), Separate Tables

2.  ADRIENNE SEVANTIE (Madame Arpel), Mon Oncle

3.  CARA WILLIAMS (“the Woman”/“Billy’s mother”), The Defiant Ones

4.  JUDITH ANDERSON (“Big Mama” Ida Pollitt), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

5.  SHIRLEY MACLAINE (Ginny Moorhead), Some Came Running

 

6.  GLADYS COOPER (Mrs. Maud Railton-Bell) Separate Tables

7.  GERALDINE FITZGERALD (Edith Stokes Chapin), Ten North Frederick

8.  HERMIONE BADDELEY (Elspeth), Room at the Top

9.  KAY WALSH (Miss D. Coker), The Horse's Mouth

10. CATHLEEN NESBITT (Lady Matheson), Separate Tables

 

and ...

 

CLAIRE BLOOM (Katya), The Brothers Karamazov

RENEE HOUSTON (Sara Monday), The Horse's Mouth

EARTHA KITT (“Go Go” Germaine), St. Louis Blues

PEGGY CASS (Agnes Gooch), Auntie Mame

ATHENE SEYLER (Jeannie Lawson), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

HERMIONE GINGOLD (Madame Alvarez), Gigi

[Bogie56]

Here are my choices of the 91 films I've seen from 1958 for…

 

Best Supporting Actor of 1958

 

1.  JOSEPH CALLEIA (Pete Menzies), Touch of Evil

2.  BURL IVES (Rufus Hannassey), The Big Country

3.  AKIM TAMIROFF (”Uncle” Joe Grandi/”Papa”), Touch of Evil

4.  MINORU CHIAKI (Tahei - the bearded farmer), The Hidden Fortress

5.  KAMATARI FUJIWARA (Matashichi - the older farmer), The Hidden Fortress

 

6.  MICHAEL GOUGH (Abel), The Horse's Mouth

7.  ALBERT SALMI (Smerdyakov), The Brothers Karamazov

8.  ANTON WALBROOK (Major Walsin Esterhazy), I Accuse!

9.  LEE J. COBB (Fyodor Karamazov), The Brothers Karamazov

10. SUSUMU FUJITA (General Hyoe Tadokoro), The Hidden Fortress

 

and ...

 

JACK CARSON (Gooper Pollitt), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

THEODORE BIKEL (Sheriff Max Muller), The Defiant Ones

CHARLTON HESTON (Steve Leech), The Big Country

DONALD WOLFIT (General Mercier), I Accuse!

DONALD WOLFIT (Mr. Brown), Room at the Top

TOM TULLY (Mike Slattery), Ten North Frederick

TORIN THATCHER (Sokurah, the Magician), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

DENNIS WEAVER (“Motel Night Clerk”), Touch of Evil

ARTHUR KENNEDY (Frank Hirsh), Some Came Running

RICHARD BASEHART (Ivan Karamazov), The Brothers Karamazov

HERBERT MARSHALL (Inspector Charas), The Fly

MICHAEL GOODLIFFE (Thomas Andrews), A Night to Remember

VALENTIN DE VARGAS (“Pancho” Grandi), Touch of Evil

[TomJH]

My 1958 acting picks:

 

BEST ACTOR

 

James Stewart, VERTIGO

Orson Welles, TOUCH OF EVIL

Sidney Poitier, DEFIANT ONES

Tony Curtis, DEFIANT ONES

Spencer Tracy, THE LAST HURRAH

 

Honourable Mention: Paul Newman in Cat in a Hot Tin Roof, Marlon Brando in The Young Lions, Gregory Peck in The Big Country, Trevor Howard in Roots of Heaven, Spencer Tracy in Old Man and the Sea.

 

BEST ACTRESS

 

Susan Hayward, I WANT TO LIVE

Elizabeth Taylor, CAT IN A HOT TIN ROOF

Kim Novak, VERTIGO

Jean Simmons, THE BIG COUNTRY

Ingrid Bergman, INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS

 

Honourable Mention: Olivia de Havilland in The Proud Rebel.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

 

Burl Ives, THE BIG COUNTRY

David Niven, SEPARATE TABLES

Robert Donat, INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS

Errol Flynn, TOO MUCH TOO SOON

Maurice Chevalier, GIGI

 

Honourable Mention: Burl Ives in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Joseph Calleia in Touch of Evil, Akim Tamiroff in Touch of Evil, Charlton Heston in The Big Country, Maximilian Schell in The Young Lions, Jack Carson in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

 

Deborah Kerr, SEPARATE TABLES

Marlene Dietrich, TOUCH OF EVIL

Wendy Hiller, SEPARATE TABLES

Judith Anderson, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

Hermione Gingold, GIGI

 

Honourable Mention: Barbara Bel Geddes in Vertigo.

 

Best Juvenile Performance of the Year

 

David Ladd in The Proud Rebel

 

BIG Woman Fantasy of the Year Award

 

Allison Hayes in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

 

Bizzaro of the Year Award

 

Dennis Weaver in Touch of Evil

 

[Swithin]

1958 Favorites

 

I think The Last Hurrah is one of John Ford’s greatest films. I’ve recognized two of the actors in this list.

 

1958 also saw one of my favorite Satyajit Ray films: The Philosopher’s Stone (Paras-Pathar). The performance by Tulsi Chakraborty is one of the finest in any Ray film. 

 

We are lucky that Gwen Verdon had the chance to recreate her stage role of Lola in Damn Yankees. 

 

In the Supporting Actor category, I particularly want to mention Edward Brophy (see clip at bottom) who is simply brilliant as Ditto Boland, one of Spencer Tracy’s “boys” in The Last Hurrah.  

 

Also in that category, Robert Donat gives a moving performance as a The Mandarin of Yang Cheng. Donat was extremely ill while filming The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. His last line, “We shall not meet again” sadly served as his epitaph to movies — and to life. He died shortly after filming ended.

 

In Supporting Actress, as much as I like Peggy Cass as Agnes Gooch, my candidate for supporting from Auntie Mame is Coral Browne, who is perfect as Vera Charles. I didn’t have room for Cass as well. I’ve also listed my dear old friend, Irene Worth, whose performance in Anthony Asquith’s Orders to Kill is exemplary. Irene told me to see that film, but I never had the chance, until after her death. TCM finally showed it, and I saw how wonderful her performance is — every line and gesture so perfect. I remember shouting at the screen, "Irene, you're wonderful." 

 

Best Actor

 

Tulsi Chakraborty (The Philospher’s Stone [Paras-Pathar])

Kenneth More (A Night to Remember)

Paul Newman (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)

David Niven (Separate Tables)

Spencer Tracy (The Last Hurrah)

 

Best Actress

 

Ingrid Bergman (The Inn of the Sixth Happiness)

Susan Hayward (I Want to Live)

Deborah Kerr (Separate Tables)

Rosalind Russell (Auntie Mame)

Gwen Verdon (Damn Yankees)

 

 

Best Supporting Actor

 

Edward Brophy (The Last Hurrah)

Robert Donat (The Inn of the Sixth Happiness)

Burl Ives (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)

Ernie Kovacs (Bell, Book and Candle)

Ed Wynn (Marjorie Morningstar)

 

Best Supporting Actress

 

Barbara Bel Geddes (Vertigo)

Coral Browne (Auntie Mame)

Geraldine Fitzgerald (Ten North Frederick)

Wendy Hiller (Separate Tables)

Irene Worth (Orders to Kill)

 

Best Musical Scenes

 

“A Little Brains, A Little Talent,” sung by Gwen Verdon (Damn Yankees)

"October Winds" aka "The Castle of Dramore," used as background music (The Last Hurrah)

 

Most Endearing Speech

 

Edward Brophy (The Last Hurrah)

 

[skimpole]

Actor

James Stewart, Vertigo
Chhabi Biswas, The Music Room
Nikolai Chersakov, Ivan the Terrible, Part II
Zbigniew Cybulski, Ashes and Diamonds
Jacques Tati, Mon Oncle

Runner-ups:  Vince Edwards (Murder by Contract), Gary Cooper (Man of the West), Max von Sydow (The Magician), Shin Saburi (Equinox Flower), Marcello Mastroianni (Big Deal on Madonna Street), David Niven (Bonjour Tristesse), Alec Guinness (The Horse's Mouth), Gregory Peck (The Big Country), Youssef Chahine (Cairo Station), Toshiro Mifune (The Hidden Fortress),

Actress

Kim Novak, Vertigo
Jeanne Moreau, The Lovers
Ingrid Thulin, The Magician
Jean Seberg, Bonjour Tristesse
Jeanne Moreau, Elevator to the Gallows
 

Runner-ups:   Deborah Kerr (Bonjour Tristesse), Cyd Charisse (Party Girl), Jean Simmons (The Big Country), Susan Hayward (I want to Live!)

,

Supporting Actor

Orson Welles, Touch of Evil
Gangapada Bose, The Music Room
Gunnar Bjornstrand, The Magician
Dean Martin, Some Came Running
Joseph Calleia, Touch of Evil


Runner-ups:   Waclaw Zastrzezynski (Ashes and Diamonds), Chishu Ryu (Equinox Flower), Burl Ives (The Big Country), Kenneth More (A Night to Remember), Dennis Weaver (Touch of Evil)

Supporting Actress

Barbara Bel Geddes, Vertigo
Adrienne Servante, Mon Oncle
Shirley MacLaine, Some Came Running
Marlene Dietrich, Touch of Evil
Hermione Gingold, Gigi

Runner-ups:  Serafima Birman (Ivan the Terrible, Part II), Ewa Kryzyzewska (Ashes and Diamonds), Carroll Baker (The Big Country),


Not seen:  Auntie Mame, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, The Brothers Karamazov, Teacher's Pet, Lonelyhearts

 

------The Second part of Ivan the Terrible was released in 1958, twelve years after its production and 10 years after Eisenstein's death.

 

------This is the third oscar I've given Stewart, having won both an Actor and Best Supporting Actor oscar in the forties. 

[Bogie56]

 

------The Second part of Ivan the Terrible was released in 1958, twelve years after its production and 10 years after Eisenstein's death.

 

 

 

I have a personal rule about films released many years after the production and that is to go with the year of the production when comparing them in lists such as this.  This is especially relevant with soviet block films where in many instances the film was finished but never released to the public because of political interference.  In such cases I go with the year of production.

[kingrat]

Swithin, I heartily second your praise for Irene Worth in the excellent Orders to Kill. Would love to hear any memories of her.

 

This year had a very strong field for lead actor, and the top three for supporting actress are all incredible.

 

Best Actor for 1958:

 

Zbigniew Cybulski, ASHES AND DIAMONDS****

James Stewart, VERTIGO

Michael Redgrave, THE QUIET AMERICAN

Alec Guinness, THE HORSE'S MOUTH

Laurence Harvey, ROOM AT THE TOP

Sidney Poitier, THE DEFIANT ONES

William Holden, THE KEY

 

Honorable mention: Chhabi Biswas, THE MUSIC ROOM; Dirk Bogarde, THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA; Dirk Bogarde, A TALE OF TWO CITIES; Gary Cooper, MAN OF THE WEST; Clark Gable, RUN SILENT RUN DEEP; Burl Ives, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF; Paul Newman, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF; Paul Scofield, CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE

 

Best Actress for 1958:

 

Jean Simmons, HOME BEFORE DARK****

Jean Simmons, THE BIG COUNTRY

Simone Signoret, ROOM AT THE TOP

Ingrid Bergman, THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS

Jean Seberg, BONJOUR TRISTESSE

Shirley MacLaine, SOME CAME RUNNING

 

Honorable mention: Susan Hayward, I WANT TO LIVE; Lilo Pulver, A TIME TO LIVE AND A TIME TO DIE; Rosalind Russell, AUNTIE MAME

 

Best Supporting Actor for 1958:

 

Trevor Howard, THE KEY****

Burl Ives, THE BIG COUNTRY

Lee J. Cobb, MAN OF THE WEST

Dean Martin, SOME CAME RUNNING

Robert Keith, THE LINEUP

 

Honorable mention: Charles Bickford, THE BIG COUNTRY; Thayer David, A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO DIE; Robert Morley, THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA

 

Best Supporting Actress for 1958:

 

Athene Seyler, THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS****

Irene Worth, ORDERS TO KILL

Kay Walsh, THE HORSE'S MOUTH

Hermione Gingold, GIGI

Judith Anderson, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

 

Honorable mention: Rosalie Crutchley, A TALE OF TWO CITIES; Leora Dana, KINGS GO FORTH; Juanita Hall, SOUTH PACIFIC; Marie Versini, A TALE OF TWO CITIES; Elizabeth Wilson, THE GODDESS

 

 

[Swithin]

Swithin, I heartily second your praise for Irene Worth in the excellent Orders to Kill. Would love to hear any memories of her.

 

 

So glad you like Orders to Kill and Irene's performance. I will pm you about Irene in the next week or so, when I get back to NY. I went to the National Theatre here in London yesterday -- that's where I first saw Irene, playing Ian McKellen's mother -- as Volumnia in Coriolanus -- in 1985. I first met her in the 1990s. She was not only a great actress but a deeply intelligent woman. Great friends with John Gielgud.

 

I'm glad you have the great Athene Seyler on your list. Had her on my list for Night of the Demon and will no doubt have her on again for Make Mine Mink. Like Irene, Ms. Seyler devoted most of her time to the stage.

[CoraSmith]

ACTOR:

1. James Stewart - Vertigo

2. Sidney Poitier - The Defiant Ones

3. Dirk Bogarde - A Tale of Two Cities

4. Orson Welles - Touch of Evil

5. David Niven - Separate Tables

6. Tony Curtis - The Defiant Ones

7. Maurice Ronet - Elevator to the Gallows

8. Burl Ives - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

9. Clark Gable - Teacher's Pet

10. Ray Milland - Hostile Witness

 

ACTRESS:

1. Kim Novak - Vertigo

2. Susan Hayward - I Want to Live!

3. Jean Seberg - Bonjour Tristesse

4. Jeanne Moreau - Elevator to the Gallows

5. Elizabeth Taylor - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

6. Virginia McKenna - Carve Her Name with Pride

7. Sophia Loren - Desire Under the Elms

8. Janet Leigh - Touch of Evil
9. Shirley MacLaine - Some Came Running

10. Doris Day - Teacher's Pet

SUPPORTING ACTOR:

1. Duncan Lamont - A Tale of Two Cities 

2. Tom Helmore - Vertigo

3. Burl Ives - Desire Under the Elms

4. Jack Lemmon - Bell, Book and Candle

5. Vincent Price - The Fly
6. Georges Poujouly - Elevator to the Gallows

7. Akim Tamiroff - Touch of Evil

8. Jack Carson - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

1. Barbara Bel Geddes - Vertigo

2. Marie Versini - A Tale of Two Cities

3. Rosalie Crutchley - A Tale of Two Cities

4. Mylène Demongeot - Bonjour Tristesse

5. Marlene Dietrich - Touch of Evil

6. Yori Bertin - Elevator to the Gallows

7. Wendy Hiller - Separate Tables

8. Mamie Van Doren - Teacher's Pet

BEST JUVENILE PERFORMANCE: Felipe Pazos - The Old Man and the Sea

BEST EXTRA: Bess Flowers - Vertigo

BEST ANIMAL PERFORMANCE: German Shepherd in The Littlest Hobo

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Edith Head - Vertigo

BEST ADAPTATION OF A CLASSIC NOVEL: A Tale of Two Cities

WORST ADAPTATION OF A CLASSIC NOVEL: The Brothers Karamazov

BEST ADAPTATION OF A FORGOTTEN NOVEL: Vertigo

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: 

1. Vertigo (Bernard Herrmann)

2. Elevator to the Gallows (Miles Davis)

3. Touch of Evil (Henry Mancini)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: Bonjour Tristesse (Juliette Gréco in Bonjour Tristesse)

BEST NON-ORIGINAL SONG: Stormy Weather (The Brothers Candoli & Jack Lemmon in Bell, Book and Candle)

BEST QUOTE: "Only one is a wanderer. Two together are always going somewhere." (Vertigo)

[Bogie56]

The New York Film Critics Circle Awards for 1958 were:

 

Best Actor

David Niven, Separate Tables*

Alec Guinness, The Horse’s Mouth

 

Best Actress

Susan Hayward, I Want to Live!*

Shirley Booth, Hot Spell and The Matchmaker

 

—————————————————————————————————

 

The National Board of Review Awards for 1958 were…

 

Best Actor

Spencer Tracy, The Old Man and the Sea and The Last Hurrah*

 

Best Actress

Ingrid Bergman, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness*

 

Best Supporting Actor

Albert Salmi, The Brothers Karamazov and The Bravados*

 

Best Supporting Actress

Kay Walsh, The Horse’s Mouth*

[TomJH]

I was inspired to write the following the day after having seen VERTIGO last year on the big screen at the Toronto International Film Festival (with Kim Novak in attendance in the audience). I lay awake in bed a good portion of the night, tossing and turning, unable to get the film's final minutes out of my mind.

 

However, a HUGE SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't seen Hitchcock's apparently most personal film because I do an analysis of the film's classic haunting ending, and I'm not going to leave any secrets here in the story:

 

 

 

I hadn’t watched Vertigo in years but I fully remembered the ending and knew exactly what was coming. Yet I was once again mesmerized and emotionally engulfed in that tragic climax.

 

As Scotty, James Stewart simply gives one of the great screen performances of the movies. In the film’s closing scene he is actually quite frightening, an obsessive, angry man dragging Judy, whom he now knows had played for him a sap in her pose as Madeleine, up those church steps to confront their past and her participation in a crime there.

 

Stewart’s teeth are gritted and his eyes angry as he verbally slams her for her participation in the murder plot with Elster. But then comes that moment when the anger vanishes from Stewart’s face, as he sinks back and says, “Oh, I loved you so, Madeleine.”

 

Suddenly Stewart makes the audience feel the love sick pain of this tormented soul he is playing. This is a James Stewart we will never see in any other film he made.

 

And Novak’s performance here is a small miracle, too, touchingly bringing a vulnerability to the scene. Terrorized and frightened by Scotty’s anger, Judy, after hearing this lament from him, hesitatingly at first, moves forward and back into his arms again. Now, for the first time in the film, Judy is being completely honest with Scotty, speaking of how she had been safe after the murder but brought herself back into danger again by being with him again, because of her love for him.

 

It’s too late for them now, of course, because Scotty knows that a woman has been murdered. But this is still the woman that is the love of his life that he holds in his arms, the woman that he will always love no matter what she has done.

 

And then, suddenly, it is over. The dark outline of a nun arises from nowhere, almost like a ghost from the past, scaring Judy into rushing backward and falling to her death. As Scotty stands on the ledge, looking down at her body, now, ironically, cured of his acrophobia, Hitchcock fades the scene to black. But as it darkens Bernard Herrmann’s haunting score sweeps our emotions with the power of his music and orchestration. The often dreamlike quality of Vertigo has ended as a nightmare.

 

Elster may or may not get away with the murder of his wife after the film has ended. But the audience really doesn’t care. What we care about are Scotty and Judy. Judy is dead, and Scotty might just as well be. We know that Scotty will never recover this time, not from this second loss of his great love.

 

With Vertigo’s shattering climax, we have just watched an ending of profound tragedy presented to us by a director, then at the full peak of his powers, who was a truly great filmmaker.

 

[Bogie56]

Here are my choices of the 91 films I've seen from 1958 for…

 

Best Actress of 1958

 

1.  SUSAN HAYWARD (Barbara Graham), I Want to Live!

2.  SIMONE SIGNORET (Alice Aisgill), Room at the Top

3.  ELIZABETH TAYLOR (Margaret ‘Maggie’ Pollitt/“Maggie the Cat”), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

4.  RITA HAYWORTH (Ann Shankland), Separate Tables

5.  SHIRLEY BOOTH (Dolly Gallagher Levi), The Matchmaker

 

6.  DORIS DAY (Erica Stone), Teacher's Pet

7.  DEBORAH KERR (Sibyl Railton-Bell), Separate Tables

8.  MARIA SCHELL (Grushenka), The Brothers Karamazov

9.  INGRID BERGMAN (Gladys Aylward), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

10. JANET LEIGH (Susan “Susie” Vargas), Touch of Evil

 

and ...

 

KIM NOVAK (“Madeleine Elster”/”Carlotta Valdes”/Judy Barton), Vertigo

JEAN SIMMONS (Julie Maragon), The Big Country

INGRID BERGMAN (Anna Kalman), Indiscreet

VIVECA LINDFORS (Lucie Dreyfus), I Accuse!

[Bogie56]

Here are my choices of the 91 films I've seen from 1958 for…

 

Best Actor of 1958

 

1.  LAURENCE HARVEY (Joe Lampton), Room at the Top

2.  ALEC GUINNESS (Gulley Jimson), The Horse's Mouth

3.  SIDNEY POITIER (Noah Cullen/”Colored”), The Defiant Ones

4.  TONY CURTIS (John Jackson/”Joker”), The Defiant Ones

5.  DAVID NIVEN (Major David Angus Pollack), Separate Tables

 

6.  GARY COOPER (Joseph B. Chapin), Ten North Frederick

7.  BURL IVES (Harvey “Big Daddy” Pollitt), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

8.  BURT LANCASTER (John Malcolm), Separate Tables

9.  ORSON WELLES (Police Captain Hank Quinlan), Touch of Evil

10. CHARLTON HESTON (Ramon Miguel “Mike” Vargas), Touch of Evil

 

and ...

 

SPENCER TRACY (Santiago/"the old man"), The Old Man and the Sea

SPENCER TRACY (Frank Skeffington), The Last Hurrah

JACQUES TATI ("Uncle" Hulot), Mon Oncle

PAUL NEWMAN (Brick Pollitt), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

PAUL FORD (Horace Vandergelder), The Matchmaker

JAMES STEWART (John “Scottie” Ferguson), Vertigo

JOHN MILLS (Captain Anson), Ice Cold In Alex

VITTORIO GASSMAN (Peppe), Big Deal on Madonna Street

YUL BRYNNER (Dimitri Karamazov), The Brothers Karamazov

KENNETH MORE (2nd Officer, Charles Herbert "Bertie" Lightoller), A Night to Remember

ANTHONY QUINN (John “Jack” Henry Duval), Hot Spell

CHHABI BISWAS (Biswambhar Roy Huzur), The Music Room

PETER CUSHING (Doctor Abraham Van Helsing), Horror of Dracula

[kingrat]

For years Home Before Dark was unavailable, but TCM has now been able to show it, and I believe it is also available on DVD. Its strongest feature is a remarkable performance by Jean Simmons as a woman who returns home from a mental hospital. She's been cured of her belief that her husband and her stepsister are having an affair. Or was she actually right to believe that?

 

The real mystery in the film is why Jean Simmons and Rhonda Fleming would give two hoots about the dull-as-ditchwater Dan O'Herlihy. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. adds some spark as a visiting professor. Surprisingly for the time, Zimbalist is identified as Jewish, and there is mention of anti-semitism among the other professors. Some of the story was filmed on location in Massachusetts during winter, and the big scene where Jean has herself made over to look like Rhonda Fleming is unforgettable.

 

 

 

 

[LawrenceA]

Home Before Dark will be on TCM August 30 at 9:45 AM EST as part of Jean Simmons day. I'll record it then, after all of this positive word of mouth.

[skimpole]

 

Elster may or may not get away with the murder of his wife after the film has ended.

 

Apparently there was a scene shot to show that he doesn't, just to make sure that the movie fell within Movie Production Code guidelines.  But apparently nobody cared enough to demand it was included.  But frankly, I don't see how Elstir gets caught.  The only evidence against him just fell off a bell tower.

[TomJH]

Apparently there was a scene shot to show that he doesn't, just to make sure that the movie fell within Movie Production Code guidelines.  But apparently nobody cared enough to demand it was included.  But frankly, I don't see how Elstir gets caught.  The only evidence against him just fell off a bell tower.

 

Yes, that rings a bell, skimpole, about that extra scene regarding Elster being caught (it may have been in a dialogue reference in a conversation between Scotty and Midge) not making it into the film.

 

One of the holes in the plot of Vertigo is that Elster, in setting up Scotty to see the fake Madeleine's death, counted upon the detective not looking at the body afterward to see that it was a different woman.