1950s List Discussion and Suggestions (Lists Project Vol. 3)

[knives]

I haven't seen that one.

[domino harvey]

A note on my two Spotlights, A Kiss Before Dying and Detective Story: for those interested, both are OOP but in stock and quite cheap at Amazon right now. By September, who knows?

[knives]

So here are the films good and bad I watched in the last month or so as prep for this list. Hopefully someone finds this helpful and titles in red have the usual connotations.

The Star (Heisler)
A pretty shameless Sunset BLVD knockoff that I feel is better than the Wilder though it doesn't aim or succeed at greatness. Davis gives a surprisingly average performance, but her chemistry with Hayden is so good that it doesn't matter. Their relationship is pretty fascinating and rings more true than the pushing and shoving of the Wilder failure.

Street of Shame (Mizoguchi)
Despite my hate-hate relationship with the guy I'm glad he ended on a relatively high note. This isn't a great movie by any means and isn't his best, but the characters are handled perfectly and the story is rather elegant. Success?

The Prince and the Showgirl (Olivier)
Easily Olivier's best job behind the camera. He keeps things basic, but a lovely colour scheme and a strong script that is actually aided by his style makes just ever so slightly more than what we've been given before. Monroe too is pretty good to the degree you don't notice her problems off set, she actually becomes the character and gives a great job (though the character is typical of her). An other not great, but should be better known sort.

The Roots of Heaven (Huston)
Here's one I have a hard job tackling. It's very Hustonian while having a few radical changes to his world philosophy. It's almost solely of interest from an autuer perspective given what a mess the end result it, but even that mess is enjoyable and bright. Here are some of his most vile losers (their eco cause first gets notice when Howard makes an assassination attempt) doing some of the greatest work of any of his characters. The way actions are not encouraged even as they're agreed upon makes some of the more questionable parts or silly monologues that much more fascinating. Flynn also gives probably his best performance as basically a dying version of himself (so basically himself). I almost wish Huston had the good sense to capture that sadness, but the film wouldn't be a mess that way.

Carmen Jones (Preminger)
With this film I think if he had worked in colour more often he would be thought of as Nicholas Ray's equal. The tones and emotions derived from that addition is just magnificent and on the level of his theme by technique styling. I feel I don't need to expand on why the music is great, but what really puts this as one of his best films is the interpretation of it and I don't just mean on the narrative level. The changes to lyrics and rhythms and call backs, all of this makes for one of the greatest experiences I've encountered in the medium.

The Left Hand of God (Dmytryk)
Usually I find Dmytryk to be a very lukewarm director and the orientalist plot made this sound like one of the worst movies to be possibly made, but some how it all works. The thing I think the movie benefits from the most is Bogart. He's an aged Sam Spade now and the movie conforms to that. Instead of being the liberal guilt-tripping that we get a '50s style western that just happens to be set in Asia.

Love is a Many Splendored Thing (King)
On the other side of the Buddy Adler orientalist coin comes this dull film that doesn't even show the potential of being a good thing in other hands. I usually adore King, but this has no positive attributes let alone the ones I apply to him. Take a shot every time Jones says Asian and Holden takes off his shirt.

Mister Roberts (Ford, LeRoy, Logan)
I really loved this film which really has no right to succeed with it's wackiest ship in the navy storyline, but this film is everything MASH claims to be. I especially loved when Cagney goes off the rails and there's this lovely tracking shot of him walking around the ship. Just the perfect mixture of drama and comedy.

Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy (Lamont)
God awful boring mess and Costello looks like he has cancer. There's no energy here and if any of the other films of theirs was good that I've seen I'd say they lost it, but maybe they never had it. Stick with A Tale of Two Mice instead.

It's a Big Country (Various)
How is it that the best episode in the movie has no credited director? It's the third sequence and is basically a documentary roll highlighting great black Americans caught on footage at the time. It's pretty generic PBS type stuff, but does a good job of just showing them as great people and not actually highlighting that they're black (I didn't even notice until a speech is played) though I bet it was cut out on southern showings hence the lack of credit. It doesn't hurt either to have Louis Calhern as your narrator. Naturally they shoot all of that goodwill away with the Charles Vidor segment which tackles racism in the most simplified way possible. The rest of the episodes range from dire to somewhat fun. I'm actually most impressed with the Sturges episode even if it's no where near the best since they were able to take such a short stick and make the drama mostly work. Though I put the blame on that mostly on the lead actor's shoulders. As to the reason I sat down with this pretty below average film, well the Wellman entry is not what I would have expected (the preceding two seem more his flavour), but I think it actually makes it better and gives an interesting sense of his career. The focus is on religious diversity a topic Hollywood's screwed up more times than can be counted, but fortunately he keeps things small and gives a simple conflict with no simple solution for it's main character. Recognizing the me nature of the story is the take's greatest strength.

Lafayette Escadrille (Wellman)
Being Wellman's last film this has a lot to live up to and despite some budgetary issues it certainly is one of the better swan songs a director has. The plot is pretty basic and recycles a few elements from Wings, but is really it's own beast and is willing to take risks concerning expectations. Hunter is far more charismatic than his name and face suggest and he does the few big emotional moments well, though I have to say Wellman's kid playing his old man steals the show in his few scenes. The film never gets the opportunity to be the giant epic that it so clearly wants, but as a personal tribute to the grace and horrors of war in equal measure it's hard to get better.

The Nun's Story (Zinneman)
Easily the best film from Zinneman I've seen even if only 90 minutes are actually great. The Africa stuff is okay if you ignore the Finch stuff, but it's a let down precisely because it ignores the title. This should be the nun's story and it really only seems to know what to do when it tells her story. Hepburn is a little too cute at times, but what do you expect from her?

Boy on a Dolphin (Negulesco)
This is easily the weakest film film from Negulesco I've seen missing out on much of his visual stylization and a good script. It's not bad, but it certainly isn't good either. The performances are surprisingly dull and inactive.

[domino harvey]

Have you seen Negulesco's the Best of Everything? I think it's the best (GET IT GET IT GET IT) film at marrying his tourist qualities as a director with his strong feminine sensibilities. I wish I could share your enthusiasm for Carmen Jones (more on it soon, too). And as the guy who started the William Holden no-shirt drinking game, let me say "Bottoms and Tops Up" to the no positive attributes line of thought (though I'm not quite so harsh-- I think it does have good costuming, like that matters in a film this bad)

[zedz]

Swo: Doesn't the trilogy rule mean that The Human Condition can't be voted for as a whole for the list (but that some constituent parts can be voted for individually)?

Pux: Flowing is likely to be top 10 for me. My favourite Naruse. So rich.

Everybody else: Three spotlights off the top of my head are -

Lye's Free Radicals - The greatest film ever made without a camera. Though be warned that its impact on living, breathing, flickering celluloid is exponentially greater than on non-film formats. Live and pulsing, this is a physically imposing, three-dimensional experience.

Lye's Rhythm - The greatest film ever made that's only a minute long. One of the medium's virtuoso feats of editing.

Sirk's There's Always Tomorrow - The Sirk film that completely clicks with me, absolutely heartbreaking as melodrama while also being devastatingly penetrating as a piece of social criticism.

[knives]

Have you seen Negulesco's the Best of Everything? I think it's the best (GET IT GET IT GET IT) film at marrying his tourist qualities as a director with his strong feminine sensibilities. I wish I could share your enthusiasm for Carmen Jones (more on it soon, too). And as the guy who started the William Holden no-shirt drinking game, let me say "Bottoms and Tops Up" to the no positive attributes line of thought (though I'm not quite so harsh-- I think it does have good costuming, like that matters in a film this bad)

It's on my to see list, but there's so much. With the recommendation I'll certainly push it further to the front though. I can already see where one might have problems with Carmen Jones, but it the good qualities are so amazing. My actual favorite Preminger's of the decade are probably Saint Joan and The Moon is Blue (of course those are the ones in the archives, but I digress). River of No Return was much better than I expected though it's the one guarantee to not be on my list. I also like Where the Sidewalk Ends more than most, though it's so with his '40s style that it would feel awkward to vote for it here. I'm not sure what my opinion on The Man with the Golden Arm is yet, but it likely has my vote. Haven't seen the rest.

[puxzkkx]

knives, of course you have every reason to dislike him but I'm curious as to why you 'hate-hate' Mizoguchi? I find his approach to the women's picture sometimes exploitative, and his general style overearnest sometimes, but I find it hard to understand someone out-and-out hating him.

[knives]

Just that basically. I find his depictions of women to be absolutely vile and on some occasions (Sisters of the Gion) those sexual politics make the film entirely unwatchable to me. I'd be able to handle that though is the other parts to his films were good, but the acting in his films, particularly from male actors, is some of the worst I've ever seen with a few exceptions (though I prefer Tanaka with Naruse) and his style is totally uninteresting and has been better elsewhere. He offers me nothing but negative.

[Michael Kerpan]

knives --

While some key male performances in Mizoguchi are weak (worst case -- the grown up son in Sansho), this is not a uniform feature, by any means. Street of Shame (which I like) DOES suffer a bit from this -- the ungrateful son of the older prostitute is downright rotten.

Gion bayashi (Gion Festival Music / A Geisha) is uniformly well-acted (the males may be jerks -- but they are fairly credible at being jerks). And the performances in Crucified Lovers (Mizoguchi's most perfect film, in my book) are mostly exceptional. Men don't play all that big a role in the very under-appreciated Uwasa no onna, except for the exploitative young doctor (the actor doing this part passed away just this week) who did a perfectly adequate job. And Mori's "weakness" in Yokihi is part of the nature of the character.

While I can understand the fact that you find Mizoguchi's handling of women exploitative (I occasionally to often am bothered by this), I don't understand your dismissal of his "style" as uninteresting and "done better elsewhere". Even at his most tawdry and sensationalistic (e.g. Women of the Night), his work oozes with style (enough that I can enjoy things, despite story-related queasiness).

[knives]

I really don't see any of that ooze and what I was primarily thinking of is the long shots which seem to be done in the most basic point and shoot way possible. There's movement of course, but it seems to sit most of the time and with none of the expressive mis-en-scene of say Manoel de Oliveira. Everything (with the exception of Utmaro) just comes across as very flat to me. Not at all dissimilar from a teleplay. As to the acting comment, I suppose I was too hyperbolic since there are many competent performances though I don't usually see it as his strong suit. I will try to check out Gion bayashi and Crucified Lovers though because why not?

[puxzkkx]

While some key male performances in Mizoguchi are weak (worst case -- the grown up son in Sansho), this is not a uniform feature, by any means. Street of Shame (which I like) DOES suffer a bit from this -- the ungrateful son of the older prostitute is downright rotten.

I thought Hanayagi was just fine in Sansho. But in Sansho, Ugetsu, even The Crucified Lovers acting was hardly the focus. It is in a contemporary piece like Street of Shame where the flaws in the ensemble show.

For the record, I thought Ayako Wakao was MVP of Street of Shame, and absolutely excellent - sly and subtle, the perfect 'saleswoman' but telegraphing clearly the reasons her character acts as she does in a way that prevents us from holding those behaviours against her. I preferred her to the ballyhooed Kyo who was fine, if obvious.

[Michael Kerpan]

Japan in the 50s, part 1

(see comments on Mizoguchi above) I doubt that Sansho or Ugetsu or Yokihi will make my cut, but Madam Yuki, Oyu-sama, Life of Oharu, Gion bayashi, Uwasa no onna, Crucified Lovers and Street of Shame will all be in contention. (Crucified Lovers will be in my top 10 somewhere).

Every 50s film by Ozu (except Munekata Sisters) holds a warm spot in my heart. Luckily every film (except Munekata Sisters) is now available in subbed form. Tokyo Story and Early Summer will be near the top of my list, but heaven knows how I will cope with winnowing the rest.

Some of Mikio Naruse's best films of the decade ARE (or were) available. I would contend that every film in the both the MOC set (Repast, sound of the Mountain, Flowing) and the BFI one (Floating Clouds, Woman Ascending the Stairs, Late Chrysanthemums) is a masterpiece (but Woman Ascending falls into the 60s). However, almost as many treasures have NOT become available (officially, at least). Ishinaka sensei gyojoki (1950) (especially part 3, starring Mifune), Maihime (1951) (Mariko Okada's debut role), Okuri and Gohei (1952) (Naruse tackles a neo-kabuki play by Tanizaki), Mother (1952), Lightning (1952), Husband and Wife (1953), Older Brother, Younger Sister(s) (1953), Sudden Rain (1956), A Woman's Heart (1956) (Mifune's only other appearance in Naruse's films), Untamed Woman (1957) and Summer Clouds (1958) -- all are worthy contenders. I would argue that Naruse may have created the most impressive body of work of any director during the 50s.

My number 4 favorite Japanese director of this decade is probably Tadashi Imai. Unfortunately, his work is unavailable in subbed form. Probably his best film was the 1953 Nigorie (Troubled Waters), but Till We Meet Again (1951), Thus We Live (1951), School of Echoes (1952), Tower of Lilies (1953), Darkness at Noon (1956) and Story of Young Love (1957) would all be worth checking out -- if only subbed versions existed. (Even I have never been able to track down ANY copy of another of his greatest films of the decade -- the 1958 Night Drum).

Hiroshi Shimizu continued to make films throughout the 50s, but I've only been able to track down one of these -- the 1955 Story of Jiro, which is very good (but does not exist in subbed form).

Heinosuke Gosho did some of his best work in the 50s, and I've seen less than half of it (and have yet to see some of his most acclaimed films). None exists in subbed form, but if it did, I'd recommend especially Where Chimneys Are Seen (1953), Takekurabe (Adolescence / Measuring Twice) (1955), and Banka (Elegy) 1957.

Kurosawa's 50s work is all readily available -- but I would put in special plugs for Idiot (a failure, maybe -- but a magnificent one), Lower Depths and Throne of Blood. (7 Samurai needs no plug). Some staples will definitely NOT make my list -- including Ikiru and Rashomon.

At least two films by Tomu Uchida are worthy of consideration on any list of greats -- Bloody Spear at Fuji (a certainty for me) and The Outsiders (a rare film focused on the oppression of the Ainu).

[dustybooks]

So I'm thinking I may try to participate in a lists project for the first time, after approximately five years of reading these threads religiously. A bit nervous, so bear with me. I have some potential spotlights to share soon, but a quick thought first --

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

The Trouble With Harry (1956) is that the film looks like it was shot for TV,

Excellent summary of Hitchcock's best decade -- and you've inspired me to pull out Stage Fright and give it another go -- but I have to passionately disagree on this tiny bit. For me, Harry's one of his masterpieces; I find it stunningly beautiful both aesthetically and as a piece of humanism, a valentine to the ideal of art as a savior to all of us. I know that sounds lofty but the more I see the film the more charmed and overwhelmed I feel by it. On the other hand, you're dead right about the MWKTM remake -- though I think it's decently fun and watchable, it seems so much a lesser achievement than the crackerjack original I can't fathom why he bothered.

I know you're a big supporter of To Catch a Thief, which I like but don't love, so along with Stage Fright I'm making that my Hitchcock homework.

[Michael Kerpan]

puxzkkx-- Hanayagi seems to have had only a minimal film career (and I can see why) -- I find his performance one of the least tolerable ones I've ever encountered in a good Japanese film (the princess in Hidden Fortress might be even worse, however.

I think the acting in Crucified Lovers is absolutely central -- and I think this has the best script of any Mizoguchi film (and it is one of the rare Mizoguchi films that shows traces of humor -- despite the overall tragedy -- unlike the case with Oharu, where all black humor and bawdiness of the source material was totally eliminated). This was Kurosawa's pick for best Mizoguchi film -- and I wholeheartedly agree with him (on this point).

As to Street of Shame, I spread the honors betwee Ayako Wakao, Machiko Kyo and Michiyo Kogure (a beautiful woman who manages to make herself utterly bedraggled and worn down).

knives --

I don't think you will get much agreement on the issue of the (alleged) boringness of Mizoguchi's long shots, either here or elsewhere. with all due respect, I think you're nuts (on this point). Gion bayashi and Crucified Lovers both outrank Street of Shame (which I like very very much) on my list (for what that may be worth).

[knives]

I've never claimed to be anything other than nuts. I'll be shocked if I ever get more than 25 of my choices on one of these lists.

[Michael Kerpan]

Japanese cinema in the 50s (continued)

Kon Ichikawa -- while his war-related Burmese Harp and Fire on the Plains are rightly acclaimed, most of his other very interesting work in this decade has been largely ignored in the West (despite James Quandt's best efforts to remedy this). Almost nothing else is available in subbed form (and lots of stuff I've never been able to track down). Of what I have seen, I can strongly recommend the grim Punishment Room (my personal favorite of the troubled youth films of this period), the savagely black comic The Crowded Streetcar and The Hole (Machiko Kyo channeling Nancy Drew -- lighter weight -- but really very entertaining).

Masumura's Giants and Toys is another savage black comedy worth seeing -- but I think Ichikawa's more surreal and loopy Crowded Streetcar is ultimately more interesting.

As to Kobayashi and Kinoshita -- I will leave their films to people who can mount a more positive presentation than I would be inclined to give.

[domino harvey]

So I'm thinking I may try to participate in a lists project for the first time, after approximately five years of reading these threads religiously. A bit nervous, so bear with me. I have some potential spotlights to share soon, but a quick thought first --

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

The Trouble With Harry (1956) is that the film looks like it was shot for TV,

Excellent summary of Hitchcock's best decade -- and you've inspired me to pull out Stage Fright and give it another go -- but I have to passionately disagree on this tiny bit. For me, Harry's one of his masterpieces; I find it stunningly beautiful both aesthetically and as a piece of humanism, a valentine to the ideal of art as a savior to all of us. I know that sounds lofty but the more I see the film the more charmed and overwhelmed I feel by it. On the other hand, you're dead right about the MWKTM remake -- though I think it's decently fun and watchable, it seems so much a lesser achievement than the crackerjack original I can't fathom why he bothered.

I know you're a big supporter of To Catch a Thief, which I like but don't love, so along with Stage Fright I'm making that my Hitchcock homework.

I know zedz and I have butted heads over it, so there's another to stand with you on Team Harry. The great thing about Hitchcock is that outside of Topaz I'm willing to readily believe that even his lesser films are hidden masterpieces, because they probably are. As for To Catch a Thief, man, I can't wait for a week from now when I can pop the figurative champagne and enjoy one of my bar-nothing favorite films on Blu-ray-- with my tastes rarely matching up with what's popular enough to merit a format release, it's a rare event indeed!

[Cold Bishop]

Frankly, I'm suffering from serious list fatigue, so expect me to be much more quiet on this list project. However I'm making my personal pet retrospective this decade to be Douglas Sirk, a director who I'm familiar with, but not familiar enough. As of right now, I'm focusing on his melodramas only: All I Desire, Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, There's Always Tomorrow, Written on the Wind, Interlude, The Tarnished Angels, A Time to Love and a Time to Die, Imitation of Life.

Any one want to stump for the other films I'm ignoring?

[Mr Sausage]

To Catch a Thief is one of my mother's absolute favourite films. Normally she can't watch Hitchcock (took her years to muster the nerve to finally make it all the way through Rear Window), but this one makes her eyes widen like she's a kid. She used to watch it whenever it came on TV until I bought her the DVD for her birthday some years ago. Now it's become something of a tradition that the two of us sit-down and watch it together. No arm-twisting in that tradition, either, the movie is such a delight. I happily give up whatever I'm doing to watch it with her.

[domino harvey]

Any one want to stump for the other films I'm ignoring (I know the comedies have their fans..

Has Anybody Seen My Gal? is a riot-- how could anyone knowingly deprive themselves of Charles Coburn cutting a rug on-screen?

[knives]

I think all of those films from that TCM set a while back are great. My favorite is Taza which is him doing what he does best to the westerns. It's a little trickier than that actually since it toys with the failed liberal tendencies of the previous movies in the series and while never falling into fatalism shows why the Hollywood thought process would never be capable of honestly portraying the situation.

[domino harvey]

I think all of those films from that TCM set a while back are great.

Yeah, I liked all of them except the Ann Blyth one. If any Sirk makes it on my list, it'll probably be the Tarnished Angels.

And Sausage, your mom of course has great taste!

[knives]

The Ann Blyth one is the Colbert one, right? I thought it had some good bits even if I have problems with Colbert's performance.

[swo17]

Swo: Doesn't the trilogy rule mean that The Human Condition can't be voted for as a whole for the list (but that some constituent parts can be voted for individually)?

I originally brought this issue up here, which prompted some discussion on both sides. While the answer isn't cut and dry, my ruling is that The Human Condition isn't a trilogy, but a six-part film which, for practical reasons, happened to be exhibited in three parts.

[tojoed]

Japanese cinema in the 50s (continued)

Kon Ichikawa -- while his war-related Burmese Harp and Fire on the Plains are rightly acclaimed, most of his other very interesting work in this decade has been largely ignored in the West (despite James Quandt's best efforts to remedy this). Almost nothing else is available in subbed form (and lots of stuff I've never been able to track down). Of what I have seen, I can strongly recommend the grim Punishment Room (my personal favorite of the troubled youth films of this period), the savagely black comic The Crowded Streetcar and The Hole (Machiko Kyo channeling Nancy Drew -- lighter weight -- but really very entertaining).

Michael, have you not seen Enjo? It's also difficult to get hold of, but there are boots of it around. Also Kagi. It's a shame there are no proper releases of these films, because I am sure they would be popular here.
Since it's one of my favourite Ichikawas, I have a watchable DVD-R of Kagi if anyone wants one.