The fifties were great!
Jul 27 '01
The Bottom Line The fifties produced some of the greatest movies ever.
I read somewhere that the fifties were a time of complacency and conformity, and produced few interesting movies. Whoever wrote that was a boob! And here's a short list to prove it. Ten pictures from the fifties, each one better than the last:
10. Ugetsu Monogatari (1953)
When one considers how devastated their country was during World War II, it's all the more impressive that a number of good Japanese pictures surfaced in the fifties -- pictures like Gate Of Hell, Rashomon (see below), and Ugetsu Monogatari. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and set in 16th century Japan, it's the story of two brothers, both chasing their dreams, one of wealth, the other of becoming a samurai. Throw in a ghost story and you've got a darn good picture. My rating: A
9. The Searchers (1956)
I first saw this picture 7 years ago, and thought it was pretty corny. Now I think it's great. To me, that's the mark of a great picture. While some movies get old and tired with subsequent viewing, the good one just get better each time you see them. What's the movie about? John Wayne obsessively tracks a band of nomadic and warlike Comanche who've killed his brother's family and kidnapped his niece. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent Wayne has something more drastic in mind than just rescuing her. My rating: A
8. The Seventh Seal (1957)
While not a fan of Bergman pictures, this one I do like a lot. It's got everything -- comedy, drama, romance, adventure, the supernatural, even singing and dancing! Now that's my idea of entertainment. (As opposed to "talkies" like Autumn Sonata.) I've heard people say they didn't want to see this movie because they were under the impression that it was very "serious". Actually, its quite funny. If you're afraid to see it, don't be. My rating: A+
7. The Steel Helmet (1950)
Released in 1950, this picture takes an unflinching look at life for some American infantry in the Korean War. Many movies have been made critical of wars, but usually many decades after the wars have ended. This picture was made on a shoestring in the midst of the Korean War, and rather than depicting a band of grunts teaming up to save the world from Communism, it lays bear the ethnic and cultural conflicts threatening American society. My rating: A+
6. I Confess (1953)
Montgomery Clift plays a priest in Quebec suspected for murder. The twist is that the real murderer confessed to Clift, but according to Catholic law, Clift cannot reveal the confession, even in his own defense. Yes, the plot is a little contrived, but Clift is great and the location photography in Quebec gives it an authentic atmosphere. This is an underrated Hitchcock classic. My rating: A++
5. North By Northwest (1959)
If I Confess is a little contrived, then North By Northwest completely absurd. Conceived by Hitchcock and and Ernest Lehmann as the ultimate "Hitchcock" movie, it shamelessly ripped off 30 years of previous Hitchcock pictures, but in doing so became an instant classic. It was, in many ways, the end of Hitchcock pictures. A couple years later, with the James Bond series hogging the spy thriller genre, Hitchcock forever abandoned it. (One might argue that Torn Curtain or Topaz were of this genre, but they were more of a reaction to it.) My rating: A++
4. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
This is the movie that allegedly ended the prosperous collaboration between writer Charles Brackett and director Billy Wilder. Brackett felt the material was too dark. It's a good thing Wilder persisted. William Holden is an out of work screenwriter who gets mixed up with a washed-up movie star played by Gloria Swanson. Plus there's Erich von Stroheim as her butler and cameo appearances by Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper, Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson, H.B. Warner, Ray Evans, and Jay Livingston. My rating: A++
3. Rear Window (1954)
Is it possible to make a two-hour movie about a man with a broken leg who just sits in a chair? If anyone can do it, it's the man who directed a movie about seven people sitting in a lifeboat. In this Hitchcock picture, James Stewart is a laid-up photographer who spends his time idly spying on the people in neighboring apartments. When an ominous neighbor's wife "goes on a trip", Stewart gets suspicious. Hijinks ensue. My rating: A++
2. Rashomon (1950)
Whenever there's a story about three witnesses giving three different accounts of an event, it's compared to Rashomon. The key difference that people fail to point out is that in most stories it's three people all claiming the other guy did it, but in Rashomon, it's three people all claiming that they're the murder. To top it off, the third witness is the ghost of the dead guy himself, who claims that he did it! With the whole story being retold by a forth character, this becomes a fascinating maze of memory and storytelling. My rating: A++
1. Vertigo (1958)
If you only see one movie in your lifetime, this would be a good one to pick. Though unpopular at the time of its release and panned by many critics, this Hitchcock picture about a retired detective who gets caught up in an evil scheme has enjoyed even greater acclaim with each passing year. It wouldn't be right for me to tell you what it's about, but suffice it to say that I've seen it over a hundred times and am still fascinated with it. My rating: A++
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Epinions.com ID:
bradywahl
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Member: Brady Wahl
Location: Cardington, Ohio, USA
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 19 members
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