The Usual Choices
East of Eden (Elia Kazan)
The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick)
Marty (Delbert Mann)
The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton)
Rebel Without a Cause (Nicholas Ray)
But how about...
Shack Out on 101 (Edward Dein)
I am amazed that this rarely turns up on any list of cult films (even Danny Peary doesn't make mention of it). One of the most impressive B-Movies ever made, SOo101 just grows in impact and strangeness after repeat viewings (I'm up to #4). Set in a seaside diner, the story throws some surreal dialogue around about nothing in particular, some Laurel & Hardy slapstick based on spearfishing and bodybuilding, a slightly icky love match (when Frank Lovejoy and Terry Moore have a roll on the beach, they look like two Meatybites mating), a very violent assault on a woman (Lee Marvin at his most physically frightening...he looks as if he's going to rip Terry's head off) and a poignant reminiscence about the D-Day landing. Then it turns out that what you're watching is really all about some traitorous Commie rats trying to undermine the American Way. Wow, man...like, McCarthyism on acid.
...and what about...
The Night My Number Came Up (Leslie Norman)
An Ealing production, this supernatural story could have been used as one of the segments in Dead of Night. Michael Hordern has a dream where a group of 13 people crash in a plane off the coast of Japan. He describes what he saw to a couple of soon-to-be plane passengers and, one by one, all of the predicted details fall into place. The greatest success of this engrossing movie is in its total control over your trepidation...gently unrolling the inevitable outcome but never letting go of your fear (sufferers of aviophobia should avoid this like the plague). Well acted by all (with Michael Redgrave doing his sturdy commander routine surrounded by well-known British film faces), this is a suspense movie which has no time for garish special effects or lazy jump scares. It simply knows how to make you pay attention.
...not to mention...
Bad Day at Black Rock (John Sturges)
I have loved this movie since I first saw it at the age of 12 on Channel 9's Sunday Night at the Movies. Really a modern Western, this is a variation on the ol' stranger-riding-into-town, after some answers and some DIY justice. Spence turns up in a one-jeep town seeking the whereabouts of a WWII acquaintance...but the guy ain't there no more, and everybody in town is acting mighty nervous. Expertly made, this starts tense and stays there for a breathless 81 minutes, led by Spencer Tracy as the unlikely action hero. The supporting cast is Character Actor Nirvana (Robert Ryan! Lee Marvin! Walter Brennan! Dean Jagger! Ernest Borgnine!), all playing to their persona-strengths, improving lesser lights (John Ericson?) by association. A couple of minor flaws can be forgiven (that sure ain't Spence doing jiu-jitsu; the soundtrack occasionally throws an orchestral fit; some back-projection shots are cringingly obvious), because the end product is just so damned suspenseful. An annual play on the Movie Jukebox.
...and one personal unmentionable...
Land of the Pharaohs (Howard Hawks)
A sand & sandals epic, much-beloved by male film critics of a certain vintage (they loved it when they were kids), this would have to be regarded as dull by any rational, unsentimental viewer. I used to show parts of this to my Ancient History classes (the parts where pyramid-building is shown), leaving the best bit until last: the sealing of the tomb via a nifty sand 'n' rock device...the film's only highlight. The so-called drama (egotistical Pharaoh marries the wrong woman and she schemes and sneers and sleeps around while he frets over his tomb) isn't even juiced-up with a grand battle (not a single armoured elephant to be seen). The acting quality ranges from adequate to dismal (Dewey Martin looks like he's auditioning for a serious role in Beach Blanket Bingo), the dialogue is lofty stodge, the poorly-directed extras seem to only know how to be shirtless, and the music is the usual male-heavy choir slow-chanting belchy sounds. One of those rare things in cinema: a Howard Hawks snoozer.
My Top 10 Films of 1955
 |
| Grace Slick & Jefferson Airplane, posing for the cover of their 2018 album, Geriatric Pillow |
#02 A Shack Out on 101 (Dein)
#03 A- The Ladykillers (Mackendrick)
#04 A- The Night of the Hunter (Laughton)
#05 A- The Man from Laramie (Mann)
#06 A- The Night My Number Came Up (Norman)
#07 A- Blackboard Jungle (Brooks)
#08 A- East of Eden (Kazan)
#09 A- Kiss Me Deadly (Aldrich)
#10 A- Richard III (Olivier)
Overflow: More A-/B+ Films
#11 A- Rebel Without a Cause (Ray)
#12 A- Mister Roberts (Ford; LeRoy)
#13 B+ The Big Combo (Lewis)
#14 B+ Moonfleet (Lang)
#15 B+ House of Bamboo (Fuller)
#16 B+ The Dam Busters (Anderson)
#17 B+ Murder is My Beat (Ulmer)
#18 B+ Wee Geordie (Launder)
#19 B+ The Violent Men (Mate)
#20 B+ The Man With the Golden Arm (Preminger)
#21 B+ Simon and Laura (Box)
#22 B+ The Desperate Hours (Wyler)
#23 B+ Passage Home (Baker)
#24 B+ All That Heaven Allows (Sirk)
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> B Summertime / Summer Madness [a travel brochure of Venice with a long-overdue romance as its insert]
> B Marty [a nice little story about nice little people which I find nice, little and strangely uninvolving]
> B The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell [100 fairly-interesting minutes of Gary Cooper saying "I know the future"]
> B To Catch a Thief [pleasant and attractive Hitchcockian fluff...and that's just Grace Kelly...]
> B The Night Holds Terror [...and the moral of this Untouchables-style narrative is: Never pick up hitchhikers]
> B Love Me or Leave Me [Jimmy plays Cagney & Doris sings pretty in this Pygmalion + A Star is Born hybrid]
> B The Seven Year Itch [middling sex comedy made classic by wonderful Marilyn in the great grate scene]
> B It's Always Fair Weather [curious musical with lots of clever gymnastic dancing but zero hummable songs]
> B Jedda [an important Australian film...and that's all I'm prepared to say about it]
> B The Man Who Loved Redheads [a British version of a romantic comedy...so closer to urbane than zany]
> B- I am a Camera [I thought Life was supposed to be a cabaret, old chum]
> B- The Prisoner [wants to do a meaningful mash-up of psychology & politics, but overtalks it to death]
> B- The Trouble With Harry [even for Alfred Hitchcock, this is rather odd]
> B- The Colditz Story [quite polite WWII POW story which needed a little more oomph in the telling]
> B- The Rose Tattoo [too much screeching and large hand movement standing-in for passion]
> B- Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy [perfectly acceptable A&C, but they were clearly done]
> B- Women's Prison [a soft 'n' cuddly prison version of Stage Door]
> B- The Seven Little Foys [very minor musical lifted a little by James Cagney dancing once]
> B- This Island Earth [sure looks good, but this example of typical 50's sci-fi is more patchy than cultish]
> C The Big Knife [another Hollywood Is Horrible movie that wants to be self-analytical but is hysterical instead]
> C The Phenix City Story [a violent & dated docudrama that needs to say more than "this is what happened"]
> C Picnic [rarely has a film been so utterly nobbled by one wretched supporting performance]
> C Good Morning, Miss Dove [sentimental & squishy tripe...but I was a teacher for 40 years, so, y'know...]
> C Three Cases of Murder [blandly acted and appropriately-lifeless murder compendium]
> D Land of the Pharaohs [A Personal Unmentionable]
"Ah!..Sweet Mystery of Life...": 1955 Films I Apparently Still Need to See
Best Performances of 1955
Oft-Mentioned Choices
Ernest Borgnine in Marty
James Dean in East of Eden
James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause
Katharine Hepburn in Summertime
Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts
Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo
Laurence Olivier in Richard III
Jo van Fleet in East of Eden
But how about...
Richard Conte in The Big Combo
While Italian-American crime bosses are a dime-a-dozen in Hollywood films, this performance is no Joe Pesci / Richard Widmark psycho or Edward G Robinson / Al Pacino murderous businessman. Richard plays a human monster who is soft-spoken, sadistic, self-assured and, above all else, delighted to be here. People regularly amuse this creep by being so interested in preserving their own meaningless lives. Even at the point of his own threatened demise, Richard is smirking, entertained by the seriousness that others are treating his situation..."just shoot me" the cornered man barks out, disbelieving that anyone could possibly consider another option. Eating a lobster dinner just after blowing up a couple of acquaintances, Richard is a civilized savage, and quite contentedly so. Watch this and start to think that the nice, friendly man who lives next door to you is possibly an acid-bath murderer.
...and what about...
Rod Steiger in The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
This is one of Rod's classic supporting turns (like those in On the Waterfront and The Harder They Fall) where his dreaded scream-the-house-down hysterics are largely kept in check. There is something reptilian about this performance (specifically: cobra), as he goes for Gary Cooper solely with his words. Playing prosecution counsel to Gary's accused/victim, Rod toys with inflection and pace and pronunciation like versions of hissing, always on the attack, but doing it methodically and with barely-concealed glee. The clash of this young actor with the aw-shucks style of old-Hollywood Gary Cooper is the highlight of the trial and the film, and, even though Rod's quiet menace only lasts about 15 minutes, it is what you will recall afterwards. A real shame then that he allowed yelling to become his prime mannerism in later years.
...not to mention...
Alec Guinness & Jack Hawkins in The Prisoner
While the film is a bit of a slog (too stagebound; too much deep 'n' meaningful chatter; too much pat psychology; contains a pointless sideplot), the central acting partnership on display is a pleasure to watch. Alec is the priest accused by a tyrannical regime (very Eastern Bloc) of being a traitor...the aim is to blight his reputation amongst the adoring populace. Jack's job is to open up and break the man, preferably via in-depth conversation. Slowly, so bloody slowly, the man falls apart, and Jack doesn't enjoy it as much as he thought he would. The acting is subtle, boring into each other, playing chess with their psyches. Interestingly, the dynamic is similar to that of William & Raul in Kiss of the Spider-Woman: acts of the utmost cruelty are committed alongside those of sincere compassion. And the movie finishes with a line for our times: Try not to judge the priesthood by the priest.
...and one personal unmentionable...
Rosalind Russell in Picnic
Some people just shouldn't drink. Or mix in with the human race. Or act in dramas after turning 40.
My 10 Favourite Performances of 1955
#01 Laurence Olivier in Richard III
#02 The ensemble cast of Bad Day at Black Rock
#03 Katie Johnson in The Ladykillers
#04 Mildred Natwick in The Trouble With Harry
#05 Alec Guinness & Jack Hawkins in The Prisoner
#06 Julie Harris in East of Eden
#07 Michael Redgrave in The Dam Busters
#08 Richard Conte in The Big Combo
#09 Fredric March in The Desperate Hours
#10 Susan Strasberg in Picnic
Overflow: More List-Worthy Performances
#11 James Dean in East of Eden
#12 Lee Marvin in Shack Out on 101
#13 Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts
#14 Frank Sinatra in The Man With the Golden Arm
#15 Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch
#16 Jo van Fleet in East of Eden
#17 Sidney Poitier in Blackboard Jungle
#18 Rod Steiger in The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
#19 James Stewart in The Man from Laramie
#20 Kay Kendall & Peter Finch in Simon & Laura
#21 Robert Ryan in House of Bamboo
#22 Doris Day in Love Me or Leave Me
#23 Sal Mineo in Rebel Without a Cause
#24 Gladys Cooper in The Man Who Loved Redheads
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> Ernest Borgnine & Betsy Blair in Marty [I can see how he's fat, but I can't see how she's ugly]
> Katharine Hepburn in Summertime [I don't believe she's never had sex]
> James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause [the ghastly overacting in the police station blights what he does later]
> Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo [how Mama Mia Italian can you get?]
> Henry Fonda in Mister Roberts [a nice guy plays a nice guy...and seems a little tired of doing it]
> Robert Mitchum in The Night of the Hunter [plays a monstrous buffoon rather than the other way around]
And so...onto the annual awards (with a nod of appreciation to Danny Peary)...
The Alternate Oscars for 1955 are:
FILM of the YEAR
GOLD: Bad Day at Black Rock (John Sturges)
SILVER: Shack Out on 101 (Edward Dein)
BRONZE: The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick)
LEAD ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Laurence Olivier (Richard III)
SILVER: Michael Redgrave (The Dam Busters)
BRONZE: Fredric March (The Desperate Hours)
LEAD ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Katie Johnson (The Ladykillers)
SILVER: Julie Harris (East of Eden)
BRONZE: Marilyn Monroe (The Seven Year Itch)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Richard Conte (The Big Combo)
SILVER: Sidney Poitier (Blackboard Jungle)
BRONZE: Rod Steiger (The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Mildred Natwick (The Trouble with Harry)
SILVER: Jo van Fleet (East of Eden)
BRONZE: Gladys Cooper (The Man Who Loved Redheads)
ENSEMBLE or PARTNERSHIP: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Spencer Tracy & Robert Ryan & Anne Francis & Walter Brennan & Dean Jagger & Lee Marvin & Ernest Borgnine & John Ericson & Russell Collins & Walter Sande (Bad Day at Black Rock)
SILVER: Alec Guinness & Jack Hawkins (The Prisoner)
BRONZE: Kay Kendall & Peter Finch (Simon & Laura)
JUVENILE: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Susan Strasberg (Picnic)
SILVER: Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause)
BRONZE: Jon Whiteley (Moonfleet)
The Alternate Razzies for 1955 are:
CRAP FILM of the YEAR
Land of the Pharaohs (Howard Hawks)
CRAP MALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Orson Welles (Three Cases of Murder)
CRAP FEMALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Rosalind Russell (Picnic)
> C The Phenix City Story [a violent & dated docudrama that needs to say more than "this is what happened"]
> C Picnic [rarely has a film been so utterly nobbled by one wretched supporting performance]
> C Good Morning, Miss Dove [sentimental & squishy tripe...but I was a teacher for 40 years, so, y'know...]
> C Three Cases of Murder [blandly acted and appropriately-lifeless murder compendium]
> D Land of the Pharaohs [A Personal Unmentionable]
"Ah!..Sweet Mystery of Life...": 1955 Films I Apparently Still Need to See
Above Us the Waves (Thomas); At Gunpoint (Werker); Battle Cry (Walsh); The Blue Peter / Navy Heroes (Rilla); Canyon Crossroads (Werker); Carrington VC (Asquith); Cast a Dark Shadow (Gilbert); Chicago Syndicate (Sears); The Cobweb (Minnelli); The Cockleshell Heroes (Ferrer); Confession / The Deadliest Sin (Hughes); Conquest of Space (Haskin); Crashout (Foster); Daddy Long Legs (Negulesco); The Day the World Ended (Corman); Dial 999 / The Way Out (Tully); Doctor at Sea (Thomas); Eight O’Clock Walk (Comfort); Escapade (Leacock); Finger Man (Schuster); Five Against the House (Karlson); Footsteps in the Fog (Lubin); The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (Fleischer); Guys and Dolls (Mankiewicz); I’ll Cry Tomorrow (Mann); Illegal (Allen); It Came from Beneath the Sea (Gordon); Joe Macbeth (Hughes); John and Julie (Fairchild); The Last Command (Lloyd); The Last Frontier (Mann); Little Red Monkey / Case of the Little Red Monkey (Hughes); Mr Arkadin / Confidential Report (Welles); The Naked Dawn (Ulmer); New Orleans Uncensored (Castle); New York Confidential (Rouse); Not as a Stranger (Kramer); Oklahoma! (Zinnemann); The Private War of Major Benson (Hopper); The Quatermass Experiment / The Creeping Unknown (Guest); Raising a Riot (Toye); Run for Cover (Ray); The Scarlet Coat (Sturges); The Ship That Died of Shame (Dearden); Simba (Hurst); Stranger on Horseback (Tourneur); Tarantula (Arnold); The Tender Trap (Walters); Tight Spot (Carlson); The Time of His Life (Hiscott); To Hell and Back (Hibbs); Trial (Robson); Violent Saturday (Fleischer); We’re No Angels (Curtiz); Wichita (Tourneur)
Best Performances of 1955
Ernest Borgnine in Marty
James Dean in East of Eden
James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause
Katharine Hepburn in Summertime
Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts
Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo
Laurence Olivier in Richard III
Jo van Fleet in East of Eden
But how about...
Richard Conte in The Big Combo
While Italian-American crime bosses are a dime-a-dozen in Hollywood films, this performance is no Joe Pesci / Richard Widmark psycho or Edward G Robinson / Al Pacino murderous businessman. Richard plays a human monster who is soft-spoken, sadistic, self-assured and, above all else, delighted to be here. People regularly amuse this creep by being so interested in preserving their own meaningless lives. Even at the point of his own threatened demise, Richard is smirking, entertained by the seriousness that others are treating his situation..."just shoot me" the cornered man barks out, disbelieving that anyone could possibly consider another option. Eating a lobster dinner just after blowing up a couple of acquaintances, Richard is a civilized savage, and quite contentedly so. Watch this and start to think that the nice, friendly man who lives next door to you is possibly an acid-bath murderer.
...and what about...
Rod Steiger in The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
This is one of Rod's classic supporting turns (like those in On the Waterfront and The Harder They Fall) where his dreaded scream-the-house-down hysterics are largely kept in check. There is something reptilian about this performance (specifically: cobra), as he goes for Gary Cooper solely with his words. Playing prosecution counsel to Gary's accused/victim, Rod toys with inflection and pace and pronunciation like versions of hissing, always on the attack, but doing it methodically and with barely-concealed glee. The clash of this young actor with the aw-shucks style of old-Hollywood Gary Cooper is the highlight of the trial and the film, and, even though Rod's quiet menace only lasts about 15 minutes, it is what you will recall afterwards. A real shame then that he allowed yelling to become his prime mannerism in later years.
...not to mention...
Alec Guinness & Jack Hawkins in The Prisoner
While the film is a bit of a slog (too stagebound; too much deep 'n' meaningful chatter; too much pat psychology; contains a pointless sideplot), the central acting partnership on display is a pleasure to watch. Alec is the priest accused by a tyrannical regime (very Eastern Bloc) of being a traitor...the aim is to blight his reputation amongst the adoring populace. Jack's job is to open up and break the man, preferably via in-depth conversation. Slowly, so bloody slowly, the man falls apart, and Jack doesn't enjoy it as much as he thought he would. The acting is subtle, boring into each other, playing chess with their psyches. Interestingly, the dynamic is similar to that of William & Raul in Kiss of the Spider-Woman: acts of the utmost cruelty are committed alongside those of sincere compassion. And the movie finishes with a line for our times: Try not to judge the priesthood by the priest.
...and one personal unmentionable...
Rosalind Russell in Picnic
Some people just shouldn't drink. Or mix in with the human race. Or act in dramas after turning 40.
My 10 Favourite Performances of 1955
 |
| When Grandma says Bedtime!, she means it. |
#02 The ensemble cast of Bad Day at Black Rock
#03 Katie Johnson in The Ladykillers
#04 Mildred Natwick in The Trouble With Harry
#05 Alec Guinness & Jack Hawkins in The Prisoner
#06 Julie Harris in East of Eden
#07 Michael Redgrave in The Dam Busters
#08 Richard Conte in The Big Combo
#09 Fredric March in The Desperate Hours
#10 Susan Strasberg in Picnic
Overflow: More List-Worthy Performances
#11 James Dean in East of Eden
#12 Lee Marvin in Shack Out on 101
#13 Jack Lemmon in Mister Roberts
#14 Frank Sinatra in The Man With the Golden Arm
#15 Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch
#16 Jo van Fleet in East of Eden
#17 Sidney Poitier in Blackboard Jungle
#18 Rod Steiger in The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
#19 James Stewart in The Man from Laramie
#20 Kay Kendall & Peter Finch in Simon & Laura
#21 Robert Ryan in House of Bamboo
#22 Doris Day in Love Me or Leave Me
#23 Sal Mineo in Rebel Without a Cause
#24 Gladys Cooper in The Man Who Loved Redheads
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> Ernest Borgnine & Betsy Blair in Marty [I can see how he's fat, but I can't see how she's ugly]
> Katharine Hepburn in Summertime [I don't believe she's never had sex]
> James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause [the ghastly overacting in the police station blights what he does later]
> Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo [how Mama Mia Italian can you get?]
> Henry Fonda in Mister Roberts [a nice guy plays a nice guy...and seems a little tired of doing it]
> Robert Mitchum in The Night of the Hunter [plays a monstrous buffoon rather than the other way around]
And so...onto the annual awards (with a nod of appreciation to Danny Peary)...
The Alternate Oscars for 1955 are:
FILM of the YEAR
GOLD: Bad Day at Black Rock (John Sturges)
SILVER: Shack Out on 101 (Edward Dein)
BRONZE: The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick)
LEAD ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Laurence Olivier (Richard III)
SILVER: Michael Redgrave (The Dam Busters)
BRONZE: Fredric March (The Desperate Hours)
LEAD ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Katie Johnson (The Ladykillers)
SILVER: Julie Harris (East of Eden)
BRONZE: Marilyn Monroe (The Seven Year Itch)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Richard Conte (The Big Combo)
SILVER: Sidney Poitier (Blackboard Jungle)
BRONZE: Rod Steiger (The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Mildred Natwick (The Trouble with Harry)
SILVER: Jo van Fleet (East of Eden)
BRONZE: Gladys Cooper (The Man Who Loved Redheads)
ENSEMBLE or PARTNERSHIP: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Spencer Tracy & Robert Ryan & Anne Francis & Walter Brennan & Dean Jagger & Lee Marvin & Ernest Borgnine & John Ericson & Russell Collins & Walter Sande (Bad Day at Black Rock)
SILVER: Alec Guinness & Jack Hawkins (The Prisoner)
BRONZE: Kay Kendall & Peter Finch (Simon & Laura)
JUVENILE: PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
GOLD: Susan Strasberg (Picnic)
SILVER: Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause)
BRONZE: Jon Whiteley (Moonfleet)
The Alternate Razzies for 1955 are:
CRAP FILM of the YEAR
Land of the Pharaohs (Howard Hawks)
CRAP MALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Orson Welles (Three Cases of Murder)
CRAP FEMALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Rosalind Russell (Picnic)
