Best Movies of 1962
The Usual ChoicesLawrence of Arabia (David Lean)
The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford)
Ride the High Country (Sam Peckinpah)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan)
The Counterfeit Traitor (George Seaton)
A gradual but overall involving telling of a true WWII spy story: an American Swede is reluctantly roped-in to carry out espionage work for the Allies. This begins purely as a business decision on his part, but he is blackmailed to continue, eventually taking up the anti-Nazi cause willingly. A few war horrors are shown (set-an-example hanging; a bombed child; craters in a firing-squad's wall) but it mostly happens in conversations. While all performances are solid, Bill Holden is especially 'right' for this kind of anti-hero role. The film presents courage as a deliberate choice, and the active-opposition of fascism as moral survival. Surely we can't get enough of that kind of message.
...and what about...
Billy Budd (Peter Ustinov)
A great sea-faring story about power and cruelty. There is something resembling sexual tension that seeps through this film and soon develops into sadism and vindictiveness. It establishes a suspense that you just know is going to flare up into violence. Crammed quarters, creaking boards and the constant rocking of sea and wind add movement to an otherwise talky script. The acting of all is superb, with Robert Ryan yet again playing the role of human monster to perfection. The breaking point with its sad, inevitable consequence is the essence of tragedy: man's need to maintain authority outweighing his conscience and comprehension of justice.
...not to mention...
Lonely are the Brave (David Miller)
...and one personal unmentionable...
In Search of the Castaways (Robert Stevenson)
A live-action Disney film with even more schmaltz and less substance than usual. Reputedly based on a Jules Verne novel (they must have waved the book over the top of the movie script just before filming), this is one of those awful 60's kids flicks filled with eccentric-lite characters, cutesy-pie waifs, adventures that are more implausible than thrilling, big-name actors who were on the tail end of their careers (Maurice Chevalier in twinkling pixie mode) and a ghastly song or two. Old people all over the world took their grandkids to see this (and others of a similar ilk), thinking they had just given them a treat...but they were wrong. And just to rub salt into the wound, this is the first film (of many to come) where the naive charm of Hayley Mills has clearly left this Earth.
My Top 10 Films of 1962
 |
| When brussel sprouts are served cold. |
#03 A What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Aldrich)
#04 A Lawrence of Arabia (Lean)
#05 A Billy Budd (Ustinov)
#06 A Cape Fear (Thompson)
#07 A Birdman of Alcatraz (Frankenheimer)
#08 A- Advise & Consent (Preminger)
#09 A- Ride the High Country (Peckinpah)
#10 A- The Miracle Worker (Penn)
Overflow: More A- / B+ Films
#11 A- Lolita (Kubrick)
#12 A- The Counterfeit Traitor (Seaton)
#13 A- The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Richardson)
#14 A- Long Day's Journey Into Night (Lumet)
#15 A- Lonely are the Brave (Miller)
#16 B+ Jigsaw (Guest)
#17 B+ The Quare Fellow (Dreifuss)
#18 B+ Days of Wine & Roses (Edwards)
#19 B+ Carnival of Souls (Harvey)
#20 B+ Life for Ruth (Dearden)
#21 B+ The Fast Lady (Annakin)
#22 B+ Requiem for a Heavyweight (Nelson)
#23 B+ Freud (Huston)
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> B Hatari! [lightweight and pleasant and too often silly]
> B The Longest Day [AKA The Normandy All-Stars]
> B The Notorious Landlady [too tame & routine for a comedy about murder]
> B Dr No [beloved by Bondophiles, but I suspect more for sentiment than quality]
> B Two for the Seesaw [talkfest with a miscast Bob and a perfectly cast Shirley]
> B Experiment in Terror [a tense 'n' taut thriller, but the action kicks in before you care about anybody]
> B The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [John great; Lee good; Jimmy just too damned old]
> B How the West was Won [a major TV mini-series event before they were invented]
> B Mr Hobbs Takes a Vacation [a "nice people doing funny things" comedy]
> B Sergeants 3 [mundane Gunga Din rejig featuring Frankie & Dino & Sammy & Pete & Joey]
> B The 300 Spartans [yet another Ancient World epic which looks spectacular but doesn't move me]
> B- 40 Pounds of Trouble [Tony Curtis & Phil Silvers & Disneyland are nearly enough to exalt this piece of fluff]
> B- Mutiny on the Bounty [just too bloody slow and too bloody long]
> B- Crooks Anonymous [ho-hum Brit comedy starring Leslie Phillips AKA Terry-Thomas the Lesser]
> B- The Lion [anyone able to accept Trevor Howard as a viable romantic rival to William Holden? anyone?]
> B- HMS Defiant / Damn the Defiant! [not one of the great mutiny-on-the-high-seas films]
> B- Kill or Cure [Terry-Thomas & Eric Sykes & Dennis Price & Lionel Jeffries & Ronnie Barker & it doesn't work??]
> B- Burn, Witch, Burn [apparently it's a horror movie, but don't you believe it]
> C Gypsy [boring bio-pic, despite featuring a stripping Natalie, and due to a broad Rosalind]
> C In Search of the Castaways [A Personal Unmentionable]
> C All Fall Down [why would anyone waste their time or feelings on such a despicable guy?]
> C Almost Angels [The Vienna Boys Choir as done by Disney...pass the insulin]
> C The Damned / These are the Damned [sci-fi stuff good; relationship stuff bad; recurring song atrocious]
> D Five Weeks in a Balloon [another disrespectful Jules -Verne-for-kiddies travesty]
> E Confessions of an Opium Eater [may turn you on to hard drugs...just say Yes]
"Ah!..Sweet Mystery of Life...": 1962 Films I Apparently Still Need to See
Oft-Mentioned Choices
Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker
Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker
Katharine Hepburn in Long Day's Journey Into Night
Burt Lancaster in Birdman of Alcatraz
Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird
Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia
But how about...
John Wayne in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The common viewpoint about the transition of John Wayne from mere presence to powerful actor is that it started with 1948's Red River. While I would argue that it began the year before with Angel and the Badman (certainly his most loving, romantic performance), the fact is that he suddenly had Depth. In TMWSLV, he plays a gunfighter who sacrifices himself and his chance for happiness through a justifiable but still covert killing. His big crack-up scene, where the enormity of what he has lost overwhelms him, is stunning. Only in a handful of films did the Big Man ever allow himself to be so emotionally raw.
...and what about...
Peter Sellers in Lolita
One of the most original, bizarre and truly fascinating character parts ever put onto celluloid. Director Stanley Kubrick allowed Peter a free hand with this performance (of basically a sex-obsessed lech) and the master comedian (for my money, the greatest of the post-Groucho era) came up with this: rapid-fire talking, words used as emotional camouflage, twitchy body movements, intellectual but base-driven. And there is so little blatant comedy in the delivered persona: the humour comes solely from the degree of obvious quirk. Hell, he even makes you forget that his target is a 14 year old girl. Clare Quilty: an astounding creation in the craft of acting.
...not to mention...
Burgess Meredith in Advise & Consent
While he will always be The Penguin to me, Burgess was also one of the severely underrated character actors in movies. In A&C, he plays a truly pathetic man: a minor clerk in a government posting, he has his big moment testifying before committee that his ex-colleague, now a big-deal politician, was once a member of a Communist cell. Clearly disturbed and emotionally feeble, his statement is his last attempt to scrabble together some self-respect and smear the man who outclassed him. Burgess sweats, mumbles, changes his details, and is easily cornered and proven false. He quietly falls to pieces right before your eyes.
...and one personal unmentionable...
James Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Yeah, I'm a Jimmy Stewart fan too, but I don't agree that his best roles were after his WWII stint (apart from It's a Wonderful Life, of course). His more complex, troubled performances in Anthony Mann and Alfred Hitchcock films are beloved by most aficionados...but not me. In TMWSLV, he plays a role which he is far too old for (a young idealistic lawyer) which is a flashback from a cigar-chewing senator. In both cases, he overdoes the part (too spineless and naive in the former; too loudmouth and ornery in the latter). Only in 1965's The Flight of the Phoenix did he get the grizzled old bugger role right. Let's face it...flying WWII bombers and dropping their payloads onto cities would understandably take something from a person.
My 10 Favourite Performances of 1962
#01 Peter Sellers in Lolita
#02 Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate
#03 James Mason in Lolita
#04 Katharine Hepburn in Long Day's Journey Into Night
#05 Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
#06 Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear
#07 Tom Courtenany in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
#08 Robert Ryan in Billy Budd
#09 John Wayne in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
#10 Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
Overflow: More List-Worthy Performances
#11 Joel McCrea & Randolph Scott in Ride the High Country
#12 Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird
#13 Anne Bancroft & Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker
#14 Burgess Meredith in Advise & Consent
#15 Shirley MacLaine in Two for the Seesaw
#16 Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird
#17 Melvyn Douglas in Billy Budd
#18 Jack Lemmon & Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses
#19 William Holden in The Counterfeit Traitor
#20 Burt Lancaster in Birdman of Alcatraz
#21 Pamela Franklin in The Lion
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia [after an introduction like that, the performance was besides the point]
> Henry Fonda in Advise & Consent [just does his usual, which is still fine, of course]
> Charles Laughton in Advise & Consent [not as hammy as usual, but still doesn't rank with his best]
And finally...to wrap it all up, with a nod of appreciation to Danny Peary...
FILM OF THE YEAR
GOLD: The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer)
SILVER: To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan)
BRONZE: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich)
LEAD ACTOR: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: James Mason (Lolita)
SILVER: Robert Mitchum (Cape Fear)
BRONZE: Tom Courtenay (The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner)
LEAD ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Katharine Hepburn (Long Day's Journey Into Night)
SILVER: Bette Davis (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?)
BRONZE: Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Peter Sellers (Lolita)
SILVER: Robert Ryan (Billy Budd)
BRONZE: Burgess Meredith (Advise & Consent)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Angela Lansbury (The Manchurian Candidate)
SILVER: Shelley Winters (Lolita)
BRONZE: Betty Field (Birdman of Alcatraz)
ENSEMBLE OR PARTNERSHIP: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Joel McCrea & Randolph Scott (Ride the High Country)
SILVER: Jack Lemmon & Lee Remick (Days of Wine & Roses)
BRONZE: TBA
JUVENILE: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker)
SILVER: Mary Badham (To Kill a Mockingbird)
BRONZE: Pamela Franklin (The Lion)
The Alternate Razzies for 1962 are:
CRAP FILM of the YEAR
Confessions of an Opium Eater (Albert Zugsmith)
CRAP MALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
James Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
CRAP FEMALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Rosalind Russell in Gypsy
> E Confessions of an Opium Eater [may turn you on to hard drugs...just say Yes]
"Ah!..Sweet Mystery of Life...": 1962 Films I Apparently Still Need to See
The Boys (Furie); David and Lisa (Perry); The Day of the Triffids (Sekely); Don’t Talk to Strange Men (Jackson); Hell is for Heroes (Siegel); The Inspector (Dunne); Jack the Giant Killer (Juran); A Kind of Loving (Schlesinger); The L-Shaped Room (Forbes); Light in the Piazza (Green); Merrill’s Marauders (Fuller); Moon Pilot (Neilson); The Music Man (da Costa); Only Two Can Play (Gilliat); Panic in Year Zero! (Milland); The Phantom of the Opera (Fisher); A Prize of Arms (Owen); Reach for Glory (Leacock); Strongroom (Sewell); Sweet Bird of Youth (Brooks); Taras Bulba (Thompson); Tender is the Night (King); Term of Trial (Glenville); That Touch of Mink (Mann); 13 West Street (Leacock); The Trial (Welles); Two Weeks in Another Town (Minnelli)
Best Performances of 1962
Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker
Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker
Katharine Hepburn in Long Day's Journey Into Night
Burt Lancaster in Birdman of Alcatraz
Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird
Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia
But how about...
John Wayne in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The common viewpoint about the transition of John Wayne from mere presence to powerful actor is that it started with 1948's Red River. While I would argue that it began the year before with Angel and the Badman (certainly his most loving, romantic performance), the fact is that he suddenly had Depth. In TMWSLV, he plays a gunfighter who sacrifices himself and his chance for happiness through a justifiable but still covert killing. His big crack-up scene, where the enormity of what he has lost overwhelms him, is stunning. Only in a handful of films did the Big Man ever allow himself to be so emotionally raw.
...and what about...
Peter Sellers in Lolita
One of the most original, bizarre and truly fascinating character parts ever put onto celluloid. Director Stanley Kubrick allowed Peter a free hand with this performance (of basically a sex-obsessed lech) and the master comedian (for my money, the greatest of the post-Groucho era) came up with this: rapid-fire talking, words used as emotional camouflage, twitchy body movements, intellectual but base-driven. And there is so little blatant comedy in the delivered persona: the humour comes solely from the degree of obvious quirk. Hell, he even makes you forget that his target is a 14 year old girl. Clare Quilty: an astounding creation in the craft of acting.
...not to mention...
Burgess Meredith in Advise & Consent
While he will always be The Penguin to me, Burgess was also one of the severely underrated character actors in movies. In A&C, he plays a truly pathetic man: a minor clerk in a government posting, he has his big moment testifying before committee that his ex-colleague, now a big-deal politician, was once a member of a Communist cell. Clearly disturbed and emotionally feeble, his statement is his last attempt to scrabble together some self-respect and smear the man who outclassed him. Burgess sweats, mumbles, changes his details, and is easily cornered and proven false. He quietly falls to pieces right before your eyes.
...and one personal unmentionable...
James Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Yeah, I'm a Jimmy Stewart fan too, but I don't agree that his best roles were after his WWII stint (apart from It's a Wonderful Life, of course). His more complex, troubled performances in Anthony Mann and Alfred Hitchcock films are beloved by most aficionados...but not me. In TMWSLV, he plays a role which he is far too old for (a young idealistic lawyer) which is a flashback from a cigar-chewing senator. In both cases, he overdoes the part (too spineless and naive in the former; too loudmouth and ornery in the latter). Only in 1965's The Flight of the Phoenix did he get the grizzled old bugger role right. Let's face it...flying WWII bombers and dropping their payloads onto cities would understandably take something from a person.
 |
| Robert is about to prove to Marty the validity of Freud's theory of Penis Envy. |
#01 Peter Sellers in Lolita
#02 Angela Lansbury in The Manchurian Candidate
#03 James Mason in Lolita
#04 Katharine Hepburn in Long Day's Journey Into Night
#05 Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
#06 Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear
#07 Tom Courtenany in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
#08 Robert Ryan in Billy Budd
#09 John Wayne in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
#10 Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
Overflow: More List-Worthy Performances
#11 Joel McCrea & Randolph Scott in Ride the High Country
#12 Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird
#13 Anne Bancroft & Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker
#14 Burgess Meredith in Advise & Consent
#15 Shirley MacLaine in Two for the Seesaw
#16 Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird
#17 Melvyn Douglas in Billy Budd
#18 Jack Lemmon & Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses
#19 William Holden in The Counterfeit Traitor
#20 Burt Lancaster in Birdman of Alcatraz
#21 Pamela Franklin in The Lion
Sorry, They Didn't Make It...
> Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia [after an introduction like that, the performance was besides the point]
> Henry Fonda in Advise & Consent [just does his usual, which is still fine, of course]
> Charles Laughton in Advise & Consent [not as hammy as usual, but still doesn't rank with his best]
And finally...to wrap it all up, with a nod of appreciation to Danny Peary...
Alternate Oscars for 1962 are:
GOLD: The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer)
SILVER: To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan)
BRONZE: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich)
LEAD ACTOR: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: James Mason (Lolita)
SILVER: Robert Mitchum (Cape Fear)
BRONZE: Tom Courtenay (The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner)
LEAD ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Katharine Hepburn (Long Day's Journey Into Night)
SILVER: Bette Davis (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?)
BRONZE: Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker)
SUPPORTING ACTOR: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Peter Sellers (Lolita)
SILVER: Robert Ryan (Billy Budd)
BRONZE: Burgess Meredith (Advise & Consent)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Angela Lansbury (The Manchurian Candidate)
SILVER: Shelley Winters (Lolita)
BRONZE: Betty Field (Birdman of Alcatraz)
ENSEMBLE OR PARTNERSHIP: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Joel McCrea & Randolph Scott (Ride the High Country)
SILVER: Jack Lemmon & Lee Remick (Days of Wine & Roses)
BRONZE: TBA
JUVENILE: PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOLD: Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker)
SILVER: Mary Badham (To Kill a Mockingbird)
BRONZE: Pamela Franklin (The Lion)
The Alternate Razzies for 1962 are:
CRAP FILM of the YEAR
Confessions of an Opium Eater (Albert Zugsmith)
CRAP MALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
James Stewart in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
CRAP FEMALE PERFORMANCE of the YEAR
Rosalind Russell in Gypsy
