Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups).

idioticbunny
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Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 22, 2018 0:05:59 GMT Viced, stephen, and 2 more like this

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Post by idioticbunny on Nov 22, 2018 0:05:59 GMT

Sure this out of the blue for most here, but finally finished working through the 1950s and wanted to share my lists for what I consider to be the best in each category for the decade (from what I've seen of course). Would love if you'd share your lists as well (could just be your top ten films, don't much care). Or at the very least, maybe it puts some films on your radar you hadn't heard of before.

* = Extended to 11 spots due to tie at #10

BEST PICTURE:
Ballad of a Soldier (1959)
Le Notti Bianche (1957)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
North by Northwest (1959)
Orpheus (1950)
Sabrina (1954)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
12 Angry Men (1957)
*** Vertigo (1958) ***

BEST DIRECTOR:
Grigoriy Chukhray | Ballad of a Soldier
Jean Cocteau | Orpheus
Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly | Singin' in the Rain
Alfred Hitchcock | Rear Window
*** Alfred Hitchcock | Vertigo ***
Mikhail Kalatozov | The Cranes Are Flying
Akira Kurosawa | Seven Samurai
Charles Laughton | The Night of the Hunter
Sidney Lumet | 12 Angry Men
Kenji Mizoguchi | Ugetsu

*BEST ACTOR:
Ernest Borgnine | Marty
Montgomery Clift | A Place in the Sun
Bradford Dillman | Compulsion
Andy Griffith | A Face in the Crowd
Robert Mitchum | The Night of the Hunter
Paul Newman | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
*** Michael Redgrave | The Browning Version ***
Takashi Shimura | Ikiru
James Stewart | Harvey
James Stewart | Vertigo
Dean Stockwell | Compulsion

BEST ACTRESS:
Bette Davis | All About Eve
Audrey Hepburn | Sabrina
Vivien Leigh | A Streetcar Named Desire
Giulietta Masina | La Strada
*** Emmanuelle Riva | Hiroshima Mon Amour ***
Maria Schell | Le Notti Bianche
Gloria Swanson | Sunset Boulevard
Kinuyo Tanaka | The Life of Oharu
Alida Valli | Senso
Joanne Woodward | The Three Faces of Eve

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Gunnar Björnstrand | The Seventh Seal
*** Lee J. Cobb | 12 Angry Men ***
Burl Ives | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Nikolai Kryuchkov | The Forty-First
Burt Lancaster | Sweet Smell of Success
Karl Malden | On the Waterfront
François Périer | Orpheus
Takashi Shimura | Seven Samurai
Robert Walker | Strangers on a Train
Orson Welles | Touch of Evil

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Karuna Bannerjee | Aparajito
María Casares | Orpheus
Lillian Gish | The Night of the Hunter
Lelia Goldoni | Shadows
Chieko Higashiyama | Tokyo Story
Katie Johnson | The Ladykillers
Machiko Kyô | Rashômon
Dorothy Malone | Written on the Wind
Eva Marie Saint | On the Waterfront
*** Shelley Winters | A Place in the Sun ***
Kaoru Yachigusa | Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Ace in the Hole
Ballad of a Soldier
The 400 Blows
The Ladykillers
North by Northwest
Roman Holiday
*** Seven Samurai ***
Some Like It Hot
Sunset Boulevard
Wild Strawberries

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
All About Eve
Aparajito
High Noon
Marty
The Night of the Hunter
Rear Window
Sabrina
Sweet Smell of Success
*** 12 Angry Men ***
Vertigo

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST:
All About Eve
Baby Doll
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Night of the Hunter
On the Waterfront
Seven Samurai
Street of Shame
A Streetcar Named Desire
*** 12 Angry Men ***

BEST FILM EDITING:
The Cranes Are Flying
*** High Noon ***
Rashômon
Strangers on a Train
12 Angry Men

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
The Ballad of Narayama
The Cranes Are Flying
The Night of the Hunter
Ugetsu
*** Vertigo ***

BEST ART DIRECTION:
An American in Paris
The Ballad of Narayama
*** Rear Window ***
Singin' in the Rain
The Tales of Hoffmann

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
*** An American in Paris ***
Funny Face
The Importance of Being Earnest
Senso
The Tales of Hoffmann

BEST MAKEUP & HAIR-STYLING:
The Ballad of Narayama
Ivan the Terrible, Part II
Richard III
*** The Tales of Hoffmann ***
The Ten Commandments

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Godzilla
A Night to Remember
Orpheus
*** The 7th Voyage of Sinbad ***
The Ten Commandments

BEST SOUND DESIGN:
Ben-Hur
Mon Oncle
Paths of Glory
*** Rear Window ***
Singin' in the Rain

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY:
*** An American in Paris ***
Ben-Hur
Lola Montés
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple
Singin' in the Rain

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Miles Davis | Elevator to the Gallows
Ikuma Dan | Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island
Bernard Herrmann | North by Northwest
*** Bernard Herrmann | Vertigo ***
Ravi Shankar | Pather Panchali

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
"The Blob" | The Blob
"The Lullaby" | The Night of the Hunter
"My Rifle, My Pony, and Me" | Rio Bravo
*** "It's a New World" | A Star Is Born ***
"The Man That Got Away" | A Star Is Born

I'd also love to give a special mention, though I nominated them for a singular work in their respective trilogies, to Ikuma Dan and Ravi Shankar's majestic and beautiful work for the Samurai and Apu trilogies. I know the latter are pretty widely seen movies, but I really got to give a huge shout-out to the former which I just bought the trilogy of from Criterion. I swear there has to be some influence somewhere of these films on every single action franchise (particularly the original Star Wars trilogy). They aren't as wildly action-packed as many action franchises, but the emotional and particularly spiritual depth to them is astounding. Plus when there are battles, they are memorable as hell (particularly the climactic one in Part III).

Overall, still a decade with some truly golden films (three of my top ten make my all-time top ten, so there's that), but seems to have been mainly taken over by the studio system (which thankfully dies out pretty quickly in the following decade). That's why most of my top favorites here are foreign because they were truly crafting something uniquely their own while the rest of the world was bound to rules. Particularly Russian cinema which saw a huge boost post-Stalin. If anything, it was lovely to reaffirm my love for Hitchcock and even be surprised at the films that beat out some of my other favorites of his (Strangers on a Train; Rear Window) to take top spots in the major categories.

Would love to see all of your lists as well, or even just thoughts on mine. As soon as awards season ends (as well as FilmStruck... :cry:

), I can't wait to move on into the 1960s. So many classics I've still yet to see: Sergio Leone's Man With No Name trilogy (yes, I've never seen The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...), Yojimbo (and all other Kurosawa of the decade), Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, West Side Story, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sound of Music, 8 1/2, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Planet of the Apes, every James Bond film, and so many more.

Last Edit: Nov 22, 2018 0:10:28 GMT by idioticbunny

Javi Badass Posts: 1,532 Likes: 1,622	Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 22, 2018 0:36:09 GMT idioticbunny likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Javi on Nov 22, 2018 0:36:09 GMT Great line-ups. And yes, the 50s are a transitional period for Hollywood films, but an amazing decade for foreign movies.

themoviesinner
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Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 22, 2018 16:25:54 GMT idioticbunny likes this

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Post by themoviesinner on Nov 22, 2018 16:25:54 GMT

Undoubtedly the 50s was a great decade for cinema, with countless of masterful films to choose from, so it's pretty obvious that I consider your lineups great. Orpheus and 12 Angry Men are in my top 50 of all time. I'm not a big fan of Vertigo though. I find it one of Hitchcock's most uninvolving films. Here are my lineups:

BEST PICTURE:
1. Orpheus
2. The Seventh Seal
3. Rashomon
4. The Wages Of Fear
5. Ikiru
6. 12 Angry Men
7. The Cranes Are Flying
8. Ben-Hur
9. Sansho The Bailiff
10. Tokyo Story

BEST DIRECTOR:
1. Jean Cocteau - Orpheus
2. Ingmar Bergman - The Seventh Seal
3. Akira Kurosawa - Rashomon
4. Henri-Georges Clouzot - The Wages Of Fear
5. William Wyler - Ben-Hur
6. Carl Theodor Dreyer - Ordet
7. Alfred Hitchcock - Rear Window
8. Mikhail Kalatozov - The Cranes Are Flying
9. Grigoriy Chukhray - Ballad Of A Soldier
10. Kenji Mizoguchi - Sansho The Bailiff

BEST ACTOR:
1. Toshiro Mifune - Throne Of Blood
2. Takashi Shimura - Ikiru
3. Victor Sjostrom - Wild Strawberries
4. Yves Montand - The Wages Of Fear
5. James Stewart - Anatomy Of A Murder
6. Carlo Battisti - Umberto D.
7. Henry Fonda - 12 Angry Men
8. Charles Laughton - Witness For The Prosecution
9. Marlon Brando - On The Waterfront
10. Jean-Pierre Leaud - The 400 Blows

BEST ACTRESS:
1. Ingrid Bergman - Europa 51
2. Tatyana Samoylova - The Cranes Are Flying
3. Hideko Takamine - Floating Clouds
4. Faten Hamama - The Nightingale’s Prayer
5. Ellie Lambeti - A Girl In Black
6. Jane Wyman - All That Heaven Allows
7. Ingrid Bergman - Stromboli
8. Lucia Bose - Story Of A Love Affair
9. Giulietta Masina - La Strada
10. Melina Mercouri - Stella

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
1. Bengt Ekerot - The Seventh Seal
2. Karl Malden - On The Waterfront
3. Toshiro Mifune - Rashomon
4. Robert Walker - Strangers On A Train
5. Orestis Makris - The Counterfeit Coin
6. Lee J. Cobb - 12 Angry Men
7. Yul Brynner - The Ten Commandments
8. Nikolai Kryuchkov - The Forty-First
9. Anthony Quinn - La Strada
10. Alberto Sordi - I Vitelloni

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
1. Isuzu Yamada - Throne Of Blood
2. Ineko Arima - Tokyo Twilight
3. Maria Casares - Orpheus
4. Eva Marie Saint - On The Waterfront
5. Setsuko Hara - Tokyo Story
6. Lillian Gish - The Night Of The Hunter
7. Katy Jurado - High Noon
8. Gloria Grahame - The Big Heat
9. Lelia Goldoni - Shadows
10. Grace Kelly - Rear Window

Last Edit: Nov 22, 2018 16:26:29 GMT by themoviesinner

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idioticbunny
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Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 22, 2018 19:27:27 GMT

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Post by idioticbunny on Nov 22, 2018 19:27:27 GMT

Nov 22, 2018 0:36:09 GMT Javi said:

Great line-ups.

And yes, the 50s are a transitional period for Hollywood films, but an amazing decade for foreign movies.

Thanks! I totally agree. This was actually the first time I had seen any Bergman films (well, I saw Seventh Seal about two years ago for a class but didn't like it then - loved it on this new watch) and I'm really digging his stuff even if it's a bit more artsy than I expected from a director so well-loved - seems like the directors that top a "best director" list are artsy with visual flare (i.e. Kubrick, Tarkovsky) or have entertainment value (i.e. Hitchcock, Spielberg). So surprised that Bergman really has neither yet his films are still beautiful visually and spiritually. Excited to see his '60s stuff.

Oh and of course Japanese cinema was on a whole other level this decade too. Mizoguchi managed to find his way into my top ten directors of all-time with his work. Ugetsu is the only one that really makes my line-ups here, but Street of Shame, Sansho the Bailiff, and The Life of Oharu are all magnificent works.

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Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 22, 2018 19:34:33 GMT themoviesinner likes this

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Post by idioticbunny on Nov 22, 2018 19:34:33 GMT

themoviesinner

Shame you're not a fan of Vertigo. I actually love how kind of cold it feels, it's brimming with that noir coldness but the vibrant colors and moving performances of Stewart & Novak really help bring out the emotions of the script. I think it's Hitchcock's most personal film - maybe not in a good way, but personal nonetheless - and for me it really shows. Every frame is so beautifully constructed and the risks he takes are ones that I felt changed the course of cinema for good.

My little soapbox on Vertigo aside

Glad to hear you're a fan of Orpheus and 12 Angry Men. The latter makes my top ten of all-time, but that was already long before I started this. It just reaffirmed its place again, but Orpheus was a total surprise that won me over so much. Beautiful in every way.

We don't seem too far off with our line-ups as most of those films I quite enjoyed - except Wages of Fear. That was a huge misfire for me. I felt if it focused on the second half stuff more, as I expected it to, I would have loved it. But the first half lingers far too long and I hated the main character. Regardless, could just be that battle of expectations vs. reality, so shall re-watch it one day.

Some nods in particular I love: Leaud for 400 Blows, Samoylova for Cranes, Kryuchkov for Forty-First (!!! holy cow, didn't think anyone else had seen this one), & just about that entire Supp. Actress list. Realized there are a lot of your Lead Actress ones I hadn't seen yet so will have to come back to those. Thanks for sharing your lists!

Last Edit: Nov 22, 2018 19:35:47 GMT by idioticbunny

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Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 23, 2018 2:23:48 GMT idioticbunny likes this

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Post by chris3 on Nov 23, 2018 2:23:48 GMT

Great lineup. Man, I really need to see Orpheus. Been putting it off for ages. Here's my list of the big 6 off the top of my head:

BEST PICTURE
All About Eve
The Bridge on the River Kwai
On the Waterfront
Othello
Paths of Glory
Rashomon
The Seventh Seal
Sunset Boulevard
Vertigo
Wild Strawberries

BEST DIRECTOR
Ingmar Bergman, Wild Strawberries
Alfred Hitchcock, Vertigo
Stanley Kubrick, Paths of Glory
Akira Kurosawa, Seven Samurai
David Lean, The Bridge on the River Kwai

BEST ACTOR
Marlon Brando, On The Waterfront
Marlon Brando, A Streetcar Named Desire
Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai
Paul Newman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Victor Sjostrom, Wild Strawberries

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Baxter, All About Eve
Bette Davis, All About Eve
Katharine Hepburn, The African Queen
Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire
Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Gunnar Bjornstrand, The Seventh Seal
Marlon Brando, Julius Caesar
Lee J. Cobb, 12 Angry Men
Karl Malden, On the Waterfront
Orson Welles, Touch of Evil

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bibi Andersson, Wild Strawberries
Kim Hunter, A Streetcar Named Desire
Grace Kelly, Rear Window
Eva Marie Saint, On the Waterfront
Kim Novak, Vertigo

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The 400 Blows
The Ladykillers
Seven Samurai
Sunset Boulevard
Wild Strawberries

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
12 Angry Men
All About Eve
Rashomon
The Seventh Seal
Vertigo

Last Edit: Nov 23, 2018 2:26:42 GMT by chris3

Tommen_Saperstein Legend Posts: 17,229 Likes: 11,470 Member is Online	Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 23, 2018 3:53:55 GMT idioticbunny likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Nov 23, 2018 3:53:55 GMT ask me again next year

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Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 23, 2018 6:50:54 GMT

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Post by themoviesinner on Nov 23, 2018 6:50:54 GMT

idioticbunny

I really appreciate the technical aspects of Vertigo. The cinematography really creates a sense of disequilibrium and vertigo, but the film, as you say, just feels cold and lacks the suspense and tension of Hitchcock's other films. That's the main reason I wasn't very fond of it.

As for The Wages Of Fear, I think it's first part is just as strong as it's second. I consider it a highly effective critique on the laboural, environmental and cultural exploitation that comes from excess industrialism. And it's second part manages to be one of the most intense sequences in cinema, even though the main character is an unlikeable opportunist.

Last Edit: Nov 23, 2018 11:05:47 GMT by themoviesinner

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idioticbunny
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Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 24, 2018 5:58:17 GMT chris3 likes this

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Post by idioticbunny on Nov 24, 2018 5:58:17 GMT

Nov 23, 2018 2:23:48 GMT chris3 said:

Great lineup. Man, I really need to see Orpheus. Been putting it off for ages.

Oh yes, please do watch Orpheus. I'd say if you're a fan of Lynch (and probably even if you're not), you'll dig it. Very clear influence there, though still with that lovely Cocteau way of doing things. Always trying to find new ways around what's the norm, yet still this lovely beauty about it.

Overall I really dig your lists too (and a lot of those are right outside my top tens as well). Only one that isn't is River Kwai which was a really unfortunate disappointment for me. Still a solid 7/10, but I had been excited to see it for a long time now. Maybe just expectations that hurt it for me, but I felt like there was room for so much yet it did so little (IMO obviously).

I will say I really dig the Brando win in Supporting which feels like a really underrated performance from him (he's my win in '53 for it and in my top 20 Supp. Actor for the decade). Period piece/Shakespeare feels so wrong on him, yet he still brings that Brando originality to it that makes Shakespeare feel fresh yet true-to-form all at once. Also love that Baxter makes your Lead Actress list as I feel she's nearly just as good as Davis (Baxter was my #11 in Actress by the way) and Davis making all the All-Time Great lists while Baxter doesn't feels wrong to me.

The one surprise for me is Andersson in Strawberries as your win. I actually preferred Fridh & Thulin myself, but Andersson is great nonetheless. And like that you put Novak in Supporting as seeing it again recently I realized she's not as Lead as I thought she was.

idioticbunny Badass Posts: 2,108 Likes: 1,043	Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 24, 2018 5:58:43 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by idioticbunny on Nov 24, 2018 5:58:43 GMT Nov 23, 2018 3:53:55 GMT Tommen_Saperstein said: ask me again next year Gladly! Hopefully you'll have something like FilmStruck to help you along then...

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Best of the 1950s (decade line-ups). Nov 24, 2018 6:05:16 GMT themoviesinner likes this

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Post by idioticbunny on Nov 24, 2018 6:05:16 GMT

Nov 23, 2018 6:50:54 GMT themoviesinner said:

idioticbunny

I really appreciate the technical aspects of Vertigo. The cinematography really creates a sense of disequilibrium and vertigo, but the film, as you say, just feels cold and lacks the suspense and tension of Hitchcock's other films. That's the main reason I wasn't very fond of it.

As for The Wages Of Fear, I think it's first part is just as strong as it's second. I consider it a highly effective critique on the laboural, environmental and cultural exploitation that comes from excess industrialism. And it's second part manages to be one of the most intense sequences in cinema, even though the main character is an unlikeable opportunist.

I appreciate the genuine criticism of the film (most don't offer such). It's in my top 5 films of all-time, but I can still respect your concerns. I'm often surprised that the film is considered among cinephiles (and even some general movie-goers) to be his best work and even one of the best films ever made. I mean, the film itself was poorly received upon its initial release and I can absolutely see why (those reasons you mention and a few others). For me it has so much internal tension that it works for me as a thriller, but obviously the film doesn't have the suspense of something like Rope or North by Northwest that's almost heart-palpitating.

That's a good point regarding Wages of Fear. I definitely felt like that was what the film was intending to bring about in its overall message. How the need to survive in an increasing capitalist and industrial world means taking on such deadly jobs. For me I just felt the first half could have been shortened to 15 minutes or so, it felt like it was taking too long to get to that first "inciting incident" as they say in writer-speak.

Regardless, I still love that second half and maybe someday I'll revisit it and change my mind (the beauty of cinema, etc).