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Post by idioticbunny on May 21, 2018 4:38:35 GMT
Well, it's good to be back doing this thing again. I've been in the process of moving to Los Angeles for the better part of the past month and a half (finding a place, finding work, etc.) so it was nice to sit down and get back into watching some classic movies. Not the strongest year I think, but there's still a lot to love about it. Even the ones I didn't like so much had at least one really stand-out quality.
Still stuck between whether Sunset Blvd or Orpheus takes my top prize, but both are drastically different, equally beautiful and haunting pieces of work (strange how the former is David Lynch's favorite film, but the latter feels so purely Lynchian in every way - I swear most of this movie was lifted for Twin Peaks - that I'm surprised it's not his favorite instead). Then there's the debate between Stewart and Bogart who give two of their finest performances as well as the age-old argument of Swanson vs. Davis (though to me it's not even close, and in fact I felt Baxter was nearly every bit as good as Davis just with far less stand-out scenes...), so while the year on the whole wasn't outstanding, there's a lot to love. That Supp. Actress line-up even, you could turn it upside down and I'd still be happy with it. So good.
Also nice to get around to Rashomon at last as it was actually the impetus for me beginning this whole journey. I got ten minutes in before I realized "instead of marathoning Kurosawa, why don't I just marathon all of cinema?" So yeah. And it wasn't as good as I had always heard it to be, but it's a huge step up from his previous two films (which I liked already) and feels like a big step toward the influential Kurosawa known today (and for once, Mifune and Shimura weren't the MVP of one of his films - in my opinion of course).
Overall, really excited to get the decade going. So many fantastic movies that I've been dying to see for a long time (literally every Kurosawa aside from Seven Samurai, Singin' in the Rain, Sweet Smell of Success, Rebel Without a Cause, etc.). Here are my line-ups:
Best Picture: 01. Sunset Boulevard. 02. Orpheus. 03. All About Eve. 04. Rashōmon. 05. In a Lonely Place. 06. Night and the City. 07. La Ronde. 08. Harvey. 09. Los Olvidados. 10. The Asphalt Jungle. ----------------- 11. Father of the Bride. 12. Cinderella. 13. Stage Fright.
Best Director: 01. Jean Cocteau - Orpheus. 02. Billy Wilder - Sunset Boulevard. 03. Akira Kurosawa - Rashōmon. 04. Max Ophüls - La Ronde. 05. John Huston - The Asphalt Jungle.
Best Actor: 01. James Stewart - Harvey. 02. Humphrey Bogart - In a Lonely Place. 03. Richard Widmark - Night and the City. 04. William Holden - Sunset Boulevard. 05. Spencer Tracy - Father of the Bride.
Best Actress: 01. Gloria Swanson - Sunset Boulevard. 02. Bette Davis - All About Eve. 03. Anne Baxter - All About Eve. 04. Gloria Grahame - In a Lonely Place. 05. Jane Wyman - Stage Fright.
Best Supporting Actor: 01. François Périer - Orpheus. 02. Toshiro Mifune - Rashōmon. 03. Francis L. Sullivan - Night and the City. 04. Louis Calhern - The Asphalt Jungle. 05. Erich von Stroheim - Sunset Boulevard.
Best Supporting Actress: 01. Machiko Kyō - Rashōmon. 02. María Casares - Orpheus. 03. Celeste Holm - All About Eve. 04. Gene Tierney - Night and the City. 05. Jean Hagen - The Asphalt Jungle.
Best Original Screenplay: 01. Sunset Boulevard. 02. Orpheus. 03. Los Olvidados.
Best Adapted Screenplay: 01. All About Eve. 02. Rashōmon. 03. La Ronde. 04. In a Lonely Place. 05. Night and the City.
Best Ensemble: 01. All About Eve. 02. Rashōmon. 03. La Ronde. 04. In a Lonely Place. 05. Sunset Boulevard.
Best Editing: Rashōmon.
Best Cinematography: Night and the City.
Best Art Direction: La Ronde.
Best Costume Design: La Ronde.
Best Makeup: La Ronde.
Best Visual Effects: Orpheus.
Best Sound Design: Orpheus.
Best Original Score: Oscar Straus - La Ronde.
Best Original Song: "La Ronde de l'Amour" - La Ronde.
Feel free to offer up some recommendations for 1951. Already seen (and recently re-watched) Strangers on a Train. Still one of my favorite Hitchcock films. But still need to re-watch The African Queen and Ace in the Hole which I haven't seen in probably a decade. And yeah, A Streetcar Named Desire will be a must-see for the year (and a first time watch believe it or not).
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Post by pendragon on May 21, 2018 6:21:07 GMT
1951:
Othello (Orson Welles) Early Summer (Yasujirô Ozu) Summer Interlude (Ingmar Bergman) The Thing from Another World (Christian Nyby)
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Post by idioticbunny on May 21, 2018 18:52:35 GMT
pendragonI'm unsure of whether to consider Othello 1951 or not. It had four different releases in Italy in that year, then Cannes the next year, but it didn't come out in it's technical country of origin until 1955. Either way I'm going to watch it, just trying to figure out what year to put it down as. I wanna say 1955 just to be consistent with my country of origin rule that I use for my own personal stuff, but was Italy part of it's "country of origin" as well? As in if he filmed some of it in Italy or something. Maybe you specifically don't know the answer to my question, but just throwing it out there lol. Will be sure to check out the Ozu even though his style might not be my cup of tea - but I'll at least finish his "trilogy" as I've already seen Late Spring. I noticed it has the same two lead actors and same first names for them, but are they continuations of the same story or just thematically connected?
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Post by stephen on May 21, 2018 19:09:12 GMT
Shame you didn't watch Caged, as I think Parker and especially Emerson would've done some damage to the actress lineups.
As for '51:
A Place in the Sun A Streetcar Named Desire Detective Story Early Summer Fixed Bayonets! He Ran All the Way Home His Kind of Woman Quo Vadis Scrooge Strangers on a Train The African Queen The Browning Version Rommel: The Desert Fox The Lavender Hill Mob The River The Steel Helmet
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Post by Mattsby on May 21, 2018 19:15:21 GMT
I'm unsure of whether to consider Othello 1951 or not. It had four different releases in Italy in that year, then Cannes the next year, but it didn't come out in it's technical country of origin until 1955. Either way I'm going to watch it, just trying to figure out what year to put it down as. I wanna say 1955 just to be consistent with my country of origin rule that I use for my own personal stuff, but was Italy part of it's "country of origin" as well? As in if he filmed some of it in Italy or something. Maybe you specifically don't know the answer to my question, but just throwing it out there lol. Othello predominantly filmed in Italy, yes. It was also "set up" with Italian money but after shooting started their financier fell thru and Welles finished it on and off with his own money !
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Post by idioticbunny on May 21, 2018 19:16:49 GMT
I'm unsure of whether to consider Othello 1951 or not. It had four different releases in Italy in that year, then Cannes the next year, but it didn't come out in it's technical country of origin until 1955. Either way I'm going to watch it, just trying to figure out what year to put it down as. I wanna say 1955 just to be consistent with my country of origin rule that I use for my own personal stuff, but was Italy part of it's "country of origin" as well? As in if he filmed some of it in Italy or something. Maybe you specifically don't know the answer to my question, but just throwing it out there lol. Othello predominantly filmed in Italy, yes. It was also "set up" with Italian money but after shooting started their financier fell thru and Welles finished it on and off with his own money ! Thank you! Was not aware of that and kept trying to look into it. Perhaps I'll consider it 1951 after all then, thanks!
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Post by idioticbunny on May 21, 2018 19:20:12 GMT
Shame you didn't watch Caged, as I think Parker and especially Emerson would've done some damage to the actress lineups. As for '51: A Place in the Sun A Streetcar Named Desire Detective Story Early Summer Fixed Bayonets! He Ran All the Way Home His Kind of Woman Quo Vadis Scrooge Strangers on a Train The African Queen The Browning Version Rommel: The Desert Fox The Lavender Hill Mob The River The Steel HelmetIt was really difficult to narrow down what to watch for 1950. I mostly just went with what was easier to watch due to me trying to watch whilst in the process of moving, but I'll be sure to come around to it at some point in time. I can't remember, but which Ustinov performance is your favorite? Is it Quo Vadis? Because I swear I've heard of that film before, but can't remember why. Wasn't really wanting to watch a near-three hour film, but if it's your favorite performance of his I might give it a go. Also is Scrooge the same thing as A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim or are they two different films? And is The River more Boudu Saved from Drowning Renoir or Rules of the Game/ La Grande Illusion Renoir? Loved the latter, really hated the former, so it holds bearing as to whether I'll watch it or not. Thanks again for the recs!
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Post by Mattsby on May 21, 2018 19:22:10 GMT
On Dangerous Ground is pretty great until the compromised ending - if they cut off those last five minutes it'd be a helluva lot better. Some quite effective use of handheld camera and the script is very strong. "How do you live with yourself?" "I don't. I live with other people."
But my fav of the year is Othello, which might be my favorite Shakespeare adaptation. It's so engaging and swift and really well done. Considering the troubled production it's really a remarkable filmmaking feat from Welles.
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Post by stephen on May 21, 2018 19:24:26 GMT
Shame you didn't watch Caged, as I think Parker and especially Emerson would've done some damage to the actress lineups. As for '51: A Place in the Sun A Streetcar Named Desire Detective Story Early Summer Fixed Bayonets! He Ran All the Way Home His Kind of Woman Quo Vadis Scrooge Strangers on a Train The African Queen The Browning Version Rommel: The Desert Fox The Lavender Hill Mob The River The Steel HelmetIt was really difficult to narrow down what to watch for 1950. I mostly just went with what was easier to watch due to me trying to watch whilst in the process of moving, but I'll be sure to come around to it at some point in time. I can't remember, but which Ustinov performance is your favorite? Is it Quo Vadis? Because I swear I've heard of that film before, but can't remember why. Wasn't really wanting to watch a near-three hour film, but if it's your favorite performance of his I might give it a go. Also is Scrooge the same thing as A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim or are they two different films? And is The River more Boudu Saved from Drowning Renoir or Rules of the Game/ La Grande Illusion Renoir? Loved the latter, really hated the former, so it holds bearing as to whether I'll watch it or not. Thanks again for the recs! My favorite Ustinov is Spartacus (my #1 of all time in Supporting Actor), but he's also my win for Quo Vadis (sorry, Malden) and it's that role as Nero that catapulted him into the limelight. The film has its issues, but he is decidedly not one of them. I heartily recommend watching anything he does, but Quo Vadis, Spartacus, The Sundowners and Topkapi are absolute essentials. Trust me. Scrooge is the Alastair Sim film, yes. I go by its original release title. He is the definitive Scrooge. The River is closer to latter-day Renoir, but it's its own beast as well. Shame you didn't like Boudu, but I can see why it would rub you the wrong way.
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Post by idioticbunny on May 21, 2018 19:26:15 GMT
On Dangerous Ground is pretty great until the compromised ending - if they cut off those last five minutes it'd be a helluva lot better. Some quite effective use of handheld camera and the script is very strong. "How do you live with yourself?" "I don't. I live with other people." But my fav of the year is Othello, which might be my favorite Shakespeare adaptation. It's so engaging and swift and really well done. Considering the troubled production it's really a remarkable filmmaking feat from Welles. Will be sure to consider On Dangerous Ground then! Though with the plethora of films to choose from, might not go with the one with the meh ending It always amazes me how Welles has these troubled productions and still finds a way to make great films (except in the case where his films get ripped to shreds by the studios in the editing room). Very excited with the high praise.
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Post by stephen on May 21, 2018 19:27:53 GMT
But my fav of the year is Othello, which might be my favorite Shakespeare adaptation. It's so engaging and swift and really well done. Considering the troubled production it's really a remarkable filmmaking feat from Welles. Having recently revisited Welles's Shakespearean oeuvre for my montage, it's amazing that he doesn't have the esteem and acclaim Olivier does in that arena. An American daring to tackle the Bard, having the balls to cut and winnow the text as he does, and to take on Othello, Macbeth, Lear and (his finest) Falstaff with such alacrity? Welles was a force to be reckoned with, and his direction is top-notch (he's my runner-up in that category for Chimes of Midnight). 'Tis a shame we never got to see him do Lear later in life, when I think it would've worked better.
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Post by idioticbunny on May 21, 2018 19:33:52 GMT
It was really difficult to narrow down what to watch for 1950. I mostly just went with what was easier to watch due to me trying to watch whilst in the process of moving, but I'll be sure to come around to it at some point in time. I can't remember, but which Ustinov performance is your favorite? Is it Quo Vadis? Because I swear I've heard of that film before, but can't remember why. Wasn't really wanting to watch a near-three hour film, but if it's your favorite performance of his I might give it a go. Also is Scrooge the same thing as A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim or are they two different films? And is The River more Boudu Saved from Drowning Renoir or Rules of the Game/ La Grande Illusion Renoir? Loved the latter, really hated the former, so it holds bearing as to whether I'll watch it or not. Thanks again for the recs! My favorite Ustinov is Spartacus (my #1 of all time in Supporting Actor), but he's also my win for Quo Vadis (sorry, Malden) and it's that role as Nero that catapulted him into the limelight. The film has its issues, but he is decidedly not one of them. I heartily recommend watching anything he does, but Quo Vadis, Spartacus, The Sundowners and Topkapi are absolute essentials. Trust me. Scrooge is the Alastair Sim film, yes. I go by its original release title. He is the definitive Scrooge. The River is closer to latter-day Renoir, but it's its own beast as well. Shame you didn't like Boudu, but I can see why it would rub you the wrong way. That's awesome! Perhaps I'll give it a go if I can find a day where I feel up to watching a long film. Spartacus is definitely on my list, don't think I've heard of the other two so I'll add them to my watch-list now. Ahh, okay. That's actually why I was strongly considering it, he seems perfect as Scrooge and I've liked what I've seen of his thus far. Yeah, the early Renoir stuff was just not my cup of tea at all. I like that he messed with conventions, but he felt too unsure of going in either direction with his crazy ideas and wound up just sitting still and it felt off to me. But the latter stuff, especially Rules of the Game is perfect because it rides that middle line but has a great balance of dark comedy and heavy drama (something like a less goofy Sacha Guitry who, by the way, I'm so excited to see another one of his films this year with La Poison even if it has Michel Simon who I'm not a fan of - speaking of Boudu lol). Also I realized Ace in the Hole wasn't among your recs. I've already seen it and will be sure to re-watch it, but not a fan? Or were you excluding it because I mentioned it above?
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Post by stephen on May 21, 2018 19:35:08 GMT
My favorite Ustinov is Spartacus (my #1 of all time in Supporting Actor), but he's also my win for Quo Vadis (sorry, Malden) and it's that role as Nero that catapulted him into the limelight. The film has its issues, but he is decidedly not one of them. I heartily recommend watching anything he does, but Quo Vadis, Spartacus, The Sundowners and Topkapi are absolute essentials. Trust me. Scrooge is the Alastair Sim film, yes. I go by its original release title. He is the definitive Scrooge. The River is closer to latter-day Renoir, but it's its own beast as well. Shame you didn't like Boudu, but I can see why it would rub you the wrong way. That's awesome! Perhaps I'll give it a go if I can find a day where I feel up to watching a long film. Spartacus is definitely on my list, don't think I've heard of the other two so I'll add them to my watch-list now. Ahh, okay. That's actually why I was strongly considering it, he seems perfect as Scrooge and I've liked what I've seen of his thus far. Yeah, the early Renoir stuff was just not my cup of tea at all. I like that he messed with conventions, but he felt too unsure of going in either direction with his crazy ideas and wound up just sitting still and it felt off to me. But the latter stuff, especially Rules of the Game is perfect because it rides that middle line but has a great balance of dark comedy and heavy drama (something like a less goofy Sacha Guitry who, by the way, I'm so excited to see another one of his films this year with La Poison even if it has Michel Simon who I'm not a fan of - speaking of Boudu lol). Also I realized Ace in the Hole wasn't among your recs. I've already seen it and will be sure to re-watch it, but not a fan? Or were you excluding it because I mentioned it above? Hahaha, I can't believe I left it off -- it's my Best Picture winner of 1951! Yes, definite must-watch.
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Post by idioticbunny on May 21, 2018 19:36:49 GMT
That's awesome! Perhaps I'll give it a go if I can find a day where I feel up to watching a long film. Spartacus is definitely on my list, don't think I've heard of the other two so I'll add them to my watch-list now. Ahh, okay. That's actually why I was strongly considering it, he seems perfect as Scrooge and I've liked what I've seen of his thus far. Yeah, the early Renoir stuff was just not my cup of tea at all. I like that he messed with conventions, but he felt too unsure of going in either direction with his crazy ideas and wound up just sitting still and it felt off to me. But the latter stuff, especially Rules of the Game is perfect because it rides that middle line but has a great balance of dark comedy and heavy drama (something like a less goofy Sacha Guitry who, by the way, I'm so excited to see another one of his films this year with La Poison even if it has Michel Simon who I'm not a fan of - speaking of Boudu lol). Also I realized Ace in the Hole wasn't among your recs. I've already seen it and will be sure to re-watch it, but not a fan? Or were you excluding it because I mentioned it above? Hahaha, I can't believe I left it off -- it's my Best Picture winner of 1951! Yes, definite must-watch. I was gonna say! It seems right up your alley! As there are very few I think my girlfriend would be interested in for this year, I think I'll hold off and wait for her on re-watching that one as I think she'll like it.
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Post by Joaquim on May 21, 2018 20:43:26 GMT
Good to see Sunset Boulevard at #1. Haven't seen a whole lot from '50 myself but I don't see anything topping it for that year.
As for '51:
Strangers on a Train The Day the Earth Stood Still Othello Quo Vadis When Worlds Collide The African Queen
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Post by pendragon on May 21, 2018 22:25:37 GMT
pendragon I'm unsure of whether to consider Othello 1951 or not. It had four different releases in Italy in that year, then Cannes the next year, but it didn't come out in it's technical country of origin until 1955. Either way I'm going to watch it, just trying to figure out what year to put it down as. I wanna say 1955 just to be consistent with my country of origin rule that I use for my own personal stuff, but was Italy part of it's "country of origin" as well? As in if he filmed some of it in Italy or something. Maybe you specifically don't know the answer to my question, but just throwing it out there lol. Will be sure to check out the Ozu even though his style might not be my cup of tea - but I'll at least finish his "trilogy" as I've already seen Late Spring. I noticed it has the same two lead actors and same first names for them, but are they continuations of the same story or just thematically connected? Mattsby already commented on Othello and that's why I would consider it to be an Italian film, despite Welles being American. As for Early Summer, the characters, while similar, are distinct from in Late Spring and the two films are only linked thematically.
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Post by stephen on May 21, 2018 23:18:50 GMT
Hang on -- no love for George Sanders?
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Post by idioticbunny on May 22, 2018 6:11:40 GMT
Good to see Sunset Boulevard at #1. Haven't seen a whole lot from '50 myself but I don't see anything topping it for that year. As for '51: Strangers on a Train The Day the Earth Stood Still Othello Quo Vadis When Worlds Collide The African Queen To be honest, I like it a lot, but it went down a lot since my first watch many years ago. I love Wilder, I just think he's been better elsewhere (though I admire the scathing look at Hollywood in a Hollywood production). Again, still #1 of the year, so obviously still like it a lot. Though Orpheus was the real surprise. If it weren't for Jean Marais pretty much sleep-walking in the lead role, it might have topped Sunset. Should definitely check that one out at least, especially if you're a Lynch fan.
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Post by idioticbunny on May 22, 2018 6:15:32 GMT
pendragon I'm unsure of whether to consider Othello 1951 or not. It had four different releases in Italy in that year, then Cannes the next year, but it didn't come out in it's technical country of origin until 1955. Either way I'm going to watch it, just trying to figure out what year to put it down as. I wanna say 1955 just to be consistent with my country of origin rule that I use for my own personal stuff, but was Italy part of it's "country of origin" as well? As in if he filmed some of it in Italy or something. Maybe you specifically don't know the answer to my question, but just throwing it out there lol. Will be sure to check out the Ozu even though his style might not be my cup of tea - but I'll at least finish his "trilogy" as I've already seen Late Spring. I noticed it has the same two lead actors and same first names for them, but are they continuations of the same story or just thematically connected? Mattsby already commented on Othello and that's why I would consider it to be an Italian film, despite Welles being American. As for Early Summer, the characters, while similar, are distinct from in Late Spring and the two films are only linked thematically. Thank you! Strangely enough, those were the two I decided to watch today. Think I might like Late Spring just a touch better (also how the hell did I not know Chishu Ryu wasn't actually an old man like in Late Spring?!? I was so shocked to see him play a young guy in Early Summer. Might have to go revisit my make-up and Lead Actor line-up for 1949...), but Summer was still very sweet. I just am still unsure about Ozu's style. I like that it feels so homey and thought-provoking, but just think that they could still achieve the same effect by trimming about half an hour from them. Othello, while a few splotchy editing moves here and there and of course the obvious black-face eww, was pretty brilliant. Very Eisenstein in its style, but still very Orson Welles.
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Post by idioticbunny on May 22, 2018 6:18:15 GMT
Hang on -- no love for George Sanders? Ha! I was wondering if someone would catch on to that. Yeah, no, I don't really see the fuss honestly. Though he is my favorite of the male supporting cast (but mainly because his one big scene with Anne Baxter toward the end which pushed him up big time, otherwise I thought Gary Merrill was the MVP of the males). I think the love for he and Davis are a bit hyperbole, but still think they're strong performances (especially the latter). Sanders is, I believe, my #7 in that line-up though.
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Post by idioticbunny on May 22, 2018 6:22:03 GMT
Bogart. Bogart. Bogart. For both years. In a Lonely Place > Sunset Blvd. Bogart > Brando 1951. Judy Holliday owns 1950. That's all the input I have, and I need to rewatch Harvey. I love me some Bogart for sure, and was so hyped for his Lonely Place performance, but wasn't as blown away as I hoped I would be. Maybe the hype ruined it for me, so I may have to re-watch it down the road. But Stewart was just so moving and beautiful in Harvey, possibly the best I've seen of him (which is a high bar as he's possibly one of my top three favorite actors). So it wasn't even close for me. I assume the Bogart in 1951 refers to The African Queen? I remember really liking him in that, if preferring Hepburn, but I do need desperately to re-watch it (and I will). Wish I could have gotten around to Holliday's performance, but due to the stacked competition for what to watch each year, I go by films as a whole rather than performances (as I heard the rest of the film was pretty meh around her). I wasn't a fan of Harvey as a film, but I think Stewart is incredible so I might suggest re-watching it solely for that! Plus it's a very uplifting movie, so maybe save it for a rainy day.
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