Post by idioticbunny on Aug 17, 2018 21:22:41 GMT
Well, this was a bit of a chore of a year to get through. Only really passionate about the top two and the rest range from good to pretty meh. Very sadly disappointed in Hitchcock's Man Who Knew Too Much remake, especially as it had been one I've wanted to see for a very, very long time. Just felt overly long and far too polished, especially considering how much more interesting and inventive his original was. I expected, with a larger budget and bigger cast, he would be able to do more with it. But aside from the opera sequence, which was already done even better in the original, it didn't offer anything fresh or exciting. Even the always reliable Jimmy Stewart couldn't bring much to the role that any other actor couldn't have done better. But I forgive him since he gave one of his best in his next outing with Hitchcock. And Hitchcock made up for his weak performance here with an incredibly solid effort with The Wrong Man (even if the subplot with Vera Miles in the second half felt way overwrought and distracting).
Plus, this is the first time I've truly loved a John Ford western. Considering my previous two favorites of his were The Grapes of Wrath and How Green Was My Valley, I figured if his most acclaimed work doesn't even make a dent for me, then nothing of his will. But thankfully, this masterpiece came out of nowhere. At first I thought it was super problematic with the overt racism and bigotry, but as the film went on I started to think maybe there was a purpose to it. Definitely the deepest work of Ford's career with the most social commentary I think a Western has ever tackled (without hitting it head-on). Would love to revisit this one down the road and see if I still feel the same way.
Also, Aparajito >>>> Pather Panchali by a huge margin. Not sure why, but this one just hit me so much harder. Very nearly give it my win over The Searchers. And a beautiful swan song for Mizoguchi with Street of Shame. A whole career devoted to feminism and women's rights and it pays off as this film actually had an impact on an anti-prositution law in Japan. And it's not hard to see why. Lastly, the fantastic Samurai trilogy closes with what might be my favorite film of the three (though it's really hard to say as I feel they all work better as a whole). Probably my favorite Mifune performance in his career thus far as well (I've really not seen anything of his other than what I've seen so far here).
Beyond all of these, though, not a great year. Probably the weakest year of the decade so far. It's got some solid films, but ones where the directors have been better elsewhere. Or had pieces of great films that threw in weird subplots or plot twists that brought the films down a grade. Regardless, the acting was pretty great - especially that GOAT Supp. Actress line-up which has more solid stuff in the rest of the top ten too - but overall very underwhelming.
Best Picture:
01. The Searchers.
02. Aparajito.
03. Street of Shame.
04. The Wrong Man.
05. Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
06. The Forty-First.
07. Bob le Flambeur.
08. The Killing.
09. Baby Doll.
10. The Ten Commandments.
-----------------
11. A Man Escaped.
12. Written on the Wind.
13. Bigger Than Life.
14. Giant.
15. The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Best Director:
01. John Ford - The Searchers.
02. Satyajit Ray - Aparajito.
03. Alfred Hitchcock - The Wrong Man.
04. Kenji Mizoguchi - Street of Shame.
05. Grigoriy Chukhray - The Forty-First.
Best Actor:
01. Toshirô Mifune - Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
02. John Wayne - The Searchers.
03. Henry Fonda - The Wrong Man.
04. Karl Malden - Baby Doll.
05. Rock Hudson - Giant.
Best Actress:
01. Carroll Baker - Baby Doll.
02. Elizabeth Taylor - Giant.
03. Barbara Rush - Bigger Than Life.
04. Lauren Bacall - Written on the Wind.
05. Doris Day - The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Nikolay Kryuchkov - The Forty-First.
02. James Dean - Giant.
03. Robert Stack - Written on the Wind.
04. Kōji Tsuruta - Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
05. Osamu Maruyama - Street of Shame.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Dorothy Malone - Written on the Wind.
02. Karuna Bannerjee - Aparajito.
03. Marie Windsor - The Killing.
04. Michiyo Kogure - Street of Shame.
05. Aiko Mimasu - Street of Shame.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. Bob le Flambeur.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Aparajito.
02. The Searchers.
03. The Killing.
04. Street of Shame.
05. The Wrong Man.
Best Ensemble:
01. Street of Shame.
02. Baby Doll.
03. Giant.
04. Written on the Wind.
05. The Killing.
Best Editing:
The Searchers.
Best Cinematography:
The Searchers.
Best Art Direction:
The Ten Commandments.
Best Costume Design:
The Ten Commandments.
Best Makeup:
The Ten Commandments.
Best Visual Effects:
The Ten Commandments.
Best Sound Design:
The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Best Original Score:
Ikuma Dan - Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
Best Original Song:
"Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" - The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Best Choreography:
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
Looks like 1957 is another incredibly strong year like 1955, so recommendations will be needed to narrow down rather than boost up my list lol. I've already seen The Seventh Seal, The Three Faces of Eve, and 12 Angry Men (which is in my top ten of all-time, so if something tops it as my #1 this year that movie will have to be god-like). Paths of Glory is already a must-see as well for my Kubrick marathon as well.
Plus, this is the first time I've truly loved a John Ford western. Considering my previous two favorites of his were The Grapes of Wrath and How Green Was My Valley, I figured if his most acclaimed work doesn't even make a dent for me, then nothing of his will. But thankfully, this masterpiece came out of nowhere. At first I thought it was super problematic with the overt racism and bigotry, but as the film went on I started to think maybe there was a purpose to it. Definitely the deepest work of Ford's career with the most social commentary I think a Western has ever tackled (without hitting it head-on). Would love to revisit this one down the road and see if I still feel the same way.
Also, Aparajito >>>> Pather Panchali by a huge margin. Not sure why, but this one just hit me so much harder. Very nearly give it my win over The Searchers. And a beautiful swan song for Mizoguchi with Street of Shame. A whole career devoted to feminism and women's rights and it pays off as this film actually had an impact on an anti-prositution law in Japan. And it's not hard to see why. Lastly, the fantastic Samurai trilogy closes with what might be my favorite film of the three (though it's really hard to say as I feel they all work better as a whole). Probably my favorite Mifune performance in his career thus far as well (I've really not seen anything of his other than what I've seen so far here).
Beyond all of these, though, not a great year. Probably the weakest year of the decade so far. It's got some solid films, but ones where the directors have been better elsewhere. Or had pieces of great films that threw in weird subplots or plot twists that brought the films down a grade. Regardless, the acting was pretty great - especially that GOAT Supp. Actress line-up which has more solid stuff in the rest of the top ten too - but overall very underwhelming.
Best Picture:
01. The Searchers.
02. Aparajito.
03. Street of Shame.
04. The Wrong Man.
05. Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
06. The Forty-First.
07. Bob le Flambeur.
08. The Killing.
09. Baby Doll.
10. The Ten Commandments.
-----------------
11. A Man Escaped.
12. Written on the Wind.
13. Bigger Than Life.
14. Giant.
15. The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Best Director:
01. John Ford - The Searchers.
02. Satyajit Ray - Aparajito.
03. Alfred Hitchcock - The Wrong Man.
04. Kenji Mizoguchi - Street of Shame.
05. Grigoriy Chukhray - The Forty-First.
Best Actor:
01. Toshirô Mifune - Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
02. John Wayne - The Searchers.
03. Henry Fonda - The Wrong Man.
04. Karl Malden - Baby Doll.
05. Rock Hudson - Giant.
Best Actress:
01. Carroll Baker - Baby Doll.
02. Elizabeth Taylor - Giant.
03. Barbara Rush - Bigger Than Life.
04. Lauren Bacall - Written on the Wind.
05. Doris Day - The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Nikolay Kryuchkov - The Forty-First.
02. James Dean - Giant.
03. Robert Stack - Written on the Wind.
04. Kōji Tsuruta - Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
05. Osamu Maruyama - Street of Shame.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Dorothy Malone - Written on the Wind.
02. Karuna Bannerjee - Aparajito.
03. Marie Windsor - The Killing.
04. Michiyo Kogure - Street of Shame.
05. Aiko Mimasu - Street of Shame.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. Bob le Flambeur.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Aparajito.
02. The Searchers.
03. The Killing.
04. Street of Shame.
05. The Wrong Man.
Best Ensemble:
01. Street of Shame.
02. Baby Doll.
03. Giant.
04. Written on the Wind.
05. The Killing.
Best Editing:
The Searchers.
Best Cinematography:
The Searchers.
Best Art Direction:
The Ten Commandments.
Best Costume Design:
The Ten Commandments.
Best Makeup:
The Ten Commandments.
Best Visual Effects:
The Ten Commandments.
Best Sound Design:
The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Best Original Score:
Ikuma Dan - Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
Best Original Song:
"Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" - The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Best Choreography:
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island.
Looks like 1957 is another incredibly strong year like 1955, so recommendations will be needed to narrow down rather than boost up my list lol. I've already seen The Seventh Seal, The Three Faces of Eve, and 12 Angry Men (which is in my top ten of all-time, so if something tops it as my #1 this year that movie will have to be god-like). Paths of Glory is already a must-see as well for my Kubrick marathon as well.