The 1950s List: Discussion and Suggestions (Decade Project Vol. 4)

[domino harvey]

While I cannot abide any bad words directed at "Stereophonic Sound", I should say that my first overall reaction to Silk Stockings was even more uncharitable than knives'. But then I rewatched it a few years back and wow, it was way, way better than I had remembered. Maybe it will grow in estimation for you too with a revisit down the road, knives. And I agree, Cyd Charisse is way better than Greta Garbo

[soundchaser]

And I agree, Cyd Charisse is way better than Greta Garbo

This is sacrilege! (Although Peter Lorre is the best part of either version, in any case.)

[domino harvey]

It takes a true artiste to pull off dancing with a polar bear

[knives]

Lorre is pretty great. That sight of him between the chairs gave me a big smile though actually Munshin won my heart. I was thinking that I'd probably like the film a lot more if the roles were switched playing up Astaire's Teutonic reserve and letting Charisse play to her strengths as a wild, sex craving figure of American decadence.

[therewillbeblus]

While Garbo is hysterical in her deadpan skills in the first act of the Lubitsch, she never really opens up the way the character demands, at least not in a manner that feels organic. Though I generally love her, and always found this strange considering what I perceive to be a wonderful emotional range. Maybe she felt at odds with her character in altering expression naturally in this specific role, or maybe I’m just not picking up on something.

[Michael Kerpan]

Garbo did almost nothing for me in Ninotchka -- at least on first viewing.

[knives]

While Garbo is hysterical in her deadpan skills in the first act of the Lubitsch, she never really opens up the way the character demands, at least not in a manner that feels organic. Though I generally love her, and always found this strange considering what I perceive to be a wonderful emotional range. Maybe she felt at odds with her character in altering expression naturally in this specific role, or maybe I’m just not picking up on something.

I don't think she is supposed to open up in that way. That would be inorganic to the character.

[therewillbeblus]

That's kinda what I mean, though I wasn't articulating it well. Basically it's a pickem between staying true to the character or the drama. Her character wouldn't organically open up that way, but the romantic evolution with Douglas does seem to demand a more authentic change. Garbo seems to be trying to do this rightfully in step with her character as her primary source of attachment, but since the narrative is pulling her in a different direction her perf in the second half just doesn't work for me; while Charisse is able to transform more clearly, but leaves the character behind in the process, or perhaps wasn't all that faithful to the role in the first place.

[knives]

I do think we get an authentic change though. That is how that character would change when dealing with concepts of love and decadence. It's fine if those developments aren't enjoyable to you, but the film is entirely coherent in its characterization.

[Rayon Vert]

Where the Sidewalk Ends is an especially engaging noir because it imbibes the morally grey sludge of the genre into the source of the investigation itself and the judgment of the hero by placing the responsibility on the viewer through its own shrugging light anti-position of objectivity. Andrews is more likeable here than in Fallen Angel and yet he, objectively, commits a crime and takes a life, doing more harm than the former film. It’s a testament to Preminger’s healthy examination of all dimensions in his untainted perspective that we can become so invested in a character and anti-mystery that could be a snoozer in the hands of a less interested filmmaker and thus become uninteresting (Double Indemnity would be my ‘exhibit A’ example here, though I realize I’m in the minority). One of the better films in the subgenre of watching a case unfold around a guilty protagonist, because we are left to weigh the stake we place in the guilt (intent, etc.) with our own knowledge and experience of his development and personal historical context, seeing the situation as more complex and thereby creating a unique kind of suspenseful mystery of where our own chips will fall within the anti-mystery of the surface plot. Watching Andrews grapple with his moral compass and self-preservation in the presence of the woman he loves is far more intense than I used to give the film credit for. This won’t make my list- there are far too many great Preminger’s this decade and this isn’t one of his best- but it’s a worthy watch and a more layered and original example of the escalation of the noir’s inner melodrama ideas than it appears to be.

Where the Sidewalk Ends (Preminger 1950). Nice job summing what’s essential about the film, TW. Despite the fact that Dixon is a hothead with the hoods (we find out why only at the end), we sense his good intentions and we empathize with him when he decides to hide what he does – it was obviously an accident, and it arguably makes him perhaps a bad cop but not a bad human being. It makes the suspense of what follows pretty effective. But then of course things get murkier when someone else is about to get the rap for it and the film does a good job of holding a tight moral balancing act. The ending with Scalisi reading Dixon in the light of his past history is pretty powerful. It’s a good story and very well executed on all fronts – the acting by all concerned, the gritty-yet-elegant camera work. This is my favorite of the director’s Fox films even though it will also fall shy of making my list.


The Gunfighter (King 1950). TW wrote up the moral theme here, which I’d forgotten about and is quite moving at the end. I was struck by how Fordian this piece is, with a bit of looseness around the edges of the narrative, and the accent on the community in a lot of scenes. Love that one with Mrs. Pennyfeather and the women’s league.


The Long Gray Line (Ford 1955). I was looking forward to watching the Indicator blu ray, which is indeed stunning. The film is initially very unassuming though nevertheless charming, light, a little loose and episodic like Ford can be, but slowly yet surely builds into something quite grand and moving in its narrative emphasizing both the continuity and transience of life. The virtues of duty and honor are here but they’re never unreflective or simple. In form and spirit, this evokes the Archers’ Colonel Blimp. It's Ford’s first Scope film but he immediately masters the form, the compositions being such another strength of the movie.

[senseabove]

Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953) I was a little non-plussed for most of this that its reputation is so massive, but those last thirty minutes are just beautiful, like watching someone flit back to make three or four single strokes and suddenly wring perfect picture sense from a long, gracefully scribbled line. I think I was thrown off by the narrower focus of the other Ozu I've seen, where one or two relationships form the core and the rest of the family and social world are peripheral. The focus here on the entire family and just how extended it is was disorienting—just getting all the blood relationships situated takes the better part of an hour, and even then, I don't think we learn the full story for one of them until well into the second hour, and then there's still the one who doesn't live in Tokyo. That larger, co-equal cast means it takes longer for the characteristic idiosyncrasies to surface through the haze of familial role playing, but then those characteristics are all so efficiently isolated and perfectly spotlit in that last act, and, of course, Hara is the crown jewel, with those opposing expositions on compassion and guilt.

Which leads me to ask: are there any non-Ozu Hara performances worth checking out in this decade? I feel like I only ever see her discussed in relation to him, though I've admittedly not looked for more. I have intentions of checking out Naruse's Repast based on Michael Kerpan's upthread recommendation... anything else?

[therewillbeblus]

I wouldn’t prioritize it at all, but Kurosawa’s adaptation of The Idiot has a few strong moments- though YMMV depending on how devoted you are to Dostoevsky. It’s certainly not a great film though she is in the center of the epic.

[knives]

Honestly I'd say it's better then 70% of his films and everything after Red Beard.

[Michael Kerpan]

Actually, Idiot is one of my favorite Kurosawa films, despite the wanton destruction wreaked on it by Shochiku. The cinematography and the performances are excellent -- and it catches a lot of the spirit of the novel.

All of the Ozu-Hara pairings are wonderful, each in their own way. Hara's other _best_ Naruse performance is in Sound of the Mountain. But her funniest performance is in Sudden Rain.

Most (English language) commentaries on Tokyo Story ignore the fact that it starts out as a (quite funny) domestic comedy (with occasional serious notes) that shifts into more consistently serious territory (albeit still with some rare covert humor). Starting out watching this as a serious drama throws the film off balance.

[domino harvey]

This 6+ (!) page thread might help

[hayden]

New member :) Would love to participate, but apparently I need to work up some discussion points before I'm granted pming capabilities.

Love seeing Kanal mentioned. It will most likely be high on my list, perhaps even top three. I haven't seen Ballad of a Soldier (dir. Grigoriy Chukhray), The Noose (dir. Wojciech Has), Merry-Go-Round (dir. Zoltán Fábri), or Araya (dir. Margot Benacerraf) discussed in the thread yet, but I'm hoping people have seen them/give them a chance. Definitely some gems of the decade.

[swo17]

Welcome to the forum!

[Randall Maysin]

I find Setsuko Hara sickly. I don't like Setsuko Hara. I am, however, partial to the Holocaust. So at least I like something.

[TMDaines]

New member Would love to participate, but apparently I need to work up some discussion points before I'm granted pming capabilities.

Love seeing Kanal mentioned. It will most likely be high on my list, perhaps even top three. I haven't seen Ballad of a Soldier (dir. Grigoriy Chukhray), The Noose (dir. Wojciech Has), Merry-Go-Round (dir. Zoltán Fábri), or Araya (dir. Margot Benacerraf) discussed in the thread yet, but I'm hoping people have seen them/give them a chance. Definitely some gems of the decade.

Watched Pętla this weekend coincidentally and it will definitely be in the top half of my list. An incredibly bleak film with some striking cinematography. There’s nothing cool about drink in this one. As someone described it elsewhere, the film has nothing really on socialism and is just 90 minutes of pathetic drunks.

Need to watch that Fabri still but Édes Anna should already feature.

[nitin]

Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953) I was a little non-plussed for most of this that its reputation is so massive, but those last thirty minutes are just beautiful, like watching someone flit back to make three or four single strokes and suddenly wring perfect picture sense from a long, gracefully scribbled line. I think I was thrown off by the narrower focus of the other Ozu I've seen, where one or two relationships form the core and the rest of the family and social world are peripheral. The focus here on the entire family and just how extended it is was disorienting—just getting all the blood relationships situated takes the better part of an hour, and even then, I don't think we learn the full story for one of them until well into the second hour, and then there's still the one who doesn't live in Tokyo. That larger, co-equal cast means it takes longer for the characteristic idiosyncrasies to surface through the haze of familial role playing, but then those characteristics are all so efficiently isolated and perfectly spotlit in that last act, and, of course, Hara is the crown jewel, with those opposing expositions on compassion and guilt.

Which leads me to ask: are there any non-Ozu Hara performances worth checking out in this decade? I feel like I only ever see her discussed in relation to him, though I've admittedly not looked for more. I have intentions of checking out Naruse's Repast based on Michael Kerpan's upthread recommendation... anything else?

I found Hara quite good in Kurosawa's underrated No Regrets For Our Youth. It's an overly sentimental film but boy does it work.

[nitin]

New member Would love to participate, but apparently I need to work up some discussion points before I'm granted pming capabilities.

Love seeing Kanal mentioned. It will most likely be high on my list, perhaps even top three. I haven't seen Ballad of a Soldier (dir. Grigoriy Chukhray), The Noose (dir. Wojciech Has), Merry-Go-Round (dir. Zoltán Fábri), or Araya (dir. Margot Benacerraf) discussed in the thread yet, but I'm hoping people have seen them/give them a chance. Definitely some gems of the decade.

I am not sure where exactly it will end up but Ballad of a Soldier will definitely be on my list!

[knives]

I find Setsuko Hara sickly. I don't like Setsuko Hara. I am, however, partial to the Holocaust. So at least I like something.

[Michael Kerpan]

I find Kurosawa's No Regrets more "interesting" than "good" -- and Hara's performance there is vigorous (and worth seeing) but not especially subtle. The content is bizarre -- it is based on a real story but seems to have a very distorted slant. Its main purpose was probably to rehabilitate Hara (one of Toho's most valuable stars), because she probably was the most ferociously (prominent) pro-militarist actress during the war (judging by the films she appeared in) and was at serious risk of being banned from performing.

Not sure I understand RM's characterization of Hara as "sickly"....

[hayden]

Watched Pętla this weekend coincidentally and it will definitely be in the top half of my list. An incredibly bleak film with some striking cinematography. There’s nothing cool about drink in this one. As someone described it elsewhere, the film has nothing really on socialism and is just 90 minutes of pathetic drunks.

Need to watch that Fabri still but Édes Anna should already feature.

I'm always looking for eastern European recs from the 50s and 60s. Most have only popped up or become available in the last few years with the internet and whatnot, but I'm finding there's a new great film out of that era every time I look. Digging deeper into the cinema scenes in Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic have been particularly rewarding (mostly the 60s for the later though...).

Haven't seen Edes Anna yet... might go in the queue.

[swo17]

Uh, so apparently this deadline is in about 2 1/2 weeks? How about that