still way behind, but here<s my quick run-down of 1948 favourites:


Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein - as with many fans, I think of this as their best movie, though it's been many years since I last watched it. Might have to remedy that soon, maybe this October for Hallowe'en.

Force of Evil - John Garfield plays a semi-crooked lawyer; I just like his style and his screen persona, so I could watch him in just about anything; this is probably one of his more unsympathetic characters, though he isn't an out and out villain.

I Walk Alone - Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, this must have been one of their first times working together. Douglas's character is similar to the gangster he played in Out of the Past the year before. This isn't quite as great as that classic but it is very good, fans of the two male leads will definitely want to seek it out, but Lizabeth Scott also impressed me as the nightclub singer - her look and style are so evocative of the era and the noir genre.

Key Largo - classic Bogart & Bacall, not too much to add to what others have said; the gangsters are interesting on a couple of counts: 1. they're given individual personalities, to a degree, and 2. apart from Edward G. Robinson being Edward G. Robinson they don't seem too different to the gangsters we see in post-Godfather American crime films - except you don't feel an ounce of sympathy for them because they are deadly menacesto the characters for whom we do feel sympathy. The other thing that stood out to me on my recent re-watching was part played by the local Native people in the storyline.


The Paleface - another Bob Hope movie - I've been seeing a lot of them lately! Hope is really funny again and Jane Russell is Jane Russell: I like her statuesque look, and it also worked well with the role reversal, with her character being the expert gun-fighter and Hope as a cowardly dentist. It was a big hit and there was a sequel a few years later that I'll probably try o see soon. Warning: some of the cowboys and Indians stuff is even harder to take than usual: although the Indians in the movie aren't the bad guys, the term "Indian killer" is thrown about as an admirable thing, for example.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - we've been talking about this one a bit lately, so not much to add here. I admire Bogart for taking on roles like this. I thnk it captures the desperation of people who have somehow or other, whether through their own bad judgement or bad luck or because of the nature of the economic system in which we live, are left behind, find themselves in extreme situations or environments, and ready to grasp at the most unlikely straws.

I think I have to go with the obvious choice again, and that's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. On another day, I might go with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

1949:

Adam's Rib - remember liking this as a kid; it's a bit surprising, when I look back, to remember how much I enjoyed romantic comedies then: surprising, because I was too young in many cases to care much about the romance angle; I suppose it must have been the comedy that got me, but whatever it was, I had a good time watching them.

Champion - more early Kirk Douglas. Pretty similar premise to Body and Soul but I re-watched them both about a week apart recently and never felt that one was a copy of the other. Both essential viewing, for me.

Criss Cross - a Burt Lancaster noir I only heard about and saw for the first time a few months ago. A young Yvonne de Carlo is the femme fatale and she's really good: the relationship between their two characters is totally convincing and it has to be for the movie to work. It's only the last little while that I've seen de Carlo in anything outside the Munsters and I'm really impressed with her, especially in this one, one of her few serious roles. as opposed to the light adventure-comedies she was mostly known for.

The Inspector General - I remember absolutely loving this when I was a young kid. I wasn't sure how I'd take to it as an adult but after seeing it again not long ago I can say that it's still a lot of fun. I'm not sure how many other Danny Kaye movies I've seen but this is definitely the one that stands out as my favourite. I have a couple others lined up for the near future, so I'm looking forward to those.

Love Happy - unlike A Night in Casablanca, I think this one really does deserve its usual rating in the lowest rank of Marx Brothers films - and yet I still recommend it because there are a lot of good bits in here. Also, it's of special interest to comics fans, as Milton Caniff based one of Steve Canyon's antagonists, Maame Lynx, on Ilona Massey's character in this film, Madame Egelichi. You can see why he found her inspiring, as Massey looks quite striking and camps it up with great gusto. So, while very much a lesser Marx Brothers movie, not to be missed by fans, IMO.

On the Town - this is another one I remember loving when I was a kid but I haven't seen it lately so I can't say for sure how I'd react now.

Passport to Pimlico - enjoyable, low-key English comedy. We were talking about musical interludes in old movies and when I saw this a little while back, I really liked the use made of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", with the crowd singing quietly in the background. Appealing characters and a clever premise - London neighbourhood discovers it is legally a part of France, not England, and tries to turn the technicality to its advantage. I wonder if anyone's thought of re-making this with a Brexit twist?

The Set-Up - another first-rate boxing movie; different to Champion and Body and Soul in that the protagonist is a washed-up never-has-been, rather than a brash, up and coming contender. Alos, the story plays out in near-real time. Altogther a simpler, lower-scale story than the other two.

White Heat - been too long for me to recall it in detail beyond the general impression of Cagney's deservedly famous performance.


Perhaps some recency bias here but right now it feels like a three-way split amongst Criss Cross, Inspector General, and Champion. I'm going with Criss Cross, probably in part because it's the one I had the least expectations for going in, and so it surprised me more than the other two.

Another thread I'm sorry to have missed and now way, way behind. I'll chime in with the next fresh year

No reason not to play catch-up.  I'm hoping to get to the next year tonight.  Work has been hell. 

Finally a few minutes to talk about 1953 (life has been ludicrously busy).  

Stalag 17 - Excellent dark war-comedy-drama starring William Holden and directed by Billy Wilder.  The film looks at a certain barracks in a German POW camp where the occupants begin to suspect that one of their own is a NAZI informant.  The subject matter is rife with danger, but Wilder is able to navigate the minefield and give us a first rate picture.  



Shane - Is there any western movie that has been parodied more than Shane?  I honestly have somewhat mixed feelings about the film.  Don't get me wrong, I like it well enough to write it up.  It's visually lovely.  And Jack Palance is one of the great western villains.  Alan Ladd is fine, but I don't really buy him as a western hero.  And Brandon deWilde drives me nuts (and not just in this film).  Still it's a very influential film and Palance and the cinematography of Loyal Griggs make it well worth the time.  



Peter Pan - I left Alice in Wonderland off my 1951 list because it's been eons since I've seen it.  I've seen Peter Pan much more recently.  It's an odd film.  There's a lot to like and the animation is absolutely prime Disney.  Just gorgeous.  But there is a whole lot of stuff here that's problematic.  Still this was clearly Disney feature animation at its most powerful. 



Duck Amuck - I'm not sure that anyone had a better 1953 than Chuck Jones.  This is Warner animation at its anarchic best.  Daffy Duck battles an animator hell-bent on making his life absolutely miserable.  And the result is 7 minutes of animation perfection.  



Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century - If anyone had as good a year as Chuck Jones it was Daffy Duck.  Daffy and Porky are brilliant as the space cadets at war with Marvin the Martian for Planet X.  More Looney Tunes madness.  



Duck! Rabbit, Duck! - The third in Jones' "hunting trilogy" finds Bugs, Daffy and Elmer in a winter variation on the theme.  Maurice Noble's snowscapes are amazing.  You'd think after two very similar films the formula would get tired.  But no.  It's still hilarious.  Now to get me a fricasseeing rabbit.  



There are a number of films from 1953 that I know that I've seen and I like, but it's been way too long for me to be able to say whether they hold up.  Including, The Big Heat, Pickup on South Street, The Naked Spur (I really need to re-watch this one), House of Wax, The War of the Worlds, The Hitch-Hiker, and Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

So the favorite.  It's Duck Amuck.  This is near the pinnacle of Warner shorts for me (though not quite).  Absolute anarchic perfection.  Thought Duck Dodgers gives it a strong run for it's money. 


As usual 1953 in film for those needing an assist.  

1953 has my favorite film of all-time, Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story. So, there's that.

It also has Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu Monogatari, which may not be his best film, but like Kurosawa with Rashomon, shot Mizoguchi to international stardom. There's also the suspense masterpiece, Wages of Fear, and the sublime Tati comedy, Monsieur Hulot's Holiday. It actually took me a while to fully appreciate Tati, since I started with his magnus opus, Playtime. Monsieur Hulot's Holiday is where it all clicked for me. Audrey Hepburn is a major style icon in Japan, and boy do they love themselves some Roman Holiday. I had never seen it until I moved to Japan, and you know something, they're right, Roman Holiday is great! 1953 is pretty great too. Bunuel is still making films in Mexico, Fellini has his breakthrough film in I Vitelloni, there's some great Westerns in Shane and The Naked Spur, a Samuel Fuller flick, a pioneering work by the legendary Ida Lupino, and the brilliant Spanish film, Welcome Mr. Marshall! by Luis García Berlanga. Max Ophuls' The Earrings of Madame De... is quite a gorgeous film too. There's a few things I can't remember seeing too, like Little Fugitive, so quite the treasure trove. 

1953

Oh goodie, a year where I've actually seen some of the films!

I think my favourite movie from 1953 would have to be The War of the Worlds. It bears only the loosest resemblance to H.G. Wells' book, of course, as it transplants ground zero for the Martian Invasion from Victorian England to small town Cold War America.

I must say that this is a strangely religious film, with a very American brand of "in God we trust" faith on display, as cast members repeatedly seek sanctuary in churches or turn to the clergy for help – while everything else the American military can throw at the Martians fails to halt the invasion. God is even given credit for the twist that proves to be the Martians downfall, and Darwinism be damned!

Gene Barry as the hero and Ann Robinson as his love interest turn in pretty solid performances, but in all honesty it's the special effects and the menace of the Martians that really impress. The relentless onslaught of the Martian "saucers", spitting fiery death rays as they advance, must have been a terrifying spectacle for cinema audiences of the day. All in all, The War of the Worlds is a superior '50s alien invasion sci-fi romp, with top notch special effects for its time, and at this point it must surely be one of the most influential sci-fi films ever?




Another 1953 film that I want to give a special shout out to is The Big Heat, which is a wonderfully dramatic crime noir starring Glenn Ford. Prior to watching this film, I only knew Ford as Pa Kent in Superman The Movie, but he turns in a really great performance here as police Sgt Dave Bannion. He's joined by Lee Marvin and Gloria Grahame as the violent mobster Vince Stone and Stone's mistreated moll respectively, along with Jocelyn Brando (sister of Marlon) who plays Bannion's tragically ill-fated wife. The film was directed by the great Fritz Lang, and his moody visuals perfectly compliment the film's tight scripting and razor sharp dialogue. Overall, The Big Heat is a surprisingly violent film for its era, but it's also a grippingly tense and highly enjoyable revenge thriller.





Honourable mentions this year also go to the Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday, which is a pleasantly enjoyable romance flick (and one of my wife's favourite movies); the superior motorcycle gang B-movie The Wild Ones, starring Marlon Brando at his mean and moodiest; From Here to Eternity, which is fairly entertaining, but probably more of a historical curio for Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr's seashore romp; and finally, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, which is splendidly ridiculous, but rather enjoyable "atomic monster" nonsense.