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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 13, 2022 11:56:08 GMT -5
We're back. And it's 1961. Yojimbo - Kurosawa steals from Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest for one of his greatest and most influential films. Toshiro Mifune is absolutely incredible as the ronin Sanjuro (in place of Hammett's Continental Op). The music is also a standout. As stated, the film is hugely influential, being remade by Sergio Leone in A Fistful of Dollars and clearly influencing Sergio Corbucci's Django. Kurosawa's films, in general, were a huge influence on Lucas and the extended Star Wars films and streaming shows. The Hustler - Based on Walter Tevis' 1959 novel this is, quite simply, the greatest movie about pool playing ever and one of the great sports films. The cast is excellent, anchored by Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson and Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats, with great work by George C. Scott and Piper Laurie. I grew up in a pool-playing family, so this movie was a biggie in my house. Keep an eye out for a cameo appearance by pool great Willie Mosconi, whose hands appeared in many of the close-up shots. Judgment at Nuremberg - Courtroom drama, epic and all-star cast tend not to go together in one film, but they all apply here. This is a fictional version of the 1947 Judges Trial, the third of the twelve Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. Stanley Kramer turns in an amazing adaptation of the earlier Playhouse 90 teleplay. The cast is simply astounding; Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximillian Schell, Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland. Clift and Garland are particularly compelling, as is Werner Klemperer as defendant Emil Hahn. Klemperer was a German Jew whose family had emigrated to the U.S. in 1933 and he was stationed in Hawaii during WWII. While fictionalized, we'd be a lot better country if everyone were required to watch this film every now and then. Unfortunately we aren't...and unfortunately we hung far too few Nazis. The Guns of Navarone - Just a great adventure film with another stellar cast. Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Richard Harris, Irene Pappas are all fine in this adaptation of the Alistair MacLean novel. The real stand-out though are the excellent special effects and truly special photography. Just a great fun adventure film with a fabulous score by Dimitri Tiomkin. 101 Dalmatians - The one that pulled Disney animation out of a fairly long box-office slump. I wouldn't rank it in the first tier of Disney animated features, but it's a very likeable film with a truly great villain. The less said about the various sequels, re-makes, prequels, etc. however, the better. The Pit and the Pendulum - The second of Roger Corman's Poe "adaptations" this is a much stronger film than 1960s "House of Usher." The strong box office for the earlier film followed the the financial success of this film convinced AIP and Corman to keep cranking out Poe films. Is it a great film? Nah. But it's very watchable and it's historically important and influential. And I'm almost always up for watching Vincent Price in almost anything. So my favorite film of 1961? Tough choice honestly. Any of the first four I mentioned is a good choice. Judgment means a lot to me politically and professionally. Hustler has history and noir qualities. Yojimbo is a great film. And Navarone is just so much fun. Ultimately if forced to sit down and watch one for fun it Guns of Navorone probably wins. But it's super close on any given day. And some films I haven't seen or haven't seen in a long time...West Side Story (I despise musicals), Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Innocents, Through a Glass Darkly, and a number of others. As usual, 1961 in film for those who need an assist. |
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Post by berkley on Oct 13, 2022 13:14:37 GMT -5
Since I've fallen so far behind I'll do a quick take on 1961 before going back to do the years I haven't done yet: after a glance through the wiki list, a few that stand out apart from the ones Slam already mentioned:
The Children's Hour - I'm a big Audrey Hepburn fan everything she was in is of interest to me. I remember finding this a bit slow-moving as a kid but possibly I was too young to appreciate it; mostly all I remember is that she looked fantastic in it, as always
Breakfast at Tiffany's - another Audrey Hepburn classic, one I saw for the first time only a few years ago; another slightly unusual rôle for her compared to the ingenues she had mostly played up to then
Last Year at Marienbad - very influential experimental film written by Alain Robbe-Grillet and direcetd by Alain Resnais; I've only seen it once and on the small screen so not under the best of circumstances but even so it made an impression
otherwise, I'm pretty sure I've seen at least one or two of the many Hercules and Goliath-type muscleman epics that came out this year but couldn't say which ones; and I think I saw the Disney film Absent-Minded Professor with Fred MacMurray but can't recall anything about it.
The first half of Judgement at Nuremberg had me riveted to the tv screen when I saw it as a kid in the 1970s but they showed the 2nd half on another night and I never have seen it.
Guns of Navarone is great but it's impact is eclipsed by the book for me - I read most of those early Alastair MacLeans as a kid and several of them remain imprinted on my memory.
Anyway, my pick for 1961 will be Yojimbo. Such an iconic story (thanks to Dashiell Hammett) and performance by Mifune. The lone man of action taking care of an extremely dangerous situation has never been done better.
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Post by berkley on Oct 13, 2022 13:35:12 GMT -5
Headng back to 1951, where I think I left off many pages back: Ace in the Hole - a must-see for Kirk Douglas fans, one of his most characteristically intense roles His Kind of Woman - flawed but fun noir with good chemistry between Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell; takes a weirdly comedic turn near the end with Vincent Price's action-star sub-plot My Favorite Spy - this might be even better than My Favourite Brunette; great spy-spoof as Brunette was a parody of hard-boiled detective stories; Hedy Lamarr was a perfect choice for her part On the Riviera - lots of fun with Danny Kaye playing two characters and Gene Tierney as the wife of one of them A Streetcar Named Desire - famous classic that helped consolidate Brando's star status; The Tales of Hoffmann - one of the best opera films or filmed operas ever done; Since we're picking favourites and not best, I think right now I'd have to say My Favourite Spy
: such fun and Hope and Lamarr make a good team
(edit: looking again, I see I left out a few that I didnt remember as being from 1951: e.g. Lavender Hill Mob, Thing from Another World, and Day the Earth Stood Still: I won't change my pick but just wanted to acknowledge them as favourites of mine as they are of so many others)
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 14, 2022 8:26:55 GMT -5
1961 - For me, there’s only one possible choice.
Yojimbo
My favorite Kurosawa film. My favorite Japanese film.
I’ve seen it a bunch of times.
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Post by Prince Hal on Oct 14, 2022 11:13:43 GMT -5
I'm impressed by my fellow movie lovers' knowledge and love of Japanese movies and non-American movies in general. I've learned a lot just from your comments, so thanks. That said, here are my 1961 favorites. As usual, Slam_Bradley said it best about Judgment at Nuremberg (so many memorable scenes; The Hustler (Gleason is elegantly great); 101 Dalmatians (scared me when I saw it as a kid); and of course, Guns of Navarone (saw that in the movies, too, and it is still just as good). For your consideration... The Innocents Deborah Kerr in a creepy version of Turn of the Screw. A Raisin in the Sun Poitier is so good, as are the rest of the cast and the play and movie are not at all dated, sorry to say. Mysterious Island is a good rousing adventure movie based on the Verne novel. I recall it fondly because I saw it on TV at a friend's house when his family bought the first color TV in the neighborhood. My first glimpse of an actual color TV and Jules Verne made for an exciting combination when I was 12. The Comancheros is a standard, but fun-to-watch John Wayne Western from the years when he made everything to rescue himself and his family after the fiasco of The Alamo, which he was destined to remember ruefully for a long time.Wayne took over much of the directing from one of my all-timers, Michael Curtiz, who was suffering from cancer and died just after the movie opened. Solid cast, notably Lee Marvin and Edgar Buchanan. Trivia note: Wayne's character is sometimes referred to as Big Jake, whom he would play in a few more years in the eponymous movie. Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog Haven't seen this in ears, but if you love dogs -- especially terriers -- and like a bit of realism with your sentiment, check it out. Bobby is further proof of the truth of Charles' de Gaulle's opinion: “The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” |
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Post by commond on Oct 15, 2022 20:38:30 GMT -5
My favorite film from 1961 is hands down Luis Bunuel's Viridiana. It's one of my absolute favorite Bunuel films, and for my money a work of genius. I'm a big fan of The Hustler too, and I like the Misfits more than most. A lot of the major films from this year I admire more than love -- Last Year at Marienbad, for example -- or are by directors who have other work I prefer (Bergman and Demy.) Yojimbo is obviously very good. The UK was going gangbusters at this time -- The innocents, Victim and A Taste of Honey are all worth watching if you want to explore British cinema. I have a soft spot for Brando's One Eyed Jacks and Fuller's Underworld U.S.A.
Blast of Silence is a must-see if you're into noir or crime films.
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Post by berkley on Oct 19, 2022 17:20:40 GMT -5
1961 - For me, there’s only one possible choice. Yojimbo My favorite Kurosawa film. My favorite Japanese film. I’ve seen it a bunch of times.
I know you watch a lot off Japanese film so that's a big statement. I've seen far fewer Japanese movies than you or Commond but I'm still not sure I could pin down my number one or even my favourite Kurosawa.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 19, 2022 21:31:27 GMT -5
1961 - For me, there’s only one possible choice. Yojimbo My favorite Kurosawa film. My favorite Japanese film. I’ve seen it a bunch of times.
I know you watch a lot off Japanese film so that's a big statement. I've seen far fewer Japanese movies than you or Commond but I'm still not sure I could pin down my number one or even my favourite Kurosawa.
My favorite Kurosawa film was The Seven Samurai for a very long time. But I started watching Yojimbo pretty regularly, and it eventually struck me that it’s amazing, frame-by-frame, about as close to perfect as a film can be. In a way that is impossible for a four-hour movie. I have seen The Seven Samurai three or four times, but I will probably never watch it again unless I can see it on a big screen. My second favorite Kurosawa film is High and Low. |
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Post by berkley on Oct 19, 2022 23:25:05 GMT -5
I know you watch a lot off Japanese film so that's a big statement. I've seen far fewer Japanese movies than you or Commond but I'm still not sure I could pin down my number one or even my favourite Kurosawa.
My favorite Kurosawa film was The Seven Samurai for a very long time. But I started watching Yojimbo pretty regularly, and it eventually struck me that it’s amazing, frame-by-frame, about as close to perfect as a film can be. In a way that is impossible for a four-hour movie. I have seen The Seven Samurai three or four times, but I will probably never watch it again unless I can see it on a big screen. My second favorite Kurosawa film is High and Low.
I was about to say that High and Low was a new one to me but after looking it up I have actually seen it, though just once and several years ago. I remember enjoying it at the time but I wouldn't say it's one of my top Kurosawas - though that could always change after further viewings.
Seven Samurai is definitely one of those movies meant to be seen on the big screen - a grand epic that demands that larger than life visual presentation. I've been lucky enough to see that one, and also Rashomon, Throne of Blood, Kagemusha, and Ran at the cinema, but on the down-side, it's kind of spoiled me for seeing them any other way, especially the last three named and Seven Samurai. Maybe Rashoman wouldn't lose as much, but I'm almost afraid to try.
The other three or four Kurosawas I've seen were all on video - and in the 1990s, so not even a nice big flat-screen. I should probably re-watch some of those now with today's improved home-viewing technology.
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Post by commond on Oct 21, 2022 7:03:43 GMT -5
I'm generally in the "there's more to Japanese cinema than Akira Kurosawa" camp, but I do like some of his films. Redbeard is my favorite.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 21, 2022 7:43:45 GMT -5
I'm generally in the "there's more to Japanese cinema than Akira Kurosawa" camp, but I do like some of his films. Redbeard is my favorite. Red Beard is great! I keep track of every Japanese movie I’ve ever seen. m.imdb.com/list/ls074685813/?ref_=m_urls_lsSo that’s the competition for Yojimbo. I also really love Ozu. My favorite is Good Morning. I watched a lot of Japanese films from the 1960s over the summer. Pigs and Battleships, Assassination, Manji, Red Angel, Go Go Second-Time Virgin, Intentions of Murder, Samurai Assassin, A Fugitive from the Past, The Man Without a Map, Death By Hanging, Blind Beast. And I’ve been working my way through the Zatoichi series. I love Zatoichi! Once or twice a month, I watch the next Zatoichi movie. I’m up to Zatoichi’s Vengeance, which is one of my favorites. |
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Post by commond on Oct 22, 2022 21:17:50 GMT -5
I'm generally in the "there's more to Japanese cinema than Akira Kurosawa" camp, but I do like some of his films. Redbeard is my favorite. Red Beard is great! I keep track of every Japanese movie I’ve ever seen. m.imdb.com/list/ls074685813/?ref_=m_urls_lsSo that’s the competition for Yojimbo. I also really love Ozu. My favorite is Good Morning. I watched a lot of Japanese films from the 1960s over the summer. Pigs and Battleships, Assassination, Manji, Red Angel, Go Go Second-Time Virgin, Intentions of Murder, Samurai Assassin, A Fugitive from the Past, The Man Without a Map, Death By Hanging, Blind Beast. And I’ve been working my way through the Zatoichi series. I love Zatoichi! Once or twice a month, I watch the next Zatoichi movie. I’m up to Zatoichi’s Vengeance, which is one of my favorites. Great list. I forgot Dersu Uzala, another great Kurosawa film. My film memories are beginning to fade. A few favorites I didn't see on your list: Typhoon Club, Shinji Somai Farewell to the Land, Mitsuo Yanagimachi Himatsuri, Mitsuo Yanagimachi The Eel, Shohei Imamura Maborosi, Hirokazu Kore-eda |
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Post by berkley on Oct 22, 2022 23:13:43 GMT -5
I've seen it only once, and on video back in the 1990s, and I wouldn't say Redbeard is a favourite over-all, but there was one segment that's stayed with me all these years so it must have left a deep impression: the part about the young woman who is a victim of rape and has withdrawn from human contact, refusing to speak or respond to anyone, including the doctor treating her (the Redbeard of the title, for those who haven't seen it). The way he finds to draw her out of this state of withdrawal and how that sub-plot plays out was very powerful and is nearly the only thing I now recall from the movie.
I've seen a couple of the Zatoichi episodes on video - great fun, as was the Kitano version from the 2000s, I believe it was. I hope to start seeing more classic Japanese movies in the near future.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 23, 2022 16:08:40 GMT -5
Red Beard is great! I keep track of every Japanese movie I’ve ever seen. m.imdb.com/list/ls074685813/?ref_=m_urls_lsSo that’s the competition for Yojimbo. I also really love Ozu. My favorite is Good Morning. I watched a lot of Japanese films from the 1960s over the summer. Pigs and Battleships, Assassination, Manji, Red Angel, Go Go Second-Time Virgin, Intentions of Murder, Samurai Assassin, A Fugitive from the Past, The Man Without a Map, Death By Hanging, Blind Beast. And I’ve been working my way through the Zatoichi series. I love Zatoichi! Once or twice a month, I watch the next Zatoichi movie. I’m up to Zatoichi’s Vengeance, which is one of my favorites. Great list. I forgot Dersu Uzala, another great Kurosawa film. My film memories are beginning to fade. A few favorites I didn't see on your list: Typhoon Club, Shinji Somai Farewell to the Land, Mitsuo Yanagimachi Himatsuri, Mitsuo Yanagimachi The Eel, Shohei Imamura Maborosi, Hirokazu Kore-eda The Eel is already on my list of Japanese movies to see when I can find them. I’ve added the others, thanks to your recommendations. Here’s a couple of recommendations for films that I seldom see mentioned anywhere: Black Cat Mansion (1958) - It’s like a Japanese Hammer film! Available on YouTube. Danger Pays (1962) - Jo Shishido gives comedy a try ... with results that are more than satisfactory. Available on Tubi. |
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Post by berkley on Oct 23, 2022 17:01:42 GMT -5
Japanese Hammer sounds good to me! I'll have a look for that one soon, as I'm on a horror kick that I think will extend beyond this month, as I show no signs of getting tired of it yet.
They're playing Hausu at a nearby movie theatre here in a week or two, so I'll try to see that again.
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