The MoFo Top 100 of the Fifties: The Countdown

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I think Vertigo definitely could be above Rear Window and i'd much prefer it. I think i'm mostly going off hearing quite a few say they found Vertigo boring while at times it seems like i'm the only one not in love with Rear Window. So i could see that happening, i'd be at least surprised if they weren't the top two.

I think The Searchers will be top 20 but doubt 10, maybe though. Think Singing In The Rain has a better chance than it.
Hmmmm




1Rio Bravo
2
3The Ten Commandments
4
5
6
7
8
9 Ben-Hur
10 The Searchers
11 Shane
12
13
14Creature From The Black Lagoon
15 Peter Pan
16 The African Queen
17 High Noon
18 Cinderella
19
20 Day The Earth Stood Still
21
22 Lady and The Tramp
23
24 Alice In Wonderland
25



I expected The Searchers to do much better, with it being Ford and Wayne's finest hour.
While I Agree Its considered There Best Work I always considered Ford and Waynes Calvery Trilogy There Best work but that took place in the 40s. Also allot of people do prefer hawks and waynes work who are Duke Fans. Do too Rio Bravo , and Red River



The Searchers at #3. Classic in all the right ways.

I had Touch of Evil at #24.
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I was away for the weekend, so I missed some posts.

Of the last four films posted, I've seen only one and I voted for it. Streetcar was my #12. Good movie. And holy crap was Brando hot.



A Streetcar Named Desire (Elia Kazan, 1951)
Imdb

Date Watched: 6/12/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 50's list
Rewatch: No


This was definitely a challenging film for me. Normally I engage with a film on a emotional level by finding a character that is either good enough to root for or bad enough to root against. Here I am presented with two central characters who are both at once sympathetic and repulsive. One is a manipulative liar. The other a drunken, vicious brute. But that liar also happens to be mentally ill and has suffered some pretty traumatic things in her life. And that brute is forced to endure a houseguest who constantly looks down on him and judges him for being "common" and a "Pollack." And DAMN IS THAT BITCH ANNOYING - to the point where it's almost tempting to forgive his violence against her, but he takes it to such a disgusting level of brutality that it simply can't be forgiven.

To that end, both performances are really excellent. A young Marlon Brando brings a raw sexuality and sense of danger to the screen and makes me understand without question why Stella would be so drawn to him. (Holy crap he was hot back then!) Vivien Leigh infuses Blanche with glamour and a fragility that almost makes me forgive HOW DAMNED ANNOYING she is, but not quite. I'd be lying if I said her character didn't take away from my enjoyment of the film.

Still, it was a well made film with characters that actually had dimension and I'm glad I watched it.

-
My Ballot
1. East of Eden (#43)
4. Wild Strawberries (#23)
5. Alice In Wonderland (#27)
7. Lady and the Tramp (#45)
8. Witness for the Prosecution (#24)
9. Smiles of a Summer Night (#56)
12. A Streetcar Named Desire (#18)
13. Duck Amuck (#89)
16. Rebel Without A Cause (#39)
18. Throne of Blood (#38)
20. Written on the Wind (#82)
21. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (#37)
23. Room at the Top (#73)



Two more of mine popped. I had Orson Welles' weird, steamy border town Noir about corruption as my twenty-third choice, and the French New Wave classic that is François Truffaut's still poignant and thinly-veiled autobiography about a bright but troubled boy coming of age was in my top ten at number eight. A line from Touch of Evil has always stayed with me and echos so loudly in today's social climate here in the U.S.: "A policeman's job is only easy in a police state." True dat, Man.

A dozen of mine so far, with I think another dozen coming in these sweet sixteen that are left.

3. In A Lonely Place (#33)
8. The 400 Blows (#17)
9. Ace in the Hole (#44)
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (#36)
13. The Killing (#52)
14. Harvey (#31)
18. Pickup on South Street (#72)
20. Throne of Blood (#37)
21. Alice in Wonderland (#27)
23. Touch of Evil (#20)
24. La Strada (#41)
25. The Big Country (#66)

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Haven't seen the last two, sadly

List:
#1 Looking Iffy
#2 Definitely
#3 Definitely
#4 Definitely
#5 Maybe
#6 Harvey (31)
#7 Stalag 17 (48)
#8 Maybe
#9 Definitely
#10 Definitely
#11 Definitely
#12 Night of the Hunter (25)
#13 Streetcar Named Desire (19)
#14 Peter Pan (59)
#15 Alice in Wonderland (27)
#16 Maybe
#17 Not Likely
#18 Witness for the Prosecution (24)
#19 Not Likely
#20 Very Possibly
#21 In A Lonely Place (33)
#22 Doubtful
#23 pretty f@ckin doubtful
#24 The Killing (52)
#25 Fingers crossed for 1 pointer category
Watched: 44/84



Hey Ed; these are going to be the last 16 films. There's not really any maybes left.

01.Vertigo
02.Seven Samurai
03.12 Angry Men
04.Rear Window
05.Paths of Glory
06.Sunset Blvd.
07.All About Eve
08.North By Northwest
09.Rashomon
10.On The Waterfront
11.Singin' In The Rain
12.Ikiru
13.The Bridge On The River Kwai
14.The Seventh Seal
15.Some Like It Hot
16.Dial M For Murder



Looks like 23 of my list will make the countdown. I will have seen 65/100. As usual I wish I had seen more, but if I'm honest, a bunch of these won't be jumping to the head of my watch list anytime soon.
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Hey Ed; these are going to be the last 16 films. There's not really any maybes left.

01.Vertigo
02.Seven Samurai
03.12 Angry Men
04.Rear Window
05.Paths of Glory
06.Sunset Blvd.
07.All About Eve
08.North By Northwest
09.Rashomon
10.On The Waterfront
11.Singin' In The Rain
12.Ikiru
13.The Bridge On The River Kwai
14.The Seventh Seal
15.Some Like It Hot
16.Dial M For Murder
I've got no real grounds to discount any of those....which means I will only have eleven of my remaining thirteen make it from my list. I knew the one title wasn't going to come this high in the countdown, but I guess I was taking for granted that the second one would? Not shocked the first of those two titles didn't make the cut (although it is brilliant), but I am more than a little surprised the second title won't.

Huh.



Hey Ed; these are going to be the last 16 films. There's not really any maybes left.

01.Vertigo
02.Seven Samurai
03.12 Angry Men
04.Rear Window
05.Paths of Glory
06.Sunset Blvd.
07.All About Eve
08.North By Northwest
09.Rashomon
10.On The Waterfront
11.Singin' In The Rain
12.Ikiru
13.The Bridge On The River Kwai
14.The Seventh Seal
15.Some Like It Hot
16.Dial M For Murder
I voted for eight of these and nearly voted for two others.



The Searchers was #2 on my list and I truly expected it to be in the Top !0! I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! No, wait, that was Casablanca from the 40's. I've yet to see a single Truffaut film, although TCM shows them from time-to-time, so....

Anyhow, once again:

1.The Night of the Hunter (25)
2.The Searchers (18)
3.Harvey (31)
5.The Ten Commandments (29)
6.Shane (64)
7.Witness For the Prosecution (24)
8.East of Eden (43)
12.The Big Country (66)
13.Ben-Hur 30
15.Anatomy of a Murder (35)
18.The Quiet Man (51)
23.Wild Strawberries (23)
24.High Noon (28)
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Is it possible for one surprise left in the next what 16 Slots. I mean I may be new at this but isnt it a big boring that we are all so sure what the final movies will be. Or is it not possible one of these movie some how made the 1 vote list.



Is it possible for one surprise left in the next what 16 Slots. I mean I may be new at this but isnt it a big boring that we are all so sure what the final movies will be. Or is it not possible one of these movie some how made the 1 vote list.
It is a bit boring but there is absolutely no doubt that these are the final 16 films. Without trying to big up me and others, but I, Camo, Cricket etc. spend a lot of time in the "Rate The Last Movie" thread, "Movie Tab", and all sorts of films threads, and know what people like and don't, and these films are way too popular on this forum not to make it.



2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ



1952, Directed by Akira Kurosawa
291 Points
17 Lists (1st,1st,2nd,4th,5th,7th,7th,8th,9th,11th, 12th,13th,15th,15th,15th,15th,21st)



2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ



1954, Directed by Elia Kazan
329 Points
23 Lists (1st,2nd,2nd,4th,4th,5th,7th,7th,9th,10th,10th,11th,12th,13th, 14th,15th,15th,18th,19th,20th,23rd,24th,24th)



I didn't particularly like On the Waterfront, but I respected it. As I was whittling down my list towards the end, I had one open spot at #24 and two films to choose from, both of which I respected but didn't really like. Ultimately I chose On the Waterfront because Marlon Brando was hot, the leading man of the other film was not, and I'm kind of shallow like that.



On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)
Imdb

Date Watched: 08/07/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 50s List, Marlon Brando
Rewatch? No.


I've wanted to see more 50s era Brando ever since watching A Streetcar Named Desire. (Did I mention just how hot he was in that movie? Because DAMN was he hot!) So I added this one to the watchlist and, seeing as it's from the same director as East of Eden and has a good reputation, I had high hopes.

Unfortunately it just didn't resonate with me. It's a solid film with fine performances and it looks great but there was a distinct emotional disconnect. This was probably not helped by the fact that among its characters redeeming qualities were few and far between. Still, this is a film that I respect even if I don't particularly like it and I'm glad I gave it a shot.

-
I haven't seen Ikiru, but I've enjoyed the Kurosawa films I have seen and voted for several.

My Ballot
1. East of Eden (#43)
4. Wild Strawberries (#23)
5. Alice In Wonderland (#27)
7. Lady and the Tramp (#45)
8. Witness for the Prosecution (#24)
9. Smiles of a Summer Night (#56)
12. A Streetcar Named Desire (#18)
13. Duck Amuck (#89)
16. Rebel Without A Cause (#39)
18. Throne of Blood (#38)
20. Written on the Wind (#82)
21. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (#37)
23. Room at the Top (#73)
24. On the Waterfront (#15)