50's HoF - Part Two

I said I had a very specific reason for nominating Detective Story so here's why:

In the last 50s Hof several people thought highly of Kirk Douglas' acting in Ace in the Hole. In Detective Story he's even more intense and thanks to a well crafted back story, his character has real motivation to act in such a zealot manner. IMO this is his best performance...and he gave a lot of great performances.

Some people also really liked Elanor Parker's acting in Caged. Here she's given a more well rounded, adult role and is really able to get her acting chops into the part. As much as I liked Elanor in Caged, I like her performance here better.

I also nominated this film because I think the story construction is unique for a Film Noir and works well. We get the main story of Kirk Douglas as he pursues a suspect and is willing to do anything to get his man. That might be enough for most films but here, every action he takes, causes a secondary story-line to unfold with his wife. Finally there's even a third subplot running through the story about a young teen accused of a petty crime.

This is one of the most well constructed films I've seen. I hope you guys like it.

Like many other films nominated in this HoF, this had been on my watch list for far too long. I think I've seen about seven or eight Hitchcock's, and this one is probably my third favorite so far. He really does know how to build up suspense, and this film is a great example of that. I saw in the opening credits that this film was based on a play, and I can completely see why. The majority of the film took place in one location, and I would actually love to see this on the stage. I know it sounds awful, but for most of the film I was rooting for the husband. I think it's just that when you see this maniacal plan all set up, you really want it to succeed. None of the performance really stood out to me, but none of them were at all bad either. Great film that will almost defiantly make my 50s list.

Nice write up Nope, did I see a different picture a few minutes ago.

Yeah I changed it, didn't really like the look of it.

Also for anyone interested: The Big Country is playing on Starz Westerns this Friday (4/22) @ 8:00PM

I like your new pic better too.

Thats a high quality list right there!! Some great films. The only one's ive yet to see are The Big Country and The Hitch-Hiker, looking forward to watching them both.

I hope everyone enjoys The Steel Helmet, whether watching again or for the first time. Its one of Fullers best in my opinion.

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I put on Detective Story last night, but I was too tired and fell asleep 30 minutes in. So far it was very good, and I will restart it from the beginning.

Tokyo Story: I was nervous through the first half of this that I was going to feel the same way as I did about Late Spring. I am glad to say that the second half turned me around on this film big time, despite me having some of the same issues. I will start with the bad. I really don't like Ozu's pacing at all. It is not that the films are slow, which they are, it is that his dialogue is really dry and dull to me. His films just feel like they lack energy to me. I also continue to dislike the way he films conversation in his back and forth the manner. I am really distracted by how the characters look past the person they are talking to and how their field of vision is above the camera. It seems like a nitpick to people probably, but it is constant, and I am pretty sure I hate it.

Now the good. Ozu really frames the shots that are not like the ones mentioned above perfectly. I like the way he cuts away to mundane things, and even more when he cuts away to landscapes. I also really like the way he frames his interiors. The themes in Tokyo Story are great, and they really start to hit home in some of the scenes during the second half of the film. Ozu understands the human condition. The way he portrays these children pushing their parents away while at the same time loving them. The way the parents are at once disappointed and proud of their children. The way the children try to get what they want towards the ending when the last conflict comes. How the other children bicker behind each others back about it. It is really well done and made the second half of the film really good for me. There are two or three scenes that make me understand why people consider this a masterpiece. I probably won't ever be one of those people, but I did really enjoy it.

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Letterboxd

Glad you enjoyed Tokyo Story, and nice to know that we're halfway through you and Raul drooling over each other's nominations

Nice review Sean. I'm looking forward to watching this again to look out for the comments you made. I rated it but Ive only ever watched it once.

Hopefully I'll get round to watching one of these over the weekend. Might give The Hitch-Hiker a shot.

I think i gave Tokyo Story . I've only seen it once too i'd like to rewatch it before sending in my 50s list so i know where to place it because it will almost certainly be on there.

I guess you could say this is one of those movies with multiple interconnected storylines. The focus ended up being something that I never expected. I learned after watching that the movie was based on a play, and looking back it makes sense. I usually don't care for movies based on plays, but this was an exception. Even though it's over 50 years old and in black and white, the movie felt modern to me. That may be because I found it to be surprisingly hard hitting. There's some strong moments and themes. Although at times I thought some of the acting bordered on the theatrical, there are several strong and noteworthy performances. I also thought there was some truly exceptional dialogue. This was only one of two nominations I hadn't seen before, and the only one that wasn't already on my watchlist. I'm very glad it was nominated, and it's the kind of movie that I'll consider including on my 50's list ahead of other superior movies, just because it deserves more attention. I thought this was a terrific movie.

Glad to hear you liked it Cricket. I try to find lesser known films for the Hofs. I know I'll never win that way, but as long as someone connects to one of my noms, then it's worth it.

I'm curious to see what everyone else thinks of it. I think it will do well.

I'm curious to hear how you and the others compare the acting of Kirk Douglas and Elanor Parker to the roles they played in Ace in the Hole and Caged.

It's hard to say, but I thought they both had moments of brilliance in this movie. I think Parker was more consistent in Caged, but of course that was a much bigger role, I liked Douglas better in this.

Yeah, it may be set in Japan in the 50's, but the way the family is with each other is very relevant and relatable today.

Oops, I watched the wrong movie last night. I meant to watch All About Eve (1950), but I goofed and watched The Three Faces of Eve (1957) instead. (I knew it was a movie with the name "Eve" in the title. I just remembered the wrong one. )

On the lighter side, The Three Faces of Eve was a great movie, so if anyone is looking to add another movie to their 1950's movies watchlist, I'd recommend it.

I Vitelloni: My kind of flick, just guys hanging out and talking. I really enjoyed the characters and all the different personalities. The film looked really good, especially when they are spending time out on those cobble stone streets at night. I wish we would have spent a bit more time inside the protagonists head, but that is a small gripe. Did anyone else get a Goodfellas vibe from this movie. Feels like a weird movie to think about because these guys aren't criminals for the most part, but I felt it on more than one occasion. I wish there was more of a bite to the last hour or so but besides that I liked this one a lot. Fellini is a director I become more and more interested in all the time. This is my fourth film of his.