1951-1960

  • Abram Room – Serebristaya pyl AKA Silver Dust (1953)

    1951-1960Abram RoomDramaUSSR

    Summary:
    Screen version of the play «Jackals» by A. Jackobson about an American scientist-inventor of a mighty weapon of mass destruction.Read More »

  • Joseph L. Mankiewicz – The Quiet American (1958)

    1951-1960DramaJoseph L. MankiewiczThrillerUSA

    Plot:
    In this adaptation of Graham Greene’s prophetic novel about U.S. foreign policy failure in pre-war Indochina, Audie Murphy plays an innocent Young American opposite the older, cynical Brit Michael Redgrave. They play out their widely different views on the prospects stuggle for the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people in their competition over a young woman. Murphy wants to reform her and make her a typical middle class American housewife; Redgrave accepts her inability to formulate or retain a political ideal and while promising her no real future, he objects to Murphy’s attempts to change her. It’s not clear whether Murphy is just what he appears – a bungling Yankee do-gooder – or a deliberate agent of U.S. covert operations, but he ends up an expendable pawn in the end. Read More »

  • Roy Rowland – Gun Glory (1957)

    1951-1960ClassicsRoy RowlandUSAWestern

    Synopsis:
    In 1886, the gunman and gambler Tom Early returns to his homeland to settle down, but he is rejected by his community. He rides to his farm, where he finds that his wife Alice has recently died and his son Tom Early Jr., who disagrees with taking up arms, is working alone. The next morning, Tom rides into the town to buy supplies and sees Sam, the grocer, humiliating his employee Jo. At the same time the cattle lord Grimsell arrives in town with two gunfighters, Gunn and Blondie, and tells the Preacher that he will be crossing 20,000 head of cattle through their lands and their town. Although the preacher tries to explain that the people own the land, Grimsell is not interested in their rights. Read More »

  • Anthony Mann – Bend of the River (1952)

    USA1951-1960Anthony MannWestern

    American Cinematheque wrties:
    James Stewart stars as a former border raider who narrowly escapes the hangman’s noose (he still smarts from the rope) and is trying to start over again in the wide-open Oregon country. Instead, he winds up involved with the wily and charming Arthur Kennedy in a wagon train that includes the eligible Laurie Baile (Julie Adams) and a load of supplies worth their weight in gold. One of director Anthony Mann’s finest films, combining action, character and landscape in a seamless and wildly satisfying package.Read More »

  • André Cayatte – Le passage du Rhin AKA Tomorrow Is My Turn AKA The Crossing of the Rhine (1960)

    1951-1960André CayatteDramaFranceWar

    Paris, 1939. War is about to be declared any day. Roger works in a bakery and Jean is a reporter for the magazine L’Espoir. The two men have nothing is common other than the war which is soon to engulf their lives. Although Jean is engaged to be married, he is determined to fight for freedom and does not hesitate to enlist in the army. The less idealistic Roger is soon called up to defend his country. The two men are taken prisoner during hostilities and meet whilst crossing the River Rhine. They quickly become friends. By pretending to be farmers, they are sent to a German village to work for a family. Roger accepts his situation because he is attracted towards Helga, the daughter of the house. But Jean has no other idea than to escapeRead More »

  • Ingmar Bergman – Det sjunde inseglet AKA The Seventh Seal (1957)

    1951-1960DramaFantasyIngmar BergmanSweden

    Quote:
    In recent years, The Seventh Seal has often been honored more for its historical stature than its prevailing vitality. Those who attended its first international rollout and were changed forever by the experience are now second-guessing their attachment to a work so firmly ensconced in the realm of middlebrow clichés. Its Eisenhower look-alike Reaper, emblematic chess game, and Dance of Death have been endlessly emulated and parodied. Worse, The Seventh Seal quickly assumed, and has never quite shaken, the reputation, formerly attributed to castor oil, of something good for you—a true kiss of death. A movie that’s good for you is, by definition, not good for you.Read More »

  • Masaki Môri – Kaidan Kagami-ga-fuchi AKA Ghost Story: Depth of Kagami AKA The Ghosts of Kagami Pond (1959)

    1951-1960ClassicsHorrorJapanMasaki Môri

    Synopsis:
    In feudal Japan, there is a famous store called Edoya. The store manager Kinbei has no doubt that he will inherit everything some day, since the owner’s family has no children. But suddenly, the owners adopt a ronin Yasujiro, and Kinbei wants to eliminate them. Kinbei kills the sister of Yasujirou’s fiancee and dumps her body in Kagami Pond. Soon a ghostly revenge is upon him…Read More »

  • Jean Negulesco – The Gift of Love (1958)

    1951-1960ClassicsDramaJean NegulescoUSA

    The Gift of Love is a remake of 1946’s Sentimental Journey, with Lauren Bacall in the role originated by Maureen O’Hara. Upon learning that she hasn’t long to live, Bacall, the devoted wife of Robert Stack, adopts young Evelyn Rudie so that her husband will never be lonely. After his wife’s death, however, the pragmatic Stack grows weary of little Evelyn, who prefers a “fantasy world” to real life. Stack returns the girl to the orphanage, whereupon Bacall’s spirit intervenes to set things right. The material was maudlin back in 1946, and even more so in 1958; still, it’s nice to see that Lauren Bacall could play a sweet, benign role when given the opportunity.Read More »

  • Richard Quine – Drive a Crooked Road (1954)

    1951-1960CrimeFilm NoirRichard QuineUSA

    Music Box Theatre writes:
    Before becoming famous for creating PETER GUNN and the PINK PANTHER movies, Blake Edwards scripted this extraordinary, if virtually unknown, ’50s film noir, which casts a fully-grown Mickey Rooney against type as a lovelorn mechanic whose craving for fast cars and a faster woman (the alluring Dianne Foster) drives him to sign on as wheelman in a bank robbery. In what may be his finest performance, Rooney delivers a compelling characterization of the “Little Freak,” whose desire for a duplicitous woman leads to an unforgettable conclusion. One of finest noir films of the fifties.Read More »

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