1954: The Barefoot Contessa (Joseph Mankiewicz)
I'm not sure I've ever met anyone that likes this movie as much as I do. I wish that weren't the case, but what can I really do about it?
I mentioned in an earlier post that two of my favorite themes on screen are friendship and loyalty, and that's what really gets me here. It's the friendship that Humphrey Bogart shows Ava Gardner, and his loyalty towards her, that I find so deep and moving. In fact, it's probably my favorite purely platonic male-female relationship in the history of film.
It's Humphrey at the end of his career, wise and settled in this very powerful way. And, Ava Gardner, who I think is as beautiful as anyone I've ever seen. Also, of note, are the colors and the grand sense of tragedy that Mankiewicz creates around it all.
Another one I'd take on a desert island with me. Be a great one to have, too! If a stranger shows up, they probably wouldn't even want it.
Other contenders for 1954: A year, like any other, where I still have some things I need to see. These include: Luis Bunuel's Wuthering Heights, John Sturges' Bad Day at Black Rock, Andre De Toth's Crime Wave, Richard Quine's Drive a Crooked Road, Allan Dwan's Silver Lode, Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar, Kenji Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff, William Wellman's Track of the Cat, and Josef von Sternberg's The Saga of Anatahan. I really need to re-watch both Henri-Georges Clouzot's Les diaboliques and Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samourai. It's been too long since I saw either of them to know where they would place on a favorites list. Even with all these gaps though, there are still some films to mention. I really like Otto Preminger's River of No Return and Anthony Mann's The Far Country. I love Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront, George Cukor's A Star Is Born, and Jacques Becker's Grisbi. But my closest runner-up is Roberto Rossellini's Voyage in Italy.
2/11/11 I watched William Wellman's Track of the Cat. The fact that this is on Jonathan Rosenbaum's top 100 films of all time list makes me a little more skeptical of the great critic's taste. Mitchum turns in a strong performance, and there is a decent allegorial weight to it all. But much of it feels too theatrical for my liking, and with just mediocre Val Lewton-type suggestion.
2/18/11 I watched Allan Dwan's Silver Lode. Allegorical with some nice expressionistic touches from Dwan and Alton. Just wish the execution was a little more subtle and the atmosphere more carefully and subtly handled.
2/19/11 I watched Kenji Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff. Mizoguchi has a darker, more violent streak than Ozu, and his films can be rough where Ozu's are soft. Heavy metal to Brit pop if you will. But he's also a humanist. And that comes through in this hefty work. Mizoguchi feels very modern and masterful when it comes to dealing with non-linear structure, and certain moments, like when the mom and children are separated by boat, pack a real power. Not fully felt for me but appreciated with the utmost respect.
2/25/11 I watched Andre De Toth's Crime Wave. The real stars here are the city of Los Angeles and a bunch of delicious character actors (particularly Jay Novello, Tim Carey, and Charles Bronson). De Toth keeps things spare and taut, but a few times some inventive camerawork sneaks in. Meanwhile the noir atmosphere never falters. An exceptional example of B-noir. Flawed, certainly, but an unusually strong outing.
11/15/11 I watched Roberto Rossellini's Dov'e la liberta...? A strange Rossellini that feels more Felliniesque than the work of the master of restrained and austere. Almost felt like a made-for-hire.
3/16/13 I watched Roberto Rossellini's La Paura. Bergman is wonderful as always, and it's interesting to see Rossellini doing noir. But the script is a bit lackluster at times. Particularly, without Rossellini's transcendent ending, the whole things ends up leaving a bland taste on the buds.
10/11/13 I watched Douglas Sirk's Magnificent Obsession. My first time with this well-known Sirk, and it certainly is as loony as I heard whisperings of. But Sirk gives it tragic depth and keeps the emotion swirling and somehow manages to transform seemingly insane form (garish music and color) and content (plotting that no one in their right mind would ever consider plausible) into something uniquely wonderful. Although I still prefer Written as it seems perhaps a little more restrained in its content and outlandish in its form, Magnificent deserves a place all its own.
11/2/13 I watched Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar. Feverish with Ray's unique emotionalism and spatial mastery on grand display. Crawford is as powerful as ever, and this western is a world all its own. It's pulp, melodrama, and baroque art. It's no surprise this film enjoys such a major reputation - it's a wonderful piece of work by a great filmmaker.
11/24/13 I watched Richard Quine's Drive a Crooked Road. A very effective noir featuring the best and most natural Rooney performance I have seen. Traces of the film show up in Lost Highway and possibly even Drive. Cold, tight, and full-blooded noir, Quine might not be as harsh as Lang or Ray but he is courageous in his depiction of the femme fatale and seems at ease no matter how fatalistic the plot and the characters become.
10/3/20 I watched Herbert Biberman's Salt of the Earth. From a historical standpoint, it is a completely fascinating film. I can't recall an earlier American work that bears so much Italian neorealist ethos. While perhaps not always cinematically of the greatest interest, it is bold in the subject matter it tackles, particularly that of sexual equality.
2/2/23 I watched Robert Wise's Executive Suite. Wise could very well be an unfair victim of the auteur theory. Although I have seen no where near his entire body of work, I'm a huge fan of The Set-Up and really like The Day the Earth Stood Still. I watched this because it's one of Rosenbaum's 1000 essential films and man is it good. It's unique in its exploration of corporate America and seems like a clear predecessor to Lumet's 12 Angry Men.
