Category: 1950s

Posted on 2022-07-26 | No Comments |

The Moon and Sixpence (1959)

Adapted from a novel by W. Somerset Maugham which itself is based somewhat on the life of Paul Gaugin, stockbroker Laurence Olivier leaves a path of destruction amongst his friends and loved ones as he decides to pursue a career as an artist. Hard to get into partially because of the poor quality of the recording, but also because Olivier’s character is an insufferable prick that it’s hard to feel sorry for him when he comes down to leprosy. What is impressive is that recording even exists as it was originally a live television broadcast, captured by the Kinescope technique of using a 16mm film camera fixed on a television monitor to record the broadcast, which allows us to see such a performance by Sir Laurence and also those of Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy as a married couple who get caught up in his storm.

Posted on 2022-07-24 | No Comments |

The War of the Worlds (1953)

When a large object falls from space, the hopeful reception by the naïve Californians is quickly dashed by the brutal destruction of the visiting Martians. Some brilliant set designs are unfortunately paired with an incredibly hokey story and under developed heroes. While I love a lot of 1950s SciFi films, this one takes itself a bit too seriously while not putting in enough effort for the audience to do so as well. The well-established ending comes along suddenly in a ‘we didn’t know quite where to go with this’ sort of way.

Oscar Win: Best Effects, Special Effects

Oscar Nominations: Best Sound, Recording; Best Film Editing

Posted on 2022-07-19 | No Comments |

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Another film based on the legendary Tombstone shootout, this stars Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday. There’s a lot of meandering around the Old West from Texas to Kansas before it settles down for the final battle. A pair of love stories weigh down the action though maybe it’s the only way writers and studios could think to get women into the story. The leads work well enough in their respective roles, but it doesn’t stand out in the field of classic Hollywood Westerns nor hold up to the later Tombstone in its rendition of events.

Oscar Nominations: Best Sound, Recording; Best Film Editing

Posted on 2022-07-06 | No Comments |

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Scottish geology professor James Mason leads a group of explorers through an Icelandic volcano to the center of the planet. It’s a brightly colored adventure that has zero basis in reality that is drawn out past 2 hours when 90 minutes would have sufficed. Unfortunately once again, the only female on the expedition, Arlene Dahl, is told she’s too ‘weak’ for such work and relegated to an unnecessary romance in the end, but I do enjoy the peeks into artificial Icelandic culture and the creativity of the inner planetary setting.

Oscar Nominations: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color; Best Sound; Best Effects, Special Effects

Posted on 2022-07-05 | No Comments |

King Solomon’s Mines (1950)

Deborah Kerr hires British safari guide Stewart Granger to lead her through the African interior to find her husband who went missing while searching for the titular diamond mines. I could do without the condescension towards Kerr as a female and forcing her into a love story, even as she proves to hold her own, but Granger is a decent guide through the gorgeous vistas. They reminded me fondly of the time I spent in Tanzania. While not given top billing, the locals appreciatively are given respect by the main characters and a chance to be featured without being horribly exoticized.

Oscar Wins: Best Cinematography, Color; Best Film Editing

Oscar Nomination: Best Picture

Posted on 2022-07-05 | No Comments |

Pather Pancali (1955)/Aparajito (1956)/The World of Apu (1959)

Though three separate films, as an entity these incorporate the Apu Trilogy, following the life of the title character from his birth in a rural Indian village to adulthood when he has a son himself. The one that most resonates for me is the third, focusing on the struggles of adulthood, but it is stronger because of the films and history that came before. As a whole they present a realistic and beautifully presented rendering of the experience of a young man growing up in India. The one reliable experience through it all is death and loss.

Posted on 2022-07-01 | No Comments |

Overture to the Merry Wives of Windsor (1953)

Johnny Green, who also produced the short, conducts the MGM orchestra in performing the titular musical composition. Not quite as creatively filmed as the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra’s Bolero , I appreciate that it gives the behind the scenes artists a moment to shine. Filmed in my beloved Cinemascope, the process allows the entire orchestra to be captured while also accentuating the brightly colored set.

Oscar Win: Best Short Subject, One-reel

Posted on 2022-06-28 | No Comments |

Attack of the 50 Attack Woman (1958)

Running away from her philandering, gold digging husband William Hudson, rich heiress Allison Hayes discovers a mysterious satellite with a later encounter causing her to grow to ginormous size. Society uses Hayes’s weaknesses against her. When she first encounters the orb, she is disbelieved because of a drinking problem and mental illness that are extraordinarily exacerbated by the gaslighting and abuse she receives from her husband. She uses her newfound power to take back what others have tried to steal from her. The special effects in the film are often low budget and dated, but have moments of incredibleness. Watching the enlarged Hayes moving through miniature sets is a fun experience.

Posted on 2022-06-24 | No Comments |

Carve Her Name With Pride (1958)

Because of her unique British-French heritage, Violette Szabo, portrayed by Virginia McKenna, was recruited by the Special Operations Executive as an agent after her French husband died during World War II. An undoubtedly brave and heroic woman, this film importantly preserves a small bit of war history that is easily forgotten. McKenna gives a strong performance embodying the many facets of Szabo and her double life as a spy, but the narrative spends a too much time on her romances, both real and imaginary, to give full credit to the incredible acts she performed.

Posted on 2022-06-22 | No Comments |

Tom Thumb (1958)

When he foregoes chopping down a tree at her bequest, Forest Queen June Thorburn grants woodcutter Bernard Miles and his wife Jessie Matthews’s wish of having a child, even if he’s only the size of a thumb. That the “child” is, despite his size, an obviously adult Russ Tamblyn is not mentioned by anyone. Even for a version of a fairy tale, this particular rendition is quite ridiculous, but it is saved by a couple of colorful and lively song and dance numbers, especially the one where Tamblyn acrobatically interacts with the toys in his nursery.

Oscar Win: Best Effects, Special Effects