Category: 1960s

Posted on 2022-08-12 | No Comments |

Camelot (1967)

Preparing for battle with his old friend Sir Lancelot (portrayed by Franco Nero), Richard Harris’s King Arthur reflects on the circumstances that led him to the destruction of his Camelotian ideal. I generally care less about the Arthurian legend, but it’s somehow a little more palatable in musical form. The costumes and sets are gorgeously bright and creative. I particularly fell for the early winter scene where Harris first meets Vanessa Redgrave’s Guinevere. Redgrave is beautiful and strong willed, believably carrying on romances with both of the men who aren’t bad in their roles either. I love that many years after becoming romantically involved on this set, Redgrave and Nero later married, adding an extra dash of romanticism to a continued story.

Oscar Wins: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Best Costume Design; Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment

Oscar Nomination: Best Cinematography; Best Sound

Posted on 2022-08-02 | No Comments |

Cactus Flower (1969)

His girlfriend Goldie Hawn values honesty above all else, which becomes a problem when dentist Walter Matthau decides he would like to marry her after previously telling her he was married with three children. Enter Ingrid Bergman, Matthau’s prudish assistant who holds a secret affection for her employer, who is enlisted to fill in as the imaginary wife. A light-hearted amusing romp, I appreciated it for being one of Bergman’s later roles and a rare comedic performance. I really dig Goldie’s mod style and her bubbly personality throughout the film, but it’s strange that she won an Oscar for a role that doesn’t seem that far-fetched from her normal persona.

Oscar Win: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Posted on 2022-07-31 | No Comments |

Eyes Without a Face (1960)

After she was horrendously disfigured during a car accident, Édith Scob’s doctor father Pierre Brasseur, with the help of his dedicated assistant Alida Valli, vowed to restore her face by kidnapping young women to serve as involuntary donors. A fascinating bit of body horror, it obviously has a lot in common with The Face of Another. Édith Scob projects an engrossing sensitivity as a deeply damaged individual that is extraordinary for the fact that she spends the majority of her time behind a mostly immovable mask that only allows for expression through the eyes.

Posted on 2022-07-24 | No Comments |

The Bad Sleep Well (1960)

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, illegitimate son Toshiro Mifune concocts an elaborate revenge plot to get back at the business executives whom he blames for his father’s suicide. Bringing the epic setting to post-war Japanese corporate culture, Kurosawa frames every shot with powerful deliberation. The tale rests firmly on Mifune’s more than capable shoulders, perfectly portraying a stoicism that barely conceals a seething rage underneath. The actor is not without support as the entire cast also thoroughly bring their characters to life.

Posted on 2022-07-22 | No Comments |

Whitewash (1994)/ The Box (1967)

Based on an actual incident, Whitewash tells the story of a young school girl who was attacked by a gang of thugs who painted her face white. This has been on my watchlist for so long that I don’t know where I originally encountered it. A somewhat rough looking piece of animation, it goes far to illustrate the terrorizing aspect of mindless racism and the benefits of supportive allies.

In The Box, a short bearded man goes into a bar and places a small box on the counter. What follows is a string of patrons who are all nosily curious as to what is in the box. The premise is not much, but the animation is cute with a pleasant simplicity and some interesting changes in perspective.

Oscar Win: Best Short Subject, Cartoons (The Box)

Posted on 2022-07-16 | No Comments |

Purlie Victorious (1963)

Based on his play of the same title, Ossie Davis stars as the title character, a preacher who returns with his fiancé Ruby Dee to the plantation where he grew up to secure the inheritance his family was promised. I had a hard time placing when the story was supposed to be set. The politics as discussed felt more contemporary to the time it was made, but Visually and thematically seemed from a much earlier time. Regardless, it’s sharply written and quite humorous with great, committed performances, including from Sorrell Booke, Beah Richards, Godfrey Cambridge, and Alan Alda in his film debut.

Posted on 2022-07-07 | No Comments |

Doctor Dolittle (1967)

Based on three of the Hugh Lofting books, Rex Harrison is the titular doctor whose great love for animals brought him to learn how to speak various animal languages from his parrot friend. For reasons, this leads him on an expedition to find the Great Pink Sea Snail. I do love a film that respects animals as unique individuals and personalities, even when they are as fictitious as the well-crafted Pushmi-Pullyu, and Geoffrey Holder is delightful as the leader of a village of well-read island natives, but this film is way too damn long. Cut out most of the beginning and one or two of the extraneous episodes and it wouldn’t be much of a loss. The songs are mostly unmemorable with Harrison sing songing his way through the majority, even when accompanied by the film’s delightful visuals.

Posted on 2022-07-05 | No Comments |

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)

A teenaged Anne Boleyn catches the eye of King Henry VII and he’s willing to sacrifice almost anything for the chance to produce an heir with her. She’s willing to forego love to rise in power and esteem, but unfortunately for her what comes around goes around, especially when you’re subjected to the whims of a capricious leader. Lavish costumes and settings provide ample period style, while Geneviève Bujold’s Anne convincingly portrays a young woman caught in the crosshairs of power and rarely unable to stare it down. Richard Burton’s Henry is filled with his own self importance and lechery, overwhelming any accomplishments in other realms.

Oscar Win: Best Costume Design

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Leading Role; Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; Best Cinematography; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Best Sound; Best Music, Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical)

Posted on 2022-07-05 | No Comments |

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)

After watching the original Godzilla , I watched to check out some of the sequels especially with well known rivals. The head of a pharmaceutical company wishing to boost the ratings for the television show hones in on reports from Faro Island of a giant monster which turns out to be King Kong. At the same time, an American submarine gets caught on an iceberg which unleashes Godzilla who had been trapped there during Godzilla Raids Again, resulting in a double monster problem for Japan. Unfortunately the version I saw was another localized version shoving in American actors where previously there were none, but it still a chance to see two greats pair off. It’s not my favorite version of King Kong, but it’s rare to see him actually meet a worthwhile opponent.

Posted on 2022-07-02 | No Comments |

Arabesque (1966)

At the behest of a Middle Eastern prime minister, hieroglyphics expert Gregory Peck reluctantly accepts a job to decode a cipher for shipping magnate Alan Badel. While under Badel’s employ, Gregory meets his mistress Sophia Loren who seems to be playing all sides in this case of international intrigue. It’s not the most noteworthy or unique in the spy genre with a narrative that seems to just catapult Peck from situation to situation. The leads pair well together with Peck as the clueless, but intellectual every man and Loren as the gorgeous, well dressed operative.