1950s List Discussion and Suggestions (Lists Project Vol. 3)

[thirtyframesasecond]

I like both versions of the Quiet American. The Mankiewicz version completely rewrites Greene's ending, and he himself was very unhappy about this. I suppose in the post-9/11 climate, for Noyce to follow Greene's plot accurately, implicating US involvement in terrorism abroad, was pretty brave. But I think the original holds up to an extent on its own merits. Redgrave makes a much better Fowler than Caine for instance. On the other hand, I think Fraser makes a better Pyle than Murphy. Ultimately though, I'm pretty biased since it's my favourite novel of all time and you'd have to be pretty incompetent to make a wholly bad version of it. I don't think Mankiewicz's will make my list at all, but I enjoyed it.

It's definitely because I have a high tolerance for bad performances, but I enjoyed Murphy quite a bit. The plotting seems a bit rote, but I guess I found it to have a slight charm.

Have you seen the more recent Quiet American, with Brendan Fraser and Michael Caine? I enjoyed that one a lot, so it's hard to picture a CIA sponsored 50's version that wouldn't be an abomination.

[colinr0380]

I suppose in the post-9/11 climate, for Noyce to follow Greene's plot accurately, implicating US involvement in terrorism abroad, was pretty brave. But I think the original holds up to an extent on its own merits. Redgrave makes a much better Fowler than Caine for instance. On the other hand, I think Fraser makes a better Pyle than Murphy.

I'm in wholehearted agreement with this sentiment. For me the 'perfect' version lies somewhere in between the two films, but neither of them are bad films, more flawed but flawed in interesting ways. Both are fascinating examples of the issues surrounding adapting a political work in particular climates, as well as the differences caused by the films either dealing with 'contemporaraneous' or 'comfortably historical' events, even if parallels to current 'US interventionism and regime change' can be drawn by the viewer of the 2002 version.

[Minkin]

Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy (Lamont)
God awful boring mess and Costello looks like he has cancer. There's no energy here and if any of the other films of theirs was good that I've seen I'd say they lost it, but maybe they never had it. Stick with A Tale of Two Mice instead.

I'm quite surprised by your reaction. I've always seen it as a "Best of A&C recycled jokes" compilation - which isn't a bad thing.

Perhaps a rundown of the decade appropriate films will be helpful to some (with apologies to Dance with me Henry - which is often considered a minor work anyway). I suppose I should have given some discussion about their 40's output (often considered the best, despite all of the war tie-ins) - usually topped by Meet Frankenstein (which I don't care too much for - all of the monsters get in the way of any of their routines).

That said, the 1950s were the end of A&C's run, but they did create some films that are at least worth a watch (I'll continue the red recommendations trend).

Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950, Lamont) -I've always had a great love for this film. Abbott and Costello join the Legion in order to escape some baddies. It's surprisingly violent for an A&C film, but also contains some excellent original routines. The scene with the oasis is probably their best of the decade. Also look out for Tor Johnson playing a belly-flopping sheik stooge. The ending is rather thrown together, but it doesn't lose any of the momentum. Certainly recommended.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951, Lamont) -Alongside Meet Frankenstein, this is often considered their best monster meeting. The Invisible Man isn't really a monster (he befriends A&C), so there are fewer moments of Costello being endlessly frightened. The visual gags are excellent - as to be expected. There's also an extended boxing scene where the Invisible Man helps Costello - which I've never cared too much for, but others simply adore it. YMMV

Comin' Round the Mountain (1951, Lamont)- A&C are in a McCoy vs Hatfield feud (Winfield in this case), and the results are better than you might expect. There's some awful moments with voodoo, but the rest of the witchcraft gags are enjoyable enough to get you through some of the film's shortcomings. There's a few recycled routines (the dating age joke from Buck Privates), but there's also a lot of new ground made as well. Not among their best of the decade, but surprisingly good.

Jack and the Beanstalk (1952, Yarbrough) - One of two of A&C's Public Domain films (Africa Screams being the other). I was quite surprised by this film, although I had very low expectations for it. Costello falls asleep to the fairytale while babysitting some brat who can read better than him. The tale then unfolds as you might expect, although the scenes in the giant's castle are fairly well done (it plays rather similarly to the WB cartoon that Knives mentions). Fun, but not really worth bothering for list purposes.

Lost in Alaska (1952, Yarbrough) -A&C play supporting characters in this missing gold/crime/love triangle wreck. You'll have to sit through some awful moments which are eventually rescued by A&C in some underdeveloped gag. The ending is unbelievably terrible. skip this one.

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952, Lamont) - Not even Laughton can save this film. This is more of a musical with an A&C film thrown in.. every five minutes is interrupted by some lame song with a mild pirate theme (Robert shaw chorale, this is not). Laughton, as the title Captain Kidd, is more of a bumbling idiot than Costello. Skip, unless of course you are a fan of Fran Warren.

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953, Lamont) - A&C accidentally hijack a rocket along with two convicts. They initially land at New Orleans' Mardi Gras - mistaking costumes for, well you can follow along. They eventually make it to Venus (not Mars) - which is naturally full of women. Usually A&C's relationships/advances ruin most of their routines.. here, I find the Venus sequences unwatchable. Perhaps turn the film off halfway through, or don't even bother.

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953, Lamont) - This is the first A&C film that I ever watched. Abbott and Costello are once again supporting characters in this film. This isn’t an issue and actually improves the structure-since it plays like one of Karloff's mad doctor films. Seeing A&C in a London period piece with Boris Karloff, and Costello turning into a mouse makes for great entertainment. The film demonstrates the best example of their "costello finds something, but it disappears when Abbott checks" sequences - and along with the monster in a mask gag - it makes for great comedy. This film certainly has one of the best ending gags to any of A&C's movies. Highly recommended.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955, Lamont) - A&C are conned into buying Edison's studio, and then decide to chase the deal-maker to Hollywood. They are employed as stunt men and slowly realize that they are working for their conman. There's some plane stunts (that were better in Keep 'Em Flying a decade earlier) and some other mild routines. A&C randomly join the Keystone Kops in a chase after the conman in the film's final moments. Universal apparently wanted to title this film A&C meet the Stunt Men - since they didn't think the Keystone Kops were relevant anymore... I'm inclined to agree. The ending sucks as well.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955, Lamont) - Knives pointed out several of the faults of their later movies, but I believe his critique of this film was slightly unfair (especially since Costello had some major health issues the year prior). It is indeed their second to last film that they did together - as well as being their fifth monster mash-up film. Despite all of the A&C repeated routines (the lift up the plate instead of moving it gag/moving body but Abbott is never around to see it/door opens other way despite barricade) and the standard A&C formula (dance sequence opening, song or two in the middle, end with same performers as beginning)- they feel very refined in this film. I'd like to think of it as a "Best of reel" - since a majority of the standard routines make it into this film. Although the pacing is disrupted by the occasional cult dance sequence, it's certainly an entertaining film. The monster doesn't overpower the film, thus you get one routine after another - with little downtime (other than the song and dance numbers, but that's a standard A&C formula). I'll admit that some sequences continue on for far too long (the multiple mummy scene), but I believe this film is a fitting send-off to their legacy. Certainly worth a watch.


Hopefully this will give some people motivation to check their films. Sure, Abbott and Costello's 40s films were consistently better, but I wouldn't miss at least some of their 50s output.

[Michael Kerpan]

tojoed --

I have not seen either Enjo or Kagi, alas. The unavailability of many of his most interesting films is really unfortunate. (A lot of his films were once on DVD -- unsubbed -- in Japan, but I suspect many of these are now out of print).

[swo17]

Only directors for which I've seen every feature will be discussed by me in these guides, meaning some great and important directors like Delmer Daves, Richard Quine, and Frank Tashlin won't be covered, due to my inability to track down at least one of their films.

So how am I supposed to know which Tashlin films to see?

[domino harvey]

If you can find it and it's from the 50s, it's a worthwhile Tashlin film

[TMDaines]

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Vertigo (1958) is Vertigo, impervious to criticism as all great works of art are-- I'm gradually coming to grips with this.

Interestingly enough though, didn't Vertigo get poor press at the time of release as well as doing bad business?

[domino harvey]

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Vertigo (1958) is Vertigo, impervious to criticism as all great works of art are-- I'm gradually coming to grips with this.

Interestingly enough though, didn't Vertigo get poor press at the time of release as well as doing bad business?

Yes, though it was greeted warmly in France (as were all of Hitchcock's films, so that means less than it seems), and I'm sympathetic to those who were cool on the film on first (and second and third) exposure, but I'm starting to see its value as a marker of film more than its inherent value as a film, if that makes sense. I don't think anyone could convincingly argue that any lover of film could get away with not seeing it!

[colinr0380]

I love those films inspired by and spinning off from Vertigo (La Jetee, Body Double) perhaps more than the film itself, but this is one of those 'Citizen Kane' examples of a film (along with Godard's Contempt) that anyone interested in cinema needs to get to grips with.

Nothing can throw Rear Window out of my top ten though, perhaps my all time favourite Hitchcock!

Some other favourites that will likely make my list: one of the best films about filmmaking, The Bad and the Beautiful (only rivalled by the semi-sequel (the Vertigo to Contempt's La Jetee) Two Weeks In Another Town, though that is to be saved for the 60s list!) and one of the best westerns of the decade in Johnny Guitar.

Plus America's struggles with the implications of the atomic age resulted in the most serious-toned giant ant movie ever made in Them! (worthy of comparison with Godzilla), and the absolutely fantastic clashing of film noir and atomic bomb - not Kiss Me Deadly (though that'll be on the list too!) but Split Second.

[Dansu Dansu Dansu]

I have a soft spot for The Bad and the Beautiful as well, along with Some Came Running and possibly Lust for Life. I say possibly because it's been almost a decade since I've seen it, so basically, I haven't seen it. Anyone have an opinion on it one way or another? I'm in agreement with The Band Wagon being his best musical of the decade, though I certainly like An American in Paris.

[matrixschmatrix]

Haha, I think a lot of the real classic Hollywood stuff of this decade is going to have me more isolated from the consensus than usual- I have just never been particularly on board with Vincente Minelli, no matter how much of his stuff I watch, I didn't like All About Eve, and I can't stand Cecil B Demille. I think my only overlaps with Dom's list are going to be Nick Ray movies.

[zedz]

I know zedz and I have butted heads over it, so there's another to stand with you on Team Harry.

Yeah, I haven't watched it in a while, but I'm reasonably wild about Harry. To me, it seems like the film that's lurking in the background of so many of his other classics. So even though it's uncharacteristic from one perspective, if you squint a bit and turn sideways it's an absolutely core work. Plus I find it really charming and funny throughout, and feel like the 'comic adventures' of the period (e.g. Thief, Northwest) could benefit from some of its lightness of touch in their 'humorous' passages.

[puxzkkx]

I saw a pair of 1952 films yesterday.

The first was Erik Blomberg's Finnish fairy-tale horror The White Reindeer, a short film (it exists in a restored form of around 65 minutes, paring 9 minutes off its original theatrical version) about a Lappish woman who approaches a shaman to bewitch her husband into staying with her at home rather than going off for weeks on the hunt. Her wish is granted but a side-effect turns her into a vampiric white reindeer! It sounds bizarre and it is, but never in a 'bad' way. While this was made in the 50s it almost seems like primitive art - there's an elemental feel to the shots and the soundscape and it seems as if Blomberg is averse to waste in editing as these people, existing in such a harsh climate, would be in living. While there is dialogue a lot of the film looks and feels like a silent - it demands the same kind of expressiveness from its actors as a silent film does, and there is a similar focus on editing and image as an impetus for narrative progression over character and story detail. The fact that I was incredibly sleepy while watching this, coupled with the film's knack for presenting surreal events in a matter-of-fact fashion, made this seem a bit like a waking dream. Mirjami Kuosmanen (Blomberg's own wife) as the 'reindeer witch' is incredibly expressive and frightening without having to mug. Recommended.

I liked René Clément's Forbidden Games a lot but I guess most would have seen it and therefore it doesn't need a recommendation. In any case I do wish it had lived up to the promise of its first 15 minutes - here Clément does something interesting, and very appropriate, with the war genre. In shooting these 'action' sequences mainly in medium-long shot, with uncomplicated editing and a lack of intrusive scoring, Clément makes the bridge scene seem both viscerally, immediately gutwrenching and utterly ordinary and cuts to the core of war as the destruction of a mundane reality rather than the enrichment of a cinematic reality with action and bathos. It is what makes the image where Paulette's parents die so shocking and powerful. The film explores other tonal ground as it wears on, and never quite manages to marry its semireligious warmth and comedy with the sober treatment of death it originally sets out to create. And near the end it seems to fizzle out - those last images would have been far more effective with more context. Brigitte Fossey is a revelation and Georges Poujouly is also very strong.

[Shrew]

I've only seen a bit of Kinoshita and most has been a bore, so I'm in no rush to run through all the titles Criterion has lumped on Hulu. Unfortunately the one film I'd really like to moot hasn't been added, but it's worth seeking out his Ballad of Narayama which is available on an old Tartan disc in the UK (and still available cheap on amazon). Based on the same source as the later Ichikawa version (where a village kills all its old folk by leaving them atop a mountain), Kinoshita's is much more theatrical and draws from Kabuki and other stage techniques, but it comes out as something quite cinematic. Specifically, the elaborate but obviously artificial sets allow Kinoshita to move around the stage and create some beautiful compositions and arrangements. He also uses the lighting to alternately darken and light parts of the same stage, which creates a wonderful temporal/spatial effect while also pacing the film's segments.

I'd also like to spotlight Fuller's Park Row, which is perhaps his most gleefully insane and spirited film this decade (which is saying something). And all about the hard-boiled-to-a-rock newspapermen that totally created the Statue of Liberty, history be damned. Hell, it doesn't even bother me that the female owner of the rival paper is some illogically vile twist on a femme fatale. The emotions are high throughout, the pace never lets up, and Fuller's restless camera is often jaw-dropping. It makes me feel like an 8 year-old who can't quite understand what the big hullabaloo the adults are making on screen is all about, and it's great.

China
I've done little overviews of China for the other decades, but I'm really not familiar with much of the films this decade. This is partly because of general poor critical reputation and polemic politics, but also availability. The political turmoil of the decade lead to films being variously suppressed and then unsuppressed with a change in policy, and led to various purgings, suicides, pushbacks, and the rest of the usual fun stuff the Communists get up to. DVDs and English subs are scattershot at best, though a lot of stuff has surfaced through the Chinese internet, and anyone willing to browse around tudou.com (the Chinese youtube.com) can find some rarities. Of course the problem is sorting out the wheat from the chaff. Any help from someone who might have a bit more experience with this decade (Wu.Qinghua or lubitsch even) would be great. This mubi link (gasp!) is also fairly useful.

First, the one arguably great film you should see is the terribly named Woman Basketball Player No. 5 (Xie Jin, 1958) (yes, the translation is accurate and doesn't sound quite so bad, though still dull, in Chinese). This oddity is a lush technicolor-equivalent melodrama built around a girl's basketball team. In 80 some minutes Xie Jin manages to touch on the endless machinations, betrayals, and rekindling friendships of giggly high school girls; China's continued inferiority complex as "Asia's Sick Old Man", the shockingly moving remains of a long lost romance, the value of art in a communist society geared toward production, and the mandatory state themes of responsibility to community versus the individual, and the need to serve one's country (through sports!). It's still very much a Communist film of course, but in spite of the polemic we get an almost Sirkian fusion of truly moving melodrama and romance with a slight social critique (though of course nothing so subversive). There's a decent dvd (old print but nothing wrong with the transfer) with okay subs on Amazon though you can probably find it cheaper via yesasia or other sources.

Also of note is the literary adaptation of Ba Jin's Family (Chen Xihe, 1956). It's a potent polemic against the structure of the traditional Confucian family, particularly how it crushes women and the young to its needs. It ain't subtle, but it ain't bad. The film is well-appointed, with excellent use of interior space and the mists of the Yangzi river as a noxious atmosphere of the family. Here's a link to a subbed version on tudou. There might be something better flowing around.

This is My Life (Shi Hui, 1950) may be of note for being more cynical and coming at that shift between the Nationalists and Communists. I haven't seen it yet, but there is a subbed if ugly version on tudou. There's also another adaptation of Lu Xun with a decent reputation I haven't seen: New Year's Sacrifice. There are various DVDs floating around.

Despite the success of Crows and Sparrows last decade, Zheng Junli struggled politically and churned out several rote biopics (though I haven't seen everything he put out). Nie Er and Lin Zexu are both pretty staid, but the latter is a bit of fun just to see some diabolical Westerners forcing opium into China and peasants (yay comrade peasants) who rise up to push back a detachment of the British army.

This isn't meant at all to be comprehensive, but it might serve as a starting point. 50s China is a problematic time, to put it mildly, and the state system doesn't have the best reputation for art, but I expect there are some good films hidden among the dirt. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[zedz]

1950s Experimental Film on DVD

Here’s a list of experimental films that are available on DVD, listed by filmmaker, with the best / most accessible source noted. There are probably plenty more hidden away on various releases, so feel free to add others as they come to mind. Some demarcations may be a little arbitrary (e.g. which of Demy’s and Varda’s shorts count as ‘experimental’, and the decision not to include any of Resnais’ commissioned / industrial films)

KENNETH ANGER
Rabbit’s Moon (1950) – Magick Lantern Cycle (BFI)
Eaux d’artifice (1953) – Magick Lantern Cycle (BFI)
Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954) – Magick Lantern Cycle (BFI)

WALERIAN BOROWCZYK
The School (1958) – Anthology of Polish Animated Film (PWA)
Les Astronautes (1959) – Goto, Island of Love (Cult Epics)

WALERIAN BOROWCZYK & JAN LENICA
Once Upon a Time (1957) – Anthology of Polish Experimental Animation (PWA)
“The Banner of Truth” (1957) – Anthology of Polish Experimental Animation (PWA)
The House (1958) – Anthology of Polish Animated Film (PWA)

STAN BRAKHAGE
Interim (1952) – Avant-Garde 2 (Kino)
Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible Reflection (1953) – Avant-Garde 2 (Kino)
The Way to Shadow Garden (1954) – Avant-Garde 2 (Kino)
The Extraordinary Child (1954) – Avant-Garde 2 (Kino)
Desistfilm (1954) – By Brakhage Volume One (Criterion)
The Wonder Ring (1955) – By Brakhage Volume Two (Criterion)
Wedlock House: An Intercourse (1959) – By Brakhage Volume One (Criterion)
Window Water Baby Moving (1959) – By Brakhage Volume One (Criterion) - N.B. imdb currently lists this as a 1962 film, so it's ineligible - unless a revision takes place before the lists are due
Cat’s Cradle (1959) – By Brakhage Volume One (Criterion)

ROBERT BREER
Eyewash (1959) – Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film 1947-1986 (Image)

JAMES BROUGHTON
The Adventures of Jimmy (1950) – Avant-Garde 2 (Kino)
Loony Tom (1951) – The World of James Broughton (Facets)
Four in the Afternoon (1951) – The World of James Broughton (Facets) (also on Avant-Garde 3 (Kino))
The Pleasure Garden (1953) – The World of James Broughton (Facets) (also available on S/T BFI DVD)

SHIRLEY CLARKE
Bridges-Go-Round (1958) – Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film 1947-1986 (Image)

JANE CONGER BELSON SHIMANE
Odds and Ends (1959) – Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film 1947-1986 (Image)

JOSEPH CORNELL
The Aviary (1955) - The Magical Films of Joseph Cornell
Centuries of June (1955) - The Magical Films of Joseph Cornell
Angel (1959) - The Magical Films of Joseph Cornell
Nymphlight (1959) - The Magical Films of Joseph Cornell

JACQUES DEMY
Les Horizons morts (1951) – Les courts metrages de Jacques Demy / Jacques Demy Integrale (Cine-Tamaris)
Ars (1959) – Les courts metrages de Jacques Demy / Jacques Demy Integrale (Cine-Tamaris)

MAYA DEREN
The Very Eye of Night (1959) – Maya Deren Experimental Films (Mystic Fire)

FERNANDO DE SZYSZLO
Esta pared no es medianera (1952) – Cine a Contracorriente (Cameo)

JEAN GENET
Un Chant d’Amour (1950) – Un Chant d’Amour (Cult Epics)

BERT HAANSTRA
Mirror of Holland (1950) - Bert Haanstra Compleet (Just)
Glass (1958) - Bert Haanstra Compleet (Just)

HILARY HARRIS
Longhorn (1951) - Films of Hilary Harris (Mystic Fire)
Highway (1958) - Films of Hilary Harris (Mystic Fire)

WLODZIMIERZ HAUPE & HALINA BIELINSKI
The Changing of the Guard (1958) – Anthology of Polish Animated Film (PWA)

JEAN ISIDORE ISOU
Venom and Eternity (1951) – Avant-Garde 2 (Kino)

LAWRENCE JORDAN
Waterlight (1957) – The Lawrence Jordan Album (Facets)

CHESTER KESSLER
Plague Summer (1951) – Avant-Garde 3 (Kino)

DMITRI KIRSANOV
Arriere Saison (1950) – Avant-Garde 2 (Kino)
La Mort du Cerf (1951) – Avant-Garde 3 (Kino)

LEN LYE
Color Cry (1953) – Rhythms (ReVoir)
Rhythm (1957) – Rhythms (ReVoir)
Free Radicals (1958) – Rhythms (ReVoir) (also included on DVD with book ‘Art That Moves’)

WILLARD MAAS
Image in the Snow (1952) – Avant-Garde 3 (Kino)
The Mechanics of Love (1955) – Avant-Garde 2 (Kino)

CHRISTOPHER MACLAINE
The End (1953) – Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film 1947-1986
The Man Who Invented Gold (1957) – Beat Films (Re:Voir)
Beat (1958) – Beat Films (Re:Voir)
Scotch Hop (1959) – Beat Films (Re:Voir)

MARC’O
Closed Vision (1954) – Avant-Garde 3 (Kino)

NORMAN MCLAREN
On the Farm (1951) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
Pen Point Percussion (1951) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
A Phantasy (1952) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
Neighbours (1952) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
Two Bagatelles (1952) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
1-2-3 (1955) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
Blinkity Blank (1955) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
Rhythmatic (1956) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
A Chairy Tale (1958) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.) (also on Mon Oncle Antione (Criterion))
Le Merle (1959) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
Serenal (1959) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)
Short & Suite (1959) – Norman McLaren: The Master’s Edition (Image et al.)

ANDRZEJ PAWLOWSKI
Cineforms (1957) – Anthology of Polish Experimental Animation (PWA)
Here and There (1959) – Anthology of Polish Experimental Animation (PWA)

D.A. PENNEBAKER
Daybreak Express (1958) – The Horse’s Mouth (Criterion)

ROMAN POLANSKI
Two Men and a Wardrobe (1958) – Knife in the Water (Criterion)
When Angels Fall (1959) – Knife in the Water (Criterion)

HARRY SMITH
Number 10 (1956) – The Harry Smith Project (Shout Factory)

ROBERT SPRING
Falling Pink (1959) - Avant-Garde 3 (Kino)

JOSE VAL DEL OMAR
Water-Mirror of Granada (1955) – Val del Omar: Elemental de Espana (Cameo)

STAN VANDERBEEK
Science Friction (1959) – Visibles (Re:Voir)
A La Mode (1959) – Visibles (Re:Voir)

AGNES VARDA
L’Opera-Mouffe (1958) – Varda Tous Courts (Cine-Tamaris) (also on Cleo from 5 to 7 (Criterion))

MIECZYSLAW WASKOWSKI
Somnambulists (1958) – Anthology of Polish Experimental Animation (PWA)

PETER WATKINS
The Diary of an Unknown Soldier (1959) – Privilege (BFI)

JOHN WHITNEY
Celery Stalks at Midnight (1952) – Avant-Garde 3 (Kino)

[Gregory]

There's also several Cornell films on the great Magical Films of Joseph Cornell DVD. And on the Films of Hilary Harris DVD there's Highway and Longhorn. Not all of these are listed on IMDb, for whatever that's worth, but I'm not sure I know how to submit listings so they'll actually get added to the database, and the last one I posted to the IMDb missing entries thread I don't think anyone with the know-how ever submitted, so I haven't added anymore to that thread.

As for what's not on DVD, off the top of my head is Bruce Conner's A Movie, which is all over the web. See it a few times.
Plus: days' or weeks' worth of other stuff at UbuWeb.

[zedz]

Harris added.

I wasn't sure about Cornell since the dating of all of those films is so vague. But I see that IMDB have identified a number with specific dates in the 50s, so let me know if any of those appear on the DVD and I'll throw them in.

[Gregory]

Nymphlight, Angel, Centuries of June, and The Aviary are on there.

[Michael Kerpan]

Shrew --

Sadly, I found Kinoshita's Ballad of Narayama unbearable (despite the presence of Kinuyo Tanaka). I like kabuki -- but I did NOT like this.

[swo17]

Great list, zedz! I was coincidentally just about to ask what else was worth checking out from Treasures IV, as I just got it from Netflix in the mail today.

Also, you might add Robert Spring's Falling Pink, available on Kino's Avant-Garde 3 set.

[puxzkkx]

I've only seen one Kinoshita film - Carmen Comes Home - and the impression I got was of a director with a gorgeous visual eye for colour and composition but a simple and trite grasp of narrative and theme.

China

I own a bootleg of a Chinese film from 1950 called The White-Haired Girl, do you know anything about it?

[Wu.Qinghua]

I own a bootleg of a Chinese film from 1950 called The White-Haired Girl, do you know anything about it?

That's one of the Chinese movies of the 50s you might want to explore. White-Haired Girl has been directed by Wang Bin and Shui Hua and offers an adaption of a 40s Yan'an opera which seems to have been very popular in the PRC and has been remade as a filmic version of a revolutionary ballet in the 1970s. It's offers a dramatization of the plight of the poor rural population in feudal-capitalist China stressing class struggle, that is the antagonistic relationship between the impoverished and debt-ridden villagers and the landlords by narrating the story of a young girl who, after her father's suicide, is forced to serve the landlord and abused, but eventually escapes into the nearby mountains where she becomes a ghost-like figure. I'm to lazy to look for my DVD, but as far as I remember, the GZBeauty is barely acceptable with the subtitles again being substandard, though in no way worth the 20 bucks amazon is charging. You'll also find the film, though without subs, here in the Internet Archive and on tudou. It would be nice, if one of you would vote for it, too, so I won't have that much orphans again.

@ Shrew: I'll try to write a few words on Chinese 50s cinema within the next weeks. Btw, another major film, you haven't mentioned yet, is Shui Hua's Lin Family Shop, an in my eyes very well-made adaption of a 1932 novel of Mao Dun, then Minister of Culture in the PRC, which depicts the life of a small shopkeeper “groaning under the triple oppression of imperialism, feudalism and comprador-capitalism”. I haven't seen it for a while, but this one comes with my highest recommendations and will rank pretty high on my list. You can also have a look at Stephen Teo's discussion of the film in senses of cinema, though I don't think I'd agree on everything he writes.

For the time being, you could also have a look at the two parts of Kevin Lee's short introductory video essay on Chinese cinema 1949-1966 at the Museum of the Moving Image, where you could find excerpts of most of the films, Shrew's already mentioned.

[Gropius]

The first was Erik Blomberg's Finnish fairy-tale horror The White Reindeer, a short film (it exists in a restored form of around 65 minutes, paring 9 minutes off its original theatrical version) about a Lappish woman who approaches a shaman to bewitch her husband into staying with her at home rather than going off for weeks on the hunt.

I watched this as well, and second your recommendation. The photography and remote natural setting are Flaherty-esque; it's difficult to make a reindeer seem sinister, but the film just about manages it.

Here’s a list of experimental films that are available on DVD, listed by filmmaker, with the best / most accessible source noted. There are probably plenty more hidden away on various releases, so feel free to add others as they come to mind.

Looks like your list has the majority of the classics on it. Here are a few other suggestions:
Francis Thompson's distorted-lens city symphony N.Y., N.Y. (1957) doesn't seem to have had a DVD release, but can be found in two parts on YouTube (part 1 / part 2).

The shorts of Dutch documentarist Bert Haanstra, while not exactly experimental by 50s standards (cf. your point about Demy), continue the 20s tradition of non-narrative pictorialism. Mirror of Holland (1950) and the Oscar-winning Glass (1958) can be viewed at YouTube, or found in the large Dutch Haanstra box set, along with many others.

Then, to be filed alongside the Isou, there are the two 50s shorts by Guy Debord, Hurlements en faveur de Sade (1952) (viewable at Ubuweb) and Sur le passage de quelques personnes à travers une assez courte unité de temps (1959), available in an unsubbed French set from Gaumont, although fansubs exist.

I hope to get around to discussing various shorts in more detail later on, including some of the many great documentaries (which were often experimental within their field: e.g. Free Cinema). To my mind, the renaissance of the short is probably the most exciting thing about the 50s.

[zedz]

Thanks for the feedback. I've added the Cornells, Haanstras and the Spring (which I don't know how I missed!)

I'm not going to include things that are only available online, or where would we stop? But we should definitely be discussing / promoting those films in this thread.

I'll certainly be voting for James Whitney's Yantra, which is available on YouTube, though only in a form that almost completely obliterates the film's otherworldly majesty.

[thirtyframesasecond]

Fritz Lang has some highly acclaimed work in this decade, but one film that might be overlooked during this decade is House by the River. An accidental murder has unforeseen consequences, including a body that refuses to stay hidden, predicting aspects of Les Diaboliques, whilst the wrong suspect being implicated and the real suspect, despite being an absolute shit, helping these suspicions along. It's minor Lang, a low budget picture which barely ventures out of the eponymous 'house' but it progresses along nicely in Hitchcockian fashion. It's too early to say whether it might place in my list, but I'd recommend it for sure.