Defend Your Darlings, You Sad Pandas! (The Lists Project)

[Michael]

[quote]37. Now, Voyager (Rapper, 1942) – A transcendent weepie, with Bette in characteristic “now make me REAL uglyâ€

[sevenarts]

I didn't vote, but I noticed that Alexander Hammid's Private Life of a Cat not only didn't make the final list, but apparently didn't even make it onto two lists. What gives, people? I see you voting for the Deren films, I know you have the DVD this is on.

Seriously, I'd rank this up there with Deren's first two films for great avant-garde works. Maybe it could be easily dismissed as too cutesy, or too much like an "educational" film, but I find it so incredibly moving and engaging, and with a surprising amount of depth. It's almost like an animal version of Brakhage's Window Water Baby Moving, another film that might easily be placed in the "educational" category if not for the tremendous amount of emotion and nuance that went into its making. Anyway, I just thought that was a film worth bringing up.

[mikeohhh]

I think that's enough from me for the moment.

No it's not, you need to defend Cobra Woman! You promised!

[jonp72]

I'm surprised that Hail the Conquering Hero didn't rank higher among the Preston Sturges films. It's a great satire about how Americans link military service to our conceptions of masculinity and political virtue. In addition, it features a shell-shocked Marine with a mother fixation. In a throwaway line, Sturges refers to what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder. The Marine says to Woodrow Truesmith (Eddie Bracken), "You had a nightmare? You're lucky you only have them part of the time." When Woodrow asks the Marine if he needs to sleep, the Marine says, "Nah. I don't like to sleep."

In an era of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the satire is fresh enough today that it could be updated for the era of the Iraq War and still keep much of its sting.

[Lemmy Caution]

I got caught a little bit between rounding out my 30's viewing and catching up on new releases. So 40's films got a little less attention than I intended. I did manage to watch a fair amount of 40's films. Some of my recent viewing scored well on my list: There Was a Father (at #7), Shoeshine (#11), Nightmare Alley (#18), Brute Force (#25), Kind Hearts and Coronets (#35).

I've just recently been getting turned on to Ozu, but I've been mostly watching his films from the 30's and working forward. For some reason, it didn't occur to me to focus on his 40's films. Big oversight on my part. So I was unable to vote upon A Hen in the Wind, The Toda Family and Late Spring – all of which I have on Dvd. Since Late Spring got the top slot anyway, I can't feel too bad about that omission.

Also, I didn't find time to squeeze in Now, Voyager or Children of Paradise. And I completely blanked on The Fallen Idol, even though I watched and enjoyed it a month or two back. Fallen Idol probably should have slotted in around the late 30's on my list.

I just recently picked up El Gran Calavera (aka The Great Madcap) (Bunuel, 1949), but didn't realize it was a 40's film. I just didn't associate Bunuel with the 40's. Unfortunate, as I've been on a mini-Bunuel binge, watching Mexican Bus Ride two weeks back, and Diary of a Chambermaid last night. Listwise, I'm assuming the Great Madcap was nowhere to be found, because it is almost nowhere to be found.

Mea culpa.

[Lemmy Caution]

Some darlings:
The Southerner (Renoir). Just a terrific film. Deals with the harsh realities of poor farmers. Really a must see film, and #9 on my list.

This Gun for Hire – my #18 --This too made the also-ran list. I re-watched it recently, and enjoyed it more on the second go-round. Lake and Ladd are a fine pairing. I like the sense of desperation that swirls thru some powerful scenes.

Why We Fight (Capra WWII docs) – my #36 -- Not only is this some powerful filmmaking, but also displays some surprisingly graphic footage of charred bodies and other forms of death. Nice use of footage captured from German and Japanese troops, animated maps, etc. As interesting as it all is, and very relevant to today's war too, there's also the issue of how it finesses some thorny problems:
1) Axis propaganda is roundly condemned throughout,so what exactly are these US Army films then? “Informational films,â€

[Lemmy Caution]

I'm so used to functioning within the realm of DVDs that I completely forgot some of my favorite television movie-viewing when I was a kid. For many years, Abbott & Costello were 1940's movies for me. I haven't found any of their titles on Dvd, so their films slipped my mind.

But I'm sure I could have found a spot in my Top 50 for Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), or maybe The Time of Their Lives (1946) (set during The Revolutionary War and modern times, with a fully developed story and genuine acting to go with the humor a fine piece of drama and writing ), or even the early and hilarious Buck Privates (1941).

[Brian Oblivious]

Some of these had other voters behind them, but none made it into the top 100:

3. The Mortal Storm (Borzage, 1940)

Leave it to Borzage to make the most heartbreaking drama I know about the Nazi Holocaust- all the more heartbreaking because of how it disproves the old saw, "oh, we didn't really know what was going on over there until after the war".

4. High Diving Hare (Freleng, 1949)

The very definition of the one-joke masterpiece. Bugs vs. Sam over a tub of water. Rinse and repeat.

6. Hail the Conquering Hero (Sturges, 1944)

I really thought R1 DVD availability might ensure that this apotheosis of the Sturges mise-en-scene make it into the collective 100. Maybe next time.

7. Film No. 2 – Message From the Sun (Smith, 1941)

I love Fischinger and McLaren, but am just amazed at what Smith was up to so early.

8. Travelling Actors (Naruse, 1940)

The most thoroughly pleasant surprise of the travelling retrospective I had a chance to catch a good chunk of last year. As you can see from the rest of this panda list, I love a good comedy. This is in my opinion a great one. I hope Naruse finally cracks these lists with his 1950s films.

11. the Great Piggy Bank Robbery (Clampett, 1946)

Sorry to see that Clampett failed to make it in this decade. This is probably the best Daffy Duck cartoon ever made, which when you consider all the great ones Chuck Jones put together, is saying something.

14. Hellzapoppin' (Potter, 1941)

So fast-paced that it's practically non-narrative. I first heard about this film when I learned that a Paris cafe/restaraunt/establishment of some sort plays it every single night. I don't know if it's still true but that sounds like my kind of joint!

15. Screwball Squirrel (Avery, 1944)

I'm thrilled Avery did so well in the voting, but was sorry to see this parody of the obnoxiously "funny animal" characters he'd already created drop off the list this time around.

20. Northwest Hounded Police (Avery, 1946)

Can't think of a 'toon that better showcases Avery's knack for animating the material aspects of his medium. Hilarious too of course.

25. Cluny Brown (Lubitsch, 1946)

Another one that made it to the list back in 2004 but failed this time around. This positively Lubitschin' take on Rosie the Riveter is probably the best thing he made after the Hays Code began being enforced.

28. the Shooting of Dan McGoo (Avery, 1945)

The funniest of Avery's pun-based cartoons.

30. Paisan (Rossellini, 1946)

Shocked to see this one drop out. Obviously in need of a decent English-subbed DVD treatment, but still an obvious masterpiece. Is the Rossellini retrospective making the rounds too slowly to impact this listmaking project?

33. Russian Rhapsody (Clampett, 1944)

My favorite of the explicitly war-time cartoons. Too bizarre not to love!

36. Slap Happy Lion (Avery, 1947)

Yep, another Avery. Pure insanity.

37. La Perla (Fernandez, 1947)

At some point the Mexican film industry of this period will start to get its due. Gabriel Figueroa was the man.

41. Motion Painting No. 1 (Fischinger, 1947)

I've never seen anything else remotely like it. I'd love to see it on the largest screen possible.

44. the Counterfeit Cat (Avery, 1949)

One last Avery vote, this time for the one that cracked me up the loudest when I was a kid. You have to admit, interspecies scalp-switching is pretty far out there even for Tex.

45. the Miracle of Morgan's Creek (Sturges, 1944)

Shocked this one dropped off the list. Just a coincidence that I ranked it the same place we collectively did in 2004, when it was tied at #45 with LE CORBEAU.

47. Listen to Britain (Jennings, 1942)

The only documentary I squeezed onto my list this time around. Jennings had real command of pure cinema.

48. María Candelaria (Fernandez, 1943)

Another beautifully shot, serene melodrama from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.

50. You Oughta Be in Pictures (Freleng, 1940)

This technically impressive, tons-of-fun mix of live action shooting and animation earns its slot primarily for resonating so strongly with Freleng's own travels away from the Warner Brothers lot in the late 1930s.

[souvenir]

33. Russian Rhapsody (Clampett, 1944)

My favorite of the explicitly war-time cartoons. Too bizarre not to love!

This was on Turner Classic Movies' Cartoon Alley show a week or so ago and I thought it was incredible. I'm not terribly familiar with all the WWII and Hitler inspired cartoons, but this was certainly my favorite of the ones I've seen.

[bufordsharkley]

Orphans:

5. Buckaroo Bugs (Clampett, 1944)

...100 percent stylization. This thing is packed to the gills with invention, and has everything one would want from a cartoon. Scribner's animation is at the top of his form, Stalling's musical cues are astounding, and the gags come fast and furious. A fantastic, operatic climax-- Red Hot Ryder and his horse jumping chasms-- my favorite bit of animation ever.

7. Book Revue (Clampett, 1946)

This isn't far behind. Beautifully drawn, impeccably animated, and a really breathtaking pace. (Perhaps the "fastest" piece of filmmaking this side of Vertov.) The musical syncopation is amazing, and every inch of the picture is memorable. Daffy's rendition of "Carolina in the Mornink" is beyond classic.

9. The Bank Dick (Cline, 1940)

Beefsteak mines and loopy tonal switches-- American surrealism at its finest.

16. Raw Deal (Mann, 1948)

Nice to see T-Men get a place on the list, but this one is the superior Mann noir-- one of the greatest ever made. Alton's photography is amazing, and it remains eerily affecting, due to the many odd choices Mann makes. Theremin music, cryptic voice-overs, and bizarre camera set-ups abound. (Not to mention the tight, compelling storytelling.)

17. Journey into Fear (Foster (& Welles...), 1943)

Similar to Kubrick's Killer's Kiss-- an action/suspense movie pared down its essentials, and exaggerated to a grotesque degree. In my mind, this is more Kafkaesque than The Trial managed to be, with authentically shocking scenarios, and the greatest cast in history: The Mercury Players, in full force. Jack Moss's villain is one of the most cinematic ever, a real highlight of this exercise in pure style.

19. Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarves (Clampett, 1943)

Even when compared to the other Clampetts, this stands out for its use of music-- the synchronization of the jazz to the music is astounding, and the animation, while not as rubbery and free-form as Clampett's later work fits perfectly.

21. Mrs. Miniver (Wyler, 1942)

More than anybody, (save Ozu) Wyler had the ability to make poetry out of the banalities and anxieties of the middle-class. His masterpiece is, of course, Best Years of Our Lives, but this isn't far behind. The compassion and truthfulness is unmatched-- the modest stories on screen become are more compelling than they have any right to be, and what would be treacly in less able hands is exquisite, here. (It's really unfortunate that this is often invoked as an example of what was wrong with 1940s Hollywood productions; it's a beautiful piece of filmmaking.)

23. Key Largo (Huston, 1948)

Infinitely solid on all fronts-- from the cast, to the writing, to the cinematograpy. Edward G. Robinson is an actor without parallel, and this may be his finest hour.

25. MacBeth (Welles, 1948)

...As moody as Welles's best pieces, and better storytelling than Welles other Shakespeare adaptations. The set-design really makes it all work.

26. Why We Fight (Capra, Veiller, & Litvak, 1943-1945)

If someone wants to see what made Capra a great filmmaker, this is the place-- found footage, captured footage, animated maps, and clips of preexisting films, are woven into a brilliant, seven-part series of superlative narrative, alternatively affecting and thrilling. It has the pop of a Flash Gordon serial, and has the power to move. Transcends its propagandistic roots, and its occasional clumsy moments.

32. Foreign Correspondent (Hitchcock, 1940)

A weird picture, and not much of a story, but what an unflinching series of set-pieces, made a filmmaker at the top of his form. Here, more than anywhere else, Hitchcock goes over-the-top, again and again, seeing what heights he can reach. It's ridiculous, but a true success.

33. House of Strangers (Mankiewicz, 1949)

A neglected late-era gangster picture. Edward G. Robinson and Richard Conte are first-rate in the family-themed gangster epic, full of Mankiewicz's usual neat narrative tricks, and bravura use of music. Extremely naturalistic in its own way, and ahead of its time-- its overall richness fortells The Godfather.

35. The Body Snatcher (Wise, 1945)

...Val Newton's best. Karloff's never been better, and Wise packs in some amazing shots.

39. Ball of Fire (Hawks, 1941)

Nearly the equal of Hawks's acknowledged screwball classics-- this is a tight, well-crafted movie, brought to new heights with Gregg Toland's cinematography, probably the best ever on a comedy. Importantly, the script is solid, and great turns from everybody, Richard Haydn especially.

40. Corny Concerto (Clampett, 1943)

It really looks like the support for Clampett was there-- we just couldn't agree on which pictures.

41. The Stranger (Welles, 1946)

Not as inventive and rebellious as Welles's best work, but never pedestrian. Slick camerawork, perfectly realized scenarios, and a really perversity define the production.

43. Hamlet (Olivier, 1948)

44. Drunken Angel (Kurosawa, 1948)

...Kurosawa's best early work, by a mile. Memorable images-- the guitar across the lake, the flower, Mifune drunken and dissheveled in the nightclub. May be more stylized than anything Kurosawa did afterward, taking noir conventions and running with them.

46. Oliver Twist (Lean, 1948)

47. Champion (Robson, 1948)

Upper-shelf boxing noir, with about the cleverest manipulation of narrative form in cinema history. (Seriously, upon finally seeing the framing device click into place, I was floored for hours.)

48. The Dover Boys (Jones, 1942)

...Notable not only for its innovative animation, but for its general absurdity. "I'll steal it! And no one will ever know!" Words to live by.

50. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (Potter, 1948)

It's easy to denigrate this as a middle-brow piece of claptrap. I'll swear by it, though-- it captures post-war anxieties and obsessions with remarkable clarity. It's a real masterpiece, claustrophobic and honest.

[Scharphedin2]

I am not quite sure how to feel about the ‘40s list contra the list I personally submitted. 30 of my top 50 films made it into the forum's top 50, and another 9 made it into the top 100. I used the lists project as a motivation to expand on my viewing knowledge of ‘40s films, and so, in the past four months I viewed apx. 175 pictures from the decade – the great majority for the first time. It was a hugely enjoyable and rewarding exercise, and one that I will continue into the decade of the ‘50s. However, as I sat down to compile the list of the 50 best films, I hardly knew where to begin, and in the end the list I submitted actually contained very few of my new discoveries.

For what it is worth, the following were the films that did not make the top 100:

17. The Razor's Edge (Edmund Goulding, 1946)
Since viewing this film a few months ago, I read the novel, and am even more impressed with the film as a result. The work that Lamar Trotti and Zanuck did in adapting the book to the screen is exemplary – at first glance, it appears like a page for page representation of the book, but the editing and restructuring is actually vast. The story itself is a kind of “Bildungsroman,â€

[GringoTex]

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

This is the initial film in a brief two year period in which Ford appears to be exclusively concerned with form (see also Wagon Master and Rio Grande). I can recall every single image but would be hard-pressed to tell you exactly what's going on. The color is breathtaking, the long shots are perfectly designed, and the sound&image of the soldiers and their horses reaches a point of abstraction that predicts Bresson's Lancelot du Lac.

[scotty]

My orphans:
5. Key Largo (Huston, 1948). There are flaws in the script--the patriotic bits don't play so well and the Indian thing is creaky--but this is a triumph of atmosphere and of Edward G. Robinson. The shaving scene is worth the investment alone. I remember the first time I saw this. I escaped work in the middle of the day and settled in at the local restored art house palace. The whole experience was magical, and the metaphor of the hurricane, with its buildup of tension, is just masterful. Bacall has had better roles, Bogart more famous ones, but the cast of gangsters is spot-on. After the deputy tells the story of his own "lights" going out at the hands of the baddies, one of them quips, "I'm the electrician." I irrationally love this movie.

6. The Long Voyage Home (Ford, 1940). John Ford's adaptation of four Eugene O'Neill plays is lyrical and beautifully shot by Gregg Toland. I'm a sucker for the sea, and this one is one of the best sea films ever. I can easily forgive John Wayne's Swedish accent, too. He still registers.

15. Jammin' the Blues (Mili, 1944). I thought that with the buzz this was getting on the board, it would make it. Stylish, abstract, elegant--photographer Gjon Mili's only film foray not only is a musical and visual delight but it worked hard to break down racial barriers, making WB nervous in the process and perhaps ensuring that he would never direct in Hollywood again.

22. Oliver Twist (Lean, 1948). David Lean channels Charles Dickens via film noir. The opening scene is masterful and macabre.

28. Twelve O'Clock High (King, 1949). Henry King's Gregory Peck vehicle actually features some excellent ensemble performances and it is one of the best war films ever made precisely because it is about the debilitating psychological affects of fighting and of leading under immense pressures. While the issue of bombing ethics is sidestepped, the film's refusal to portray American fighting men as simplistic patriots is refreshing. The use of real aerial combat footage is nicely done.

32. The Picture of Dorian Gray (Lewin, 1945). Here is another casualty, like King's picture above, of the relentless auteurist focus. A beautifully realized adaptation of Wilde. George Sanders has another pitch-perfect performance here as Wilde's cynical stand-in, and the striking and selective use of color is memorable.

33. The Grapes of Wrath (Ford, 1940). I can't believe this film was released the same year as The Long Voyage Home. A beautiful document of its times, even if the ending is far less despairing than Steinbeck's. And Fonda! Perhaps this was a casualty of vote-splitting among Ford's great 1940s run.

34. Utamaro and His Five Women (Mizoguchi, 1946). Japan just getting back on its feet and Mizoguchi mesmerizes with a blatantly erotic meditation on art and its inspiration. I saw it in a horrible old VHS transfer of a 1972 print; had I been able to fully experience its visual subtleties, it would probably have ranked higher.

42. The Great Dictator (Chaplin, 1940). No way I could leave this off the list. The Hungarian Rhapsody barber scene alone is insanely perfect, as is the dictator with his balloon of the world. The film's social critique was risky at that time. A brave film that led to the even braver Monseiur Verdoux.

43. How Green Was My Valley (Ford, 1941). And then he followed Stagecoach, Young Mr. Lincoln, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Long Voyage Home with this one, a film whose merits have already been described above. My list has its own relentless auteurist focus.

45. They Were Expendable (Ford, 1945). I'm really not a big Ford fan, but this just happens to be the other honest WWII movie on my list. The title alone is a critique; perhaps only Ford could have gotten away with this. By the way, I like She Wore A Yellow Ribbon too, but I had way too much Ford on the list already.

47. Dark Passage (Daves, 1947). The gimmick here is much more interesting than Hitchcock's technical gambit in Rope, made a year later. (Then again, I just don't like Rope.) Despite not being seen for half the film, Bogart carries it off, and it is one of Bacall's more intriguing performances. Love the San Francisco location stuff.

48. I Wake Up Screaming (Humberstone, 1941). Has anyone seen this? A taut, tough-talking early noir in which Betty Grable is actually half-believable. I was greatly entertained by this no-budget thriller. Victor Mature sparkles.

50. Stormy Weather (Stone, 1943). A very rare Hollywood film of the era that, for the most part, refrains from condescending stereotypes, though they are there if you look for them. The Nicholas Brothers' routine is basically unbelieveable, and Lena Horne's rendition of the title tune gives me shivers.

[Arcadean]

9. Moonrise (1948, Frank Borzage)
Moonrise is perhaps the greatest and most realized of Borzage's main theme of transcendent love. It's not easy to find at the moment, but I bet there is a good bootleg somewhere out there. The atmosphere drips in every corner of this violent and tender picture, and the opening sequence of a hanging and murder played out in shadows and very physical violence is still jaw-dropping (and wonderfully sets up the rest of the picture). I heartily recommend anyone to check out this masterwork.

11. Screwball Squirrel (1944, Tex Avery)
One of the most insane cartoons Avery made, and introduces my favorite and neglected character, the Screwy/Screwball Squirrel. Avery was a surrealist who could create a world without rules and boundaries. Though King Size Canary is probably my favorite of his works, this is maybe my second favorite. Also worth seeing in this short is the Bambi spoof with a special visit from Thumper.

21. They Were Expendable (1945, John Ford)
Some of the ham-fisted patriotism is sometimes hard to take for today's cynical audience, but the men caught in the Fordian landscape, transported to the seemingly limitless high seas, is no less stunning than the people dwarfed by the giant backdrop of Monument Valley.

24. A Hen in the Wind (1948, Yasujiro Ozu)
The most violent picture Ozu ever made. The despondent tone of desperation is more urgent than any of his depression-era pictures. This film was almost a cathartic experience for Ozu, I think, because he would move on to his celebrated late period with Late Spring a year later. Kinuyo Tanaka is also stunning in the lead (one of Japan's greatest actresses). The film's dire urgency may remind one of Germany, Year Zero.

28. The Mortal Storm (1940, Frank Borzage)
Borzage, an extremely neglected filmmaker, turned in his brazen anti-Nazi film prior to the American involvement into WWII. The stranglehold of Nazi rule wipes out a homely (partly Jewish) family that is a microcosm of Germany. I was struck by the film's urgent tone and the toughing love story between Sullivan and Stewart. Frank Morgan's scene in the concentration camp is heartbreaking.

29. The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946, Robert Clampett)
My favorite Daffy Duck feature is a spoof of Dick Twacy. (already mentioned above)

31. The Woman in the Window (1944, Fritz Lang)
I slightly prefer this Lang masterpiece to Scarlet Street. I love how Lang turns his films on their head right before the end, revealing and altering the direction of the picture.

Here were my other Pandas that didn't make the list:

34. Long-Haired Hare (1949, Chuck Jones)
40. They Caught the Ferry (1948, Carl Dreyer)
41. I Shot Jessie James (1949, Samuel Fuller)
43. Fires Were Started (1943, Humphrey Jennings)
45. Paisan (1946, Roberto Rossellini)
46. Man Hunt (1941, Fritz Lang)
48. The Devil's Envoys (1942, Marcel Carne)
49. Hellzapoppin' (1941, H.C. Potter)

[Brian Oblivious]

48. I Wake Up Screaming (Humberstone, 1941). Has anyone seen this? A taut, tough-talking early noir in which Betty Grable is actually half-believable. I was greatly entertained by this no-budget thriller. Victor Mature sparkles.

I saw it at the Noir City film festival two years ago, on the best-titled double bill imaginable; it was followed by In a Lonely Place and looked great on the Balboa Theatre marquee. Second place in the double-bill marquee competition was He Walked By Night playing with He Ran All the Way. This year's festival is almost over, and there have been some great double bills (Scarlet Street with Wicked Woman the other night was a real treat) but nothing that jumps off the newspaper listings page like those 2005 pairs.

Tonight they're showing Kiss the Blood Off my Hands with I Walk Alone, which is the best-titled pair of this year's festival. Would be even better if the latter went my the name of the play it was based on: Beggars Are Coming to Town.

[HerrSchreck]

A list of some of my redheaded, onelegged crosseyed infants delivered to zedz' mid night orphanage (numbers represent their placement in my list).

1) PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (Burkhardt) Human beings as pieces of poetry, and the more I watch it, the louder it screams. 40's cosmopolitan NYC crisscrossed by anonymous crowds. Each time you watch the film new faces appear, new details on previously noted faces appear-- oblivious souls caught unawares detailing their moods, fashion choices, giving off whiffs of their daytime personas... their walk, their sunglasses, attitudes, and the silence just causes it's poignancy to speak louder.

2) TMEN (Mann) This coming in at # 74 tells me that some need to grab this film on dvd. Doesn't get much better'n this. Same for RAW DEAL.

3) LA TEMPSETIARE (Epstein) Talking about it just demeans the infinitude of sublime moments. Flawless construction and photography, and a surprisingly nice print on the AG set.

4) THE BLACK BOOK (Mann) Not surprising low placement as the alpha disc is just horrendous. I cant believe no top tier co has put this, RAW DEAL, & TMEN out in HD transfers. With HE WALKED BY NIGHT, four crown jewels of the noir cycle.

5) SREDNI VASHTAR (Bradley) The meanest, leanest little home movie ever made. I love it I love it I love it I love it .

6) LITTLE ‘TINKER (Avery) For me the funniest Avery-- but maybe SLAPHAPPY LION-- but then again... oh god it's just impossible to rank MGM Avery. The guy is just the greatest, the king of them all. Lord high emperor.

8) BRUTE FORCE (Dassin) next year with the forthcoming disc this will place higher.

11) CHRIST IN CONCRETE (Dymytryk) sublime

20) STORM (Burnford) Visual poetry at it's dizzying heights.

22) THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE (Calvacante) A lost nightmare that destroys me on each viewing. A-plus in every dept; must. see. more. Calvacante.

26) KISS OF DEATH (Hathaway) an unimaginable masterpiece, and imo Hathaway's highest note.

27) FoRCE OF EVIL (Polonsky) See zedz description; what he said.

34) QUAI DE ORFEVRES (Clouzot) The invisibility of this title on the list puzzled me a bit.

38) HOUSE OF FRANKESTEIN (Kenton) One of the most fun monster movies ever made, and flawlessly rescued from camp glut by the masterful Erle Kenton of ISLAND OF LOST SOULS fame.

40) THE STREET WITH NO NAME (Keighley) The gritty skid row locations tighly embroidered with taut mise en scene & well done suspense. Love it.

41) STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (Milestone) It's Milestone, furchrissakes.

43) THE STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR (Ingster) Neglected masterwork. The dream sequence is the KANE of film noir, and Musaraca's best work by far. Needs a dvd desperately.

47) BODY AND SOUL (Rossen) How(e) to Turn Yourself Into Your Own Dolly Dept: James Wong Howe on rollerkates rolling into cinematographic immortality (though his place was already secured by the dawn of sound). Great script, monstrous performance, powehouse half-companion to FORCE OF EVIL. A must in any cineaste's library.

48) MOODS OF THE SEA (Vorkapich) Gorgeousness.

49) THE PHANTOM LADY (Siodmak) A dvd please. A drum solo to bash your eyeballs through your brain and out the back of your head.

PS:

I do still believe that the Shepard/Anthology set is probably the absolute finest use of the DVD medium, ever.

Schreck, I was not completely sure from your post -- this is the Unseen Cinema (7 disc set) from Image that you are referring to?

That's the one I meant, yes indeedy!

EDIT: I'm also wondering when in gods name someone is going to release DRUNKEN ANGEL on dvd, so I can chuck this old tv vhs away...

[denti alligator]

1) PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (Burkhardt)

5) SREDNI VASHTAR (Bradley)

Are there imdb entries for either of these?

[foggy eyes]

I'm also wondering when in gods name someone is going to release DRUNKEN ANGEL on dvd, so I can chuck this old tv vhs away.

Do you mean this, Schreck? If I remember correctly, the transfer wasn't too shabby.

[HerrSchreck]

Yea I've argued with myself whether or not to grab the bfi-- if I didn't have a nice broadcast tape of it I surely wouldve grabbed it. My guess is CC will give up the goods soon enough. I just grabbed BAD SLEEP WELL today, a Kuro that slipped thru my net & have never seen. But of course the 40's relevance of ANGEL is what caused me to bring up here.

1) PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (Burkhardt)

5) SREDNI VASHTAR (Bradley)

Are there imdb entries for either of these?

these are on the UNSEEN CINEMA set.

[zedz]

I'm also wondering when in gods name someone is going to release DRUNKEN ANGEL on dvd, so I can chuck this old tv vhs away.

Do you mean this, Schreck? If I remember correctly, the transfer wasn't too shabby.

The Australian disc is a pretty good transfer, but bare bones, and a Criterion release is surely inevitable.

[Kinsayder]

49) THE PHANTOM LADY (Siodmak) A dvd please. A drum solo to bash your eyeballs through your brain and out the back of your head.

Wish granted. One of my favourite noirs. Man, that Ella Raines!

Oh, and Siodmak's Cobra Woman is out the same day.

[HerrSchreck]

Still a bit pricey, but good news nontheless. As I can't read French, tell me.. is this released as PD or licensed from Universal? I could ask around but rather not.

[Arn777]

Licensed from Universal.

[souvenir]

I have very few complaints about the final 1950s list (and how can I since nearly every film I voted for was either on that list or among the also-rans). Nicholas Ray had three films in the top 100 and another three in the also-rans. Apparently, though, I was the only person to vote for On Dangerous Ground. I'm actually shocked, as I figured it would maybe make the 100 after having a DVD release last year.

If people haven't seen it and like Robert Ryan, I'd definitely urge them to give it a look. Some great POV camerawork, a perfect Bernard Herrmann score and maybe Ryan's best performance as a cop deemed too violent for New York City who's sent upstate to cool off and help with a murder case. The transition from the slick, dark city to the bucolic country is mirrored by Ryan's emotions and the film really works as two halves of a whole. Plus you get top-billed Ida Lupino as the blind sister of the murder suspect who then becomes Ryan's spiritual savior.

[colinr0380]

Nice list! I'll add my selections that didn't make either of the lists. I wanted to add a few science fiction films into the list so put down Invaders From Mars and When Worlds Collide. The one I most want to recommend is the giant ant film Them!

I wanted to add a couple of lesser known B-movie thriller and gangster films into the lists as well: Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye and Split Second.

Robert Aldrich's war movie Attack! is for me his very best film.

I was surprised by enjoying George Steven's film of The Diary of Anne Frank as much as I thought I would when looking at the over three hour running time. This extra time helps a lot though, especially in the extended sequence where the father has to leave the hiding place and close the door to the office after a robbery during the night.

One of my favourite but seemingly little known Bergman films is the hospital drama So Close To Life (or Brink of Life)

And the last film that I voted for that didn't make either list was A Night To Remember.