The 1950s List: Discussion and Suggestions (Decade Project Vol. 4)

[Red Screamer]

For anyone like me who's been watching a good number of CinemaScope films for this project, David Bordwell posted on his blog a pdf of a substantial book chapter he wrote on its technological and aesthetic history, which I found fascinating. He also recommends the essay "CinemaScope: Before and After" by Charles Barr, which I plan to read after I squeeze in one or two more anamorphic wonders before the deadline.

[domino harvey]

For anyone like me who's been watching a good number of CinemaScope films for this project, David Bordwell posted on his blog a pdf of a substantial book chapter he wrote on its technological and aesthetic history, which I found fascinating. He also recommends the essay "CinemaScope: Before and After" by Charles Barr, which I plan to read after I squeeze in one or two more anamorphic wonders before the deadline.

Take Off Your Clothes and Live sounds like something on Arrow's release slate

[darren17]

Recently watched The Browning Version (1951) and what an emotional, beautiful film it is. A touching and complex story, brilliant acted throughout. What caught me by surprise was how often it made me laugh, the humour is quite dry and very British, but really worked on me. While it is certainly not a subtle film, perhaps the only false note is the portrait of the wife who is somewhat of a caricature villain, even if her feelings are somewhat understandable after years living with her husband.

[Red Screamer]

One last profound insight from me: Catching up with The Girl Can't Help It last night, I realized that Tashlin uses the same joke to end it, Son of Paleface, and his brilliant cartoon Nasty Quacks from the previous decade. The man sure thought it was funny to have a lot of kids.

[bamwc2]

Recently watched The Browning Version (1951) and what an emotional, beautiful film it is. A touching and complex story, brilliant acted throughout. What caught me by surprise was how often it made me laugh, the humour is quite dry and very British, but really worked on me. While it is certainly not a subtle film, perhaps the only false note is the portrait of the wife who is somewhat of a caricature villain, even if her feelings are somewhat understandable after years living with her husband.

It made the top half of my list.

[swo17]

Michael Redgrave is the 1950s MVP

[Rayon Vert]

Wabash Avenue (Koster 1950). (1st viewing) Coney Island was easily the best of the eleven Grable 40s musicals I’ve seen, and this is an unnecessary remake, apparently spawned at the last minute because the Fox project that was initially planned for her didn’t get off the ground. Victor Mature is the male lead here and he’s one of the better things in the film, which stands out a bit more as a comedy than a musical. Pretty forgettable in the end but still better than a lot of the films that precede it!


Pool of London (Dearden 1951). (1st viewing) alacal already reviewed this upthread. I was surprised by how good this was. The social realism sought in The Blue Lamp is much more effectively realized here, in a thriller full of humanity that’s got an excellent script and adds an extra dimension with the moving racism angle to what’s already absorbing drama. In contrast also with the earlier film, though these are still simple enough characters, they’re drawn and played with a lot more depth and expression. The two male leads are obvious enough, but there’s a plethora of great secondary female characters here, wonderfully portrayed by the different actresses. And amazingly good photography, of course, dripping with atmosphere even though the style is very documentary-realistic.


Broken Arrow (Daves 1950). (revisit) This generally manages to stay gritty enough and not too sweet even though the risk is there because of the idealistic, good-natured narrative. It stays entertaining throughout even if by the last act the conclusion is predictable. My chief problem with the film is how frequently the visual continuity of the perfectly fine location shots is marred by the inclusion of iffy studio and process shots. It makes the thing feel a bit clunky in a way later Daves westerns don’t.


Guys and Dolls (Mankiewicz 1955). (1st viewing) I knew well some of the (terrific and memorable) songs, having sung them in a choir before, but had never seen the musical in any form. I’m pretty much in agreement with hearthesilence’s review higher up, both in the details of what he’s said and his general assessment that it doesn’t completely come together. I don’t know how it compares with the play but in between some terrific scenes it can lag and you definitely feel the length. That transition to an expressionistic dance piece to illustrate the crap game seems also quite ill-fitting with the rest of the film. But there’s a lot to enjoy nevertheless – the screen compositions, the sets and design, and the performances. I’m in agreement that both Brando and Simmons are quite good, and I was also completely taken aback at how absolutely terrific the latter is. Those scenes in Havana between the two in the middle of the film are its heart and the best things about it.


My Blue Heaven (Koster 1950). (1st viewing)

My Blue Heaven is a full-stop masterpiece, for several reasons. Sure, the numbers are smart and cleverly executed, but the film itself is wonderfully unsentimental yet uncynical in how it completely avoids all of the melodrama inherent in the material (how many light and funny musicals begin with a miscarriage?!). The film also undercuts potential hackeneyed plot elements by baldly acknowledging and mocking them, as seen in Mitzi Gaynor’s “seduction” of Grable’s husband Dan Dailey. The confrontation between Gaynor, Dailey, and Grable feels startlingly fresh and modern due to the script’s arch and knowing treatment (Lots of great lines to choose from this scene alone, but I thought this exchange was particularly inspired: “Hey, I’m only human.” “Stop bragging.”). The picture also features a rare pro-television attitude (boy, that wouldn’t last) in its portrayal of the stars’ successful TV program, which is just an excuse to fit in many great numbers, including a gently mocking parody of the then-Broadway hit South Pacific (which would eventually get a sincere film adaptation starring… Mitzi Gaynor) with dancing lions!

My Blue Heaven is smartly written, directed, and acted (especially Dailey, who also shined brightly in Fox’s greatest B-musical, the Girl Next Door) and is just an all-around top shelf musical.

Finally got to this one. Yeah it’s an immense step up from the several Grable vehicles leading up to it. Dailey and Grable were matched together before as parents in Mother Wore Tights but the contrast here is striking – so much more freshness and wit in the story and script, and how everything is executed. The contemporary setting and a role more fitting the maturing Grable are a welcome change from the usual period saloon gal or vaudeville stories she does, and it’s smart in all the different senses of the word. The songs are not that memorable as usual for her films, but they’re perfectly OK and very well done as numbers, even if it’s the comedy that’s the driving force. Good points, domino, about the attitude towards television (the scene where Grable does her own number in her home to counterpoint what’s happening with Dailey and his new partners on the TV screen is pretty clever) and the way it treats the potentially melodramatic elements. Actually there were moments there where I did find it moving but as you say the emotion doesn’t move into the territory of sentimentality and a healthy balance with ironic detachment is maintained. I don’t know that I’d call it myself a masterpiece but it’s hard to pick out flaws here.


Scaramouche (Sidney 1952). (1st viewing) It’d be hard to conjure up a more ideal prototype of the genre: a French Revolution setting, a roguish hero to oppose the roguish aristocrat villain, tons of swordfighting, the motifs of revenge and hidden identities. That doesn’t make it a perfect film but it does happen to be a very good one. Great story and script treated with the right mixture of seriousness and wit, with great staging – especially of the last fencing duel -, and really solid performances by the cast. Surprising to see a young Janet Leigh as the pure lady, but Eleanor Parker is superior and makes a mark as the saucy but tenderhearted Lenore. Really enjoyable.

[Toland's Mitchell]

I just watched The Violent Men which has been brought up twice on CF from my quick search (one was quite a long time ago):

Rudolph Mate's the Violent Men is aided by a great cast-- Glenn Ford, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G Robinson, Brian Keith, Richard Jaeckel, and a particularly game Dianne Foster-- at the service of an interesting variation of the Big Country's pacifism skepticism. Here Ford's character actively avoids getting involved in affairs that aren't his and the movie opens with a shocking sequence in which a friendly sheriff is gunned down in front of the affable Ford and he merely shrugs and refuses to name the culprit. So the film immediately takes a hard line and that devotion to the complexities of the idea are what ultimately make it so successful. Stanwyck is great as a total ice queen who at one point throws the crutches of Robinson's crippled cattle baron into a fire-- going after the handicapped, now that's a villain! This is definitely making my list.

The Violent Men (Rudolph Maté, 1955): Glenn Ford stars as Civil War vet John Parrish in this western from Rudolph Maté. Parrish wants to sell his plot of land out west and move back to New England with his fiancee. However, the bullying tactics (including murder) coming out of Lew Wilkison's (Edward G. Robinson) ranch give John cold feet. It turns out that Lew's brother and wife Martha (Barbara Stanwyck) are behind the violence, as they turn non Lew. Unwilling to let the wrongdoers get away with their actions, it's up to John to take a stand. Blending elements of noir into the western genre, Maté creates a unique hybrid. It's a fascinating experiment that works pretty well to boot.

I want to put in another good word for The Violent Men, a more complex Western than the '50s genre standard. John Parrish (Glenn Ford) returns to his home (looked like Colorado but I don't recall if the films says for sure) after his service in the Civil War. His ranch is surrounded by land owned by a corrupt, ruthless tycoon Lew Wilkison (Edward G. Robinson) who has used violence and intimidation to buy up nearly all the land in the valley, making himself the richest most powerful man in the area. Parrish is presented with a choice to head east with the woman he wants to marry and leave his land and employees behind, or to stay and protect them from Wilkison's bullying. After one of Parrish's men is murdered in cold blood by one of Wilkison's gunmen, Parrish decides to stay and fight. It felt High Noonish up to this point. It seemed from the first act this was going to be a story of good-vs-evil and rich-vs-poor. However, these lines dissolve over the course of the second and third acts.

Spoiler

Parrish figuratively and literally fights fire with fire. As a Civil War veteran, he learned how to fight dirty, and doesn't hesitate to use the such tactics against his foes. At the same time, a subplot unfolds that shows Lew Wilkinson perhaps isn't as evil as some members of his own household. In the end, Parrish and Wilkison agree to a truce, but Parrish agrees to be his manager and give up ownership of his ranch to Wilkison, effectively ending their business competition, and the valley's cattle industry turns into a monopoly. So much for Parrish fighting for the poor man.

Thus the films ultimately suggests violence and greed were the ways of Old West. Director Rudolph Maté wonderfully illustrated these themes in a manner more grim and demystifying than you'd might expect from a '50s Western. I felt the final 15 minutes were rushed, but otherwise I have no major complaints.

[Rayon Vert]

Well since I've finally found a place to buy the German blu-ray for Gunman's Walk cheap enough (rather than the 70 to 100 Canadian bucks or so on either ebay.ca or amazon.ca), I've splurged for the dvd of The Violent Men as well. (It has a blu-ray in France but that company usually has burned-in subtitles). Hope they get in before the end of September.

p.s. I sent my list in PM to swo last night but still no confirmation - should I worry?

[swo17]

No, I got it. You should only worry if you sent me a list before Saturday and haven't heard back from me yet

[swo17]

I know this is kind of last minute, but if anyone submitted a list last round and would like me to send it to them to help knowing how to vote now, just let me know

[domino harvey]

Uh oh, have low submissions for list projects finally hit the decades lists?

[alacal2]

I hope not. Although I found the process increasingly arbitrary once I got past 20, it's been a joy in takng a deep dive into British cinema of the 50's (I hope that and some will get decent placings when the votes are tallied) and great Hollywood melodrama. That TT sale was perfectly timed!

[swo17]

Uh oh, have low submissions for list projects finally hit the decades lists?

It wouldn't be the first time, but actually, we have already exceeded participation for the last 1950s round

[TMDaines]

I am definitely going to submit, but struggled to meet this first deadline as a bank holiday means home life (a baby) is a bigger barrier than work to getting one done.

Annoyingly IMDb have appeared to change their my ratings page so you can no longer filter by years and sort by your rating?

[swo17]

Does this link work for you?

[TMDaines]

Does this link work for you?

Yes. I had to resort to advanced searching. Seems like the filters that used to be there when you are browsing a list have disappeared.

[Lowry_Sam]

The ipad app allows you to sort by either release date or by your ratings only. The default within your ratings is by Imdb's rating. at one time i was able to first sort by release date then by rating, but i havent been able to do that with the app, so i just start with the 10s and look for the release year and then the same w/ the 9's and so on.

[swo17]

ROUND 2: ORPHAN RESCUE

Thanks everyone for your participation so far! Below I will present some preliminary results from voting. If anything you see here prompts you to defend your picks, to watch some more films, and/or to revise your list in any way, go ahead and do that. If you did not submit a list yet and have since decided that you do want to participate, go ahead and do that. If you have no interest in revisiting your list or changing anything, go ahead and do nothing. I will count all lists submitted so far including any changes or new lists submitted over the next month in the final tally.

Orphans (by director)

(Note: The number listed after each film is its ranking on the sole list it appeared on.)

The Idiot (Akira Kurosawa, 1951) 11
The Lower Depths (Akira Kurosawa, 1957) 46
The Hidden Fortress (Akira Kurosawa, 1958) 25

Toute la mémoire du monde (Alain Resnais, 1956) 5
Song of the Sea (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1953) 36
Il cappotto (Alberto Lattuada, 1952) 17
The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick, 1955) 4
The Trouble with Harry (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955) 10
Tennessee's Partner (Allan Dwan, 1955) 11

Man on the Tracks (Andrzej Munk, 1957) 21
Eroica (Andrzej Munk, 1958) 18

Winchester '73 (Anthony Mann, 1950) 24
The Glenn Miller Story (Anthony Mann, 1954) 22
The Far Country (Anthony Mann, 1954) 47
Men in War (Anthony Mann, 1957) 22

Duck and Cover (Anthony Rizzo, 1952) 47
Il sole negli occhi (Antonio Pietrangeli, 1953) 5

Cage of Gold (Basil Dearden, 1950) 45
Pool of London (Basil Dearden, 1951) 21

The Savage Eye (Ben Maddow et al., 1959) 41
Fanfare (Bert Haanstra, 1958) 30
The Wrestler and the Clown (Boris Barnet & Konstantin Yudin, 1957) 10
Scrooge (Brian Desmond-Hurst, 1951) 49
The War of the Worlds (Byron Haskin, 1953) 25

Outcast of the Islands (Carol Reed, 1951) 36
The Man Between (Carol Reed, 1953) 37

Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (Charles Lamont, 1950) 20
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (Charles Lamont, 1955) 5

Summer Stock (Charles Walters, 1950) 42
Arrowhead (Charles Warren, 1953) 35
The Thing from Another World (Christian Nyby, 1951) 23

Rabbit of Seville (Chuck Jones, 1950) 18
What's Opera, Doc? (Chuck Jones, 1957) 49

The Red Inn (Claude Autant-Lara, 1951) 41
À double tour (Claude Chabrol, 1959) 31
King Solomon's Mines (Compton Bennett & Andrew Marton, 1950) 46

Try and Get Me! (Cy Endfield, 1950) 21
Hell Drivers (Cy Endfield, 1957) 44

Daybreak Express (D.A. Pennebaker, 1953) 33
From Hell It Came (Dan Milner, 1957) 48
Wrong Way Butch (Dave O'Brien, 1950) 17

Hobson's Choice (David Lean, 1954) 19
Summertime (David Lean, 1955) 39

Sudden Fear (David Miller, 1952) 27
Marty (Delbert Mann, 1955) 32

The Last Wagon (Delmer Daves, 1956) 20
The Hanging Tree (Delmer Daves, 1959) 49

The Lineup (Don Siegel, 1958) 26
London to Brighton in Four Minutes (Don Smith, 1952) 28

No Room for the Groom (Douglas Sirk, 1952) 30
All I Desire (Douglas Sirk, 1953) 41

Glen or Glenda? (Ed Wood, 1953) 43
Plan 9 from Outer Space (Ed Wood, 1959) 9

It! The Terror from Beyond Space (Edward Cahn, 1958) 43
Viva Zapata! (Elia Kazan, 1952) 11
The Tall Texan (Elmo Williams, 1953) 39
Víctimas del pecado (Emilio Fernández, 1951) 42
Il bidone (Federico Fellini, 1955) 36
Tomorrow Is Another Day (Felix Feist, 1951) 23
Last Spring (François Reichenbach, 1954) 44
Hollywood or Bust (Frank Tashlin, 1956) 47
Clouds of Glass (Frantisek Vlácil, 1958) 20
The Giant Claw (Fred Sears, 1957) 50

From Here to Eternity (Fred Zinnemann, 1951) 14
Oklahoma! (Fred Zinnemann, 1955) 47

Human Desire (Fritz Lang, 1954) 23
Another Sky (Gavin Lambert, 1954) 42
Invitation to the Dance (Gene Kelly, 1956) 11

The Model and the Marriage Broker (George Cukor, 1951) 38
The Actress (George Cukor, 1953) 12

The Country Girl (George Seaton, 1954) 15
Them! (Gordon Douglas, 1954) 13
Tread Softly Stranger (Gordon Parry, 1958) 50
The Forty-First (Grigori Chukhrai, 1956) 37
Don Kikhot (Grigori Kozintsev, 1957) 18
Donald in Mathmagic Land (Hamilton Luske, 1959) 16

Where Chimneys Are Seen (Heinosuke Gosho, 1953) 19
Takekurabe (Heinosuke Gosho, 1955) 32
Elegy (Heinosuke Gosho, 1957) 45

La vérité sur Bébé Donge (Henri Decoin, 1952) 47
Les Espions (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1957) 11
Rawhide (Henry Hathaway, 1951) 29
Harvey (Henry Koster, 1950) 39

Two of a Kind (Henry Levin, 1951) 42
Journey to the Center of the Earth (Henry Levin, 1959) 32

Jirō monogatari (Hiroshi Shimizu, 1955) 48

The Big Sky (Howard Hawks, 1952) 36
Land of the Pharaohs (Howard Hawks, 1955) 48

Shield for Murder (Howard Koch & Edmond O'Brien, 1954) 36
Las aguas bajan turbias (Hugo del Carril, 1952) 41

One Way Street (Hugo Fregonese, 1950) 35
The Raid (Hugo Fregonese, 1954) 24

Gyromorphosis (Hy Hirsh, 1954) 28

The Hitch-Hiker (Ida Lupino, 1953) 34
The Bigamist (Ida Lupino, 1953) 26

To Joy (Ingmar Bergman, 1950) 46
Summer with Monika (Ingmar Bergman, 1953) 17
Dreams (Ingmar Bergman, 1955) 49

The Blob (Irvin Yeaworth, 1958) 35
Venom and Eternity (Isidore Isou, 1951) 33

Yield to the Night (J. Lee Thompson, 1956) 16
Ice Cold in Alex (J. Lee Thompson, 1958) 16

Corn Chips (Jack Hannah, 1951) 8
Casey Bats Again (Jack Kinney, 1953) 50

The Flame and the Arrow (Jacques Tourneur, 1950) 44
Circle of Danger (Jacques Tourneur, 1951) 34

The Living Desert (James Algar, 1953) 45
Odds & Ends (Jane Conger Belson Shimané, 1959) 37
Un chant d'amour (Jean Genet, 1950) 15
L'Amour d'une femme (Jean Grémillon, 1953) 26
Daddy Long Legs (Jean Negulesco, 1955) 33
Elena and Her Men (Jean Renoir, 1956) 15
Lost in Alaska (Jean Yarbrough, 1952) 30
All the Boys Are Called Patrick (Jean-Luc Godard, 1959) 20
Quand tu liras cette lettre (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1953) 49

Color Dances No. 1 (Jim Davis, 1952) 18
Impulses (Jim Davis, 1959) 39

Bajaja (Jiří Trnka, 1950) 39
Old Czech Legends (Jiří Trnka, 1953) 2

Abstract in Concrete (John Arvonio, 1952) 45
I'm All Right Jack (John Boulting, 1959) 43

Rio Grande (John Ford, 1950) 49
The Last Hurrah (John Ford, 1958) 23

Days of Wine and Roses (John Frankenheimer, 1958) 49
Rooty Toot Toot (John Hubley, 1951) 14

The African Queen (John Huston, 1951) 32
The Red Badge of Courage (John Huston, 1951) 34
Moulin Rouge (John Huston, 1952) 19
Beat the Devil (John Huston, 1954) 45
Moby Dick (John Huston, 1956) 33

The Elephant Will Never Forget (John Krish, 1953) 4

Bad Day at Black Rock (John Sturges, 1954) 11
Backlash (John Sturges, 1956) 31

Surcos (José Antonio Nieves Conde, 1951) 7
Aguaespejo granadino (José Val del Omar, 1955) 15
Career (Joseph Anthony, 1959) 19
The Prowler (Joseph Losey, 1951) 42

Picnic (Joshua Logan, 1955) 11
Bus Stop (Joshua Logan, 1956) 44

Animal Farm (Joy Batchelor & John Halas, 1954) 25

Journey to the Beginning of Time (Karel Zeman, 1955) 30
Invention for Destruction (Karel Zeman, 1958) 21

She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1955) 37
Across the Bridge (Ken Annakin, 1957) 49

Portrait of Madame Yuki (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1950) 47
Gion bayashi (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953) 36
Princess Yang Kwei-fei (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1955) 10

Love Letter (Kinuyo Tanaka, 1953) 20
The Moon Has Risen (Kinuyo Tanaka, 1955) 23

The Crowded Streetcar (Kon Ichikawa, 1957) 41
Odd Obsession (Kon Ichikawa, 1959) 29

I Am Waiting (Koreyoshi Kurahara, 1957) 44
Genji monogatari (Kōzaburō Yoshimura, 1951) 24

The Fly (Kurt Neumann, 1958) 32
The Wild One (Laslo Benedek, 1953) 50
Richard III (Laurence Olivier, 1955) 33
All Souls Carnival (Len Lye, 1957) 35
An Affair to Remember (Leo McCarey, 1957) 20
The Well (Leo Popkin & Russell Rouse, 1951) 49
The House I Live In (Lev Kulidzhanov & Yakov Segel, 1957) 31
Illegal (Lewis Allen, 1955) 42
Together (Lorenza Mazzetti, 1956) 34
Bellissima (Luchino Visconti, 1951) 33
Processo alla città (Luigi Zampa, 1952) 48

Illusion Travels by Streetcar (Luis Buñuel, 1953) 40
El bruto (Luis Buñuel, 1953) 49
Robinson Crusoe (Luis Buñuel, 1954) 43

Bienvenido Mister Marshall (Luis García Berlanga, 1953) 28
Orgullo (Manuel Mur Oti, 1955) 40
Blessings of the Land (Manuel Silos, 1959) 16

School for Love (Marc Allégret, 1955) 17
Mademoiselle Striptease (Marc Allégret, 1956) 14

Les Tricheurs (Marcel Carné, 1958) 16
Ulisse (Mario Camerini, 1954) 39

Guardie e ladri (Mario Monicelli, 1951) 38
I soliti ignoti (Mario Monicelli, 1958) 2

Rosaura a las 10 (Mario Soffici, 1958) 27

Edge of Doom (Mark Robson, 1950) 46
Trial (Mark Robson, 1955) 45

The Black Orchid (Martin Ritt, 1958) 36
Sincere Heart (Masaki Kobayashi, 1953) 37
La notte brava (Mauro Bolognini, 1959) 34
The Court Jester (Melvin Frank & Norman Panama, 1951) 36
The Bad Seed (Mervyn LeRoy, 1956) 23
King Creole (Michael Curtiz, 1958) 24
The Snowshoers (Michel Brault & Gilles Groulx, 1958) 17

Cronaca di un amore (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1950) 37
La signora senza camelie (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1953) 14
Le amiche (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1955) 35
Il grido (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1957) 39

The Fall of Berlin (Mikheil Chiaureli, 1950) 50

Lightning (Mikio Naruse, 1952) 27
Late Chrysanthemums (Mikio Naruse, 1954) 35
Sudden Rain (Mikio Naruse, 1956) 44

No Man of Her Own (Mitchell Leisen, 1950) 49
The Mating Season (Mitchell Leisen, 1951) 26

Auntie Mame (Morton DaCosta, 1958) 46
A Town of Love and Hope (Nagisa Oshima, 1959) 48
Party Girl (Nicholas Ray, 1958) 40
H-8… (Nikola Tanhofer, 1958) 41
O drakos (Nikos Koundouros, 1956) 18
The Ghosts of Kasane Swamp (Nobuo Nakagawa, 1957) 38

Blinkity Blank (Norman McLaren, 1955) 13
Le Merle (Norman McLaren, 1959) 46

Mr. Arkadin (Orson Welles, 1955) 35
The Fountain of Youth (Orson Welles, 1958) 50
Three Cases of Murder (Orson Welles et al., 1955) 44

The Moon Is Blue (Otto Preminger, 1953) 21
Perri (Paul Kenworthy & Ralph Wright, 1957) 39
Gidget (Paul Wendkos, 1959) 44

The Phenix City Story (Phil Karlson, 1955) 41
The Brothers Rico (Phil Karlson, 1957) 50
Gunman's Walk (Phil Karlson, 1958) 45

Robot Monster (Phil Tucker, 1953) 48
Blue Denim (Philip Dunne, 1959) 18
Un maledetto imbroglio (Pietro Germi, 1959) 8
The Ship of Damned Women (Raffaello Matarazzo, 1953) 9
The World, the Flesh and the Devil (Ranald MacDougall, 1959) 42
The World in His Arms (Raoul Walsh, 1952) 19
Due soldi di speranza (Renato Castellani, 1952) 20
Les Grandes Manoeuvres (René Clair, 1955) 44
Gervaise (René Clément, 1956) 36
I vampiri (Riccardo Freda, 1957) 43
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Richard Brooks, 1958) 46

The Narrow Margin (Richard Fleischer, 1952) 46
Violent Saturday (Richard Fleischer, 1955) 17
The Vikings (Richard Fleischer, 1958) 29

Drive a Crooked Road (Richard Quine, 1954) 42
The Girl Next Door (Richard Sale, 1953) 38
Disneyland Dream (Robbins Barstow, 1956) 44
They Came to Cordura (Robert Rossen, 1959) 50
I Want to Live! (Robert Wise, 1958) 32

Joan of Arc at the Stake (Roberto Rossellini, 1954) 49
India, matri bhumi (Roberto Rossellini, 1959) 38

Et Dieu... créa la femme (Roger Vadim, 1956) 13
Two Men and a Wardrobe (Roman Polanski, 1958) 41
The Horse's Mouth (Ronald Neame, 1958) 32
The Violent Men (Rudolph Maté, 1955) 48
The World of Apu (Satyajit Ray, 1959) 16
Fate of a Man (Sergei Bondarchuk, 1959) 44
Nowhere to Go (Seth Holt, 1958) 45
Bridges-Go-Round (Shirley Clarke, 1958) 40
Endless Desire (Shōhei Imamura, 1958) 46
Window Water Baby Moving (Stan Brakhage, 1959) 11

Royal Wedding (Stanley Donen, 1951) 21
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Stanley Donen, 1954) 30
Funny Face (Stanley Donen, 1957) 36
It's Always Fair Weather (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1955) 10
The Pajama Game (Stanley Donen & George Abbott, 1957) 39

Till We Meet Again (Tadashi Imai, 1950) 28
Nigorie (Tadashi Imai, 1953) 5

The Last Day of Summer (Tadeusz Konwicki, 1958) 48

Dracula (Terence Fisher, 1958) 3
The Revenge of Frankenstein (Terence Fisher, 1958) 43

Symphony in Slang (Tex Avery, 1951) 34
Kon-Tiki (Thor Heyerdahl, 1950) 13
Quatermass 2 (Val Guest, 1957) 46
Boris Godunov (Vera Stroyeva, 1954) 25
Affair in Trinidad (Vincent Sherman, 1952) 47

Kismet (Vincente Minnelli, 1955) 24
Lust for Life (Vincente Minnelli, 1956) 13
The Reluctant Debutante (Vincente Minnelli, 1958) 21

Lu tempu di li pisci spata (Vittorio De Seta, 1954) 30
The Gold of Naples (Vittorio De Sica, 1954) 42
Touha (Vojtěch Jasný, 1958) 49
The Little House (Wilfred Jackson, 1952) 37
Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (William Hole, 1959) 49
The Unicorn in the Garden (William Hurtz, 1953) 39

The Desperate Hours (William Wyler, 1955) 20
Friendly Persuasion (William Wyler, 1956) 34
Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959) 1

Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers (Winston Jones, 1956) 38

Kisses (Yasuzō Masumura, 1957) 35
Giants and Toys (Yasuzō Masumura, 1958) 34

The Drunkard (Yorgos Tzavellas, 1950) 47

Struggle in the Valley (Youssef Chahine, 1954) 38
Cairo Station (Youssef Chahine, 1958) 39

A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era (Yūzō Kawashima, 1957) 41
Les Orgueilleux (Yves Allégret, 1953) 48


New Votes

The following films received no votes during the last round of the lists project but currently have two or more votes. Perhaps they were not on your radar before...

Araya (Margot Benacerraf, 1959)
Bell Book and Candle (Richard Quine, 1958)
The Breaking Point (Michael Curtiz, 1950)
Le Carrosse d'or (Jean Renoir, 1952)
La casa del ángel (Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, 1957)
Deadline U.S.A. (Richard Brooks, 1952)
Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Jean Renoir, 1959)
Dementia (John Parker, 1955)
Ewa Wants to Sleep (Tadeusz Chmielewski, 1958)
Il Generale Della Rovere (Roberto Rossellini, 1959)
Girl with Hyacinths (Hasse Ekman, 1950)
The Gunfighter (Henry King, 1950)
Guys and Dolls (Joseph Mankiewicz, 1955)
Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (Douglas Sirk, 1952)
I Love Melvin (Don Weis, 1953)
Kiss Me Kate (George Sidney, 1953)
Li'l Abner (Melvin Frank, 1959)
Little Fugitive (Ray Ashley et al., 1953)
Love in the Afternoon (Billy Wilder, 1957)
The Man with the Golden Arm (Otto Preminger, 1955)
The Member of the Wedding (Fred Zinnemann, 1952)
99 River Street (Phil Karlson, 1953)
The Noose (Wojciech Has, 1958)
Le notti bianche (Luchino Visconti, 1957)
Olivia (Jacqueline Audry, 1951)
One Froggy Evening (Chuck Jones, 1955)
La Pointe-Courte (Agnès Varda, 1955)
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (Nathan Juran, 1958)
The Snorkel (Guy Green, 1958)
Son of Paleface (Frank Tashlin, 1952)
Stars in My Crown (Jacques Tourneur, 1950)
Tea and Sympathy (Vincente Minnelli, 1956)
Time Without Pity (Joseph Losey, 1957)

[senseabove]

That feeling when you're surprised something isn't an orphan, then realize you forgot to put it on your list... Womp womp.

[hearthesilence]

A great list in itself, a lot of these orphans were on my preliminary list, but 50 is tough for this decade and I had to make some enormous, cold and merciless cuts.

[HinkyDinkyTruesmith]

I have to say, I'm rather surprised that The Prince and the Showgirl, my #4, wasn't orphaned! A very pleasant surprise. I had a handful, but the only one I'm surprised about is Lust for Life––I'll be defending any orphans of mine that I ranked higher than 20, and will be checking out any orphans that others ranked in their top 20 as well––if anyone has any films that lie outside that, I'm willing to hear defenses!

I'll definitely be checking out Cavalcanti's Song of the Sea, as well. I loved Went the Day Well? and They Made Me a Fugitive.

[knives]

A great list in itself, a lot of these orphans were on my preliminary list, but 50 is tough for this decade and I had to make some enormous, cold and merciless cuts.

Yeah, incredibly solid group of orphans for the defending and or chopping block.

[TMDaines]

Anyone ever had their #1 and #2 both orphaned?

[therewillbeblus]

Grateful to see that a solid chunk of musicals I thought might be orphaned weren't, though it's hard to see others like Oklahoma! and Kismet and Daddy Long Legs (which I cut at the very last second) left behind. Apologies also for those who listed three of my other last-minute cuts: All the Boys are Called Patrick (which I had already placed on a list to save in the even it were orphaned the moment I I cut it), Hollywood or Bust and Mr. Arkadin.

I'm genuinely surprised to see a few of these orphans, with other special mentions to Tomorrow is Another Day, Moulin Rouge, The Reluctant Debutante, The Moon is Blue, A double tour, and Winchester ‘73, all of which I considered and may still for inclusion. I coincidentally just received blus of, and/or prepared a flash drive with, a few of these unseen-by-me orphans that I'll get to soon (and just watched The Violent Men earlier) so we'll see where the chips land.