My Favorite Films 1960-1969
List activity
775 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
100 titles
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.A fantastic classic. I bought this film on Blu-ray and it holds up as a brilliant and haunting spectacle. There’s no question that this is one of my favorite films, though its long dialogue-free scenes keep it from being a particularly accessible film (there is no dialogue for the first half-hour).
2001 is all about visual spectacle. It was originally shown in Cinerama. The use of color is brilliant. The special effects are fantastic and hold-up next to anything produced for at least the next 10 years. I’m usually not a fan of the psychedelic, but the surreal final sequence really is sublime, even if you’re not high. 2001 is also the first real entrance of hard sf onto the silver-screen. Kubrick, Clarke and the producers attempted to remain as accurate as possible in their depiction of near-future space age technology (the vacuum of space is actually silent – an obvious but rarely seen point of accuracy). Obviously, as futurism, the film fails. But it’s still one of the realest visions of the future you’ll see. And, there’s no denying this films influence on everything from the look of the startships of Star Wars to the claustrophobic feeling of Alien, not to mention the dozens of parodies of the opening sequence or HAL that have appeared over the years.
Things do move slowly, and Kurbick’s not afraid to let scenes unfold for minutes and minutes within almost total silence (though usually there’s a relaxed piece of classical music playing on the soundtrack). The film is designed for the viewer to sit back and drink in the spectacle (or feel a maddening sense of tension in some of the later scenes). If you’re not prepared for that, you may very well hate this film. If you are patient though, it’s an amazing experience. - DirectorJacques DemyStarsCatherine DeneuveNino CastelnuovoAnne VernonA young woman separated from her lover by war faces a life-altering decision.Demy manages to capture the wonders and tragedies of young love on film with lovely music and gorgeous colors and...it's just fantastic.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.Light on plot, this film just kind of meanders around for the first couple of hours…really for the whole movie. The Civil War history is ridiculous, but I guess I’ve seen worse from America (Sante Fe Trail!) But, Leone’s amazing style, Morricone’s score (best ever for a western; maybe 80% of why this movie is so great), and excellent performances – Wallach’s Tuco has really won me over with multiple viewings - make it one of the best films ever.
- 19641h 35mPG8.4 (519K)97MetascoreDirectorStanley KubrickStarsPeter SellersGeorge C. ScottSterling HaydenAn unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.Starts a little slow, but it's all set up for a comic masterpiece. Kubrick really comes into his own in this movie, and Sellers gives the best comic performance(s) of a legendary career...and George C. Scott still manages to steal the film. The absurdity of mutually assured destruction deserved a movie this rich in irony and ridiculousness.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneEijirô TônoTatsuya NakadaiA crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.Taut and entertaining action piece with an iconic Mifune performance. There's not as much world-building as Seven Samurai, but the pace is great.
- DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanRobert RedfordKatharine RossIn 1890s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid lead a band of outlaws. When a train robbery goes wrong, they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. After considering their options, they escape to South America.Funny film with great chemistry between Redford and Newman, and some great shots, including the relentless trackers. Love the Bachrach music - beautifully anachronistic.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnthony PerkinsJanet LeighVera MilesA Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.One of those films that's so heavily referenced and parodied that you'll feel you've seen it before you have...but this one turns out to surprise with some interesting pacing, beautiful shots, and lots of suspense (even if you know most of the surprises). Of course, the epilogue is terrible; everything before that is perfect.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsDustin HoffmanAnne BancroftKatharine RossA disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.A great portrait of alienation, and I love how ambivalent the romantic climax is.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsJean-Paul BelmondoJean SebergVan DoudeA small-time crook, hunted by the authorities for a car theft and the murder a police officer, attempts to persuade a hip American journalism student to run away with him to Italy.There's a lot of sexism here, and I find little redeeming in Michel (the first time I saw Breathless, I thought Godard was self-aware about his protagonist's b.s., but the second time, I was much less sure). However, the film oozes with style - the tracking shots, the jump cuts, the overall rhythm of it all - it's a great viewing experience.
- DirectorMichelangelo AntonioniStarsDavid HemmingsVanessa RedgraveSarah MilesA fashion photographer unknowingly captures a death on film after following two lovers in a park.Captures a vivid sense of a time and place - London in the swinging sixties - while also serving as a sort of culmination of the themes Antonioni has been exploring for the last several films: sex and death and mystery and meaning. It's also beautiful, and I appreciated the pacing a lot more the second go round.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsFrank SinatraLaurence HarveyJanet LeighAn American POW in the Korean War is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy.A paranoid Cold War thriller that actually manages to thrill and entertain. A lot of films like this from the '50s would pat themselves on the back for encouraging some kind of heightened awareness of the Communist threat - paranoia as preparedness. Frankenheimer seems content to just have some fun with paranoia.
- DirectorJacques DemyStarsCatherine DeneuveGeorge ChakirisFrançoise DorléacTwo sisters leave their small seaside town of Rochefort in search of romance. Hired as carnival singers, one falls for an American musician, while the other must search for her ideal partner.Lacks Cherbourg's magical melancholy, but the music and colors are almost as charming, and, hey, great dancing too.
The only film I've seen to even approach Singin' in the Rain's ability to warm and transport. - DirectorJacques DemyStarsAnouk AiméeMarc MichelJacques HardenA bored young man meets with his former girlfriend, now a cabaret dancer and single mother, and soon finds himself falling back in love with her.My first Demy, and other than getting a Barry Manilow song stuck in my head, this film is just about perfect. Demy creates a wonderful little world that's full of so many coincidences and parallels, and general good humor, that it's hard to take too seriously, and yet it is about the very serious business of first love for each of the main characters.
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsSoumitra ChatterjeeMadhavi MukherjeeShailen MukherjeeThe lonely wife of a newspaper editor falls in love with her visiting cousin-in-law, who shares her love for literature.Incredibly rich with understated emotions and wonderfully atmospheric. This is also a great example of doing a period piece right - the culture and politics of the moment are key to the story, but Ray doesn't shove any of it in your face. Ray shows a deft touch with the gender issues as well.
- DirectorMichelangelo AntonioniStarsMonica VittiAlain DelonFrancisco RabalA young woman meets a vital young man, but their love affair is doomed because of the man's materialistic nature.A great mood piece that's one fewer African dance number away from being perfect. The ending is stunningly brilliant.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanGeorge KennedyStrother MartinA laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.I have no problem with a heavy-handed allegory if it's going to look this good and be this fun and creative.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsHarriet AnderssonGunnar BjörnstrandMax von SydowRecently released from a mental hospital, Karin rejoins her emotionally disconnected family in their island home, only to slip from reality as she begins to believe she is being visited by God.After a string of Bergman disappointments, this film finally struck me in, I think, exactly the way it was meant to. The layers of disappointment from family to career to existence to God; the disasters of death, mental illness, incest; and the thin hopes for some deeper meaning - these have been blended in many of Bergman's darker works (and even some semi-light ones like The Magician), but here the proportions were just right. Maybe the genius of Bergman's new cinematographer, Nykvist, is part of the reason?
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsRentarô MikuniMichiyo AratamaMisako WatanabeA collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.The ghost stories themselves are okay...could have used a little more bite. But, who cares? The real attraction here is the gorgeous colors and production design that make this a transporting film.
Those matte painting skies in the second story...and the naval battle in the third story...wow. - DirectorChris MarkerStarsÉtienne BeckerJean NégroniHélène ChatelainThe story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.A fascinating short that uses stills to tell a time travel story. The experimental narrative device fits thematically, and the story is fun, resonant, and fascinating. Great music and very effective narration.
- DirectorRobert MulliganStarsGregory PeckJohn MegnaFrank OvertonAtticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a Black man against an undeserved rape charge, and tries to educate his young children against prejudice.Gregory Peck as the perfect father and the embodiment of progressive idealism steals the show, but the film does also manage to capture the mood of childhood innocence and to have some social relevance.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsWilliam HoldenErnest BorgnineRobert RyanAn aging group of outlaws look for one last big score as the "traditional" American West is disappearing around them.A film about violence and loyalty that is ambiguous as hell, but beautifully shot and well acted.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsMia FarrowJohn CassavetesRuth GordonA young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.A surpremely creepy movie that achieves its effect by focusing on the anxieties of pregnancy and '60s America rather than the Satanic trappings.
- DirectorHiroshi TeshigaharaStarsEiji OkadaKyôko KishidaKôji MitsuiAn entomologist on vacation is trapped by local villagers into living with a woman whose life task is shoveling sand for them.The narrative is intriguing in itself, but then you layer on the rich layers of metaphor and the fantastic, sandy visuals, and this is a really amazing piece of work.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsAnna KarinaJean-Claude BrialyJean-Paul BelmondoAn exotic dancer is desperate to become a mother and accepts her reluctant boyfriend's suggestion that she be impregnated by his best friend.Music Cue: The Movie
Godard shows how a swelling score and technicolor cinemascope affect our response to films and has a lot of fun in the process. Anna Karina is great. - DirectorKen AnnakinAndrew MartonGerd OswaldStarsJohn WayneRobert RyanRichard BurtonThe events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both the Allied and German points of view.In which Fox stages a re-invasion of France to film a D-Day movie; at least, that's how this film feels. The spectacle is amazing. I've been complaining about the bloat of early-60s Hollywood, but this is a film that actually earns it.
- DirectorTerence YoungStarsSean ConneryRobert ShawLotte LenyaJames Bond willingly falls into an assassination plot involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E.Perhaps still my favorite Bond. The key elements are there: the hero's supernatural cool with the ladies and the villains, and the plot hits the globetrotting action beats without ever getting too ridiculous. Daniela Bianchi is a great Bond girl.
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsMarcello MastroianniAnita EkbergAnouk AiméeA series of stories following a week in the life of a philandering tabloid journalist living in Rome.A sprawling epic that paints existential dread through a series of vividly shot parties. Hard to like and hard not to love.
- DirectorÉric RohmerStarsPatrick BauchauHaydée PolitoffDaniel PommereulleA womanizing art dealer and a painter find the serenity of their Riviera vacation disturbed by a third guest, a vivacious bohemian woman known for her long list of male conquests.I love how this film constantly undercuts itself - the philosophical justifications for laziness seem to feel like bull even to the characters, and the same goes for their cruel and selfish and muddled games of seduction. And yet, as awful as the characters were, I enjoyed spending a lazy summer afternoon in their lazy summer afternoons. It helps that it was all very marvelous to look at. My first Rohmer and now I can't wait to see more.
- DirectorAgnès VardaStarsCorinne MarchandAntoine BourseillerDominique DavrayCleo, a singer and hypochondriac, becomes increasingly worried that she might have cancer while awaiting test results from her doctor.Some very interesting edits in this near-real-time movie, and great music. I really loved it, though the plot development that consumes the last fifteen minutes feels kind of contrived.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanJon VoightSylvia MilesA naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.An incredibly sad film about men living on the edges of gritty '60s New York. They live in a world that has opened itself up to all sorts of eccentricities, but that doesn't include disability or poverty or (at least not entirely) some kinds of sexuality.
Schlesinger brings in some New Wavey elements; sometimes it's flashier than necessary, but it does stand out among Best Picture winners. Hoffman and Voight are great. - DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsBibi AnderssonLiv UllmannMargaretha KrookA nurse is put in charge of a mute actress and finds that their personae are melding together.A fascinating, enigmatic film. In my chronological film-watching project, the experimental touches (like the film break) felt seismic. My one complaints is that the film dwells quite a bit on Bergman's pet existential questions to the detriment, somewhat, of the central theme of identity.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodGian Maria VolontèMarianne KochA wandering gunfighter plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge.Dramatic new style holds together a film with some
dodgy elements (eg, bad dubbing, meandering plot). Eastwood's great, laconic anti-hero adds a lot. Original but often imitated, but, like the Magnificent Seven, not as good as the Kurosawa original. - DirectorRené ClémentStarsAlain DelonMaurice RonetMarie LaforêtTom Ripley is a talented mimic, moocher, forger and all-around criminal improviser; but there's more to Tom Ripley than even he can guess.The gorgeous Mediterranean settings, the sharp class critique, the great Alain Delon performance, and the tense pacing all make for a fantastic film. I think I like the Minghella version even better, but just a smidge; call it the Cate Blanchett effect.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTatsuya NakadaiKeiju KobayashiA crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen trying to save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.After a series of samurai films that deal with issues of class, honor, loyalty, and violence, Kurosawa makes one that's pure samurai id - the conflict is simple and the hero nigh-invulnerable. The main theme is fun, and I sure had me some.
The final minutes do, by the way, add just a little weight and also suggest the increasing violence of films to come. - DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsAlain DelonFrançois PérierNathalie DelonAfter professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.Super-slick and tense. Clear inspiration of many great hitman-with-a-heart-of-gold flicks like John Woo's The Killer. Great ending.
- DirectorLouis MalleStarsCatherine DemongeotPhilippe NoiretHubert DeschampsWith her mother away for the weekend, a brash and precocious ten-year-old country girl sets out to explore Paris during a Métro strike under her uncle's not-so-watchful eye. But can a little girl cause so much chaos in the city centre?Anarchic fun with some early (loving) parody of the French New Wave. Looney tunes comedy that laughs at the darkness around its edges. It has a little trouble sustaining it's craziness for the full run time, but the first hour has to be the funniest comedy produced in a while.
- DirectorWojciech HasStarsZbigniew CybulskiIga CembrzynskaElzbieta CzyzewskaUpon finding a book that relates his grandfather's story, an officer ventures through Spain meeting a wide array of characters, most of whom have a story of their own to tell.This discursive genre-bending epic takes some time to get going, but the second half is fast-paced, funny, and weird in all the right ways.
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira IshihamaShima IwashitaWhen a ronin requesting seppuku at a feudal lord's palace is told of the brutal suicide of another ronin who previously visited, he reveals how their pasts are intertwined - and in doing so challenges the clan's integrity.Rather than a comedy of manners, a violence of manners. Some very dramatic shots with exciting camera work and an intriguing slow-burn flashback structure really sucked me in.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsLeon NiemczykJolanta UmeckaZygmunt MalanowiczA couple pick up a hitchhiker on the way to their yacht. The husband invites the young man to come along for their day's sailing. As the voyage progresses, the antagonism between the two men grows. A violent confrontation is inevitable.Somehow tense and laid back at the same time; it's interesting to see a film so obsessed with class coming out of the Eastern Bloc in this time period.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsAudrey HepburnGeorge PeppardPatricia NealA young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.This film really is objectionable on a lot of fronts: the whole conflict is about a man and a woman finding their ways to taking up more traditional gender roles, it sanitizes a Capote novella including giving it the most Hollywood of Hollywood endings, and it has some of the most egregious racism ever put on film (and that's really saying something!).
And yet, I have a soft spot for this movie. Yes, it Hollywoodizes the novella, but not completely - there's still a somber layer that you don't often see in this sort of Hollywood romance...and the leads do have some real chemistry. Blake Edwards skillfully juggles the light and dark while presenting an appealing, colorful package. Most importantly, Audrey Hepburn is fantastic - gorgeous, funny, charming, vulnerable, powerful; it's a real star performance. - DirectorÉric RohmerStarsJean-Louis TrintignantFrançoise FabianMarie-Christine BarraultA devout Catholic man's rigid principles are challenged during a one-night stay with Maud, a divorced woman with an outsize personality.It's amazing how Rohmer makes these slow burn conversations about Pascal, Catholicism, and love consistently compelling, and even, at times quite sexy. Beautiful black and white photography to boot.
- DirectorLuchino ViscontiStarsBurt LancasterAlain DelonClaudia CardinaleThe Prince of Salina, a noble aristocrat of impeccable integrity, tries to preserve his family and class amid the tumultuous social upheavals of 1860s Sicily.I knew this would be pretty, but based on some of De Sica's other work and the aristocrat-in-changing-times epic story, I expected something rather distancing...but I was really pulled in by Lancaster's performance and by the character. And, it really is gorgeous.
- DirectorStanley KubrickAnthony MannStarsKirk DouglasLaurence OlivierJean SimmonsThe slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.Having just seen 1959's Ben-Hur, 1960's Spartacus was a great transition to a new (and especially transformative) decade. While the former looks backward, Spartacus looks forward, and it's darker, has a sharper humanist point, and it's much more visually innovative.
- DirectorJirí MenzelStarsVáclav NeckárJosef SomrVlastimil BrodskýAn apprentice train dispatcher at a village station seeks his first sexual encounter and becomes despondent when he is unable to perform.I love the way this film plays with stakes - this is a film about Czech resistance to the Nazi occupation where the characters are much more concerned about their sex lives. It feels very true for a teenager.
- DirectorJacques BeckerStarsAndré BervilJean KeraudyMichel ConstantinDistrust and uncertainty arise when four long-term inmates cautiously induct a new prisoner into their elaborate prison-break scheme.A prison film that wisely avoids many of the genre's tropes to focus on the mechanics of escape. The result feels more like a heist film, and it's more able to focus on the interesting psychological dilemmas, which the film does with great subtlety. It also looks fantastic, with lots of great, shadowy tunnels.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsJulie HarrisClaire BloomRichard JohnsonHill House has stood for about 90 years and appears haunted: its inhabitants have always met strange, tragic ends. Now Dr. John Markway has assembled a team of people who he thinks will prove whether or not the house is haunted.Suitably creepy, and I'm a sucker for psychic investigators - it's a nice twist that provides something a little interesting than the often passive horror victim.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsHenry FondaCharles BronsonClaudia CardinaleA mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.Leone Style + higher production values +
(Henry Fonda+Charles Bronson+Jason Robards) – (Clint Eastwood) = somehow a little less fun. The plot about a widow who inherits the embattled site of a railroad station lacks some of the double-crossing pizzazz of other Leone films, but it still has a great Leone feel overall. Leone is almost trolling the audience with some of his slow-developing scene, sometimes it’s fun (as in the long “strangers waiting for a train” opening scene), but there are a few times when it just drags. - DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsCharlton HestonRoddy McDowallKim HunterAn astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.Yeah, it's basically a glorified Twilight Zone episode, but it's a damn good one. I love how it shifts from an allegory about debates over evolution to a powerful and cynical condemnation of war.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsPaul NewmanMelvyn DouglasPatricia NealHonest, hard-working Texas rancher Homer Bannon has a conflict with his unscrupulous, selfish, arrogant, egotistical son Hud, who sank into alcoholism after accidentally killing his brother in a car crash.The generational conflict was a little trite, but the characters are so rich and compelling that I didn't care. And it looks great to boot.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsYul BrynnerSteve McQueenCharles BronsonSeven gunfighters are hired by Mexican peasants to liberate their village from oppressive bandits.Ridiculously shallow next to its source material (and Horst Bucholz is *definitely* no Toshiro Mifune), but still a pretty fun adventure film that was very influential.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsDelphine SeyrigGiorgio AlbertazziSacha PitoëffIn a strange and isolated chateau, a man becomes acquainted with a woman and insists that they have met before.It's intriguing and it's gorgeous as hell. Is there a there there? I'm not sure....
- DirectorJack ClaytonStarsDeborah KerrPeter WyngardeMegs JenkinsA young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.A really great piece of gothic horror that goes to all the darkest places of the source material and manages perhaps even to surpass it in eerie atmosphere. Kerr's best performance?
- DirectorHenry HathawayStarsJohn WayneKim DarbyGlen CampbellA drunken, hard-nosed U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger help a stubborn teenager track down her father's murderer in Indian Territory.Great film though the source material deserves a lot of the
credit; Wayne’s best. It's realistic but not grim, and equal to Coen Bros version.
Those locations sure ain’t Oklahoma. - DirectorSatyajit RayStarsAnil ChatterjeeMadhavi MukherjeeJaya BachchanLife at home changes when a house-wife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a saleswoman.A very warm film about social change anchored by a great performance by Madhabi Mukherjee, who really conveys the tensions her character has to feel in this movie.
- DirectorMichael RoemerStarsIvan DixonAbbey LincolnJulius HarrisA black man and his school-teacher wife face discriminatory challenges in 1960s America.A powerful and compelling look at the struggles of black manhood a south where civil rights have only gained a toehold. This should feel didactic, but it's too grounded by relationships that feel very real.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsSidney PoitierRod SteigerWarren OatesA black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.A really solid murder mystery elevated by its social context and some great performances.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJames StewartJohn WayneVera MilesA senator returns to a Western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins.Interesting take on the civilizing narrative of the west, but that narrative is a little tired, and the movie is more concerned with that aspect then telling a good story. John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin all give great performances though.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsRobert BlakeScott WilsonJohn ForsytheTwo ex-cons murder a family in a robbery attempt, before going on the run from the authorities. The police try to piece together the details of the murder in an attempt to track down the killers.Really does a great job of walking the tightrope of humanizing killers without in anyway downplaying the horror of their crimes. Beautifully shot, perfectly constructed, and well-acted.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsTom CourtenayJulie ChristieWilfred PicklesA lazy, irresponsible young clerk (Sir Tom Courtenay) in provincial Northern England lives in his own fantasy world and makes emotionally immature decisions as he alienates friends and family.I expected something a bit mean-spirited from this film, but it's actually a very empathetic film that coveys its protagonists frustrations and failings with great nuance. I feel like more could have been done with the fantasy sequences.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodLee Van CleefGian Maria VolontèTwo bounty hunters with the same intentions team up to track down a gang of outlaws led by a psychotic Mexican bandit, who is plotting an audacious bank robbery.Lee Van Cleef is a welcome addition as a rival “Bounty Killer.” In some ways, this is his movie. It’s fun and clips along for the first 2/3rds, then the final third slows down a bit and seems to put off the climax needlessly. Leone’s style and Ennio Moricone’s music were game changing a year ago, and they’re still strong here.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonShirley MacLaineFred MacMurrayA Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.Somewhat mislabeled as a comedy; Lemmon's performance has to carry most of the comedic weight. Oh, Lemmon can carry it, and make it quite funny. And Wilder's skill as a filmmaker makes it look great.
I think there's something interesting about the gray area that Lemmon's character inhabits that I missed when I saw this as a much younger man. The story isn't so much about Kubelik seeing past the big boss (the typical romcom storyline that I was a little disappointed by at the time), as it is about Baxter becoming a mensch in contrast to the rest of the executives. - DirectorFrançois TruffautStarsCharles AznavourMarie DuboisNicole BergerA pianist helps his brother escape from two gangsters, who retaliate by abducting their kid brother.There's an improvisational feeling to this crime film that lends it both its best moments (many of which come from the way Truffaut plays with structure) but also lessens its final impact.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsPeter O'TooleAlec GuinnessAnthony QuinnThe story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.A big epic with a very interesting (though less than perfect) sense of plot and pacing.
Lean's Lawrence is fascinating, but he is, ultimately, another British ubermensch whose main flaw is his perfection (as in River Kwai). The films mostly avoids the obvious orientalist pitfalls.
Deserts are cinematic as hell. - DirectorFrançois TruffautStarsJeanne MoreauOskar WernerHenri SerreDecades of a love triangle concerning two friends and an impulsive woman.I'm not sure all of the melodrama elements totally worked, and, on the other end of the spectrum, the quirk can feel a tad forced at times. And yet, there's so much heart and cleverness here, that it's still something really interesting.
- DirectorArthur PennStarsWarren BeattyFaye DunawayMichael J. PollardBored waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, stealing cars and robbing banks.As much as the narrative of this film is about its romantic rebellion heralding New Hollywood, to me it feels mostly like a meditation on mortality - Bonnie and Clyde see fame as a sort of path to escape it then become disillusioned with that idea and yearn for normalcy, but it's too late. Sort of anti-rebellion, really. Of course, there's a bit of rebellion in the filmmaking, but The Graduate still seems like the more adventurous film.
- DirectorJohn BoormanStarsLee MarvinAngie DickinsonKeenan WynnAfter being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the money that was stolen from him.Slick, exciting, and influential. Boorman's style is usually a thrill, though it does get a little over-bearing at a few moments.
Mixing crime and corporate politics is a great idea, even if it feels a bit undercooked.
This seems toned down a bit from Stark's Parker books. - DirectorAnthony HarveyStarsPeter O'TooleKatharine HepburnAnthony Hopkins1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.The script and performances lead to fantastic verbal sparring, and the blend of politics and family dynamics keeps the stakes high, though I'm not sure the film quite maintains its high personal drama for the full run length.
"It's 1183 and we're barbarians!" = very self-aware. - DirectorCosta-GavrasStarsYves MontandIrene PapasJean-Louis TrintignantThe public murder of a prominent politician and doctor amid a violent demonstration is covered up by military and government officials. A tenacious magistrate is determined not to let them get away with it.Tragedy and farce. A really sharp depiction of the clumsy and brutal tactics of Cold War tactics that feels worryingly far more relevant today than it should.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsCatherine DeneuveIan HendryJohn FraserA sex-repulsed woman who disapproves of her sister's boyfriend sinks into depression and has horrific visions of rape and violence.Everything about the filmmaking here is incredible - the framing of every shot, Deneuve's performance, the disgusting rabbit - it all works to create a powerful effect of uneasiness. It's incredible work, though I didn't find it particularly enjoyable except on a purely intellectual level. I could argue that Polanski has made a mistake in not making our protagonist more relatable...but I think I'm just finding excuses to justify my squeemishness.
- DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsJean-Paul BelmondoEmmanuelle RivaIrène TuncSet during occupied France, a faithless woman finds herself falling in love with a young priest.Barny is such a fantastic character (and Riva does amazing work). She skips along even as she actively grapples with loneliness, Nazi occupation, and the meaning of her existence. Morin is also fascinating, though perhaps he feels a bit like a plot device at times. It all makes for a very interesting tone for an occupation film.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsJohn WayneRobert MitchumJames CaanCole Thornton, a gunfighter for hire, joins forces with old friend, Sheriff J.P. Hara. Together with an old Indian fighter and a gambler, they help a rancher and his family fight a rival rancher who's trying to steal their water.Old fashioned (Rio Bravo-esque) but good fun with Wayne/Mitchum pairing
- DirectorMichelangelo AntonioniStarsJeanne MoreauMarcello MastroianniMonica VittiA day in the life of an unfaithful married couple and their steadily deteriorating relationship.Antonioni riffing on La Dolce Vita?
A bit warmer and more relatable than L'Avventura while tackling many of the same themes. - DirectorDino RisiStarsVittorio GassmanCatherine SpaakJean-Louis TrintignantAn impulsive braggart takes a shy law student with him for a two-day road trip from Rome to Tuscany.An odd little journey - a very fun, light-hearted story (for most of its run) that takes a stuffy law student on a holiday tour of Italy with a brash, loud-mouth stranger. A great character study with intriguing little insights.
Light-hearted....for most of its run. Most of it... - DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsCatherine DeneuveJean SorelMichel PiccoliA frigid young housewife decides to spend her midweek afternoons as a prostitute.One of Bunuel's best balances of surrealism and ambiguity with character and story - the ambiguity was especially dazzling in a lot of Deneuve's work, including the final moments.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsEnrique IrazoquiMargherita CarusoSusanna PasoliniThe life of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew. Pasolini shows Christ as a Marxist avant-la-lettre and therefore uses half of the text of Matthew.Kind of rough around the edges - self-consciously so? - but Pasolini has an amazing sense of what makes a shot beautiful and a fantastic sense of rhythm. Certainly one of the best religious films I've seen. Great use of music too.
- DirectorJán KadárElmar KlosStarsIda KaminskaJozef KronerFrantisek ZvaríkA carpenter in the Fascist Slovak State is appointed "Aryan controller" of a Jewish widow's store.An interesting way to examine complicity in the Holocaust, as we see a loser jump on the chance to profit from persecution of the Jews then wrestle with sympathies for the older woman he's supposed to be profiting from. Something rubbed me wrong about the end - it didn't seem entirely in character, and it was a little too easy.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsOmar SharifJulie ChristieGeraldine ChaplinThe life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution.These Russians are so....British....
The film can almost stand on its production values alone - it's just gorgeous. The story is heavy on the melodrama, and it comes off a bit ridiculous, but the Russian Revolution is a fascinating setting. - DirectorSidney LumetStarsRod SteigerGeraldine FitzgeraldBrock PetersA Jewish pawnbroker, victim of Nazi persecution, loses all faith in his fellow man until he realizes too late the tragedy of his actions.A very dark film that quite powerfully portrays a broken man living in a broken world. It can be pretty heavy-handed, and the subject matter is pretty dreary, but it really works.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsPaul ScofieldWendy HillerRobert ShawThe story of Sir Thomas More, who stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and remarry.Stuffy, but in the best possible way. A well-acted, hyper-competent period drama.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneYutaka SadaTatsuya NakadaiAn executive of a Yokohama shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.There is a great crime thriller/detective story in here that also aims to say a lot more about ethics and society...but it is a hobbled a bit by being overlong and having a somewhat muddled message - on that muddled message, Kurosawa contrasts the class divisions, represented spatially in housing, but he's really more interested in the people who do good work and sacrifice for others (Gondo, the chaffeur, the police) versus the selfish, self-centered, and the overly devoted to money (the kidnappers, the National Shoes execs, the creditors), and these characters cut across classes on both sides. That's interesting, but it does undercut real issues of class which obviously exist in Japan (represented hauntingly by the dope addicts).
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsPeter BreckConstance TowersGene EvansBent on winning a Pulitzer Prize, a journalist commits himself to a mental institution to solve a strange and unclear murder.Hollywood has misrepresented several groups throughout history, but has anyone had it as bad as the mentally ill? This film's ideas about psychology are ridiculous and offensive and ridiculously offensive. It's got a really annoying female character as well...
And yet, there is so much brilliant stuff here: my jaw dropped with "Buddha, in color," and the storm near the end is pretty great too. And, the film really goes out of its ways to expose all the wounds and anxieties of '60s America: sex, the Cold War, Korea and veterans, the threat of nuclear annihilation, racially motivated violence - it's all here. - DirectorMel BrooksStarsZero MostelGene WilderDick ShawnA stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop.A very funny film made by its very funny lead performances.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsPeter SellersElke SommerGeorge SandersInspector Clouseau falls in love with a murder suspect and tries to clear her name.Exquisitely timed comedy from Peter Sellers, and Blake Edwards' bright color palette and light touch (and, well, also Mancini's music) make this a very enjoyable watch, even though I find Clouseau a little difficult as a character (never quite sure how likable he's supposed to be...)
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsMarcello MastroianniAnouk AiméeClaudia CardinaleA harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies.In a movie that tries to encapsulate so many ideas and emotions, you've gotta expect that some of it will work and some of it won't - for me the exploration of memory and reflection on childhood are quite powerful, whereas I didn't get much from Guido's adult relationship mess. The meta film stuff also has its own highs and lows. I certainly admire the ambition and originality on display here.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsAlbert FinneySusannah YorkGeorge DevineThe romantic and chivalrous adventures of adopted bastard Tom Jones in 18th-century England.I'm not sure all of the New Wave flourishes entirely fit, but I still appreciated the film's playfulness, and the picaresque story was quite entertaining. Finney was quite the looker (and, of course, very talented).
It's also nice to get a period piece that's not overly staid and reverent. - DirectorDennis HopperStarsPeter FondaDennis HopperJack NicholsonTwo bikers head from L.A. to New Orleans through the open country and desert lands, and along the way they meet a man who bridges a counter-culture gap of which they had been unaware.Very clumsy in a lot of ways but still very compelling, sometimes for the same reason - its simplistic earnestness is both silly and fascinating. And it has some pretty good music.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsElizabeth TaylorRichard BurtonGeorge SegalA bitter, aging couple, with the help of alcohol, use their young houseguests to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other over the course of a distressing night.A film that looks great and it's full of powerful performances. The high-wire theatrics of the characters are often fun to watch, but they do teeter into the ridiculous a few times.
- DirectorClaude LelouchStarsAnouk AiméeJean-Louis TrintignantPierre BarouhA widow and a widower find their relationship developing into love, but their past tragedies prove hard to overcome, causing them to proceed with utmost delicacy.A very palatable French New Wave film that does some interesting things with montage and mixed film stocks to tell a very straightforward story with a smooth bossa nova soundtrack. Maybe the straightforwardness is why it's not as well remembered as other New Wave films? I'm surprised, because there's a very clear and direct line from this to New Hollywood.
There are also foreshadowings of Linlater's "Before" movies (including, apparently, a later return to the couple). - DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsJulie ChristieDirk BogardeLaurence HarveyBeautiful but amoral model Diana Scott sleeps her way to the top of the London fashion scene at the height of the Swinging Sixties.Fellini's Breakfast at Tiffany's
....that probably comes off as a little more dismissive than I mean it to, but it did feel like this film, which is about restlessness and shallowness like Fellini's work and Tiffany's, does thread the needle between Edwards' warm yet sad tale and Fellini's bitter uncertainty. Christie is great, of course. - DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsClaudio BrookSilvia PinalEnrique Álvarez FélixSimon, a deeply religious man living in the 4th century, wants to be nearer to God so he climbs a column. The Devil wants him to come down to Earth and is trying to seduce him.Wonderfully weird and funny surrealist satire. I'm not sure how I feel about Bunuel's seeming embrace of Simon's asceticism, or his unsurprising cynicism about the rest of the world, but it makes for a fascinating watch.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAnatoliy SolonitsynIvan LapikovNikolay GrinkoThe life, times and afflictions of the fifteenth-century Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev.It's brilliant and striking, and also one hell of a slog - this is my new benchmark for "admired more than enjoyed." That said, the final chapter is really powerful and touching and eminently watchable, and it brings the rest of the film home.
- DirectorSeijun SuzukiStarsTetsuya WatariChieko MatsubaraHideaki NitaniAfter his gang disbands, a yakuza enforcer looks forward to life outside of organized crime but soon must become a drifter after his old rivals attempt to assassinate him.Has a plot so thin that I thought I'd missed something (I hadn't) and a ludicrous pace, but the vivid colors and liveliness of the whole affair more than make up for its shallowness. A must-see for Tarantino fans.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsRichard BurtonOskar WernerClaire BloomInstead of coming in from the Cold War, British agent Alec Leamas chooses to face another mission.The double crosses get a bit ridiculous by the end, but this is a wonderfully smart and well-paced (and very cynical) Cold War spy thriller.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsRock HudsonFrank CampanellaJohn RandolphAn unhappy middle-aged banker agrees to a procedure that will fake his death and give him a completely new look and identity - one that comes with its own price.A very dark take on midlife regret that offers a lot of potential readings - there's intriguing material in Hamilton's character, the nature of this weird corporation and its procedures, the parallels to Rock Hudson's own inability to be open about his identity, and that ending...
- DirectorMasaki KobayashiStarsToshirô MifuneYôko TsukasaGô KatôThe mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped away from her husband by the lord. The husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to get her back.A tense tale of honor ending in an explosion of violence and tragedy - in other words, just what you'd want from a good samurai film. There's an interesting generational element here that seems very salient for the time it was made.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsSilvia PinalJacqueline AndereEnrique RambalThe guests at an upper-class dinner party find themselves unable to leave.I'm not sure that the film quite lives up to the promise of its plot; I think a little more work with characterization could have made the dynamics a lot more interesting, and I'm not sure the satire always lands. Then again, it's one hell of a promising plot. And the ending is fantastic.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsBette DavisJoan CrawfordVictor BuonoA former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.With this and Kiss Me Deadly, Aldrich made two of the most awesome-bonkers movies of classical Hollywood. I feel like he deserves some sort of special recognition for that.
- DirectorRobert RossenStarsPaul NewmanJackie GleasonPiper LaurieAn up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.When we're just hanging out in a dingy pool hall shooting with Minnesota Fats, this film looks great, highlights fantastic performances, and establishes mood like few Hollywood films at the time. Those first 45 minutes are fantastic...then the plot kicks in, and it takes some wrong turns, including a very problematic female character.
- DirectorKent MackenzieStarsYvonne WilliamsHomer NishTom ReynoldsFollows a family of Native Americans living in the City of Angels.An insightful drama that looks rather beautiful despite being uber-independent. Even though there are voice-over narrations, they reveal without being didactic or underlining themes - this film is about racial discrimination, poverty, and gender, but it doesn't feel like it has to explain its points to the audience.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsJohn LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonOver two "typical" days in the life of The Beatles, the boys struggle to keep themselves and Sir Paul McCartney's mischievous grandfather in check while preparing for a live TV performance.It was a great idea (and not necessarily a self-evident one at the time) to do this as a sort of neo-Marx Brothers anarchic comedy. Good fun throughout. I have the contrarian opinion of liking the brighter and even sillier Help! a bit better.