Elvis And All That

The late 50s weren't necessarily a great time for movies, but there were pockets of fascinating stuff here and there.

Jesse Walker has returned to the 50s, and here's his top ten for 1958:

1. Touch of Evil
2. Vertigo
3. Ivan the Terrible, Part 2
4. Mon Oncle
5. Elevator to the Gallows
6. Man of the West
7. Murder by Contract
8. Broadway by Light
9. Diary of a Pregnant Woman
10. Ashes and Diamonds

Touch Of Evil is bravura filmmaking that deserves a spot in the top ten.  (I really hate the scene in Ed Wood where Orson Welles complains about how he's stuck with Charlton Heston as a Mexican. I know it's fictional, and meant to appeal to modern audiences, but more than the complaint being anachronistic, it should be noted Charlton Heston is a prince.  Welles wouldn't have been considered to direct any Hollywood picture at that point, and only got the job due to Heston's support, after which Heston even allowed Welles to give himself the best role in the movie.)

Few things perplex me as much as Vertigo's reputation.  At present, it's considered the greatest film ever made.  It's not even particularly good.  There's some nice travelogue photography of San Francisco, and cool colors and camera work, but audiences rejected it in 1958 for a reason.

I'm not that into Ivan The Terrible, Part 2.

Tati didn't make that many features, but he made them count, and there's nothing quite like Mon Oncle.

Malle was good from the start, as Elevator To The Gallows demonstrates.

Man Of The West is a Mann western after he had a falling out with Jimmy Stewart.  It's not bad.

I'm sorry to say I haven't seen 7 through 10, though they all look worth checking out.

Honorable mentions:

11. Bridges-Go-Round
12. The Magician
13. Endless Desire
14. Glass
15. The Big "O"
16. A Movie
17. Chansons Sans Paroles
18. Du Côté de la Côte
19. Le Beau Serge
20. The Fountain of Youth

12 is decent enough Bergman. 19 is decent enough Chabrol.

Haven't seen 13.  11, 14, 15, 16, 18, and 20 are shorts.  I don't know what 17 is.

Other films that would make my top ten:

Big Deal On Madonna Street

The Matchmaker

Other films I like:

Bell Book And Candle (the best film in 1958 starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak), The Big Country, Damn Yankees, The Defiant Ones, Horror Of Dracula, The Fabulous World Of Jules Verne, The Hidden Fortress, High School Confidential!, King Creole, The Lovers, No Time For Sergeants, Rock-a-bye Baby, The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, Teacher's Pet

Other films of note:

Andy Hardy Comes Home, Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman, Auntie Mame, The Barbarian And The Geisha, The Black Orchid, The Blob, Bonjour Tristesse, The Bonnie Parker Story, The Bravados, Brink Of Life, The Brothers Karamazov, The Buccaneer, Buchanan Rides Alone, Carry On Sergeant, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, China Doll, The Colossus Of New York, Cowboy, The Cranes Are Flying, Cry Terror!, Darby’s Rangers, The Deep Six, Desire Under The Elms, The Doctor’s Dilemma, Dunkirk,  Equinox Flower,

The Fly, Fort Massacre, From The Earth To The Moon, The Geisha Boy, Gigi, The Goddess, Hercules, The Horse’s Mouth, Houseboat, The Hunters, I Accuse!, I Want To Live!, Indiscreet, The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness, The Key, The Last Hurrah, The Left Handed Gun, Lonelyhearts, The Long Hot Summer, Machine-Gun Kelly, Marjorie Morningstar, Me And The Colonel, Merry Andrew, Les Miserable, Montparnasse 19, A Night To Remember, The Old Man And The Sea, Onionhead, Orders To Kill, Paris Holiday, Party Girl, The Perfect Furlough, The Proud Rebel, The Quiet American, Rally ‘Round The Flag Boys!, The Reluctant Debutante, Return Of The Fly, The Revenge Of Frankenstein, The Rickshaw Man, Ride A Crooked Trail, Run Silent Run Deep, Separate Tables, The Sheriff Of Fractured Jaw, Some Came Running, South Pacific, Stage Struck, St. Louis Blues, Summer Love, A Tale Of Two Cities, The Tarnished Angels, Terror In A Texas Town, This Happy Feeling, Tom Thumb, The Tunnel Of Love, Twilight For The Gods, The Vikings, The Young Lions