The Year Neither Here Nor There

Jesse Walker's movie list is back to 1953.

The Perpetual Three-Dot Column (jessewalker.blogspot.com)

Interesting things were being done internationally in the 50s, but Hollywood was running scared over television. Let's see what Jesse thinks:

Here's his top ten:

1. Glen Or Glenda

2. Duck Amuck

3. The Naked Spur

4. Tokyo Story

5. Eaux d'Artifice

6. Ugetsu Monogatari

7. El

8. Niagara

9. Stalag 17

10. Summer With Monika

Glen Or Glenda is classic Ed Wood, which makes it special, though not great by normal standards.

Duck Amuck is a classic, but a short.

I've grown to appreciate Westerns more over the years, and I enjoy the Anthony Mann/Jimmy Stewart series including The Naked Spur, but I don't know if any of them are top ten material.

Tokyo Story is top ten, even if international film critics have been rating this film too highly for decades now.

Eaux d'Artifice is an experimental short.

Ugetsu Monogatari used to be what Tokyo Story is now--a reflexive top ten vote for critics.  Now it's barely hanging on to the top 100.  That's the game of reputation.  But the film is still the same, and deserves a top ten slot for 1953.

El is one of the better films Bunuel churned out during his low-budget Mexican period, and deserves a top ten slot.

Niagara is a minor melodrama most notable for Marilyn Monroe's presence.

I like Stalag 17 even more than Jesse, and would put it in the top five.

Summer With Monika is minor, if not uninteresting, early Bergman--sold in America as hot stuff, due to its nudity.

Here are Jesse's honorable mentions:

11. The Wages Of Fear

12. The Big Heat

13. Pickup On South Street

14. The Band Wagon

15. The Little Fugitive

16. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

17. Mr. Hulot's Holiday

18. Daybreak Express

19. The Tell-Tale Heart

20. Eneri

I've never quite cottoned to 11, even if I like it better than Sorcerer. 12 is a classic film noir, and should be in the top ten.  13 is even better than 12, and my favorite Fuller.  14 is one of Astaire's best with without Ginger Rogers, and should be top ten.  Haven't seen 15, though it looks intriguing.  16 is not great Hawks, but still pretty interesting. 17 is probably Tati's best known title--good, if not as great as its reputation.  18, 19 and 20 are shorts.

Other films that would make my top ten (or twenty):

I Vitelloni

Roman Holiday (Jesse says he hasn't seen it--okay, but it's not that hard to find)

The 5000 Fingers Of Dr. T

Other films of 1953 I like:

Beat The Devil, El Bruto, The Caddy, Calamity Jane, Call Me Madam, The Earrings Of Madame De..., Kiss Me Kate, Lili, The Wild One

Other films of note:

99 River Street, Abbott And Costello Go To Mars, Abbott And Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, The Affairs Of Dobie Gillis, Appointment In London, Barabbas, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, The Beggar’s Opera, By The Light Of The Silvery Moon, The Captain’s Paradise, City That Never Sleeps, Dream Wife, Easy To Love, The Eddie Cantor Story, Escape By Night, The Farmer Takes A Wife, Fear And Desire, From Here To Eternity (Oscar winner), Here Come The Girls, Houdini, House Of Wax, How To Marry A Millionaire, I Confess, I Love Melvin, I The Jury, Invaders From Mars, Island In The Sky, It Came From Outer Space, It’s Never Too Late, The Joe Louis Story, Julius Caesar, Knights Of The Round Table, The Living Desert, Mogambo, The Moon Is Blue, No Escape, Peter Pan, Pony Express, The Robe, Robot Monster, Sawdust And Tinsel, Scared Stiff, Shane, The Story Of Gilbert And Sullivan, The Three Musketeers, Thunder Bay, Titanic, Tonight We Sing, The War Of The Worlds