1953 Movies
OSCARS Won/Nominated
Beat the Devil
Dir: John Huston Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Robert Morely, Peter Lorre 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Nothing really happens in this movie, but with Bogart's charisma and the ridiculous quartet of Robert Morely, Peter Lorre, Ivor Bernard, and Marco Tulli...Beat the Devil is a lot of fun. I think they were all trying to figure out how to stake claim to an African Uranium deposit while stranded in Italy, but the movie is about how clueless brilliant people can be, how anxious being stranded can make people, and how interchangable love and marriage can be. No grand scheme lke other Bogart movies; just simple, enjoyable, light-heartedness. B |
The Bigamist
Dir: Ida Lupino Stars: Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, Edmund Gwenn 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die A terribly simple movie, but manages to be very interesting and ultimately pretty sorrowful. The movie follows a man who has to explain to the adption agency investigator why he was found in another's house taking care of an infant son. It is a story of boredom, longing, and necessity for companionship. I didn't quite think Harry would be able to squeeze any sympathy out of me (since at the outset we KNOW he is a Bigamist), but he manages to. Nothing too groundbreaking, but you will want to see how things turn out. B- |
Fear and Desire
Dir: Stanley Kubrick This is a horribly pretentious, cheap, unfocused, almost completely pointless movie. 4 Soldiers have fallen behind enemy lines and must get out. The acting is terrible. There are no set pieces. The costumes are so simple as to look fake. Only a FEW times does the Stanley Kubrick genius show itself. Once during a soldier going a bit mad with a prisoner (even though the scenario is ridiculous) and a scene where a enemy soldier is being stabbed edited together with his stew spilling. Is actually grotesque. But I must say...it is hard to see that the 25-year-old Kubrick here blossomed into the auteur he did...because this movie is almost Ed Wood Level unprofessional. D |
Glen or Glenda
Dir: Edward D. Wood Jr. Stars: Edward D. Wood, Jr, Bela Lugosi, Lyle Talbot If you have seen Tim Burton's Ed Wood, then you know the absurdity and cluelessness that went into this film, in which the director felt he needed to star himself because he was a transvestite. It is almost astonishingly bad. Nothing ever makes sense, and there is almost no story at all. It is so ridiculous...and it is as terrible a film as you could possibly imagine. F |
OSCARS
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Roman Holiday
Dir: William Wyler Stars: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die The idea of the movie, Princess sneaks out in Rome and a Reporter takes care of her and thinks he's got the story of the century...is very, very, bland...and for at least the first hour, I was none too engaged. However, with Audrey Hepburn's pitch perfect performance and an astonishingly perfect direction by William Wyler...the movie just got better and better , reaching a chills-inducing final scene that is so well done, I think it may be my favorite romantic comedy scene of all time. It shows a sort of filmmaking patience that was startingly poignant. I never thought "Joe Bradley, American Press Service" would become one of my favorite cinematic utterances of all time. B+ |