FIFENA1. [Past] Narrative Feature Films: 1955

Submitted by dgeiser13 on Tue, 02/25/2003 - 07:47
Tags: 
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Technorati
  1. Ranked and Rated
  2.  
  3. ========= 9 Stars ========
  4.  
  5. The Night of the Hunter (1955) [09/10] ~
  6.  
  7. ========= 8 Stars ========
  8.  
  9. Les Diaboliques (1955) (aka The Devils) [08/10] ~
  10.  
  11. Du Rififi Chez les Hommes (1955) (aka Rififi) [08/10] ~ Rififi is a tight little heist film with a cast I've never heard of, a director I've barely heard of and, in retrospect, a straightforward and simple plot. From one scene to the next I was never quite sure what was going to happen but when the action finally occured it seemed familiar because of similar films which borrowed from Rififi years later. As Seven Samurai defined the action genre for decades to come so did much of Rififi define the heist film. The centerpiece of the film is
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    a 30 minute heist sequence which involves no dialogue, no music and is a well-thought out and plausible heist scenario even by real-life standards.
    Amazingly, each character is well-fleshed out within the first few minutes of introduction and there's never a doubt in the viewer's mind where their loyalties lie. Since I'm the type of person who notices connections between events in my life I was pleased to see that much of Rififi was filmed in and around the Montmarte district of Paris where another recent film I watched, Amelie, also occured. The streets seemed alive and played a large role in setting the mood through the film. This is a must see if you are a fan of the genre.
  12.  
  13. ========= 6 Stars ========
  14.  
  15. The Seven Year Itch (1955) [06/10] ~
  16.  
  17. ==========================
  18.  
  19. To See?
  20.  
  21. Definitely: Bob le Flambeur (1955) (aka Bob the Gambler), Guys and Dolls (1955), The Ladykillers (1955) , Oklahoma! (1955)
  22.  
  23. Probably: All That Heaven Allows (1955), Killer's Kiss (1955), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Marty (1955), Mister Roberts (1955), Mr. Arkadin (1955), Nuit et Brouillard (1955) (aka Night and Fog), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Richard III (1955), Sommarnattens leende (1955), This Island Earth (1955), The Trouble with Harry (1955)
  24.  
  25. Possibly: Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955), The Benny Goodman Story (1955), Il Bidone (1955) (aka The Swindlers), The Big Combo (1955), The Big Knife (1955), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1955), Conquest of Space (1955), French Cancan (1955), The Kentuckian (1955), The Long Gray Line (1955), Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), The Man from Laramie (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Marcelino pan y vino (1955), Ordet (1955) (aka The Word), Picnic (1955), Queen Bee (1955), Revenge of the Creature (1955), The Rose Tattoo (1955), The Seven Little Foys (1955), Stella (1955), Summertime (1955), To Hell and Back (1955), Young at Heart (1955), Zoku Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijôji no Kettô (1955) (aka Samurai II)
  26.  
  27. Unlikely: Bride of the Monster (1955), Lola Montès (1955)
Author Comments: 

My ratings system is explained here. Recent additions to this list are highlighted in yellow.

AJDaGreat02/25/2003

"Oklahoma!" really isn't that good that it should be Definitely. "Mister Roberts", however, definitely deserves to be a Definitely. "Lola Montes" as Unlikely, eh? Not a Max Ophuls fan, dgeiser13? I seem to recall that lbangs put "Lola Montes" on his "So You Want to Be a Film Fanatic - The Best of the Best" list.

I'm glad you liked "Rififi." I bought the DVD a little while ago and haven't watched it yet. Just wondering, have you seen "Big Deal on Madonna Street"? I think that's like a parody of "Rififi." I really wanna see that. And I really wanna see "Les Diaboliques" too. :-)

dgeiser1304/01/2003

Who said I'm ordering these based on how good they are? I'm ordering them based on my interest level.

I've never seen a Max Ophuls so I am neither a fan or a non-fan.

You should watch Rififi. I've rented Big Deal on Madonna Street before and watched but couldn't get into it. It wasn't nearly as interesting (for me) as Rififi.

Les Diaboliques is great, too!

lukeprog09/19/2004

If I were you, I'd bump Ordet up to 'probably,' if you like any of Dreyer's other films. Not as good as Day of Wrath or Joan of Arc, but still a really good film.