1961: year in film

As I move further away from the Golden Age (notice as I reject the use of quotations when writing those words) I find myself very far outside of my comfort zone. This is a good thing and sort of a bad thing. To understand any artistic climate I think you have to try and read up on what was happening at the time. Since most films are made at least six months prior to release I think it’s a good idea to check out the previous year’s headlines for potential clues into the cultural mindset. Of course we also know that in the world of film the director and writer are usually responsible for the themes and attitudes on display. Here is a little look at the previous year and some headlines that might have had an impact on what we were seeing at the movies:

Peaceful anti-segregation protests in Greensboro inspire similar actions elsewhere in the South, France starts testing out their nuclear capabilities, the Vietnam War begins, BEN HUR wins best picture once again announcing the sword and sandal epic (genre) as an awards darling, kidnapping and ransoms (Coors and Eric Peugot), Togo and Niger become independent of France, tensions between the USSR and the USA rage on, the Civil Rights Act is signed by Eisenhower, oral contraception is born (pun intended), Japan seeks to vanquish Socialism within their midst, earthquakes and other natural disasters as well as plane, train, and boat accidents make the news, Nobusuke Kishi announces his resignation, JFK rises to the presidency, The Beatles get started, the Peace Corp is born, and Louisiana’s laws on segregation are ruled unlawful.

So we have a lot potential issues about race, violence, xenophobia, war, sex, nature, poverty, and art being tossed around. How did this make its way into the cinema? That’s for you to speculate. 1961 was a very good year for movies, very similar to 2011. Like our last cinematic year it seemed to roll out the red carpet for what promises to be a bigger year ahead. 1962 might just be the best year for the medium. Like most lists I find myself sweating the actual ranking process. How could I put Melville’s seemingly minor LEONE MORIN PRIEST above Ozu’s positively delightful END OF THE SUMMER? THE HUSTLER better than VIRDIANNA? I can live with my list for now especially since I was able to coax almost everyone in film club to write something about one of the films on the list. I’m so proud to be the blog hosting the first top ten list with nearly everyone’s input. It's great to contrast the writing styles and opinions here. I love it to death. I can’t wait to get Lisa on board for the next one. Without further ado:



10. Leon Morin, Priest (Jean Pierre Melville)
It’s the honesty here that matters. Jean Pierre Melville’s LEON MORIN, PRIEST focuses on the assumedly unlikely friendship between an atheist widow/mother and a priest. Instead of pitting them against each other for us to simply witness their differences or to see a game of philosophical tennis Melville endows these two searchers with a fresh sense of curiosity and connection. It’s that depth of character that allows a deeper understanding of mindset and feeling keeping their meetings from seeming like a fictional version of the director’s inner struggle. These are two separate people reading each other but more importantly relating.



9. The Comancheros (Michael Curtiz)
When looking for inspiration to write about Michael Curtiz’s swan song I came across a simple description that seems to have said it all “A good old school western with solid acting, a great musical score, wonderful cinematography and beautiful desert scenery.” What else can I say? I grew used to a certain competence and as the “new schoolers” or revisionists began to make me question the validity of Michael Curtiz’s aesthetic I found myself clinging to the past. Owen Wilson’s character in MIDNIGHT IN PARIS might have been proud of me. Curtiz was very ill while making this film and died shortly after. He worked at consistent level of proficiency even in his last days and we are finding out now that many don’t seem to appreciate what he brought to the table. He was an auteur, not simply an artisan. He had a distinct style, a meticulous one that ensured the story would move along at just the right pace. He wasn’t catering to audiences’ impatience but rather in tune with the cadences that other directors ignore in favor of mood and atmosphere. He was a professional. THE COMANCHEROS tells the story of two men on opposite sides of the law infiltrating a group of mercenaries who seek to arm the rising Comanche. The film, like many of the older westerns, paints this particular tribe as a bloodthirsty lot and part of me has to admit that such allegations give me a lot of pause. Putting that aside (I know how ridiculous those three words are) I think it’s better than a nostalgia pick, especially with that wonderful Bernstein score (picture me humming it right now).



8. Through a Glass Darkly (Ingmar Bergman)
Only Ingmar Bergman can pack so much thought into a 90-minute film, and THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY is no exception. I’ve always viewed Bergman’s films as being comparable to great works of literature and theater; his character studies and dialogue are always presented with the same kind of cogitation and artistry similarly found in works that are widely considered masterpieces. In the case of THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, we examine Karin (Harriet Andersson), a young woman with an incurable mental illness who feels the pull between rationality and madness. Bergman stresses the power of the human mind in its creations & manifestations of love, lust, pain, rancor, certainty, and faith – all of which can be equally infectious to those around us.—Chris



One Two Three (Billy Wilder)
“Any world that can produce the Taj Mahal, William Shakespeare, and striped toothpaste can’t be all that bad.” Part of loving comedy is getting comfortable with the rhythm. Some people can’t keep up with the slapsticks of yesteryear because the jokes go whirling by, before you can contemplate one another is half way through delivery. James Cagney and Billy Wilder are no strangers to this rapid fire brand of sarcasm and satire but they are both on top of their game with ONE, TWO, THREE. The title is instructional reminding the characters and the spectators to stop and breathe for a second as the chaos piles up. The plot is simple enough, a Coca Cola exec in post war Berlin is trying to break up the marriage between his conservative boss’ freshly impregnated daughter and her communist husband. Let the stress ensue. Wilder was going for the “fastest picture in the world” and at the time I’m sure this was true. But the speed is not just a gimmick, at the core this is a cynical but affectionate film about people struggling to connect with one another.

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6. A Woman is a Woman (Jean Luc Godard)
With all the invectives and equal plaudits swirling around Mr. Godard (and some of his own snobbery about filmmaking), it can be easy to overlook just how much he adores cinema. As we know, he and his Cahiers du cinéma pals were championing Hollywood and French films deemed schlock long before it was ever in fashion. A WOMAN IS A WOMAN, even more so than BREATHLESS, represents Godard as the cinephile he truly is. It’s easily his most charming and welcoming film; a playful ode to the Hollywood musical romances of guys like Stanley Donen and Vincente Minnelli. It’s silly, stylish, and self-aware, but it never feels tongue-in-cheek or contemptuous, just earnestly reverential and gregarious. It features three of the biggest New Wave stars at the time: the stunning Anna Karina, and the ultra-cool Jean-Claude Brialy and Jean-Paul Belmondo. It has beautiful colors that pop, references to Truffaut, fourth wall breaks, ornate music, and perhaps the most charming fight scene ever depicted, featuring merely a lamp and some book titles. It’s truly a delight and worth seeing for even the most hardened of Godard skeptics. Not only is it one of his best films, but a perfect example of what made the French New Wave so fresh and inspiring: a young cinephile getting behind a camera and having fun.- Jeffery.



5. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Blake Edwards)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a movie that makes me laugh and cry every single time I watch it, like I’d never seen it before. It sucks the viewer in: from the first frame, you know this is New York, and then Holly Golightly gets out of that cab in that spectacular black dress. It’s light out but no one’s around, so you know it’s very early morning (or, as Holly would say, still night), maybe the weekend. You learn a lot about Holly while she eats her croissant and drinks her coffee and says nothing. There is something lonely and odd about her, and you wonder how this beautiful woman wound up in this moment. The film rides a line. Holly’s life seems glamorous and interesting—as does Paul’s, to a lesser extent—but Hepburn lets you see the character’s desperation and sadness in those moments when she thinks no one’s looking. This is a story about two people whose lives are empty because they are afraid to change and afraid to commit, but their intersection starts changing them both, in spite of themselves. It is a beautiful thing to see play out, their connection something neither one of them can squash, much as they try. There’s a bit of a fairy tale here, but I find the characters’ paths and the way they change convincing. You don’t leave this movie thinking everything is going to be sunshine and puppies for these two, but you think they might be able to figure it out, which I think is the happier ending anyway.--- Adrienne

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4. Blast of Silence (Allen Baron)
Blast of Silence is one of my essentials.

I’m convinced of its perfection.

Two years ago, I spent some time segmenting the movie. I haven’t watched it since.

Based on faulty memories, I’m going to try to examine the structure from a slightly different angle.

Like plenty of There and Back Again stories, Blast of Silence has a loose chiastic structure. That’s a fancy way of saying that there are parallels and matches that shed light on each other and a central section that is key.

Here’s my BoS chiasm:

A. Darkness
B. Setting Up a Job.
C. Establishing Routines
D. Alone
E. Christmas Eve
F. Lori’s Apartment
G. Getting Deeper In
H. Torrid Town
H. Murder
G. An Attempt to Get Out
F. The Love Nest
E. An Orphanage
D. Relations Impossible
C. Breaking Routines
B. Set-Up of the Job.
A. Darkness

Now, rambling…

This is only one way to approach the structure. My other prior outline (segmentation) points toward some of the details and substructures. Looking at the film in the way that I’ve suggested above, however, highlights that the story is framed by meaninglessness (darkness). Those are the boundaries. The center of this meaninglessness is focused heavily at the point which I think is the undeniable center of the film, the night club scene and the confrontation with Ralphie in the bathroom and then his apartment. All of the swirling idiocies of life find expression in this confrontation. Absurd violence reigns. This outline also highlights the mirroring that is going on in the film. The protagonist’s failures at love are contrasted with the target’s brazenly joyful adulteries. Our man is alone at the beginning of the film. When he reaches out to make contact with another human being, and in the process attempt to become a better person, he fails. He is most especially alone in the company of others. That, more than anything else, is the heartbreaking conclusion of the matter. The above outline doesn’t quite account for the progression of failed attempts at achieving grace/redemption. But, that’s the beauty of Blast. I could come at it from ten more different angles, each of them as rich or richer than the last. This movie is a treasure. Absolutely essential.--- John boy



3. Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa)
Watching Yojimbo a second time, I was surprised at how Shakespearean it was. The humor, the hijinks, the double-crossing…I hadn't noticed that before. I've always been impressed with how Kurosawa manages to make such serious films with so much humor in them. I think it's because he creates characters that are inherently humorous, without necessarily meaning to be--and yet, while the humor is certainly intentional, you don't get the impression that he's making fun of his characters. In many ways, he's like Yojimbo himself, playing his characters off each other and finding great satisfaction and amusement at what ensues. And, like Yojimbo, not without risk to himself! I'm underscoring the humor here because it's not so typical in dramas, and when it does show up, if it's not done right it can come off really cheesy. Of course, Kurosawa's films are also filled with tragedy and loneliness and misunderstanding and loss and pain. How he is able to keep these things in balance is what makes him such an amazing director. I'm realizing I haven't actually said anything specific about the film itself, even though I could, because I've watched it twice now! But I was only supposed to write a paragraph, so I guess I'm done now.- Jason



2. Viridiana (Luis Bunuel)
We’ve talked about punk rock before but then we were referring to the work of Lars Von Trier. Remember that Jeff? I don’t think the term applies much to that director but that’s just me. I’d save that term for Luis Bunuel, a director whose outlook had similar reservations about hope, society, government, God, and piety. VIRIDIANA is one of the most cynical films I’ve ever seen and yet despite my mostly consistent annoyance with this type of thing I found myself in love with it. Even as it shocked and repelled me I found it honest and engaging. I’ve whined before about films that don’t give characters a chance and this movie is no different its unyielding philosophy that we can’t outrun or remedy the evils of the world around us. The film is full of symbolisms many of them religious and perhaps blasphemous; A burning crown of thorns, a cross that is also a switchblade, and a table full of profane indigents posing like Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” just to name a few. The scene that seems to gain the most attention here is the dog being dragged by the cart, rescued by Viridiana’s judicious yet punitive cousin as another cart dragging a tired dog passes on the other side of the street. In a way it’s Bunuel’s middle finger to Francisco Franco’s Spain and its poisoned way of life, a manifestation of how ultimately helpless our good nature is against the sad reality of certain poor creatures’ existence. It certainly reflects the futile efforts of poor Viridiana. Her degradation is often a result of her candor even though we learn of her sexual awareness early on as she struggles to milk a cow. Her good will gets her into trouble not once but twice. The first time is with her creepy uncle, the second with a group of grotesque (both outwardly and inwardly) paupers whom she seeks to give shelter to. The finale symbolizes her transformation from our lady of perpetual misfortunes to a modern woman. We go from hymns to rock n roll. Shake your cares away.



1. The Hustler (Robert Rossen)
In 1961 Robert Rossen's powerful character-driven film, The Hustler, debuted to critical acclaim. It is often considered one of the films that began to redefine the relationship between movies and their audience. With it's darker narrative and expert acting - from Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, and George C. Scott - The Hustler is a character study in winning and losing.

Fast Eddie (Newman) is a hustler determined to be known as the best pool player in the country. In pursuit of this title and the money that comes with it, Eddie and his partner arrive at Ames to challenge the most notorious player in the country, Minnesota Fats (Gleason), at his home pool hall. The surroundings are dim; Eddie's partner remarks "those tables are the slabs they lay the stiffs on."

Fats shows up later in the evening and accepts Eddie's challenge. Over the course of 25 hours, the two battle it out in one of the best and most memorable scenes I've seen in a film. This is when we are first introduced to the self-destructive nature in Eddie's desire to win - perhaps the same nature that can drive us all. Arrogance gives way to recklessness and Eddie leaves the pool hall broke and, as branded by Bert (Scott), a "loser." Eddie attempts to shake Bert's label for the rest of the film at great cost to himself and those he cares about.

After leaving the pool hall, Eddie meets Sarah (Laurie) at the bus station and then again at a bar. A college student living off checks from her father, Sarah has her own problems. She floats somewhat aimlessly, drinks too much, and lets her dreams sit idly in waiting. Drawn to each other's vulnerability, the relationship between Sarah and Eddie slowly progresses into something tender and affectionate even when the harsher parts of their nature show up.

Their relationship, however, cannot extinguish Eddie's desire to beat Fats in a re-match. He continues to do some small-time hustling until he has a violent encounter with some locals, brought on by Eddie's arrogance and, possibly, Bert's influence. After he recovers, Eddie accepts an offer from Bert in which he will act as Eddie's manager for 75% of his winnings.

The film comes spiraling into a dark corner when Eddie and Sarah go to Kentucky with Bert to play a well-known pool player. It is on this trip that Sarah commits suicide, leaving the words "perverted," "twisted," and "crippled" written on the mirror. It's a reference to her earlier remarks about the world in which Eddie is living. She desperately wants him to get out, but Eddie fails to see the destruction it is leaving behind.

The film ends with Eddie playing Fats in a re-match some time after the suicide. He has lost something now and finally realizes his own failings. He begins to understand that the definition of "winning" from which he has been operating is flawed. This allows him to beat Fats and confront Bert. Eddie has "won," but at what cost?

On the surface, The Hustler is a film about a pool shark. However, it is much more than that. It is about a struggle for acceptance and a search for what it means to live a good life. It asks questions about winning and losing and wonders about the price of each. The film is so rich with character, shot with such precision, and acted with so much heart that it is the type of film that continues to expand inside the viewer well after the end credits roll. It is surely one of the best and most affecting films ever made. Or, at least, one of the best and most affecting films that I have ever seen.--- Ben

Thanks a ton guys for your contributions here. I want to do this every year.



My favorite films of 1961:
1. The Hustler (Rossen)
2. Virdianna (Bunuel)
3. Yojimbo (Kurosawa)
4. Blast of Silence (Baron)
5. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Edwards)
6. A Woman is a Woman (Godard)
7. One, Two, Three (Wilder)
8. Through a Glass Darkly (Bergman)
9. The Comancheros (Curtiz)
10. Leone Morin Priest (Melville)
11. End of the Summer (Ozu)
12. The Innocents (Clayton)
13. The Ladies Man (Lewis)
14. Two Rode Together (Ford)
15. The Pit and the Pendulum (Corman)

Honorable Mentions: King of Kings (Nicholas Ray), The Pit and the Pendulum (Roger Corman), Two Rode Together (John Ford), West Side Story (Robert Wise), The Last Sunset (Robert Aldrich), 101 Dalmatians (a bunch of People), Lola (Jacques Demy), By Love Possessed (John Sturges).

I had a great time and maybe we’ll try again sometime: El Cid, The Parent Trap, Judgment at Nuremberg, Il Posto.

One Night Stand: Last Year at Marienbad. This thing is beautiful to behold, a film skilled with the camera but it didn’t do anything for me outside of the impressive technical stuff. I think if I were aware of the architecture and the specific historical nods I would have come away with a greater appreciation for it.

Ashamed to have missed: The Children’s Hour, The Errand Boy, The End of the Summer, The Guns of Navarone, Homicidal, The Human Condition, The Last Judgment, The Long Absence, The Misfits, La Notte, One-Eyed Jack, Splendor in the Grass, Accatone, Underworld USA, Three Daughters, and The Young Savages.

This will probably be my last post of the week. I go on tour for a month but will do my best to keep up with you guys. Let’s get out of this rut we have been in and start writing.