1948 BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR!

This is my choice (choices) for Best Picture for the year 1948.  My criteria is that I can only use films that are on the 1001 list. To make it a little easier on myself, I am using the rules of the first Academy Award and name a winner for Best Picture (won by Wings for 1927-1928) and Best and Unique and Artistic Picture (won by Sunrise from 1927-1928). 

1948 features two clear winners for this category, though there are definitely some other movies that may have taken the prize had it been a year removed.

And the nominees on the entries from every edition of 1001 Movie You Must See Before You Die are...
The Bicycle Thief
Letter from an Unknown Woman
Secret Beyond the Door
Force of Evil
Spring in a Small Town
Red River
Rope
The Snake Pit
The Lady from Shanghai
The Pale Face
The Red Shoes
The Treasure of Sierra Madre
Louisiana Story

                    

And the winner for the Best Picture of 1948 is…The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

I try not to state on this blog that a movie is great. I may say how much I liked a movie. You can’t argue with that. But who am I to determine the aesthetic merits of a particular work of art or film? That being said, I’m willing to go out on a limb on this one.

The Treasure of Sierra Madre is a great film.

I can't even explain why it's great, so I'm not going to try.

However, I can safely say that Humphrey Bogart and Walter and John Huston were great.

And I still don’t know who the elusive author B Traven was.

And I still don’t have to show you no stinkin’ badges.

Just watch if you haven't seen it.

Red River is one of my favorite westerns and would have been a worthy choice in a different year. Unfortunately it came out the same year of my favorite western.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

And the Award for Unique and Artistic Picture of 1948 is...The Bicycle Thief

The Bicycle Thief

De Sica's artistic neo-realistic triumph of one man's life spiraling out of control seems the obvious winner for this category for 1948. Might be viewed as a double feature with Pee Wee's Big Adventure (another search for a lost bike) or The Player, a movie where producer Tim Robbins goes to see The Bicycle Thief  before he kills a screenwriter.

The Bicycle Thief

FAT CITY (1972), TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (1971)

"Two-Lane Blacktop is another transformation of contemporary America into existential parable. The surface story wager auto race across America is casually denied dramatic tension to emphasize the resonance of character and situation."-David Thomson, A Biographical Dictionary of Film

"The people who love this movie (Two-Lane Blacktop) the most-the ones I know include a critic who taped it off of USA Network's old late-night rock-and-movie showcase Night Flight and held on to her decaying VHS copy for years; and a young woman who, while prepping for a solo cross-country road trip, kept the DVD playing on her laptop like background music for a week-all seem to have encountered it by themselves and treat it as their own personal talisman."-Charles Taylor, Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The Shadow Cinema of the 70's

Dennis Wilson and James Taylor

in Two-Lane Blacktop

There's just something special about early 70's movies to me. I was a bit too young to see these type of theatrical films in 1971 and 1972, but I heard about them and knew they were there somewhere! They carried adult or what I perceived as adult themes. They also didn't really have to be about anything plotwise to be interesting.

The "plot" of  Monte Hellman's Two-Lane Blacktop is a great example. Two guys challenge another guy to a race. Is it important who wins? No. Do we find out who wins? No. I'm not even sure there really was a race! The fist time I saw it (About ten years ago) I was a bit underwhelmed. This time, I felt a connection with it. The film stars two musicians (James Taylor and Dennis Wilson), an inexperienced leading lady (Laurie Bird) and the always watchable Warren Oates as the guy who wants to race...sort of.

Laurie Bird and Warren Oates

In Two-Lane Blacktop

This one isn't for everybody. For a movie about racing, it moves slowly and doesn't really go anywhere. But I really do like the way it goes nowhere. Definitely in my book.

The DVD commentary with Hellman and screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer is certainly worth a listen.

"Fat City shows compassion for both winners and losers, and relates the boxers' fights to the farmworkers' struggle to survive. The vivid details and realistic dialogue of Huston's quietly moving film portray deadbeat characters and drifting characters who fall through the cracks of society."-John Huston: Courage and Art by Jeffrey Meyer, 2011.

Stacy Keach and Jeff Bridges

in Fat City

This is my first viewing of John Huston's Fat City. Leonard Gardner wrote the original screenplay and book for this film about an aging fighter named Tully (Stacy Keach) who helps out an up and coming boxer named Munger (Jeff Brdiges). But this is no Rocky-like story of inspiration. It isn't even a Raging Bull-type story of a bigger than life main character. Tully is just a guy who has some problems (unemployment, money and alcohol). I didn't find him particularly unsympathetic or heroic, but did find him real and interesting. His on-again off-again girlfriend Oma (Susan Tyrell) might be the most interesting character in the film.

I really like the final scene in the film that has Tully and Munger drinking coffee and just looking at the people. It doesn't give out any answers and I'm not sure it even asks any questions. It just nicely "is." This one's also in my book.

I suddenly feel like watching Five Easy Pieces again!

Stacy Keach and Susan Tyrell

in Fat City

THE DEAD (1987), ROBOCOP (1987)

1987

Robocop

Robocop-One of the big movie events of 1987 for me was Paul Verhooven's Robocop, the story of a Detroit police officer who is killed (almost) and is revived as a super cyborg cop who cleans up the city. The Wikipedia article on this film points out some of the themes, "media influence, gentrification, corruption, authoritarianism, greed, privitation, capitalism, identity, dystopia and human nature." That's all true, but I would add to this list "really cool scenes where things blow up!" I still like Robocop for many of the reasons stated above after seeing it again, though I can't say the same for Robocop II. But I did like the newer Robocop from 2014. It had the basics elements of the first film, but made enough changes to make it distinctive in its own right. But I'll still go with the original if you're making me choose.

John Huston's The Dead

The Dead-A movie from 1987 where nothing blows up (except for emotions) is John Huston's The Dead, based on a James Joyce story (Robocop is not based on a James Joyce story). You've really got to use the non-Robocop side of your brain to watch The Dead. It has the ring of those Merchant-Ivory films and is a pretty good emotional drama, if you're in the mood for it. If you aren't, just watch Robocop again.

It's not quite like any other John Huston I can remember. But is there a typical John Huston film? From a career that went The Maltese Falcon to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre to The Asphalt Jungle to The Man Who Would Be King to Wise Blood, The Dead represents the last act from one of the most significant directors of the 20th century. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Robocop and The Dead both made the list of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, but most movies from that year didn't make the cut. Here are twenty from 1987 that I've seen that didn't quite make have the stuff to make the list.

1. Ishtar
Let's update the old Hope and Crosby road picture film with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty and even get Elaine May to direct! It's a sure hit right? Wrong. You can't remember 1987 movies without thinking of Ishtar, whose very title brings about memories of a Hollywood mega-bomb. But to tell you the truth, I didn't think Ishtar was all that bad. It's amusing, Hoffman is good and the Paul Williams songs are funny. Maybe time for a re-evalutation? Some people seem to like Heaven's Gate now, after all!

C'mon! Give Ishtar another chance!

2. Amazon Women on the Moon, Three Men and a Baby, 
Police Academy 4, The Bedroom Window
In 1987, we just couldn't get enough of Steve Guttenberg, could we?

3. Barfly
I had a friend who really liked to watch this movie in a state of inebriation. And I have to agree, this Charles Bukowski semi-autobiography is a great drunk movie!

4. Beverly Hills Cop II
How to do a sequel essentially making the same movie as the first one all over again, just not as well.

5.Black Widow
Theresa Russell in Black Widow is on the short list of sexiest female leads in film history. She's to die for, which may have even been the tagline of the film. If not, it should have been.

Theresa Russell is The Black Widow

6. Cry Freedom
Little surprised that this Richard Attenborough film about apartheid in South Africa isn't on the 1001 list.

7. Dirty Dancing
Not necessarily a personal favorite, but I might include this on the 1001 list just for it's enduring popularity.

8. Dragnet
Feature film version of the classic television series is notable mostly for Dan Akyroyd's spot on Jack Webb impression throughout the movie. And who among us hasn't referred to an innocent young woman as "the virgin, Connie Swayle" at one time or another?" Or maybe that's just me.
   

9. Ernest Goes to Camp
I'm having second thoughts on whether or not I actually saw Ernest Goes to Camp. I know I saw a couple of the Ernest movies...I'll have to give this some more thought whether or not this was one of them.

10. The Stepfather
Long before he played John Locke on Lost, Terry O'Quinn played in this low budget horror/thriller about a stepfather who resolves disputes within his family by knocking them off and starting a new one! Everyone has there own definition of family values, I guess.

Terry O' Quinn contemplating the pros and cons of
family counseling in The Stepfather

11.  House of Games
Lots of plot twists and turns in this David Mamet film. I admit this was one time I did see the final plot twist coming.

12. Planes, Trains  and Automobiles, Roxanne
A good year for Steve Martin.

13. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
I thought this was a pretty good entry in the series, but by the same token what is the point in having a bad guy that you can't kill no matter what you do him?

14. Overboard
I have never seen this Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell from beginning to end. However, TBS has shown this so much over the years, I think I've pretty much seen it all in parts. Overboard was on so much over the years, it got to be a running joke in my house.

15. Harry and the Hendersons
Who the heck knew Bigfoot was just so darned cute? Thanks for creating those sad eyes, Rick Baker.

That cuddly Bigfoot in
Harry and the Hendersons

16. The Principal
Jim Belushi is the ass kickin' baseball bat wielding motorcycle ridin' head of the school!

17. Predator
The original Predator is pretty good from what I remember as this invisible and unstoppable force that battles future governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura.

18. September
Thinking about some of the Woody Allen movies from this period...I kind of get this one mixed up with Another Woman...and what was Alice about again?

19. Assassination/Death Wish 4 The Crackdown
Speaking of September...the films of Charlie Bronson at this point were showing a little wear (And I'm being kind here) as he was reaching the September of his years. But we'll always have Once Upon a Time in the West.

20. The Witches of Eastwick
I remember going to see this movie at the Lefont Plaza theater in Atlanta when it came out. But the thing I remember most about it is the guy sitting in front of me. Every time Cher would appear in a scene, he would gasp as if he had seen the most amazing sight he had ever witnessed! And during the scene where Cher is dressed up for a night on the town, the guy gasped and applauded at the same time as I was sure pretty sure he almost fell out of his seat! At this point, I thought the poor guy might pass out in the sheer ecstasy and have a Chergasm! This was pre-Moonstruck, but I really should have slapped him and said, "Snap out of it!"

The woman who needs no introduction in
The Witches of Eastwick

THE BATTLE OF SAN PIETRO (1945)

ALL THIS AND WORLD WAR II MONTH

(Post 5 of 10)

John Huston's documentary about the bloody American campaign in Italy was presumably filmed by Huston and his crew alongside of the troops during the battle. However, despite the effectiveness of the many battle scenes, much of it has been exposed as being largely filmed as recreations of the events shortly after the occurrence of the battle. Details of the filming of The Battle of San Pietro is written about in the excellent book Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War. Does knowing this fact detract from the films effectiveness? Maybe a little. But it sure seems like you are there and I like Huston enough to cut him a little slack here. Huston's other controversial (In that it was banned for thirty years!)  post-World War II documentary, Let There Be Light, about postwar soldiers trying to recover from the horrors of war at a mental hospital is also worth seeing.

                                From the Soundtrack of All This and World War II

Who drummer Keith Moon was certainly one helluva percussionist. What he wasn't, was one hell of a singer. His performance of When I'm Sixty-Four unfortunately reminds me of his less than impressive solo album, Two Sides of the Moon.

Keith Moon and pal Ringo Starr

When I'm 64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC7cW5DqAg0

There seems to be a rumor based on an off-handed comment 70's Scottish rock legend Rod Stewart made that he is (gasp!) not much of a Beatles fan. But what about this happy picture below with Paul and Linda? And why did Rod record Get Back and In My Life if he's no Beatles fan? I'm not sure about any of that, but I do think Rod's version of Get Back is one of the best covers on The All This and World War II soundtrack.

Rod Stewart pals around with the McCartneys

Get Back

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts0kuVVodHY

English musician David Essex is one of those acts that had a lot of success over the years on the UK record charts, but had limited success in the United States. The exception is David's Rock On, which was not only a top 10 hit in the states, but is still playing in the background of an Applebee's near you. David also had success as an actor including the film That'll Be the Day, which featured a critically acclaimed supporting performance by Ringo Starr.

Essex recorded a version of Yesterday for the All This and World War II soundtrack, which makes his version one of about 1,600 different Yesterday recordings according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

David Essex in That'll Be the Daywith co-starr, Mr. Ringo

Yesterday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb5fNZ0xn0M

TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Expectations: It’s been so long since I’ve seen this. I remember liking it and who among us hasn’t at one time another repeated the line, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges.”

After Viewing: I try not to state on this blog that a movie is great. I may say how much I liked a movie. You can’t argue with that. But who am I to determine the aesthetic merits of a particular work of art or film? That being said, I’m willing to go out on a limb on this one.

The Treasure of Sierra Madre is a great film.

I can't even explain why it's great, so I'm not going to try.

However, I can safely say that Humphrey Bogart and Walter and John Huston were great.

And I still don’t know who the elusive author B Traven was.

And I still don’t have to show you no stinkin’ badges.

Just watch if you haven't seen it.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Alfonso Bedoya. I realize I should give this to Walter Huston. He deservedly won an Academy Award for the part of the old prospector. The memorable scene where he dances a jig may only be topped by his hysterical laugh near the end of the film. Yes, Walter Huston was great. But let’s give some love to Alfonso Bedoya as the Mexican bandit Gold Hat and remember to repeat Senor Bedoya’s line at every opportunity, “Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I DON’T HAVE TO SHOW YOU NO STINKIN' BADGES!" You’ll be glad you did.

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935), THE THIRD MAN (1949), AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951), THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951), SHANE (1953)

In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) published a list of top 100 American movies. There have been updates and separate lists in different genres, but of the original list, I had seen all but five of the films. A workable number indeed! I may never get through the 1001 movie list, but as God is my witness I could at least complete the AFI list!

Completing the final five, I had to hop aboard an 18th century British vessel
headed for Tahiti, a smaller boat heading down an African river in pre-World
War I Africa, explore the darker side of post World War II Vienna, the lighter side of World War II Paris and finally venture to the American West.

Watching a lot of many movies from the 1930's-50's lately, I've noticed so many memorable performances from supporting players that often had careers that had well over a hundred film credits. Each film listed here I will give a supporting performer award in honor of Elisha Cook Jr.,(memorable as the gunsel in The Maltese Falcon and small time hood in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing) the shrimpy second banana who either supplied the exposition, got gunned down in a crossfire or at least went to fetch a cup of coffee for a much bigger star.

(Film #1) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) cost two million dollars to make, which in todays money is…a lot. It seems like the reputation of this movie has faded a bit over time. In fact, the AFI dropped it out of the top 100 for its 2007 list. I think it’s still a pretty good adventure story, though the heroism of Fletcher Christian in the movie versus the heroism of the real Fletcher Christian seems to have been a bit exaggerated. (Movies tend to do that don't they?). And who could ever forget Charles Laughton's Captain Bligh?

Favorite Mutiny on the Bounty quote:
Officer Byam: "Hithiti, your language is most un-English. It means exactly what it says. Here are the three pages on your words meaning, "look." There's one for the downcast eyes, one for the sidelong glare, one that invites, one that consents. A whole language of looks!"

Hitihiti: "Byam, you think too much. One day, you head go crack!"

Elisha Cook Jr. supporting performer award:
The first Elisha Cook Jr. supporting performer award goes to the hard working, but largely forgotten Donald Crisp. At least I had forgotten about him, though he did win an Oscar for How Green Was My Valley. How can you have a movie with a big cast from this era without a crusty character actor like Donald Crisp? I thought about giving the award to Tahitian island girls Movita and Mamo, but Donald really deserves it.

(Film #2) is director Carol Reed and writer Graham Greene's The Third Man, a film noir set in post WWII Vienna, where the black market is running amuck. This is really the film of these five that I would rate as a must see. But how did a largely English film make the AMERICAN Film Institute list, whether deserving or not? David O'Selznick was one of the producers, and it does have American stars Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, so I guess that was enough. Regardless, this film should be seen no matter what list it pops up on. The score features nothing but a zither, which I thought was great. Opinions on the zither differ.

Elisha Cook Jr. supporting performer award:
to Trevor Howard as the dedicated and relentless police inspector. He's terrific, but so are Orson Welles as the mysterious Harry Lime and Joseph Cotten as the Western pulp fiction writer who is always one step behind.

Favorite The Third Man quote:
Harry Lime: "In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
or Holly Martins: "Hey, satchelfoot! Who's your boss?"
I don’t know why I like this second quote so much. It’s what Cotton says right before he finds out Harry Lime is still alive. If I am calling out to someone and don’t know who it is, I like to yell out, “Hey Satchelfoot, who’s your boss?” Don’t you? No? Well, lets move on then.

Film #3, An American in Paris, like Mutiny on the Bounty, was another best picture winner. It may not be the best movie to see right after The Third Man. The comparison makes An American in Paris seem too glossy and overproduced. I eventually got into the film, but it did take some time. There are some fine production numbers and memorable songs (That Wonderful, Fabulous song) and Gene Kelly was one of the most likable
stars around (Let’s just try to blot out from our minds his later appearances in Xanadu and Viva Knievel and everything will be fine).

Favorite An American in Paris quote:
"I got music...I got rhythm...I got my gal. Who could ask for anything more?"

Elisha Cook Jr. supporting performer award:
Oscar Levant, as Kelly's pianist sidekick- You know the type-smart alecky to the main character's optimism, the one who knows what's going on before the main character and the one who steals most scenes he's in.

Film #4 The African Queen-Famous author C. S. Forester, acclaimed director John Huston. Only teaming of Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn. Irascible boat captain and spinster head down the river through many obstacles before they find their freedom...and each other. If this movie was ever remade, it would be a big time chick flick. Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock, maybe? Nah. A beloved movie to many, I'm glad I saw it, but was definitely not my favorite film of either star or the director.

Favorite The African Queen quote:
Allnut: "That's what you get for feeling sorry for people. I ain't sorry no more you psalm-singing skinny old maid!"

Lost in Translation moment: The DVD I was watching this on was a cheap Chinese/Korean issue and the subtitle translations were sometimes a bit off .
The most egregious example was Bogart's line "I'm the captain that's who and I won't take you along." becoming "I'm the captain asshole and I won't take you along!" Oops.

Elisha Cook Jr. supporting performer award: to Robert Morley. This is a fairly difficult movie to give a supporting performer award to, as it's almost an exclusive cast of two, and Morley has the rather thankless and small role of Katherine Hepburn's brother, who dies in the first fifteen minutes of the movie. However, I'll give Morley a lifetime achievement for future scene stealing roles in Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe and as a snobby theater critic who ends up having to eat his own prized poodles in Theater of Blood.

Film #5 Shane
My final film of the AFI 100 list is the George Stevens Western Shane. It is a beautifully photographed story of the mysterious ex-gunfighter Shane who aides a farmer and his family against those that want to take over his land.

Favorite Shane Quote:
Shane: "There's no living with a killing. There's no goin' back from one. Right or wrong, it's a brand... a brand sticks."
Or if you don’t like that one, let’s stick with
Joey: "Shane, come back!"

And the final winner of the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting performer award (And you probably see where this is headed) goes to: Elisha Cook Jr. Who's going to
do the exposition without Elisha Cook Jr.? Who's going to be the sacrificial lamb? Who’s blood must be avenged by the hero? Who's going to provide the comedy relief? Unlike The Africa Queen, there are a bevy of worthwhle suporting players in Shane: Edgar Buchanan, Van Heflin, Jack Palance among others. But how can I deprive Mr. Cook of his own award?

The legacy of Elisha Cook lives on in today's movies in actors like that guy…you know the one I mean, he's in everything. What was his name again?

Note: If you are wondering (or even if you aren't) how many of the AFI 100 are in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Book-
The answer is: 99 out of 100.

The only omission: Entry #99 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. (Now don't you feel better for knowing that?)

Here’s the official site of the AFI if you want to see the original 1998 list.
http://www.afi.com/100years/movies.aspx