We continue our survey of the twenty greatest movies of the 1950s.
For a complete listing of the greatest movies of the 20, 30s and 40s, click here.
10. Rear Window, 1954
Photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies (James Stewart) breaks his legs while photographing a car racing accident. Now, he is confined in his Greenwich Village apartment, trapped in a wheelchair 24/7. His rear window looks out onto a courtyard and several other apartments. During a summer heat wave, he passes the time by spying on his neighbors.
Point of view is everything in a good Hitchcock movie and in Rear Window, Hitch, the master of the shifting POV, positively marinates in Stewart’s limited field of vision. Gradually, through a stunning use of sound and image, we, along with Stewart, get to know all his neighbors. Though seen from a distance we become deeply involved in their emotional lives. Of course, there is a murder — and together with Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly), his socialite girlfriend, Stewart becomes obsessed with solving it.
The beautifully crafted screenplay by John Michael Hayes, based on a story by Cornell Woolrich, seamlessly blends comedy, suspense, and good old-fashioned melodrama. Seraphic Secret maintains that all great movies are, ultimately, love stories, and Rear Window is Hitchcock’s most fully realized love story, with one of cinema’s greatest kisses. A shadow moves over the sleeping Stewart; he wakes, startled, and from his POV we see Grace Kelly—in a haunting, slow-motion, optical shot—swoop down like a golden angel and kiss his lips. Rear Window is a perfectly realized movie, Hitchcock’s greatest work.
11. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, 1954
During pre-production on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, MGM lost faith in the film and severely cut the film’s budget, transferring funds to their other big musical, the painfully tedious Brigadoon.
Director Stanley Donen was forced to shoot Seven Brides on sound stages using obviously painted backdrops and some rather cheap-looking sets. But in one of those happy accidents where film people are forced to make more out of less, the artificial sets admirably serve the film’s fairy-tale character far better than real-world, gritty locations. The theatrical art direction places this odd tale—described by a film critic I know as a “light-hearted look at kidnapping and sexual assault”—in a mythical backwoods America that could only exist on an MGM stage.
Though elegant in its simplicity, the plot is loaded with dramatic conflict. It is a problematic, but moral landscape sweet as spun sugar: seven strapping, uncouth frontier brothers get a hankering for seven fetching town girls and abduct them for the purposes of matrimony. The story is based on Stephen Vincent Benét’s short story “The Sobbin’ Women,” which in turn was based on the ancient Roman legend of The Rape of the Sabine Women.
Dance is the language of love in Hollywood musicals. In the film’s exuberant set piece, the barn-raising, the astonishingly athletic and vigorous choreography by Michael Kidd (b. Milton Greenwald) perfectly captures a headstrong but ultimately innocent frontier courtship. Never have so many dancers flirted and flung themselves so boldly and with so much yearning at one another in syncopated rhythms that reflect a particularly brash American grain. Little did MGM know, but Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was one of the last great traditional musicals Hollywood would ever produce, an exhilarating, dying gasp of a once vital genre.
12. Seven Samurai, 1954
Director Akira Kurosawa’s epic, the greatest movie ever made, speaks directly about the moral imperative of a just war.
The Seven Samurai takes place in medieval Japan, a time when bandits—the terrorists of their time—roamed the land looting, raping and killing defenseless farmers.
Seven down-at-the-heels Samurai warriors are hired to defend one poor village. The Samurai do not negotiate with the bandits. They do not try to appease them. Nor do they ponder the root causes of banditry. The Samurai set strategy and kill the bandits. One by one.
Every true warrior understands there is no deterrence and no freedom without the disproportionate use of force.
The climactic battle in the rain, where mud, blood and tears mix, is perhaps the finest choreographed battle scene ever staged.
Every skilled director in Hollywood studies this masterpiece and tries, without success, to emulate Kurosawa’s cinematic style. We all stand in Akira Kurosawa’s shadow. This is the film that compelled me to become a screenwriter.
If you love movies but have not seen The Seven Samurai, you are without oxygen.
To be continued.
Glad to be back at Seraphic Secret after a couple-year hiatus (life has been busy!).
I know this comment is late to the thread, but still a funny story.
My wife and I love Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and we watched it with our kids probably 5 or 6 years ago. Not recently enough, apparently. Not long ago on a lazy Saturday afternoon we happened upon it on the local Public Ed channel on TV, right at the beginning of the barn-raising scene. My 10-year-old got this disgusted look on her face and said “What is THIS?”, followed a few minutes later by “This is SO unrealistic!” (strange since we frequently watch musicals together as a family). We laughed and laughed about that comment.
Her initial disgust with the whole concept apparently wore off quickly. The next day she pulled our DVD off the shelf and asked if we could watch the whole thing.
I’m looking forward to the continuation of your “Twenty Greatest Movies of the 1960’s” (and crossing my fingers that Charade makes it on the list).
Also, thank you for the review of Seven Samurai – it is one of the few films you have ‘recommended’ that I haven’t seen but will search for now.
Do you have any plans to go back and write more about the ’20s films? I would so love to read the narratives you could provide before i rent them.
TheNonna:
Hope you enjoy Seven Samurai. I don’t really have long range plans to write about film form the 20s. I kind of write what I feel like writing. It usually depends on my mood, and what movies I’m screening. But, no doubt, I will cover more movies form the 20s. Just keep checking in.
So agree about Rear Window (though Notorious is my fave – named my daughter Alicia because of the way Cary said the name). Anyway, it is one of the few movies that, regardless of how many times i see it, I still scream aloud at Grace Kelly to ‘GET OUT NOW”.
Rear Window is one of those films that no matter how many times I see it, I discover something new. Notorious is also wonderful.
I have never seen “The Seven Samurai”. Since I enjoy your posts on old Hollywood and movies, I will seek it out on Netflix. Thanks, Robert.
When will SINGING IN THE RAIN appear? Great story, acting, music . . . oh, yeah, and hoofing.
Then again there is SOME LIKE IT HOT. Great story, acting, comedy . . . oh, yeah, and Marilyn Monroe. And the final scene between Jack Lemmon and Joe E. Brown . . .
Kevin:
“Singin’ In the Rain” was posted a few weeks ago.
Here’s the link: http://www.seraphicpress.com/twenty-greatest-movies-of-the-1950s-51-52/
It’s tough to choose between “To Catch a Thief”, “Rear Window” and “The Swan.” I like them all, especially the scenery in “To Catch a Thief .” I wonder how many realize that the road in the scene of Grace driving her Sunbeam Alpine roadster was where she was killed? “The Swan” was Alec Guiness’s first US film.
Grace was apparently a very active participant in Hollywood sex games of the time. There is a funny anecdote in David Niven’s biography, “Niv” about a conversation between Niven and Prince Ranier about the best sex he had had in Hollywood. Niven almost jeopardized his friendship with the prince. He remembered just in time.
Whatever Grace may, or may not have done, Niven is notoriously unreliable.
Dear Robert: How could you review REAR WINDOW and not mention Thelma Ritter or Raymond Burr?
Or, for that matter, Ross Bagdasarian, the piano-playing songwriter.
This is Kelly’s best role and maybe the best of Hitchcock’s ‘cool blondes’.
Grant and Eva Marie Saint never seemed to connect until the very end of NBNW. Her being an secret agent unknown by Grant to be working for us instead of the evil James Mason kept a necessary detachment between them.
It’s remarkable that Seven Brides was one of Kidd’s first choreography because few have ever matched the barnraising number. That alone should qualify him on a Mt Rushmore of choreographers.
And fortunately Donen was able to direct it after Josh Logan’s option expired.
Seven Samurai would make a pretty good western. Has anybody thought of that?
Johnny – I thought they connected rather well art the end of the movie – in the tunnel!
Ah, the tunnel. Sly how Hitchcock got that in there and no one could complain. All he would have to say to anyone that didn’t like the allusion is say “my, what a dirty mind you have!”
Dear Johnny: You don’t know about THE MAGNIFICANT SEVEN?
Miranda:
Johnny is making a joke.
I think I make that joke every time Seven Samurai comes up.
Robert, for the Last Great Hollywood Musical — Gigi should top out.
Barry;
Gigi is, for me, a slow and boring exercise in art direction and costume. The film has no narrative velocity, little energy. I never become emotionally invested in any of the characters and admit to a particular allergy to Louis Jordan—a stick of wooden mannerisms—and a total indifference to the charmless Leslie Caron. I realize that I am in a minority, that the film has been enshrined by the usual suspects, but I find Gigi unbearable.
Chevalier trumps all other cast members, the music is timeless,as it has proven, and in this case, art direction is more than an exercise.
Chevlier shines and his duet with Hermione Gingold “I Remeber It Well” is a highlight.
Robert, I agree with you about “Gigi.” I watched it once, disliked it immensely and haven’t watched it again since. Chevalier is better in almost everything else — especially some of his early films. Gingold is priceless in “The Music Man” and in “Bell, Book, and Candle.”
Caron is one actress I cannot stand. The only movie I like with her in it is “Father Goose,” and mainly because Cary Grant slaps her in two scenes. “Goody Two-shoes and the Filthy Beast” indeed. I prefer to think this is Grant’s best last film because I discount “Walk, Don’t Run,” the poor remake of “The More The Merrier.”
Liking something, or not, is just personal taste. But, our business is built around craftsmanship, intellect and instinct. The elemental always trumps. You don’t like Walk, Don’t Run. Me neither, but Cary Grant is wonderful in it. He is controlled and watchable. Your eye always goes to him as it should. The romantic leads aren’t strong enough. Unfortunate. As for Leslie Caron, liking a picture because the story requires slapping is something that requires a rethinking. Liking her isn’t required. She has been successful enough over an extended period without your approval.
You misunderstand. I like “Father Goose.” I think it’s Grant’s best “last movie.” The slapping scenes aren’t the only things in the movie I find interesting & entertaining, but regarding the Caron subject at hand it gives me a separate sense of satisfaction.
BTW, I’ve read that even Grant wasn’t satisfied with the movie and particularly hated the idea of being a romantic lead any more at his age in future movies. He was more intrigued by his business interests so he wouldn’t make another movie.
Not what you wrote.
Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelley – how can one go wrong?
Bill, I would say “How could one go wrong with Grace Kelly?” but that Jimmy Stewart guy was OK too. 😉
Rear Window is one of my favorite thrillers. Not as action-packed as North-by-Northwest, but a better film.
Robert, after reading your fine blog for many years, I have a confession — I have not yet seen Seven Samurai… I will, some day soon, but there are just too many bills to pay right now!
Prophet Joe:
North By Northwest has some great scenes, but I never become invested in Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint’s relationship the way I do with Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window.
ProphetJoe – Thanks to Prof Avrech’s Cinema 101 I have gotten an interest in these classic movies – and Jimmy Stewart, whose WW2 service would have been enough for one lifetime, came back to Hollywood after the war thinking he was probably passed up.
Its a Wonderful Life is interesting on several levels, not the least of it being Frank Capra’s effort at independent production, and Jimmy Stewart’s belief that – going into this movie – he was a passed-up has-been.
Bill:
For me, this is Kelly’s greatest performance.
I like her best in To Catch A Thief. But, The Swan and High Society, despite shortcomings, offer beautiful Kelly. And The Swan, a fine Brian Aherne as well.