1943: Movies Sorted By Tier
Submitted by jim on Mon, 12/06/2004 - 11:35
Tags:
Loved
The Ox-Bow Incident
... One of the things I was looking forward to about this movie was the ice cream break I was planning on taking at about halfway through. I never got my ice cream. I love ice cream, but I made the mistake of not making my break before the posse gets to the ox-bow, and by then it is far too late, as the movie is just too good to put down, even for a moment. Thank goodness I didn't have to go to the bathroom. As good a movie on mob rule as you're likely to see, it's got Henry Fonda in it, and it blazes by in a mere 75 minutes. What else could you possibly need to know? I suppose I'm a trifle disappointed that the ending leaves nothing unanswered, but I'll forget that by morning.Really Liked
I Walked With a Zombie
... My second Lewton/Tourneur after Cat People. Both impressive achievements regardless of the budget, and moreso given the budgets were nonexistent (so I understand). Where Cat People includes a couple very tense scenes and makes great use of the unseen threat principle, this film does a better job of creating a generally creepy atmosphere, with a palpable sense of decay and menace. There's the drums, the cane fields, and the feeling of dark family secrets lying just under the surface, etc. Could have done without the voiceovers and opening beach shot though.Shadow of a Doubt
Glad I Saw
The Leopard Man
... Having recently completed a Lewton/Tourneur hattrick, I can safely say that this one features the best opening: the little girl, afraid of the dark, sent out to buy cornmeal with a leopard on the loose. Fear really is scary. That said, I didn't really think the per-victim episodic nature of this one really worked in its favor, and I didn't care for the resolution. Still, as is the case with all these movies, its tough to beat the atmospherics.Guilty Pleasures
- None Yet
Could Have Missed
- None Yet
Should Have Missed
- None Yet
El Sucko Grande
- None Yet
Cloned From:
Well, you've only got two movies up, but since those are two of the best, it might be a bit downhill from here.
If you're looking for more 1943 movies, I recommend the following:
Whistling in Brooklyn (S. Sylvan Simon)
The Seventh Victim (Mark Robson)
The Leopard Man (Jacques Tourneur)
The More The Merrier (George Stevens)
I Walked With A Zombie (Jacques Tourneur)
Five Graves to Cairo (Billy Wilder)
Air Force (Howard Hawks)
Day of Wrath (Carl Dreyer)
Yeah, I might end up combining the 40s into a single list, like I did with the 20s and 30s. Not sure. I'll definitely keep the 50s and beyond as separate lists.
Thanks for the recommendations! Boy, Jacques Tourneur is certainly underrepresented on DVD, isn't he?
He sure is. What's up with that? I keep hoping that Criterion puts out a Val Lewton box set; that'd take care of about 3 titles right there.
Until this moment, I had been operating under the mistake belief that Val Lewton was a director. Now I see how a Val Lewton box set would bring Tourneur-directed movies to DVD.
Yeah, he's one of those few producers that have a name and a reputation. The only other one that's like that (that I can think of right now) is Jerry Bruckheimer.
Speaking of Lewton, did you happen to read Jonathan Rosenbaum's review of The Seventh Victim? It made me particularly happy cuz it's probably my favorite Lewton as well.
I did, and was again bummed to not find it on DVD. Oh well, I have plenty of in-print movies to keep me busy, and I'm a patient fellow.
One of the weakest years in cinema history (certainly since the early silent years)! Day of Wrath (Dreyer) my top choice, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp very good too. Shadow of a Doubt superior Hitch. Meshes of the Afternoon a surreal avant-garde film by Maya Deren (a bit overrated i think).
Heh -- literally no one likes the resolution of The Leopard Man, and perversely, that's part of its charm for me. It's kinda like Total Recall in that way; as I once said to a friend of mine, "No one likes the end of Total Recall -- that's what makes it fabulous!".
Now that would be a great double feature: The Leopard Man followed by Total Recall! Or would you reverse the order?
Oh, I'd keep that order -- I'd be afraid the pyrotechnics of Recall would smother the quiet, careful tone of Leopard Man.
And now you've got me thinking what a "Good Movie/Bad Ending Marathon" would look like! :-)
Well, there's always The Abyss, but somehow I don't think that'll fit in with the theme of "endings that are fabulous because nobody likes them".