Category: The 50’s
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![A Movie for Each Decade [1920-2010]](https://tlkabtmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/1.png?w=1024)
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5 Underappreciated Hitchcock Movies
Here’s another post that has been on my mind for a while. Quite often, I hear people mentioning “Vertigo”, “Rear Window” and “Psycho” as soon as we start talking about Alfred Hitchcock. But here’s a man that directed 57 movies over the course of 54 years. Having watched most of these movies, I’ve decided to…
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Death Of A Cyclist [1955] ★★★½
Today’s classic film recommendation is Juan Antonio Bardem’s masterful “Death of a Cyclist”, released in the mid 1950’s under the Franco regime. It’s clear that Bardem’s aim was to criticize the huge gap between the poor and the rich, which explains why the movie was censored and Bardem was “forced” to change a key plot…
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Truffaut: the adventures of Antoine Doinel
Way before “ Boyhood ”, François Roland Truffaut, French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic, as well as one of the founders of the French New Wave, directed “ Les 400 coups ” (“ The 400 blows ”), a childhood movie featuring his own alter ego: Antoine Doinel. Years later, Doinel appears in four subsequent films (including one short: “ Antoine…
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Limelight [1952] ★★★½
I find it quite ironic that this is the last movie I ever saw with my granddad. Ironic because, unlike many Chaplin movies, this one is tragic. Ironic because my granddad passed away a few months later. Looking back at “Limelight”, there’s always a bittersweet feeling. Even when I saw it again recently, I couldn’t…
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Diabolique [1955] ★★★★
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s most notorious film is still terrifying almost 60 years later. An unmerciful school master (Paul Meurisse, terrific) is murdered by his long suffering wife (Vera Clouzot) and mistress (Simone Signoret). But then strange things start to happen. Haunting, exciting thriller will you keep you guessing at every turn, right through the unforgettable finale. Hailed…
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The Night Of The Hunter [1955]
In this terrifying tale of Good vs Evil, Robert Mitchum plays a “preacher” who roams the countryside, spreading the gospel, and leaving murdered women in the wake. His knuckles eerily tattooed with “love” and “hate”, he strongly believes that the work of God has more to do with condemning souls than saving them. Now his eyes…
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The Ten Commandments [1956]
What can you say in a few words about a four hour movie that depicts the life of Moses, the Egyptian prince who learned of his true heritage as a Hebrew and who became the deliverer of his people? Let’s try “perfection”, which is what director Cecil B. DeMille achieved in this epic film. Apply “magnificient” to…
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Abbott And Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde [1953]
While not quite in the same league as “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (possibly the duo’s best movie), “A&C meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (what a long title) is still a fine vehicle for the boys, and shows that they were still in excellent form even after all these years at Universal. Thankfully, the movie offers…
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Abbott And Costello Meet The Invisible Man [1951]
So here I am again, drawn into yet another Abbott and Costello movie. After meeting up with Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Wolfman, the boys finally got to hang out with the Invisible man this time around. All of these films were among their best work-solid entertainment and a nice break from the usual formula. Speaking…
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Sunset Blvd. [1950] ★★★★
The opening scene in “Sunset Blvd.” became one of the most iconic sequences in cinema history. We meet Joe Gillis, an unemployed screenwriter, in a very unusual way. He’s floating dead in a swimming pool, recounting his doomed personal and professional involvment with megalomaniac silent movie star Norma Desmond (a wonderful Gloria Swanson). Norma lives…
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Vertigo [1958] ★★★★
One of the most interesting things about this movie is the fact that it was a flop at the time of its release. Hitchcock instantly blamed James Stewart, saying he was “too old to attract audiences anymore”. The two never worked together again, eventhough Stewart was the original choice for the role of Roger Thornhill in…
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12 Angry Men [1957] ★★★★
Completely absorbing movie starring Henry Fonda as a juror who is convinced that a boy who is accused of murdering his father is completely innocent. But how will he convince the rest of the jury, when they have no doubt in mind that the defendant is guilty of all charges? Rarely a movie manages to keep you…
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House Of Wax [1953]
Chilling horror movie from the 50’s starring Vincent Price as a renowned wax sculptor who rebuilds his old fire destroyed showplace using human victims as wax figures. His assistant begins to suspect his boss of foul play after the sudden disappearance of several bodies from the morgue. “House Of Wax” was an example of early…
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It Came From Outer Space [1953]
Another classic sci-fi movie worth mentioning about an alien spaceship that crashes in the Arizona desert. Its passengers take over the identities of the townspeople so they can walk around unnoticed, but it’s only after a few murders that a stargazer and a schoolteacher begin to suspect alien influence. “It Came From Outer Space” was probably one…
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This Island Earth [1955]
Enjoyable sci- fi movie from the 50’s is not as great as “The Day The Earth Stood Still” or “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” but is still incredibly entertaining. A group of scientists find themselves working on a secret project, only to realise that they have in fact been recruited by aliens to help them defend their…
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Rear Window [1954] ★★★★
Stylish Hitchcock movie about a wheelchair bound photographer (James Stewart) who spends his time spying on his neighbors from his window appartment. One day he becomes convinced that one of his neighbors has killed and buried his wife. With the help of his girlfriend (Grace Kelly) and his nurse, they decide to lead their own private…
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House On Haunted Hill [1959]
“Only the ghosts in this house are glad we’re here.” Call me old fashioned, but this 1959 version of “House On Haunted Hill” is much scarier and much more enjoyable than the dreadful remake. Vincent Price is a lot of fun to watch as the man who invites 5 strangers to a party and offers…
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North By Northwest [1959] ★★★★
“I didn’t realize you were an art collector.I thought you just collected corpses”. Many consider “North By Northwest” as the best Hitchcock movie ever made. It might not be my favorite (mine would be “Rear Window”), but it’s certainly one of his finest. Hitchcock had worked on a similar plot so many times before (the…
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The Day The Earth Stood Still [1951]
“I won’t resort to threats, Mr. Harley. I merely tell you the future of your planet is at stake”. Science fiction lovers rank this among the best of all time. It’s certainly one of the most intriguing and still impresses people today as it did 60 years ago. An alien named klaatu lands on planet…
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