10 From 54: My Favorite Films Of 1954

Ah yes, perspective.
 Ya gotta look at things with some perspective. Perspective is what gives things their proper context, gives a better picture of the panorama, makes things easier to see at a better viewpoint. And sometimes, that viewpoint is lookin' up at a giant pair of mandibles. 
  For anyone who lived through the 1950's and 60's, they must of have thought that they were living through one of the worst eras when it came to science fiction cinema. Those were the decades when filmmakers were making the most effort at expanding on the fantastical ideas that could fit into the genre and running times of sci-fi films. But, at the same time, it was also when that specific genre was severely limited by the movie technology of the day. Therefore, as a result, a vast majority of the movies that were done under the label of science fiction were most often done with a very big wink of the eye, or just came off as straight on silly.
  Creating creatures such as aliens from another world, monsters that come rising out of the sea, or simple species from the known animal kingdom that were enlarged into unimaginable sizes, were all done with things such as rubber suits, very clunky stop motion techniques, or robotic props at the most rudimentary level. This is why these types of movies are known as B-level movies. B not just as a ranking, but also as an initial for the word "bad".
 So, what does any of this have to do with perspective?
Well, as I said, all this looked pretty bad if you were living through it. However, as time marched on, and eventually when the internet. finally became a thing, it became and inter-social platform that allowed cinephiles to gather and discuss filmography of every form.  On fan sites, discussion groups and social media, so many lovers of old skool cinema were beginning to rave about these B-blasts from the past that were before were considered just pure garbage, or as empty fodder for Mystery Science Theater. 3000. 
  Suddenly, films like the Attack of the 50-foot Woman, The Fly, and even those featuring the rubber suited monster who crushed the cardboard landscapes of of Nippon, Godzilla, were now being touted as true kings of the monsters. And one of the best examples of this is this ant-themed science fiction flick with a title that's just a pronoun that's all in caps and ends with an exclamation point.
   THEM! is pretty much a cautionary tale of what can happen if we let atomic bomb testing to get so out of control that the radiation eventually makes ants grow to the size a British double decker bus. And as a result, that we must heed the warning that when it comes to us vs THEM!, we better learn how to mutate a can of Raid to the size of a building to be able to put a stop to THEM!. Or completely accept that picnics are longer a viable option when it comes to eating lunch outside. 

  After writing a lengthy description the previous movie THEM!,  about how it's a cautionary tale about the out-of-controls effects of atomic bomb testing, we have Godzilla from Japan. Demonstrating that when it comes to atomic explosions and the devastating after-effects, the U.S. wasn't the only country that were worried about that kind of stuff. However, it was a much direct fear from the Japanese' point of view considering this movie was released almost a decade after the country buckled under the very first atomic attack in the history of the world.



I'm sure that many of today's kids would look at this movie and wonder what the heck is it that the generations before them saw in this big ol' rubbery, radiation blasting, clumsy-looking dino-phenomena.
Well,
the only way I can explain it is by saying that,
even with the scars of WW2 still visible and the lack of big budgetry in their film industry, Japanese cinema knew how to make do with what they had. And it was this can-do/make-do attitude that helped them to make a big footprint in the arena of 50's colossal creatures genre that was raging in film at the time. And it's what also helped to give Godzilla the long standing reputation as the King of all Kaiju Monsters.

The film adaptation of Captain Nemo and his legendary underwater ship, the Nautilus, finally comes to shore in a very fitting manner, as the very first film ever to be shot in Cinescope.



For me, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a movie that if it were just any sci-fi movie, would still be one the best sci-fi movies of it's time. But the fact that it was made by Disney, and comprising some of the typical "Disney conventions" (which I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of), makes it an even remarkable achievement for a classical pre-steam punk thriller.

When a song and dance duo forlorn for love meet up with a couple of sisters who are trying to make it big in the business, they combine their talents in the effort of providing the Yuletide Season with a white Christmas. Not to mention making some "beautiful music" as an added holiday bonus.



While I know everyone else likes to compare this film to Holiday Inn & proclaim it as it's superior,
for me, I like this White Christmas better. Not only b'cuz this one focuses more on Christmas than HI (Inn's theme is more about all the holidays than it is about Xmas), but also, I always had a soft spot for Rosemary Clooney, particularly back when she was at the height of her stardom.
Would've loved to have seen her in more films, but I'll settle for how great she looks in this one.
Besides, what's a 50's movies list without at least one old-fashioned cornball Christmas flick in it....?

As the title of this movie suggests,
dial M for murder,
but 911 for any and all other emergencies.

Considered Akira Kurosawa's most accomplished work, Seven Samurai is a black and white classic whose story has inspired many a film afterwards, most notably (and one of my favorites) the Magnificent Seven.
It's a story of the Old East, which coincidentally enough, runs themes which will eventually become staples in movies dealing with the Old West.
Here, the heroes are truly heroes, but each is shown as a distinctive individual, with human traits and flaws that allow for the empty space to be felt whenever a warrior falls. Particularly, when a warrior falls in a battle that, in the end, can never truly be won.

A group of scientists go out on a South American expedition in search of a missing link to help them fill in the void of evolution.
However, once they find it,
the no longer missing link begins on his own quest, in search of a mate to help fill in the void within his heart.
Or maybe his dorsal-finned butt is just horny.
Either way,
the female crew member of this expedition ends up getting wet & screaming alot.

After a series of Oscar nominations, the Brando train of new-style method acting continues in On The Waterfront, with what could probably be Marlon's 2nd. most famous role after Streetcar.
This time, instead of an abusive working class husband in the sweaty French Quarter of New Orleans, Brando's brings his down-to-earth gritty charisma to the role of a working class longshoreman working on the chilly, mob-fronted docks of Hoboken.

When it comes to romance films, the name that tends to come more than any other on my limited list, is that of Audrey Hepburn.
For me, no one else can seem to ever capture that glass slipper quality that she has that can help me to suspend my belief far enough to enter the unbelievability of most romance films for me.
Sabrina is a "modern" Cinderella story that, IMO, on paper can seem as very typical in terms of it's plot, yet rises above that level mostly through the strength & presence of it's actors.
Sabrina is an entertaining & engaging escapist film about beautiful people having beautiful people problems.
A colorful tale told in vivid black & white.

A psychological mystery thriller that stands out on it's own not just because of it's distinctive formula (particularly for it's time), but also because of Hitchcock's ability to make the most of it's "limited" theme. The story of a man who can't walk, is stuck in his apartment, but with good observational instincts, honed by his job, that all end up putting him in a situation where his immobility makes for a simple, yet in Hitch's hands, an excellent plot device that incrementally builds and builds on it's suspense towards it's finale.