My viewing for 2016 spanned from 1954 to 1959. I watched 490 films, a few of which were reviewed only here. I have finished with the 1950s (1959 Recap coming soon). I had thought about reaching back to the ’30s to catch up on some films I missed the first time around in January. 1960 looks to be such an outstanding year, however, that I think I’ll just keep on going.
I saw too many great films to count. Since I’ve been seeking out classic movies for a long time many of the best were re-watches. Still there were many gems that were new to me. Films that I rated 9/10 that did not make this list are:Twenty-Four Eyes (1954); Secrets of Life (1956); Le mystere Picasso (1956); Patterns (1956); Attack! (1956); Street of Shame (1956); and The Ballad of Narayama (1958).
Here’s 10 of the favorite films I saw for the first time in 2016. They are not ranked but in chronological order.
The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz (1955) – directed by Luis Buñuel
Baby Doll (1956) – directed by Elia Kazan
Bigger Than Life (1956) – Directed by Nicholas Ray
Kanal (1957) – directed by Andrzej Wajda
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) – directed by Jack Arnold
The Music Room (1958) – directed by Sayajit Ray
Room at the Top (1959) – directed by Jack Clayton
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) – directed by Robert Wise
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) – directed by Alain Resnais
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) – directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Montage of clips celebrating the career of Debbie Reynolds
So sad that Debbie Reynolds died just a few days after her daughter.
2016 was a dangerous year for celebreties.
They say she had her stroke while she was making funeral arrangements. Heartbreaking.
There are a few here that I have not seen. Especially interested in BIGGER THAN LIFE. Onward to 1960!
I think you will really like Bigger Than Life. It is wonderful the way Nicholas Ray went from more or less specializing in black-and-white film noir to being a master of widescreen and color.