The Colossus of New York Directed by Eugene Lourie Written by Thelma Schnee and William Goldbeck 1958/USA Paramount Pictures
First viewing/Amazon Instant
“I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone”
The cheese factor complements a story that’s a little different for its time and genre.
The Spensser’s are a talented family. Father William (Otto Kruger) is a noted brain surgeon. Son Henry is a pioneer in the field of automation. The most gifted of all is the youngest boy, Jeremy (Ross Martin). As the film begins, he has just won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on food production in the polar regions.
Sadly, just after his family returns from Stockholm, Jeremy is hit by a truck and killed. William demands that an ambulance be sent for and takes the body back to his laboratory. William and Henry combine their skills to revive Jeremy’s brain in an automaton body. Their work backfires spectacularly.
This is cheesy but very entertaining. The scenes between the colossus and Jeremy’s little son are classic. The film does suffer from an odd and obtrusive piano score.
The Revenge of Frankenstein Directed by Terence Fischer Written by Jimmy Sangster and Hurford Janes 1958/UK Columbia Pictures/Hammer Films
First viewing/Amazon Prime
[box] Doctor Victor Stein: It should have been perfect. I made it to be perfect. If the brain hadn’t been damaged, my work would have been hailed as the greatest scientific achievement of all time. Frankenstein would have been accepted as a genius of science. Instead, he was sent to the guillotine. I swore I would have my revenge. They will never be rid of me![/box]
Peter Cushing appears without Christopher Lee’s monster this time. Hammer nonetheless lavishes great care on an engaging variation of the Frankenstein tale.
As the film begins, Victor Frankenstein (Cushing) is facing the guillotine for the havoc wrought by the first edition of his reanimated creature. We see the blade go down but it is no spoiler to reveal that the good doctor manages to substitute another victim. Segue to a German village where Victor is practicing medicine under an alias. He has not given up on his experiments. Soon a young admirer volunteers to be his assistant.
Frankenstein believes that he has identified the defect in his first attempt. This time he plans to put a living brain into his creature. He even has a volunteer for the project. This is Karl, a cripple who is looking forward to occupying a perfect body. But things don’t go as planned ….
This is quite a gorgeous picture with an awesomel laboratory full of gory body parts. The acting is of a high standard. I was entertained throughout. Recommended for fans of the genre.
Missile to the Moon Directed by Richard Cunah Written by H.E. Barrie and Vincent Fotre 1958/USA Layton Film Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] The Lido: You have not even commented on my blindness.
Steve Dayton: I was very sorry to see it.[/box]
This only lacks a catchy title to reach the outrageous badness that was Cat Women of the Moon.
Steve Dayton and Dirk Green have been building a lunar rocket in their backyard. The government is taking over the project and Dirk is let go. He hides out in the rocket and finds a couple of teenage prison escapees already in residence. Steve notes unusual activity in the space ship and goes with his comely fiancee to investigate. Soon all on board are heading for the moon!
As all who have seen Cat Women already know, the moon is inhabited by an oxygen-breathing humanoid race of beauty queens. Their air supply is rapidly dwindling and the rocket is their only hope of salvation.
This movie is a hoot! The special effects include a cardboard rocket, a cave-spider puppet, and slow-moving rock people.
The Big Country (1958) Directed by William Wyler Written by James R. Webb, Sy Bartlett, and Robert Wyler from a novel by Donald Hamilton 1958/USA United Artists/Anthony Productions/Worldwide Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Steve Leech: All I can say, McKay, is you take a helluva long time to say good-bye.[/box]
William Wyler directed in more genres than just about any director and was excellent in all of them. Here is his Western.
Jim McCay (Gregory Peck) is the son of a wealthy New England shipping family. He comes West to marry Julie Morgan (Carol Baker), the daughter of Maj. Henry Terrill (Charles Bickford), a wealthy cattleman. His intent is to become foreman of the father’s ranch.
There are a lot of people who are not happy to see Jim arrive. One of these is Steve Leech (Charleton Heston), the ranch’s current top hand, who is sweet on Julie. Others are the wild and savage Hannassy brothers, sons of the ranch’s neighbor Rufus Hannassy (Burl Ives). All the young men try to get a rise out of the newcomer, who refuses to fight – much to the shame of his fiancee.
Jim finds himself stuck in the middle of a long-standing feud between Rufus Hannassy and Henry Terrill. This now looks to escalate into a range war. With Jean Simmons as a schoolteacher who owns land that both ranches depend on for water and Chuck Connors as the meanest of the Hannassy sons.
This is a very solid Western, with good performances and beautiful cinematography. I like that the issues are more complicated than good guy vs. bad guy.
Burl Ives won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The Big Country was nominated for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.
The Magician (Ansiktet)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Written by Ingmar Bergman
1958/Sweden
Svensk Filmindustri
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Granny Vogler: I see what I see, and I know what I know. But nobody believes me.[/box]
It probably would take a lifetime to parse out all that’s going on in the story but Bergman’s images are immediately accessible and gorgeous.
It is somewhere in Sweden during the 19th Century. Â Dr. Vogler (Max Von Sydow) is a magician and hypnotist who heads Vogler’s Magnetic Health Theater troupe. Â Among it’s members are his grandmother, an ancient witch and potion seller, his young “ward” Mr Aman – actually his wife (Ingrid Thulin) – and his randy MC and promoter Tubal. Â Vogler is supposedly mute and wears a false beard and wig. Â Along the country road, the troupe picks up a sick and drunken actor who promptly expires.
The party is waylaid by police who take them to a country estate where they are forced to perform. Â Minister of Health Dr. Vergerus (Gunnar Bjornstrand) and Consul Egerman (Erland Josephson) have a bet on whether the good Dr. Vogler in fact has supernatural powers or is a charlatan. Â The many odd things that subsequently occur leave the issue still up for debate by the time the traveling theater hits the road again. Â With Bibi Andersson as a bawdy servant girl.
Much of this beautiful film went over my head on this, my first, viewing.  I just sat back and enjoyed Gunnar Fischer’s stunning cinematography and the brilliant acting.  Some of my questions were cleared up by the film historian’s visual essay included on the Blu-Ray I rented.  This is evidently at least in part a response to Bergman’s critics who disliked what they could not understand.  It was one of those movies I feel I should see again sooner rather than later.  Recommended.
Attack of the Puppet People Directed by Bert I. Gordon Written by George Worthing Yates; story by Bert I. Gordon 1958/USA Alta Vista Productions
First viewing/Amazon Prime
Mr. Franz: Oh that. What’s it look like to you?
This movie would have been even more fun if there had been puppet people that attacked.
Kindly Mr. Franz is a doll manufacturer. Unfortunately he is also very lonely and insane. For his own private collection he makes life-like dolls to play with. A new secretary and her fiance (John Agar) find out the hard way how Mr. Franz does it. Turns out it’s something to do with an overhead projector and a tuning fork.
Bert I. Gordon moves from giant creatures to tiny humans using his standard techniques. The title promises a lot more than the film delivers in the way of thrills but it’s not a bad way to kill 75 minutes.
Man of the West Directed by Anthony Mann Written by Reginald Rose from a novel by Will C. Brown 1958/USA Ashton Productions/Walter Mirisch Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental
#346 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Link Jones: There’s a point where you either grow up and become a human being or you rot, like that bunch.[/box]
Here is something a little different in the Western department for 1958.
Link Jones (Gary Cooper) is a man of mystery. His name and origins seem to change depending on whom he is talking to. He arrives in town from a small settlement to catch the train to Fort Worth, where he says he plans to hire a school teacher. His fellow passengers will include gambler and con artist Sam Beasley (Arthur O’Connor) and saloon singer Billie Ellis (Julie London).
During a robbery attempt, all three of these folks ended up stranded 100 miles from the nearest town when the train takes off abruptly. The would-be robbers were from Dock Tobin’s (Lee J. Cobb) gang and the passengers quickly find themselves at their hide-out. It is then we learn that Link was a member of the gang in his youth but has now reformed.
Dock is a dotty but intimidating old man and his associates are mean hombres. Link’s loss was a blow to Dock and he wants him back, prompting distrust, jealousy and violence on the part of the gang members. With Jack Lord as the meanest of the hombres.
This has many of the standard 50’s Western tropes but the villains are a bit different and it is more violent than many. Cooper is good but he is looking increasingly tired. Cobb is in his full-out bigger than life mode. The film is strikingly shot by director Mann.
I’m sure I’m not the first to think of this, but it occurs to me that the Western was where film noir went in the Technicolor era. We seem to be getting the same tortured men with a past as in the earlier films. The femme fatale has gone by the wayside.
The Vikings Directed by Richard Fleischer Written by Calder Willingham; adapted by Dale Wasserman from a novel by Edison Marshall 1958/USA Bavaria Film/Byrnapod S.A./CurtLeigh Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Ragnar: Look how he glares at me… If he wasn’t fathered by the black ram in the full of the moon my name is not Ragnar.[/box]
First you have to get past the casting of Ernest Borgnine, Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis as Vikings …
The story is set at the time Vikings were marauding off the coasts of England. Ragnar (Borgnine) is the king of the Vikings. He and his lusty and vain son Einar (Douglas) – the only Viking not to wear a beard – are cut from the same barbaric mold. One day Einar is out demonstrating his skills at falconry when the slave Eric (Curtis) bests him at the sport. Before Einar can take revenge, Eric tells his bird to kill and the bird tears out Einar’s eye, putting him in a very bad humor. He spares the slave’s life in order to prolong his intended misery.
The rivalry between Einar and Eric intensifies when both men fall for the kidnapped Princess Morgana (Janet Leigh), who is pledged in marriage to the evil English King Aella . Eric finally flees to England with Morgana, intending to force Aella to release her from her pledge. Einar and Ragnar set out in pursuit. They are foiled however when fog sets in. Here, Eric has the edge thanks to a mysterious stone that always points North.
Eric rescues/kidnaps Ragnar when his ship founders and takes him to England. Einar eventually catches up with Eric. A lot of fighting, both between the English and Vikings and between Eric and Einar, ensues. With James Donald as a traitor and Alexander Knox as a priest.
This did not seem like it would be my cup of tea before I even put the disc in the player. It is basically a sword and sandal epic moved northward. My readers may wonder why I bother but I am nothing if not a completist. I also think that movies like this one give a feeling for the times.
The plot was too complicated to be predictable exactly but did not engage me. Nothing felt real to me. The production values are outstanding, however, and this is spectacle on a grand scale. The film also has a nice score.
Mon Oncle Directed by Jacques Tati Written by Jacques Tati with artistic collaboration by Jacques Lagrange and Jean L’Hote 1958/France Specta Film/Gray Film/Alter Films et al
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
#351 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] [at the 1959 Academy Awards] I find that the people who speak the worst English want to talk more than the others. — Jacque Tati[/box]
This is utterly charming and laugh out loud funny. It is my favorite of Tati’s films and I love them all.
Monsieur Hulot just can’t help innocently creating chaos anywhere he happens to be. Naturally, children love him. He lives in a quaint and traditional part of Paris.
Hulot’s sister and brother-in-law live with their son Gerard in a monstrosity of an ultra-modern house. Think Disneyland’s Home of the Future gone insane. Gerard’s father, an industrialist, is jealous of Hulot’s warm relationship with his son. So he tries various schemes to give Hulot a “goal in life”. Of course all of these go haywire.
Tati was a genius and this is a practically perfect comedy. The sight gags often happen simultaneously. It can be watched over and over again and you will find several things you missed on all previous viewings. I particularly like the dogs and the fish fountain. Highly recommended.
Mon Oncle won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Some Came Running Directed by Vincente Minnelli Written by John Patrick and Arthur Sheekman from a novel by James Jones 1958/USA Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant
#352 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Dawn Hirsh: Bumming around, doing all sorts of jobs – didn’t that help to make you a better writer?
Dave Hirsh: Dawn honey, bumming around can only help to make you a bum.
Despite its fine acting and production values, I cannot get behind the story of this movie or its portrayal of women.
Hard-drinking writer Dave Hirsh (Frank Sinatra) arrives in his provincial home town by bus almost against his will. He has recently been discharged from the service and is still in uniform. On the bus with him is ditzy bimbo Ginnie Moorehead (Shirley MacLaine) who is madly in love with the soldier despite his insulting treatment of her. Hot on her heels will be the Chicago thug that is in love with her.
Early on, Dave meets professional gambler Bama Dillert (Dean Martin). Since he plays a mean game of poker himself, the two partner up together and become roommates. Dave has an even dimmer view of Ginnie (whom he calls a “pig”) than Dave does.
Dave does everything possible to be an embarrassment to his social climbing brother Frank (Arthur Kennedy). He seems willing to get out of town, though, until he casts his eyes on creative writing teacher Gwen French (Martha Hyer). The repressed, possibly frigid, schoolmarm is a big fan of Dave’s writing but less so of the man’s lifestyle.
Dave falls instantaneously in love with Gwen and cuts out the booze in an attempt to win her. Will he succeed and what will happen to poor, lovesick Ginnie?
I have never liked this critically acclaimed movie and it took me until this viewing to figure out why. All the female characters are stereotypes and all their lives revolve around men, specifically Dave. MacLaine’s character with her stupid stuffed dog purse is the worst.
On the positive side, I really, really like Dean Martin in this one. Minnelli demonstrates a mastery of both color and the wide screen. The tracking camera in the final carnival scene is pretty marvelous.
Some Came Running was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Actress (MacLaine); Best Supporting Actor (Kennedy); Best Supporting Actress (Hyer); Best Costume Design; and Best Music, Original Song (“To Love and Be Loved”).
I’ve been a classic movie fan for many years. My original mission was to see as many movies as I could get my hands on for every year from 1929 to 1970. I have completed that mission.
I then carried on with my chronological journey and and stopped midway through 1978. You can find my reviews of 1934-1978 films and “Top 10” lists for the 1929-1936 and 1944-77 films I saw here. For the past several months I have circled back to view the pre-Code films that were never reviewed here.
I’m a retired Foreign Service Officer living in Indio, California. When I’m not watching movies, I’m probably traveling, watching birds, knitting, or reading.
Photographs and videos found in this blog, unless indicated, are not owned by me and are here only for the purpose of education and discussion. Media found here are not intended for any commercial purpose. Copyright infringement is not intended.
Written material belongs to me and is copyrighted by flickersintime.com
