Best Ten Films of 1951

Last year, I listed my favorite films from 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000, on my two blogs. So, this year, I figured I would list my ten favorite films from 1951 until 2001.

We begin with the ten films that I percieve to be the best, or my personal favorites, from 1951, a year in which Marlan Brando yelled Sttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaa in "A Streetcar Named Desire," which made the cut.

Here is the list:

1. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (dir. Robert Wise)

2. "Strangers on a Train" (dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

3. "The Diary of a County Priest" (France. dir: Robert Bresson)

4. "Early Summer" (Japan. dir: Yasujiro Ozu)

5. "A Streetcar Named Desire" (dir. Elia Kazan)

6. "The Steel Helmet" (dir. Samuel Fuller)

7. "The African Queen" (dir. John Huston)

8. "A Place in the Sun" (dir. George Stevens)

9. "The Thing" (dir. Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks)

10. "An American in Paris"* (dir. Vincente Minelli)

*-Oscar winner for Best Film

Quote of the Week- Jessica Tandy

Today, we are continuing our series within a series featuring quotes from past Oscar winners as the Oscar season is upon us. Our quote for today comes from the late Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) who was the oldest woman ever to win a Best Actress Oscar when she won the award in 1989.

It is fitting perhaps that Tandy won an Oscar for the film "Driving Miss Daisy," which was originally a hit stage play, since she was known primarily as a stage actress for much of her career.

In fact, she won the Lead Actress Tony for her performance as Blanche DuBois in the original Broadway run of the Tennessee Williams play "A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1947.

Tandy also starred in the famous Alfred Hitchock film "The Birds" (1963) which is still known to make one wary of pigeons.

Here is the quote from Tandy, which seems appropriate given that today is Valentine's Day, and the man buying his wife two dozen roses may have alterior motives:

"When he's late for dinner, I know he's either having an affair or lying dead in the street. I always hope it's the street."

Top Ten Horror Films of All Time

Since it is October, we thought we'd post an entry about the supposed Greatest Horror Films of All-Time. The Internet Movie Database in Seattle came up with this list based on member voting.

It's an interesting list (actually included 50 films with "Saw" taking the last spot), and we do agree with the Number One selection of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," though I was surprised that solid horror films like "Carrie" (well, ok it's a bit kitschy) and "Poltergeist" didn't make the full list.

But, here is the Top Ten.....perhaps not surprisingly, most of these films have been remade- some several times over:

1. "Psycho" (pictured with Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates) (1960 version)
2. "Alien" (1979)
3. "The Shining" (1980 film version)
4. "Diabolique" (France, 1955 version)
5. "The Thing" (1982 version)
6. "King Kong" (1933 version)
7. "Rosemary's Baby" (1968)
8. "The Exorcist" (1973, there was actually a remake in Turkey!)
9. "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari" (Germany, 1920)
10. "Frankenstein" (1931 version)

Joe Scott will be presenting "Silence of the Lambs" as part of the horror film segment of his Mixed Tape Series at the Carousel Luxury Cinemas in Greensboro, NC, on Oct. 21. At last report, showtimes were 7:00 and 10:00 p.m.

In Roanoke, Va., my friend Jason Garnett screens "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (of course we known the 1975 campy muscial cult classic with Susan Sarandon is not a horror movie!) on Oct. 30th at the Shadowbox Cinema at 10 p.m.

My Ten Favorite Films from 1960

This piece was inspired by an excellent article in "Film Comment" about the great French film "Breathless," which is one of the fabled films of 1960. It is Number Two on my list behind a familiar picture which features a 'shower scene.'

Here is my list:

1. "Psycho" (d-Alfred Hitchcock)
2. "Breathless" (France. d-Jean Luc-Godard)
3. "L'avventura" (Italy. d-Michangelo Antonioni)
4. "Peeping Tom" (d-Michael Powell)
5. "Eyes Without a Face" (France. d-Georges Franju)
6. "Shoot the Piano Player" (France. d-Francois Truffaut)
7. "The Apartment" (d-Billy Wilder)
8."Late Autumn" (Japan. d-Yasujiro Ozu)
9. "Spartacus" (d-Stanley Kubrick)
10. "La Dolce Vita" (Italy. d-Frederico Fellini)

The Italian cult film "Black Sunday" (d-Mario Bava) doesn't quite make the cut!