A new entry supplements the top 10 list in 1954: creature features! The constant threat of nuclear war must have been weighing on the mind of directors all over the world, because we got 2 famous creatures this year, and one feature that’s so relevant Jordan Peele used it as inspiration for Us. And, of course, the steadying force of Alfred Hitchcock/Marlon Brando duking it out for the top film of the year.
Simple premise right there in the title. Have a lady in a bikini, and some really cooler underwater sequences, and bam, you got yourself a fun little scare flick you can take your best gal to see at a drive in. Steven Spielberg must have loved this film, because he straight up pilfers sequences from this for Jaws and Jurassic Park.
The great Jules Verne novel brought to fun life by Disney, Kirk Douglas, and James Mason. The movie is a marvel for the underwater imagination, with great set design and all manner of undersea animals, including a terrifying giant squid.
Nothing crazy here from Billy Wilder, just a love triangle with Audrey Hepburn vying for the affection of wealthy brothers Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. It’s cute, it’s fun. It’s got stars. What more do you want?
Yes some of the effects are dated and cheesy, but the great lizard had a movie come out about it as recently as a year ago, because of what Godzilla stood for – consequences of mankind’s hubris, and it’s ability to take science and turn it into a weapon. Those themes remain as relevant today as they were in Japan right after the atomic bombs were dropped, giving the lizard its lasting power.
The first of two Grace Kelly/Alfred Hitchcock vehicles this year. Kelly plays Ray Milland’s wife whom he suspects is cheating on her, so in a rage he hires a man to kill her, but Kelly has a way of monkey wrenching the situation by sheer force of will. The final 30 minutes is a fun reveal fest, as Hitchcock enjoys the simplicity of the setting and story before trying something more ambitious higher on this list.
Jordan Peele listed this as an inspiration for his last film. It’s a parable about the side effects of nuclear war: a bunch of mutated gigantic creatures leave their nests under ground and wreak havoc on the people above. Spielberg must have drawn inspiration from this film too, as the movie makes up for janky effects with terrific sound design and very effective use of claustrophobia.
Kenji Mizoguchi’s little masterpiece is one of those fables that must have been passed from generation to generation. Mizoguchi’s forward thinking story shows how the consequences of poor decisions by people in power drastically affect everyone not in power, particularly women and children. It’s a somber realization, but via a well told emotionally powerful saga of a simple quest to put a family back together after it’s torn apart.
Judy Garland was born to sign and entertain. So naturally, she’s the perfect choice to be the young female entertainer on the rise, while James Mason, perpetually 50ish, is also perfectly cast as the aging actor. The pair are also excellent together, taking the lavish spectacle of fame and grounding it in real emotion.
Another brilliantly realized thriller from Mr. Hitchcock. Jimmy Stewart’s cameraman LB Jeffrires, sidelined with a broken leg, passes time by learning the goings on of the apartment building across the street. His girlfriend Grace Kelly objects, but LB becomes more paranoid and insistent when he suspects something foul is afoot. The scenes with Kelly snooping in an apartment while a potential killer is about to arrive is Hitchcock at his finest, scaring the protagonist and us in equal measure.
In a career of amazing performances, Marlon Brando’s On the Waterfront one might be his best. Playing a has been nothing boxer now errand boy, Brando witnesses a murder by Lee Cobb’s crime syndicate, which drags in the beautiful Eva Marie Saint (her first film), forcing the nobody Brando to decide to be somebody. Elia Kazan’s script is almost as great as Brando, with all sorts of morally and rich complex characters generating compelling drama as the movie builds to its climax.
