1950s

Join us — PeteWright and Andy Nelson — as we wrap up our series on Dean’s three films with George Stevens’ 1956 epic Giant. 

Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our James Dean series with Nicholas Ray’s 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause. 

Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we look back at James Dean’s career, kicking it off with Elia Kazan’s 1955 film East of Eden.

Bette Davis was on a streak of flops and just lost her contract with Warner Bros. when Joseph L. Mankiewicz offered her the role of Margo Channing in his new film All About Eve. She immediately saw it for what it was: an incredible role for a woman of her age in an incredible script. She leapt at the chance. It’s safe to say that by doing so, she created one of her most iconic performances in a film that’s gone on to be praised as one of the greatest of all time. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Bette Davis series with Mankiewicz’s 1950 film All About Eve.

When you think of Akira Kurosawa, it’s easy to connect him to great samurai films like Ran, Throne of Blood, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo and Sanjuro. What’s surprising, however, is that he didn’t make his first samurai film until midway through his filmmaking career. That film, of course, is arguably his greatest film, Seven Samurai, which was released in 1954. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we start up our Seven Samurai Family series with Kurosawa’s masterpiece.

“High Noon” is often cited as one of the greatest westerns ever made, and a lot of that praise is likely because it was so different from other westerns at the time. It was bleak and black-and-white. There was hardly any action in it. And it was a character piece. This story didn’t have to be set in the old west – it could work in many genres (as we’ll explore next week). It’s more about the protagonist and his struggle to stay true to what he believes in the face of incredible odds. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off our Movies and Their Remakes series with Fred Zinnemann’s 1952 classic “High Noon.”

It’s October, which means it’s time for some scares! This year, we’re celebrating with those lovable little children who just are downright bad. Our first film of the series gives us a young girl who turns out to be a malicious killer, but only because it’s her way to get the things that she wants. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we kick off our Naughty Children series with Mervyn LeRoy’s 1956 classic “The Bad Seed.”

James Wong Howe and director Alexander Mackendrick knew right away that to tell this story properly, they really needed to film on the streets of New York City at night. So they did, and in the process created a stunningly gorgeous and dark film noir that feels like it truly lives in the city, not on some Hollywood soundstage. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Black-and-White Cinematography of James Wong Howe series with Mackendrick’s wonderful 1956 film, “Sweet Smell of Success.”

Orson Welles never was one who could direct in the Hollywood studio system without a hitch, and his last studio picture he directed, 1958’s “Touch of Evil,” stands testament to that fact. While the shoot itself went well, the film ran into its issues in post, leaving a truncated version that Welles wasn’t a part of (nor happy with) released on the bottom of a double bill. Now, with a re-edited re-release, the film now stands as not only one of the great films noirs but also as one of Welles’ finest cinematic achievements. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we finish our film noir series with this magnificent, and dark, film.

Released in 1951, Ace in the Hole came out a time when neither the public nor the critics were ready for something like it and it flopped. Hard. But with time, it’s found a new audience and has been canonized as one of Billy Wilder’s greatest achievements. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Film Noir series with “Ace in the Hole.”