Onibaba  Dir. Kaneto Shindo (Japan, 1964)
This film made a lasting impression on me when I first saw it at the cinema as a student. Having  revisited it on DVD fairly recently, I was not disappointed. Set in medieval Japan, at a time of civil war, this is a bleak, horrific and erotic tale that portrays mankind at its most base level. It is extraordinarily atmospheric and impressively filmed.

The Battle of Algiers  Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo (Italy/Algeria, 1966)
A impressively realistic depiction of the war of independence fought between the Algerians and the French between 1954 and 1962. The film was made in the style of a documentary and apparently no newsreel footage was used. As the film is concerned with urban terrorism, counter-insurgency and the use of torture, it is as relevant now as it has ever been.

Bonnie and Clyde  Dir. Arthur Penn (USA, 1967)
Based on the true story of the Barrow gang of bank robbers in the American Depression, this film had an enormous impact when first released and became a major influence on modern cinema. It had a memorable cast which included Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and Gene Hackman. Although, by the standards of the day, it was undoubtedly amoral and violent,  it is nevertheless a film of great style.

The Graduate  Dir. Mike Nichols (USA, 1967)
A strong candidate for my all-time favourite. I saw it in London, shortly after its release in this country, and remember the audience breaking into applause at the famous scene near the end when Benjamin makes his dash for freedom. This is the only occasion that I have known this happen during the course of a film. Although The Graduate was very much a film of the Sixties, capturing the youthful rebellion of the times and featuring the wonderful Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack, it has stayed the course. This is because it is funny, cynical, brilliantly acted (Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft) and directed with originality and style by Mike Nichols, who won the Best Director Oscar.  

If…  Dir. Lindsay Anderson (UK, 1968)
This is another film that captured the rebelliousness of Sixties’ youth, although this was more revolution than rebellion. Malcolm McDowell stars as the leader of the teenage rebels against the repressive and corrupt system in their public school. I was at university when I first saw it and its raw power brought back to me how much I had disliked my own school. It is a complex film, moving between realism and surrealism, reality and fantasy, and monochrome and colour. Nevertheless, it is a classic; a genuinely subversive work, where the school can be seen as representative of British society as a whole.

Kes  Dir.  Ken Loach (UK, 1969)
Another film about a British schoolboy, but this is a far cry from If… Here the main protagonist is a teenager from a poor, working-class family in Barnsley. He manages to find freedom and fulfilment in his otherwise miserable and hopeless life by stealing a young kestrel and training it in secret. There is one hilarious scene, where the PE teacher lives out his fantasies by playing football with his pupils, but otherwise, this is sad little film of great humanity made by the wonderful Ken Loach who is still making good films in his mid-seventies.

L’Armée Des Ombres  Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville (France, 1969)
A tribute to the French Resistance to the German Occupation during the Second World War, written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville who was himself a member of the “Army of Shadows”. This is  a moving, sombre film which, although made in an understated way, is nevertheless full of suspense.

The Wild Bunch  Dir. Sam Peckinpah (USA, 1969)
Highly controversial when first released, on account of its violence, this has become a cinema classic. The violence is essential to the film and is not glorified. Of the three great Westerns contained in my selection for the sixties, this is, in my opinion, the best, possibly because it is far from typical of its genre. Like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, it is elegiac in tone. The central characters are a gang of outlaws, operating in America at about the time of the First World War, and can be viewed as the last of their breed. Sam Peckinpah directed with great style. 

Z  Dir. Costa-Gavras (Algeria/France, 1969)
Based on real events, this is about a political assassination that took place in Greece six years before the film was made and was then the subject of a cover-up by the authorities. A brilliant and moving thriller, it won a Best Foreign Film Oscar. I remember leaving the cinema, when I first saw it, seething with anger. The impact was not lessened when I saw it again several years later.

Midnight Cowboy  Dir. John Schlesinger (USA, 1969)
The British director, John Schlesinger’s take on the underbelly of New York. This is the story of a handsome, but dim, young Texan (played by Jon Voight), who thinks he is going to earn a fortune as a gigolo, and his friendship with a crippled and sickly con-man ( Dustin Hoffman). This is a buddy movie where the buddies are the dregs of society. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. The acting of the two leads is memorable. This was Dustin Hoffman’s second film role and the contrast with the character he played in The Graduate could not have been greater.

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I am listing my 20 favourite films released during the 1960s. As with the pre-1960 list, I am not going to attempt to itemise them in anything other than date order and those mentioned are films I have either seen or revisited in the past few years or are otherwise deeply etched in my memory.

The Apartment Dir. Billy Wilder (USA, 1960)

The winner of five Oscars, including Best Film and Best Director, this is a bitter-sweet comedy from the great Billy Wilder, with outstanding performances from Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.

The Magnificent Seven Dir. John Sturges (USA, 1960)

Although it is very closely based on Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai, this can be viewed on its own merits as one of the best westerns ever made. The story lends itself very well to the Wild West and the cast is terrific. Supporting Yul Brynner were several charismatic actors at an early stage of their careers, including Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and James Coburn.

Yojimbo Dir. Akira Kurosawa (Japan, 1961)

Kurosawa fans, bemused by my previous selection, may take some comfort from the inclusion of this film starring Toshiro Mifune as a Samurai for hire. It was also subsequently adapted as a famous western, A Fistful of Dollars.

To Kill A Mockingbird Dir. Robert Mulligan (USA, 1962)

A faithful adaptation of a classic novel about an attorney in the Deep South defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. Gregory Peck, as the attorney, was perfectly cast and deservedly won a Best Actor Oscar. This is a very powerful and moving film and would probably be included in my personal Top Ten.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Dir. John Ford (USA, 1962)

This is another western but is one that transcends the genre, so that it can be enjoyed even by those who do not normally like “cowboy films”. It is an elegy for the passing of the old West and is a study of the creation and preservation of its myths. With John Ford as director and James Stewart and John Wayne as its stars, it is a true classic.

Whatever Happened To Baby Jane Dir. Robert Aldrich (USA, 1962)

A weird and wonderful combination of psychological thriller and black comedy, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford as two elderly sisters who share a house. The Davis character is clearly unhinged and wages a campaign of terror against Crawford. The film is totally over the top but hugely entertaining.

The Manchurian Candidate Dir. John Frankenheimer (USA, 1962)

An intelligent, scary political thriller in which the tension builds to a terrific climax. The excellent cast is headed by Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury.

Lawrence Of Arabia Dir. David Lean (UK, 1962)

Arguably the greatest historical epic movie, this runs for over 3½ hours yet it never palls. It should, ideally, be seen on a big screen, in order to appreciate fully the wonderful cinematography. The film launched the international film careers of Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif. The way the latter first appears out of the desert haze is one of the great moments of cinema. The film won seven Academy Awards, including those for Best Film, Director and Cinematography.

Tom Jones Dir. Tony Richardson (UK, 1963)

Adapted by John Osborne from Henry Fielding’s eighteenth-century novel, this bawdy comedy is great fun. Albert Finney is superb in the title role. It won Oscars for Best Film, Director and Screenplay.

Dr Strangelove Dir. Stanley Kubrick (UK, 1964)

A brilliant political satire about the Cold War and the possibility of a nuclear Armageddon, this film is very funny yet disturbing at the same time. Comedy doesn’t get much blacker than this. Three of the leading roles are played by Peter Sellers.

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Each part, lasting an hour and a half, was an adaptation of a Henning Mankell novel. These were, in order: Faceless Killers, The Man Who Smiled and The Fifth Woman.

Kurt Wallander is a depressed, middle-aged Swedish detective whose life is a mess. He is divorced,  lives alone and has a father who suffers from dementia. The bleakness of his life is matched by that of the landscape in which he is often seen. The murder cases in which he is involved are always grisly. This may not sound too promising but it added up to compulsive viewing.

Kenneth Branagh’s performance, in the title role, of a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown is very impressive and the regular supporting cast is consistently good.

The BBC has clearly lavished time and money on this series. It contrasted strongly with the recent ITV offering, Above Suspicion, a 3-part serial by Lynda La Plante that was shown on consecutive nights. I only watched it to the end because I was ill and did not have the energy to do anything more taxing. I wish I had not bothered.

The previous series of Wallander won the 2009 Best Drama Series BAFTA. It would not surprise me if the second series won the award for this year, unless there is a rule prohibiting this. 

For anyone who missed Wallander, the first series is available on DVD and the second series is, I understand, due for release early next month.

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For the uninitiated, The Wire is a cult American TV drama, based in the city of Baltimore, that was first shown in the US in 2002. It has been seen on the FX channel over here, of which I was until very recently unaware, but did not make an appearance on terrestrial television until 30th March 2009. For a programme that received such huge critical acclaim in the States, I find this  delay extraordinary. To make matters worse, it was assigned the graveyard slot of 11.20pm, although this is not altogether surprising in view of its strong language and violence.

The first series is concerned primarily with the police investigation of a major drug gang and, indeed, the police and the city’s drug problem figure prominently in all of the subsequent series. The latter, however, also look at other aspects of city life including the docks, local politics, the education system and the press. The overall picture is one of a city in decay, where corruption is rampant.

With a total of 60 episodes, The Wire is an epic in which the writers have been able to develop plots and characters in impressive detail. Possibly the most striking aspect of it is the realism, and this is presumably due to the fact that the creator, David Simon, is a former police reporter with the Baltimore Sun newspaper, and the other principal writer, Ed Burns, is a former Baltimore police detective and also a teacher.  Indeed, so realistic is the dialogue that quite a lot of it will not be understood by a British viewer, particularly the street slang of the black drug dealers. It is the language you might hear if you were on the dealing corners of West Baltimore. This might have deterred many potential viewers. That would have been a great pity. I found that I could follow the gist of what was being said even if I could not understand every word. Moreover, the more you watch, the greater becomes your comprehension. After about three series, I realised that I could make viewing easier by using the subtitles facility on my television.

The Wire also presumes that its audience is intelligent. It does not spell things out several times to ensure the viewer understands what is going on. Not a scene is wasted, so one has to be alert the whole time. If you miss a scene, a lot that follows may not make sense. It certainly helped me to watch recordings of the programme so that I could rewind where elucidation was necessary. Moreover, it is not a series of self-contained programmes; The Wire is actually a serial, so one cannot afford to miss a single episode. Again, although there are five series (or seasons), the themes and central characters continue from one series to the next. Thus, to enjoy The Wire fully it is necessary to begin with episode 1 of season 1 and watch all the episodes sequentially. With 60 episodes, that is a significant undertaking.

Is it worth it? In my opinion, it undoubtedly is. The Wire is truly epic in scope, scathing in its depiction of the death of the American Dream and brilliantly made. It has been described as the greatest drama series ever shown on television, and I would not argue with that. I had never seen anything quite like it and was hooked from the beginning.

If, like nearly all my friends, you missed it on TV, I suggest that you buy or borrow the DVDs. All five seasons are available in a box set.*

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Rating  ****

Singin’ In The Rain

Roman Holiday Dir. William Wyler (USA, 1953)
A classic romantic comedy starring Gregory Peck and the utterly delicious Audrey Hepburn.

On The Waterfront Dir. Elia Kazan (USA, 1954)
A very powerful drama with Marlon Brando in one of his best roles (“I coulda been a contender…”).

Bad Day At Black Rock  Dir. John Sturges (USA, 1955)
The tension is gripping in a film, starring Spencer Tracy, which a cross between a western and a thriller.

The Ladykillers  Dir. Alexander Mackendrick  (UK, 1955)
A black comedy from Ealing Studios starring Alec Guinness and a terrific supporting cast, including Peter Sellers.

Pather Panchali  Dir. Satyajit Ray (India, 1955)
Any lover of world cinema should see this film, the first in the famous Apu trilogy. This is a deeply moving and poetic work. Having seen it, you will, hopefully, want to watch the other two,    Aparajito  and The World of Apu (in that order). An unforgettable experience.

The Night Of The Hunter  Dir. Charles Laughton (USA, 1955)
A weird, scary thriller starring Robert Mitchum as an evil psychopath. This was, apparently, the only film directed by the actor, Charles Laughton. Not a success at the time of its release, it has grown in stature with the passage of time.

The Seventh Seal  Dir. Ingmar Bergman (Sweden, 1957)
A medieval knight plays chess with Death, with his soul at stake, in this metaphysical masterpiece. It is far more entertaining than it sounds.

The Sweet Smell Of Success  Dir. Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)
With this film, Alexander Mackendrick moved from English black comedy (see The Ladykillers above) to American film noir, and they don’t come much darker than this. This is a fascinatingly unpleasant movie with outstanding performances by Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.

Some Like It Hot  Dir. Billy Wilder (USA, 1959)
This is a strong contender for the best film comedy ever made. Written and directed by Billy Wilder and starring Marilyn Monroe (combining innocence and sexiness), Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon (both hilarious in drag), this is a film of the highest pedigree. It also contains one of the funniest final lines.

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Here are my twenty favourite films released before 1960. I am not going to attempt to list them in anything other than date order. Those mentioned are films I have either seen or revisited in the past few years or are otherwise deeply etched in my memory.

It Happened One Night Dir. Frank Capra (USA, 1934)
That rare beast, a romantic comedy that is genuinely funny. There’s good chemistry between the two stars, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, and the venerable age of the film serves to increase the charm factor.

His Girl Friday Dir. Howard Hawks (USA, 1940)
Probably my favourite screwball comedy. Fast-paced, terrific dialogue and two engaging stars, Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.

Citizen Kane Dir. Orson Welles (USA, 1941)
Widely regarded as the best film ever made, it is undoubtedly a cinema classic. This study on the corrupting influence of power was years ahead of its time.

Sullivan’s Travels Dir. Preston Sturges (USA, 1941)
A social comedy that takes a serious turn. This is, I think, the only film by the satirical film-maker, Preston Sturges, that I have seen. It is an omission that I hope to rectify.

Brief Encounter Dir. David Lean (UK, 1945)
Cut-glass accents, stiff upper lips, terribly British and Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto. It is so easy to mock but, if one gives one’s cynicism a rest, this is actually a desperately romantic and moving film.

It’s A Wonderful Life Dir. Frank Capra (USA, 1946)
A classic film, starring the great James Stewart, that is frequently shown on TV at Christmas. Although it is sentimental and whimsical,  it is also a film of depth that explores the issue of one’s significance in the world.

Bicycle Thieves Dir. Vittoria De Sica (Italy, 1947)
This masterpiece from the Italian neo-realism movement provides an enormous contrast with the last movie. It is a simple film, using non-professional actors and shot in the streets of Rome, about a father, accompanied by his young son searching for the thief who stole his bicycle, without which he is unable to work in the poverty-stricken city. Possibly my favourite film. See it and weep.

The Third Man Dir. Carol Reed (UK, 1949)
A brilliantly made film noir with a screenplay by Graham Greene and starring the two principal actors from Citizen Kane, Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles.

Sunset Boulevard Dir. Billy Wilder (USA, 1950)
A bitter satire on Hollywood, directed by the brilliant Billy Wilder, who also co-wrote the sharply witty dialogue. With memorable performances by Gloria Swanson and William Holden, this film deserves its high reputation.

High Noon Dir. Fred Zinnemann (USA, 1952)
One of the best westerns ever made, it transcends the genre. Gary Cooper is magnificent in the role of the sheriff, albeit a bit old for the part.

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To be continued

8½ Dir. Federico Fellini (Italy, 1963)
This was ranked 9th in the most recent (2002) Critics’ poll of the Top Ten films conducted by the highly prestigious Sight & Sound. In the Directors’ poll, it was ranked 3rd. It won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film.  The subject-matter is a film director’s loss of creativity but the storyline is hard to discern. I’ve tried watching it twice and had to give up both times out of a combination of boredom and irritation at Fellini’s self-indulgence.

A Bout de Souffle (Breathless) Dir. Jean-Luc Godard (France, 1960)
This homage to American gangster movies is one of the best-known films of the French New Wave. I saw this for the first time about 45 years after it was first released and this may be the reason I found it so disappointing. The Nouvelle Vague introduced revolutionary techniques and is of considerable importance in the history of the cinema. Unfortunately, it seems to me that if you strip away the historical significance, this is a rather poor film. The story is weak and the characters evoke little sympathy or, indeed, interest.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Dir. Blake Edwards (USA, 1961)
This is possibly the film that disappointed me most. I have been a devoted Audrey Hepburn fan since my teens but somehow only got round to seeing this film within the last few years. It is so well-known and popular that I thought I was bound to enjoy it. Certainly, Audrey looked gorgeous and the poster of her in the role is iconic. Her character, however, is intensely annoying and failed to elicit any sympathy. For me, the film had neither wit nor charm. I suspect that it has aged badly.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Dir. Ang Lee (Taiwan, 2000)
Winner of over 40 awards, including an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, I think this film is  hugely overrated. Although I am not a lover of Kung Fu movies, I thought I would enjoy this in view of the praise lavished on it and because Ang Lee is one of my favourite directors. I was very disappointed. Whilst it is beautifully filmed, I find flying martial artists hard to take, besides which the film is rather boring.

The Ipcress File Dir. Sidney J. Furie (UK, 1965)
This is different to the other films mentioned in this blog as I enjoyed it enormously when it was first released. It is based on the spy thriller by Len Deighton and it gave Michael Caine one of his best-known roles. Indeed, I recall seeing it again many years later and still rating it highly. I then made the mistake of recommending it to my son and daughter-in-law when it was being shown on television about 18 months ago, while they were staying with us for a few days. I was saddened at how badly it had dated; the dialogue was stilted, some of the acting wooden and the characters stereotypes.

Jules et Jim Dir. Francois Truffaut (France, 1962)
This is one of those films I wished I enjoyed but, regretfully, do not. It is an undoubted classic of the French New Wave and was made by a director whose work I admire. The story concerns a love triangle in which two best friends both fall for the same woman. My problem with the film is, again, the character of the woman, played by Jeanne Moreau. She is intended to come across as unpredictable but, to me, just seems unbalanced. I have seen this film on two occasions about 30 years apart. Time had not increased its appeal.

Last Year in Marienbad Dir. Alain Resnais (France, 1961)
This is regarded as a masterpiece by many critics and it won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1961. It is arguably the ultimate art house movie. It could certainly never have mass appeal. Often described as enigmatic, I find incomprehensible. Apparently, the director said it had no meaning. It therefore seems to me to be pointless trying to find one. This is possibly the most tedious and pretentious film I have ever seen.

Mon Oncle Dir. Jacques Tati (France, 1958)
This won numerous awards, including an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, and was the second film in which Tati played his famous creation, Monsieur Hulot. There is very little dialogue, the humour being entirely visual. The humour is gentle in nature but, unfortunately, I didn’t find it particularly funny. It also suffers from having not much plot.

She’s Gotta Have It Dir. Spike Lee (USA, 1986)
Spike Lee’s debut film, set in an African-American community, is about a girl trying to make up her mind as to which of her three suitors she might want to settle down with. It is a well-known and critically-acclaimed film but I fail to understand why. The acting is generally poor, the story weak   but, far worse, it is a comedy which simply is not funny.

Tokyo Story Dir. Yasujiro Ozu (Japan, 1953)
This was ranked 5th in the latest Sight & Sound Critics’ poll of the Top Ten films. It is a meditative film about the indifference shown to elderly parents by their adult children. It is with some embarrassment that I admit to not enjoying this film. I find the pace far too slow. The film requires a large amount of patience and I was found wanting in this regard on the two occasions I tried to watch it. Possibly I will be third time lucky.

In the film, Eastwood plays an embittered and racist Korean War veteran who is estranged from modern society and the neighbourhood in which he has continued to live, despite the growing immigrant population. He is, however, an essentially decent man who, whilst intolerant of the Asian family who live next door, comes to their defence when they are threatened by local gangs. He thereby reluctantly becomes a hero in the eyes of the Asian community and the family’s kindness to him brings about the misanthrope’s redemption.

Although Clint appears to be in remarkably good shape for a 78 year old, his performance is rather creaky. The persona he has adopted is similar to that of the boxing trainer he played in Million Dollar Baby. The role also has strong echoes of Dirty Harry. Unfortunately it often came across as a caricature of his former self (perhaps deliberately, but I’m not convinced) and the excessive spitting, growling and scowling became a little tedious. It has apparently been suggested that he may be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for the role. If that were to happen, it would be inappropriate, albeit in keeping with the sentimentality associated with the Academy Awards.

At his best, Eastwood is a natural screen actor with great charisma. I remember the late Dilys Powell, possibly the best film critic of her day, being greatly impressed by his talent. It is, therefore, a shame that, after such a long career, his final performance should be so mannered.

The film itself is a real curate’s egg. First, the bad bits. The development of the plot is largely predictable. There is a post-climactic scene (which I won’t describe as it might spoil the ending) that is horribly hackneyed. There is also a scene, in which Eastwood teaches his young Asian neighbour how to communicate with other men in a masculine fashion, which simply does not work. The moral of the film, the need for tolerance (literally, love thy neighbour) is handled with a lack of subtlety. Finally, Clint’s attempt at singing, over the closing credits, is embarrassing.

The good bits include a fair sprinkling of humour; an impressive performance by Ahney Her, as the daughter of the Asian family; and an ending which may not be what one anticipated. Moreover, despite its faults, the film is certainly entertaining and I’m pleased I saw it.

Rating: ****

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