Nominees: Ugetsu, Old Czech Legends, Roman Holiday, Shane, The Wages of Fear, Earrings of Madame de… The Naked Spur, The Big Heat, The Wild Geese, I Vitelloni, Él
Oscars pick: From Here to Eternity
Nominees: Julius Caesar, The Robe, Roman Holiday, Shane
The Japanese invasion continues with two towering artistic achievements, Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu, which is the story of a man who falls in love with a vengeful ghost, and Yasujirô Ozu's Tokyo Story – a quiet, heartbreaking story of an older couple who are seen as burdensome by their children and their spouses. It offers little that we haven’t already seen from Ozu. As with Late Spring, there’s the same strange composition that breaks continuity, coupled with narrative ellipses – all of which makes it a challenging visual effort. You get many of the same actors, giving similar performances and the theme that life is about undergoing change, with the old giving way to the new. Despite the familiarity, it's a great motion picture.
Other highlights of the year: Brando showed his range by taking on Shakespeare in Julius Caesar. Jimmy Stewart continued to show he was more than a homespun nice guy in another dark Anthony Mann western, The Naked Spur. The Western in general continued its ascension in the 50s, with the enduring classic, Shane, starring Alan Ladd as the legendary gunfighter drawn back into the violence he'd hoped to leave behind. Max Ophüls shows off his trademark tracking shots in the romantic tragedy The Earrings of Madame De... and Henri-Georges Clouzot directs the cynical and suspenseful The Wages of Fear.
I adore Roman Holiday, -which introduced most Americans to that enchanting sprite, Audrey Hepburn- and number it as one of my favorite films. It might be a fluffy romantic comedy, but it’s a special one.
And while I liked Oscars pick From Here to Eternity well enough, the films from Japan were the year's best, with Tokyo Story earning the Felix.
Honorable Mentions:
Jack Hawkins, The Cruel Sea * Chishū Ryū, Tokyo Story * Pedro Armendariz, El Bruto * James Stewart, The Naked Spur * John Gielgud, Julius Caesar * Marlon Brando, The Wild One & Julius Caesar * Masayuki Mori, Ugetsu * John Wayne, Hondo * Trevor Howard, The Heart of the Matter * Montgomery Clift, From Here to Eternity * Yves Montand & Charles Vanel, The Wages of Fear
Honorable Mentions:
Danielle Darieux, The Earrings of Madame de… * Harriet Andersson, Sawdust and Tinsel & Summer with Monika * Machiko Kyo, Gate of Hell & Ugetsu * Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday * Maria Schell, The Heart of the Matter * Katy Jurado, El Bruto * Jean Simmons, Young Bess * Chieko Higashiyama, Tokyo Story * Gloria Grahame, The Glass Wall
Supporting Actor: Jack Palance, Shane
