Comments on: The Best Picture Expansion Project: 1962

By: 75 War Movies to See Before You Die

75 War Movies to See Before You Die — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:15:17 +0000

[...] U.S. intelligence officer. Other stars include Charles Bronson, Robert Ryan and Telly Savalas. 57. The Longest Day – When it comes to war movies set during World War II, it doesnâ€™t get more epic than this. Tells [...]

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:39:41 +0000

I was kidding about Baby Jane but you’re right on about good movies like Long Day’s Journey and Wine and Roses. The film’s are noteworthy for the great acting.

By: Destiny

Destiny — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:23:15 +0000

Thanks for the responses. I had a tough time whittling them down, but I feel very content with my choices. You’re right Michael, I could have spent more time on To Kill a Mockingbird, I assumed everyone knows it so well that whatever comments I could make would be obvious. I considered Days of Wine and Roses and Long Day’s Journey. but I think the acting is more noteworthy than the films themselves.

Maureen, I’m not a huge fan of Pressure Point, it reminds me of No Way Out and I prefer Sidney in his active roles (The Defiant Ones, Edge of the City, In the Heat of the Night) as opposed to his more passive roles (A Patch of Blue, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner).

Baby Jane is great, but not best picture great, and who knew 1962 was such a landmark year for gay themes in Hollywood?

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:29:17 +0000

And who could leave out Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:18:13 +0000

Nice, Doug: I’ll take the Miracle Worker as a cultural milestone–I was beyond fascinated with it as a child, and it still packs a theatrical punch, with some deeply committed acting. In fact, it was an amzing year for American film acting: The same could be said of Days of Wine and Roses–even if we all know more about alcoholism now than then, it’s Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon at their most fierce; and the film of Long Day’s Journey Into Night, even if obviously stagey, has some fascinating, iconic performances from Katherine Hepburn and Jason Robards (and an underappreciated one from Dean Stockwell in an impossible part). And the foreign films include some film-school canonical classics. Jeez–what year!

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:43:27 +0000

Great pics, Destiny! I, too, am a huge Lawrence fan. I also might have included The Miracle Worker in my expansion.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:39:20 +0000

Damn, Destiny–what do I do when I agree with every item? (smile) But you could spend more time on the distinctive, intelligent To Kill a Mockingbird.

Gotta wonder what was happening with gay issues in Hollywood leading up to 1962: Lawrence of Arabia struggled with dealing with its protagonist’s sexuality (only hinted at); Ride the High Country is often read as a gay-coded Western; Advise and Consent traced a terrified and miserably closeted central character (played by the now-forgotten Don Murray, an actor/writer/director with progressive political sympathies). Add a Tennessee Williams screenplay and a key performance by Charles Laughton to the year’s mix, and . . . my, my, my.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:55:44 +0000

Pressure Point with Bobby Darin and Sidney Poitier. This one will stay with you, that’s for sure. Poitier plays chief psychiatrist in a prison and Darin is a neo-Nazi patient. Filmed in black and white, this film is disturbing at a visceral level. Darin is really frightening as this sociopath. I saw this in the theater in my youth and never forgot it. I rented the DVD last year and discovered that it still packs a hell of a psychic punch. You really should see this movie.