The Movie Journal

  Ace in the Hole (1951) In a world where the trades are able to get away with publishing nasty stories about celebrity breakups or political trades smear their opponents with loony nonsense, Billy Wilder’s cynical, dark 1951 picture Ace in the Hole could not be more relevant in the modern world. Wilder spares no one in his biting, satirical portrayal of the American media institution, which may be a reason why the film received unfair negative reviews upon release. The good guys are the victims while the media and the public are the bad guys. Of course, the trades are the one who writes such sensational journalism. But who eats these stories up? The public! The public absolutely love the celebrity gossip or the next big tragedy. Much hasn’t changed since 1951. In fact, with the advent of social media, sensation in the news has gotten way worse. Wilder’s film is a tightly edited narrative with a strong screenplay and an excellent, fierce performance from Kirk Douglas.   Comi...

  A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) Before director Elia Kazan and superstar Marlon Brando teamed up for the unforgettable On the Waterfront , they worked together on the brilliant film based off Tennessee William’s award-winning play, A Streetcar Named Desire . When the film was released, people branded it as vulgar and immoral along with similar adjectives. The film was heightened due to its sexual tension and dark characters. The move was censored by the Production Code. Kazan valiantly fought to keep his cut intact but ultimately failed. His version was not restored until 1993. This is the kind of film that people were not accustomed to. There is hardly any niceness within our characters. If anything, this is a movie that touches the subjects of domestic abuse and mental illness-two things that were overlooked or not worried about in the 1950’s. This film is a great character study and a powerful film with an ending you shall never forget.   Tennessee Williams wrote the ...

The African Queen (1951) John Huston’s The African Queen is one of those movies that you always hear about. Perhaps you have heard about it so much, you avoided the movie at all costs…much in the way that I did. How on earth could I have missed this film considering I am a major film buff and I am a sucker for these adventure stories. Also, I wonder why it took me so long because the films from the past half-century definitely considered this film a major influence. Maybe not Katherine Hepburn’s finest performance, but I thought the film was fun and funny at times. Of course, why would anyone want to avoid any film with Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart? Considering the film was released in 1951, it can almost be viewed as an independent picture. Most studios passed at the opportunity to finance the movie. Producer Sam Spiegel, who produced many epics over the year, had the script in his hands and offered John Huston the opportunity to direct the film. Unlike most f...

An American in Paris (1951) The 1950’s is known for the bright, colorful MGM musicals that would light up the screen and the faces of the audience. The most well-known is 1952’s Singin in the Rain . But a year earlier, there was a movie that started it all. That movie was An American in Paris . I consider this movie to be one of the most overrated Best Picture winners ever. In its own right, the film is fun and has some great musical numbers. The story, however, is flimsy at best. Is it truly better than A Place in the Sun or A Streetcar Named Desire ? The production design of the film is beyond a 10/10. Vincente Minnelli and his crew took extra care making the film look authentic as possible. The use of Technicolor also gave the film an incredible, dazzling look that I am sure blown away any audience member from that time period. Along with the look of the film, the film itself reach its height during the final 18 minutes- a rich, well-choreographed ballet sequence tha...

A Place in the Sun (1951) 1951’s A Place in the Sun is an extremely well-made movie both emotionally and technically. It’s your quintessential American movie that you often see from the 1950’s. The movie is based off the famous Theodore Dreiser tragedy, “An American Tragedy” which itself is based on true events. That book is well-known for its social commentary and director George Stevens does the best he can to bring the commentary from page to screen. He is mostly successful, but Stevens was very ambitious when it came to this movie. Sadly, Paramount scaled his ambitions with a strict budget. He was still able to deliver an entertaining movie about forbidden love and class struggles. From what I gather, the making of this movie could have been its own movie. Twenty years prior, a version of Dreiser’s novel was filmed and was a disaster for Paramount, so the studio had Stevens on a tight leash. The three main stars are Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Shelley Wi...