Now it is time to dive back into the beginning of a truly fascinating decade when it comes to nearly every aspect of society/culture: the 1960s.
From what I can tell, I don't often hear 1960 brought up as being a great year for cinema...but I think the reason for that is that a lot of the films I find amazing from that year did not come out of Hollywood or even out of England.
This was one of those years, which was actually more frequent than not during the period post-WWII up through the mid-60s, that international cinema reigned supreme.
How much of a reign are we talking for 1960 specifically?
Well, here's a spoiler: only two English-language films are going to be featured on this list of 15...but they are two truly remarkable films.
This isn't to say that all of the output from Hollywood/England was bad. There were some sterling efforts like Peeping Tom, Village of the Damned, and Elmer Gantry just off the top of my head, but I don't necessarily view those as being first rate masterpieces.
This is one of those years that is truly an embarrassment of riches as we get so many wonderful entries from the likes of The French New Wave up through the genteel domestic dramas of South Korea and Japan.
Perhaps the international angle will make this list seem more pretentious, but there are quite a few films on this list that are considered to be quite indelible to cinema lovers.
There are some films I did consider putting on this list but chose to leave off. Those include the three I mentioned above along with Italian Neorealist legend Vittorio De Sica's Two Women, which contains a true tour-de-force from the luminous Sophia Loren; Shoot the Piano Player, the sophomore outing of French New Wave legend Francois Truffaut; Henri-Georges Clouzot's La Verite, a truly gripping French courtroom drama regarding a woman accused of murder; or even Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus.
This is a bloodbath of a list, so much so that looking at the outline below me, I can't believe that I have some of these films ranked below the top 10. THAT is how highly I think of these films.
====================
THE BEST OF 1960:
#15 - ZAZIE DANS LE METRO
Written & Directed by Louis Malle
Co-written by Jean-Paul Rappeneau
My first entry on this list is something of a last-minute addition. There was a period of my life (teenager) where I watched so many films that many of them don't necessarily stick with me over the years.
That isn't to say that this particular film was forgotten, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise when I happened to come across the title and was like "Oh of course!"
Strangely, Louis Malle is one of those filmmakers I don't often discuss as much or bring up when talking about great cinema, and yet, he has a truly wonderful catalog of work.
In the 80s, he has three films that are truly great: Atlantic City, My Dinner with Andre, and Au Revoir les Enfants...and while those may arguably be his most well-known efforts, he has so many wonderful films from earlier in his career that deserve some attention.
The source material, a novel written by Raymond Queneau, was considered to be "unadaptable", and a lot of that was due to the rather surreal and abstract way of storytelling.
You could even argue that the results of the film onscreen are an explosion of chaos and vibrancy that might even lack a little bit of soul at times...but there is such a sense of abandon with this film coming from a place of pure joy.
The film's titular protagonist Zazie, played by Catherine Demongeot, made such an indelible impression in this role...but after only making two more films, she chose to abandon an acting career and became a teacher.
Although years later, legendary author Vladimir Nabokov admitted in the press that he would've loved for Demongeot to play the iconic/infamous titular role of Lolita. One has to wonder what might've been if that had occurred.
_____________________________
#14 - NEVER TAKE SWEETS FROM A STRANGER
Directed by Cyril Frankel
Written by John Hunter
I debated even putting this film on my list, because I am not sure I can say I love it. I do respect this film for how it managed to tackle the concepts of pedophilia/child abuse and attacking the rich who can often use their clout to get away with anything.
Made my British filmmaker Cyril Frankel, the film revolves around a British family (Peter, Sally, and their 9 year old daughter Jean) move to a small Canadian town as he will become a local school principal.
Jean meets a local girl named Lucille and they go for a walk in the woods. When she returns home, she appears to be very bothered about something and reveals that she and Lucille were asked to dance naked for an older man in exchange for candy.
It is revealed that the older man is Clarence Olderberry Sr, who just so happens to be the richest man in town and holds a lot of respect within the community.
Topics surrounding child abuse/pedophilia are not new to artistic endeavors, but it is approached here with such uncompromising force by Frankel. A lot of these vile human beings...and I don't have to name them here as you already know...use their celebrity and wealth to shield truly immoral acts. Never Take Sweets from a Stranger doesn't shy away from that concept. Maybe it is a bit rough around the edges, but I do admire how it simply lays this horrendous issue out for what it is.
______________________________
#13 - BREATHLESS
Written & Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Story by Francois Truffaut
Not to date this post right off the bat, but we will see a boost to this film's profile in 2025 as Richard Linklater's new film Nouvelle Vague (which refers to what we call The French New Wave) will go into the story of the making of Breathless.
To be honest, I don't know much about the making of Breathless, at least not to my knowledge unless it somehow slipped my mind. All I know is that it was a very crucial film, along with Truffaut's The 400 Blows and Alain Resnais' Hiroshima Mon Amour, for starting off The French New Wave.
I do admire Breathless very much and think it has a lot of style, but I am not sure I love it as much as I do the other two films I mentioned (both of which came out in 1959). I also think Godard becomes a far more fascinating filmmaker as the 60s progress and especially once we reach the 70s.
I do love the frenetic nature of it, and it does feel very relaxed in tone even with the jump cuts and youthful vibrancy. It is highly competent film debut, even if it wasn't quite the punch to the gut that The 400 Blows was the year prior for Truffaut.
_____________________________________
#12 - THE APPROACH OF AUTUMN
Directed by Mikio Naruse
Written by Ryozo Kasahara
This marks the first of four Japanese films I will be talking about on this list. I have always felt drawn rather strongly to Japanese films, and honestly a lot of films from Asian filmmakers in general.
While a Japanese filmmaker like Akira Kurosawa was known for tackling bigger epic concepts from time to time, a lot of his contemporaries were drawn to smaller domestic stories that were brimming with a lot of humanity and pathos.
Mikio Naruse doesn't get as much discussion as some of his contemporaries, but he was a wonderful filmmaker who felt comparable to that of Yosujiro Ozu (who we will be hearing from soon).
While works by Naruse (and Ozu for that matter) often tackled societal norms and family dynamics, what makes The Approach of Autumn feel a little more unique is that our main focus is on a young boy named Hideo (Kenzaburō Ōsawa) and his life after his father dies and his aloof mother has him stay with his uncle's family in Osaka.
The scrappy quality of the film suits it rather well, and I find the dynamics of the between and his friend Junko are very charming. I always admire how these films can find beauty in the tiniest of moments, even when dealing with truly tragic subject matter...like a neglectful mother.
_____________________________________
#11 - MACARIO
Written & Directed by Roberto Gavaldon
Co-written by Emilio Carballido
Macario is an icon of Mexican cinema and actually became the first Mexican film to receive an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Language Film; an award it would lose to a film that will (spoiler alert) also be on this list.
The film revolves around the titular Macario, a poor peasant who is eager to find a meal to eat on what is The Day of the Dead. When his wife is able to prepare a meal for him, he is greeted by three visitors: the Devil, God, and Death. All of them want to share the meal that he has been so desperately craving.
There are elements to the film that may make you think of Bergman's The Seventh Seal or even Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel in any way, but there is something truly spellbinding about how it is presented.
All that this man wants to eat a turkey dinner, and in the end, his dream is only partially fulfilled.
The message is blunt, but also simple and timely: the poor will sadly always suffer when they often only ask for so little in return.
_________________________________
#10 - THE NAKED ISLAND
Written & Directed by Kaneto Shindo
We enter the top 10 and we are starting off with a bit of a doozy.
The Naked Island is a film with that is mostly void of dialogue. It feels a lot like it could've been a silent film made over 30 year prior. We meet a poor family living on a rural island located close to Hiroshima. They are the only residents on this tiny island and their means of survival is farming and fishing We watch them do their daily chores and we watch the children play together.
When they get a chance to take a ferry to Onomichi, they get to experience new things such as eating in a modern restaurant, riding a trolley, and seeing the still fairly new invention that is known as a television.
The spark of joy is short-lived, however. The Naked Island may act as something of a visual cinematic poem, but it also deals with such a truly tragic circumstance and how some people don't have the luxury or means to take the time to grieve.
It might not sound up your alley, but it is a truly fascinating and alluring experience, even if it does pack a punch in the end.
_________________________________
#9 - ROCCO & HIS BROTHERS
Written & Directed by Luchino Visconti
Co-written by Suso Cecchi D'Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Massimo Franciosa, & Enrico Medioli
Visconti is one of those directors I always knew about but somehow never saw a lot of his filmography. However, when thinking about a film like Rocco and His Brothers, it is kind of hard to not be compelled to go check out more of his work.
His 1963 film, The Leopard, was yet another key example of an international filmmaker wiping the floor with Hollywood and to be honest, 1963 has got to be one of the weakest years for cinema...particularly from a Hollywood standpoint. But I digress...
While his other films I have seen take on a more opulent style, Rocco & His Brothers is more in line with the Italian neo-realist style of filmmaking that we could see in the works of Roberto Rossellini (Rome: Open City, Stromboli) or Vittorio De Sica (Bicycle Thieves).
When the patriarch of a family passes away, Rocco (Alain Delon), his widowed mother Rosaria (Katina Paxinou), and three younger brothers Simone, Ciro, and Luca have no means to survive on their own so the migrate from Southern Italy to Northern Italy where they have family living in Milan.
While this film could be seen as "the city corrupts the country boys", an angle I wouldn't approve considering I am someone who fled a more rural life for a city life and became significantly happier, I think the film is more fascinating in how it is a character study for observing the personality differences between these brothers.
Rocco is supposed to be the saint of sorts, but it is also to his detriment. Simone is the volatile one and it is Rocco's need to try to keep protecting him that makes you wish he'd grow more of a spine.
And yes, clearly Woody Allen was inspired by this title when he went on to write Hannah & Her Sisters, which I have to admit is one of his best films.
_________________________
#8 - THE VIRGIN SPRING
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Written by Ulla Issakson
When it comes to lists like these, there is usually one thing you can count on: if Ingmar Bergman made a film that year, it will be featured.
The Virgin Spring may not be among his absolute best work, but that is what was so stunning about Bergman in that a lot of his output was so strong that the fact that The Virgin Spring might only barely crack the top 10 of his filmography is quite the impressive feat.
In terms of the plot, it is about as dark as one might expect from Bergman: a father is grappling with how to handle the rape and murder of his young daughter. In fact, Bergman's main inspiration for the film was Akira Kurosawa's 1950 epic Rashomon. Being rather modest, Bergman referred to his film as a "wretched imitation"...which is certainly not the case.
Bergman was always fascinated with ideas of morality and religion. The Virgin Spring is no different, and even taps into themes surrounding paganism and Norse mythology. Here, we see a man of strong faith descend into the deepest pits of hell as he seeks revenge. The late great Max von Sydow is beyond powerful in this role, and he was splendid at tackling characters such as these.
The Virgin Spring may have taken inspiration from Rashomon but it also would eventually inspire Wes Craven to make his breakout 1972 film The Last House on the Left, which while on the level of those other two films, was a very effective and gritty offering to the horror genre.
________________________
#7 - LE TROU
Written & Directed by Jacques Becker
Co-written by Jose Giovanni & Jean Aurel
I have never really been one for prison based films. I am not even that big of a fan of
The Shawshank Redemption if I am being completely honest.
Did I just lose some of you?
Well, for those of you that stayed...
Le Trou is yet another prime example of how French cinema from the mid-20th century was firing on all cylinders as we managed to get the greatest jail-break film ever made. Yes, even over The Great Escape.
Five inmates have gathered to plan their escape from prison. Of the five, we only know in one instance of why they are in prison: Gaspard for attempted murder. We actually don't know a lot about the characters, so for all we know, we could be watching men who went around raping and killing young children.
OR - what if they are wrongly imprisoned?
We don't know. This is where the success of the film is kind of shocking, because we don't know much about any of them and yet they all feel so vivid and real as human beings. Once they begin their escape, you find yourself debating if we should be rooting for their escape or if we want them to get caught.
Great tension and a great enhancement of the claustrophobic setting that truly comes across onscreen.
____________________________
#6 - LATE AUTUMN
Written & Directed by Yosujiro Ozu
Co-written by Kogo Noda
I guess Autumn was a popular theme in Japanese cinema...
It is time for me to jump for joy as I now get the chance to discuss one of the greatest gems of a filmmaker: Yasujiro Ozu.
Perhaps most known for his 1953 opus Tokyo Story, Ozu films might be seen as cheap and lifeless at first glance. That kind of thought couldn't be further from the truth.
Ozu's focus was on societal expectations often surrounding the world of domestic life, particularly how women would often be stifled with the expectation of getting married and the conflicts that arise between older and younger generations.
I also can't help but cheekily comment on how even his titles are simplistic in their approach, often invoking times of day (Good Morning or An Autumn Afternoon) or specifically seasons themselves which include not just Late Autumn but there is an Early Autumn and Late Spring as well.
Late Autumn still continues in his usual themes, but here, a widow (Ozu's muze Setsuko Hara) and her daughter (Yoko Tsukasa) are both facing pressure from men who were close with their husband/father to get married.
Truly infuriating patriarchal subject matter, and yet somehow, Ozu always handles these topics with such grace and simplicity that you are also somehow comforted while watching it. Ozu seemed to be one of the greatest filmmakers of that era how seemed eager to give focus to female characters and knew that there was more underneath the surface than them just being domesticated figures.
I will always be a passionate champion of Ozu, even if some may bemoan all of his static shots and people talking directly to the camera.
_____________________________________
#5 - L'AVVENTURA
Written & Directed by Michelangelo Antonini
Co-written by Elio Bartolini & Tonio Guerra
This is one of those films that has tons of high praise heaped upon it, but it also has quite a few detractors who consider it to be dull and pretentious.
A lot of that stems from the fact that Antonini wanted to tell a story that was heavily focused on the visuals and the mood and allowing everything to breathe. Whenever I hear that kind of comment, I can't help but get a bit anxious at first. I keep thinking about how Martin Scorsese talked about letting Killers of the Flower Moon breathe and I ended up finding that film to be incredibly slow to the point where I was already checking the time two hours in.
L'Avventura is a film that does require a lot of patience. It may move slowly and leave you eager for a jolt in the quiet narrative, but I clearly fall in the camp of people who were utterly entranced by this film.
The core catalyst of L'Avventura begins with Anna (Lea Massari), who goes missing while on a boating trip in the Mediterranean with her lover Sandro (Gabriel Ferzetti) and best friend Claudia (Monica Vitti). While on the search, Sandro and Claudia begin to realize that perhaps the two of them might be falling in love.
Vitti, in particular, is absolutely stunning in this and gives a truly complex and soulful performance as Claudia. It is a shame that we couldn't have seen her get an Oscar nomination for it. Watching her and Ferzetti navigate the complexities of their emotions over someone who may be gone from their lives while finding possible joy in their own is an entrancing experience. Although, as I type it out, I can't help but cheekily think about the relationship of Donna and James on Twin Peaks following the murder of Laura Palmer.
So yes, the themes are similar but those two were certainly no Monica Vitti and Gabriel Ferzetti.
___________________________________
#4 - LA DOLCE VITA
Written & Directed by Federico Fellini
Co-written by Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, & Brunello Rondi
Very few filmmakers are as sumptuous in their approach as Federico Fellini, who often approached his work with a sense of wonder and whimsy and surrealism.
Fellini often addressed stories revolving around people in crisis or thirsting for some kind of identity or purpose which is not that different from some of his contemporaries such as Ingmar Bergman. However, it is that spark of the surreal that he has with more of a subversive satirical slant that makes him stand out as uniquely himself.
La Dolce Vita revolves around a journalist named Marcello (Marcello Mastroianni) who is unsure with what he wants out of life. He loves the life of being around the elite crowds of Rome but is struggling to adapt to a domestic life with his girlfriend. Marcello also isn't exactly a serious journalist, he's closer to the tabloid variety. In fact, a photographer friend of his goes by the name of Paparazzo and it was this prototype of the obtrusive photographer that would lead to the term "paparazzi" becoming part of the lexicon. The style of content he is involved with leads him to want to become a better and more serious writer.
I was a bit too young when I first watched La Dolce Vita. I didn't hate it or anything...I actually was rather fond of it but it did feel a bit foreign to me. For whatever reason, Fellini's 1963 masterpiece 8 1/2 was the one that got to me more strongly but I think that was due to the fact I had some familiarity with the 1982 Broadway musical adaptation of the film which was called Nine so it had that bias going for it even if Fellini's film differed quite a bit from the musical.
When I revisited La Dolce Vita in college, it clicked for me. It felt more real and even devastating and you could truly watch the journey of Marcelo gliding through this glamorous journey in a way that makes you feel swept up in the luxurious cacophony only for it all to fade away and became something jaded and even appalling.
I used to rank Fellini as one of the greatest filmmakers who ever lived. This isn't to say I stopped considering him as one, but I did stop bringing him up a lot in conversations in lieu of other filmmakers I grew to have a fondness for. Now, as I type this, I feel compelled to have a Fellini film marathon where I revisit several of his films (although I did rewatch 8 1/2 back in 2020).
_______________________________________
#3 - THE APARTMENT
Written & Directed by Billy Wilder
Co-written by I.A.L. Diamond
1960 was such a stellar year that a film like The Apartment stood out like a beacon when it won the Oscar for Best Picture. It also helped that my #1 and #2 choices were snubbed for a nomination, but on its own merits, The Apartment is pretty close to perfect.
In my early days of film obsession, I do recall their being online discourse about The Apartment as a Best Picture winner but this is simply unwarranted in my eyes. Romantic films, comedic or not, can be very tricky to pull off due to the many expectations that many have built up around them.
I do love when these films can truly tap into the pathos, which was something Charlie Chaplin had done in a lot of his work such as City Lights, but Billy Wilder was a master in pretty much every genre he tackled. He could do film-noir and farcical comedies and small character studies in a way that none of his Hollywood contemporaries could do.
The Apartment is a beacon for the romance genre and contains one of the finest scripts ever written for the screen. It also doesn't hurt that Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are one of the greatest cinematic duos, with her in particular giving one of my favorite performances of that era. The fact she was robbed of an Oscar for her work as Fran Kubelik is one of my top selections for worst Oscar losses in history (see my Best Actress ranking placement for Liz Taylor in Butterfield 8 for more on that debacle).
Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, a lowly insurance clerk who is hoping to climb the corporate latter and in doing so, offers to let his superiors use his apartment for their extramarital affairs (If you are a musical theatre person, yes, this film was the basis for the 1968 Burt Bacharach adaptation Promises, Promises).
At the office, Baxter becomes infatuated with the elevator operator Fran but realizes that she is one of the mistresses of the Head of Personnel, played by Fred MacMurray. The scene in which Jack Lemmon makes this connection for the first time has got to be one of my favorite reveals, twists, call backs, and story beats I have ever seen in a film.
I don't want to say much if you haven't seen it, but just the simple image of a broken mirror and Shirley MacLaine saying she likes it because it makes her look the way she feels...
What brilliant writing!
____________________________________
#2- WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS
Directed by Mikio Naruse
Written by Ryozo Kikushima
Naruse strikes again, only this time with his finest work. What a stellar year for him; it sort of reminds me of 2021 when fellow Japanese filmmaker Rysuke Hamaguchi struck gold with Drive My Car but also released the lovely anthology film Wheel of Fortune & Fantasy which also made my top 10 that year.
Keiko, played by Hideko Takamine, is a 30-year-old widow who works as a hostess in a bar but she isn't referred to by name when the men come into the establishment, instead she is called "Mama".
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs is almost like a sister film to the works of Ozu, but it feels a bit more blunt at times. Ozu was always interested in repeating themes in his films, usually with actress Setsuko Hara, of how Japanese society wanted to keep women in their traditional domesticated boxes and how perhaps that wasn't exactly the way it should. Those films would feel like an attack on the patriarchy but in a way that didn't feel like a sledgehammer.
This film, however, flirts more with that sharper edge but does it in a way that feels very grounded in a bleak reality. Hideko Takamine gives a heartbreaking performance as she is a woman who spends her life catering to the men who see her is a happy, nurturing figure and not much else. Perhaps they see her as a sex symbol, as evidenced by the flirting and the marriage proposals.
Keiko is stuck in a vicious cycle and it just seems like she can't find a way to get out of it. Even when it seems like she has a way to get out, does she TRULY have a way to escape it?
Perhaps not, sometimes all we can do is ascend the stairs and put on a happy face.
An underrated masterpiece that is one of the most intricate character studies I have seen.
_____________________________________
#1 - PSYCHO
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Joseph Stefano
It isn't lost on me that Psycho is likely the one film on this list that most people have seen, even those who aren't the most ardent of film buffs. So much about the film has slipped into the social consciousness in that even if you haven't seen the film, you likely have seen someone doing a stabbing motion with shrieking to mimic the iconic sound of the violins used in Bernard Herrmann's tour-de-force musical score.
For 1960, Psycho was huge deal for what it was able to accomplish in its storytelling. It may seem a bit tame by today's standards, but it still holds up remarkably well. I'd say perhaps the only real questionable thing is how much they spell out the character backstory at the end when they have a psychologist basically going beat by beat to explain why Norman Bates is the way he is. I tend to forgive it considering this was approaching uncharted territory with the complexity of the storytelling. By the same token, you could say that the ideas around trans identity or DID are not handled well here, but it is also something to take into account considering the time period it is taking place in.
This was still Hollywood in the waning days of the Hays Code. In a few short years, the tides would change greatly but a film like Psycho does plant a seed of sorts. The fact that Psycho could manage to skirt by the censors as smoothly as it did is a major win and I can only imagine the fact that it was Hitchcock helped the film go as far as it did.
While the film may be over 60 years old, I don't want to spoil anything for you...although I have to commend this film for the structure. The film starts off as being about Janet Leigh's character Marion but then becomes a film about Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates.
It is a misdirect that still hits hard and feels jarring in the best possible way. I don't think any other film has truly managed to have such a plot twist relatively early in the film and have it pay off in spades. Although you could say that the film has two plot twists, but I'd argue that the second one is more obvious.
Psycho was a low-budget black & white effort from The Master of Suspense. It feels like he essentially made a very classy version of a B-movie that might deal with gruesome subject matter, but it is rather sophisticated in pretty much every respect.
___________________________________
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I am not as happy with this list as I have been some of the others I've made if I am being honest. It isn't because of the quality of the films but rather due to the fact I truly struggled with my top 10 and the order. I strongly debated putting all of the films in the top 5 at #1 for one reason or another but opted to go for the film that had the biggest effect on me when I first viewed it.
This has got to be not only one of the strongest lists I will make when doing these "Best of" rankings, but that top 5 for me is absolute top tier. I am not truly making the claim that any film can truly be perfect, but when it comes to attain something close to perfection, I think this top 5 truly comes to that level of greatness.
Psycho may lack some of the visual exuberance or chaos that something like La Dolce Vita has or the whimsy and pathos of The Apartment...but it did wow 12 year old me when I first saw it and it holds up remarkably well to repeated viewings. It was made on a low budget and Hitchcock ringed every little bloody drop out of it...or rather Bosco Chocolate Syrup, if you know the behind-the-scenes stories.
1960 is yet another deceptively strong year for cinema that I don't think gets discussed enough, but I do think that is mainly due to the fact that most of the output that excelled that year (much like throughout the 1950s) was from international filmmakers.
I will be back again soon to discuss some other years of cinema. I may try to talk about 1985 and 1995, not so much because I think they were stellar years on par with 1960 or 1975 but they are both celebrating their 40th and 30th anniversaries and I do have a few films from each year that I do think very highly of.
Keep an eye out for those!
No comments:
Post a Comment