Back in the late 1980s, I was first discovering classic science fiction film and was completely taken in by George Pal’s original War of the Worlds film from 1953. I was in my late teens, and as soon as I heard that there was a new series coming along picking up decades after the original…
Tag: . 1953
Roman Holiday (1953) – William Wyler
Following my screening of His Girl Friday for the DK Books fantastic, The Movie Book. I have moved on to the What Else to Watch section of the title, and dove into the one film amongst it that I had not yet covered, Roman Holiday. Starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert, let me…
The Big Heat (1953) – Fritz Lang
The next big title in DK Books’ highly informative and entertaining The Movie Book is Fritz Lang’s iconic film M, which I have previously reviewed, but on the What Else to Watch list I came across a title I had’t seen or reviewed before and was eager to dive into, Lang’s 1953 cop noir Thee…
Stalag 17 (1953) – Billy Wilder
This is a film I had been eager to see, and was glad to see it come up under the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book as a recommendation following my viewing of The Great Escape. My eagerness to see it was twofold, I like Billy Wilder’s work, and Stalag 17 is the…
Doctor Who (David Tennant) – The Idiot’s Lantern and The Impossible Planet
The Doctor (Tennant) and Rose (Billie Piper) are on their way to an Elvis Presley appearance in New York, but instead end up in London, 1953, where the city is preparing for the Queen’s Coronation. But there are a lot more televisions around than there should be for the time, and the Doctor is pulled…
From Here to Eternity (1953) – Fred Zinnemann
An all star cast brings James Jones sprawling book to the big screen, and is my next recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my revisit with Casablanca for the Romance and Melodrama genre. Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine, Claude Akins and Jack Warden bring…
Shane (1953) – George Stevens
“Shane. Shane! Come back! Bye, Shane.” It’s a classic line, but it’s from a film that I had never seen until now, thanks to the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book recommending it following my screening of High Noon. Alan Ladd is the titular character, a weary gunfighter, looking to restart his…
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) – Eugene Lourie
My sci-fi journey continues with the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, as I dive into the first title recommended following a viewing of King Kong, which I’ve previously reviewed here. The most enjoyable aspect of this film, is Ray Harryhausen’s animation of the titular monster, which is vaguely Saurian, but unlike…
War of the Worlds (2005) – Steven Spielberg
I dive back into more HG Wells cinematic adaptations with the Sci-Fi Chronicles book, settling in to rewatch the Spielberg take on the classic invasion tale, done so well in the previously reviewed 1953 film. Spielberg’s updated take on the story is a modern, post 9/11 version which tries to walk the line, mostly successfully between modern sensibilities…
Peter Pan (1953) – Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, & Jack Kinney
The first of the recommendations following Snow White for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film gets underway with 1953’s Peter Pan. J.M. Barrie’s tale of pirates, fairies, children who never grow up, and the boy who leads them comes to animated life in this Disney film. It’s fun, almost lighter fare than Snow White,…
The Mind Reels 