best film: Early Summer from Ozu. The Japanese master made one of the best films of 1949 (Late Spring) and two years later he improves upon it ever so slightly (he’d do the same thing again two years later here with Tokyo Story in 1953). One noticeable major advance in Ozu’s style is his heavy use of Japanese Shoji panel doors/walls to frame and layer his mise-en-scene. It’s a thing of beauty that I haven’t read previously from any critic. Early Spring is the middle film in the Noriko trilogy (Late Spring the first one, Tokyo Story the third).
Ozu’s second extremely accomplished finale—we have a final shot of gorgeously layered mise-en scene (here in an Uncle smoking a pipe with the outdoors behind him) and then the shot of a bride walking through the fields of barley then just the barley with the wind. I’m up for a debate- but I believe it is the signature shot in Ozu’s career
a family portrait- fitting for an auteur who spent a career largely doing just that
most underrated: It is Wyler again in this category with Detective Story. Welles’ Othello is ranked at least 400 slots too low by the consensus and Early Summer is another option, too. On top of being the best film of the year the TSPDT consensus has Ozu’s work at #515 of all-time and I have it in my top 100 (#80). Yet, Detective Story can’t find a home at all on the consensus critic’s list (even in the expanded top 2000) so that’s ultimately my choice for the category here for 1951.
the most overlooked film of 1951– Wyler’s Detective Story-— and one of two Kirk Douglas-led films that land in the top seven of the year
most overrated: Miracle in Milan from De Sica at #544 is far too lofty for me. My disclaimer here is that I’ve seen the film once—and after one pass, I thought it was a fine film, but couldn’t help but feel tremendously disappointed that he had taken such a stylistic vacation from his neo-realist roots. This is a fantasy film.
it is a very fine film- but De Sica’s Miracle in Milan is ranked too high by the consensus and feels like a bit of a betrayal of De Sica’s neorealist roots
gem I want to spotlight: I’m cheating and picking three films here that I couldn’t find a spot for in my top 10 but are films I go back to very often. The Thing From Another World is inferior to the 1982 remake by Carpenter but it is wildly entertaining I’d be fine putting it in the back half of any year’s top 10. A Christmas Carol from Charles Dickens has been adapted to the screen countless times and this is easily the best version and I come back to it over during Christmas. Many fine actors have tried to top it (and come before it) but Alastair Sim is the best Scrooge. Lastly, I’m a big admirer of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland and think it is a perfect marriage of source material and adapted film. It’s underrated in the Disney pantheon and doesn’t get mentioned often enough with the likes of the films from Disney’s early heyday (1930’s/40’s), the resurgence in the 90’s, and Dreamworks era beyond that.
The Thing From Another World is inferior to the 1982 remake by Carpenter but it is wildly entertaining
trends and notables:
- The headline for 1951 is the continued dominance of Japan. For 1949 Late Spring could have easily been the best film of the year, 1950 was Kurosawa, 1951 it is Ozu… and.. spoiler alert—but this will continue on in the early 1950’s
- Secondly to Ozu topping the year in cinema is Marlon Brando and the shift in the paradigm for acting technique. Clift (here as well in 1951 with a great performance) may have started it—but Brando in the early 1950’s is the straw that stirs the drink. It is method acting, emotion over technique, and heavy improvisation. Brando in Streetcar is important.
Brando in the early 1950’s is the straw that stirs the drink. It is method acting, emotion over technique, and heavy improvisation. Brando in Streetcar is important.
- I still have some work to do on his 1940’s films but as of 2020 when writing this 1951 film (Summer Interlude) marks the first archiveable film for Ingmar Bergman. He would basically go on to show up every year in the yearly archives for the next 30 years (with Saraband following later). He makes a strong claim to the title of “greatest director of all-time”.
I still have some work to do on his 1940’s films but as of 2020 when writing this 1951 film (Summer Interlude) marks the first archiveable film for Ingmar Bergman
I had held the theory that it took awhile for Bergman visually— evidence here may point to the possibility that I don’t know what I’m talking about
- 1951 is an important year for color cinema. 1950 had zero near the top of the year and 1951 gives us three of the top eleven films of the year including works from Renoir, Minnelli (these two really use the growing technical innovation as an artistic tool) and Huston (who made a great film in color, but not because of color).
dazzling use of color in Minnelli’s An American in Paris
1951 feels like a big year for the advancement in color
- 1951 marks the end of The Archers – Tales of Hoffman is their last archiveable film together after an absolutely dominant run. Powell would be back with Peeping Tom in 1960 but this is still worth noting.
- With all due respect to Olivier– Welles’ Othello is the greatest Shakespeare adaptation to date in 1951– jaw-dropping visuals
With all due respect to Olivier– Welles’ Othello is the greatest Shakespeare adaptation to date in 1951…
….jaw-dropping visuals
- Wilder – another top 10 and another bitterly cynical film- Ace in the Hole is magnificent
- It doesn’t quite rise to the level of Bergman’s importance- but 1951 also marks the first archiveable film for Budd Boetticher (Bullfighter and the Lady)
- 1951 also give us the debut of a stunning beautiful and stunningly talented Audrey Hepburn in The Lavender Hill Mob – that film also marks the first trip to the archives for Robert Shaw as well
If it weren’t for Ozu’s work- Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train would reign as the best film of 1951
great photograph here from Hitchcock
the intersecting lives motif…
…. the justifiably famous opening — exploring the idea of chance
best performance male: As I mention above in the trends section (it is rare an acting performance is worthy of a trend but this most definitely is) Marlon Brando in Streetcar is a watershed moment. His work here is genius and it dwarfs the others in this year (and most performances of any other year for that matter). Having said that, Robert Walker is chilling in Strangers on a Train. Kirk Douglas gets extra points here for being so commanding (and downright nasty) in both Ace in the Hole and Detective Story. These are very lead-performance driven films—and both are in the top seven of the year. I think there’s enough room here to also praise Montgomery Clift for his work in A Place in the Sun. He humanizes George Eastman— a difficult task. Karl Malden also deserves some love for his work alongside Brando in Streetcar. Malden is always working in the shadow of great performances (Brando here and in On the Waterfront, or George C. Scott in Patton) but that’s no excuse to overlook Malden’s talent and effort.
Clift humanizes George Eastman in A Place In the Sun— a difficult task
Stevens’ film is clearly superior to von Sternberg’s 1931 adaptation of Dreiser’s novel
best performance female: Setsuko Hara takes top honors here in 1951 for her work in Early Summer and continued collaboration with Ozu in the Noriko trilogy. Her quiet style makes for a perfect match for Ozu—there’s a heartbreaking scene where Hara accepts the marriage proposal from her future mother in law. The other four actors worth mentioning in this category are actually split between just two seperate films. Vivian Leigh is worth mentioning. It may seem like a practiced performance compared to Brando (what isn’t?) but she’s good at being so irksome in this film and it just has more weight to it then the wonderful, but smaller performances like Kim Hunter in the same film and both poor Shelley Winters and Elizabeth Taylor (absolutely luminous) in A Place in the Sun.
top 10
- Early Summer
- Strangers on a Train
- A Streetcar Named Desire
- Detective Story
- Othello
- A Place in the Sun
- The River
- Ace in the Hole
- An American in Paris
- Diary of a Country Priest
Bresson would eclipse it a few years later with A Man Escaped— but in 1951 Diary of a Country Priest is his strongest work to date
Archives, Directors, and Grades
| A Christmas Carol- Desmond Hurst | R |
| A Place in the Sun- Stevens | HR/MS |
| A Streetcar Named Desire- Kazan | MS |
| Ace in the Hole- Wilder | HR |
| Alice In Wonderland- Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson | |
| Along the Great Divide – Walsh | R |
| An American In Paris- Minnelli | HR |
| Brave Bulls- Rossen | |
| Bullfighter and the Lady- Boetticher | R |
| Death of a Salesman- Benedek | |
| Detective Story- Wyler | MS |
| Early Summer – Ozu | MP |
| Fixed Bayonets! – Fuller | R |
| His Kind of Woman – Farrow | R |
| Miracle in Milan- De Sica | HR |
| On Dangerous Ground- N. Ray | R |
| Othello – Welles | MS |
| Outcast of the Island- Reed | R |
| Pandora and the Flying Dutchman- Lewin | R |
| Quo Vadis- LeRoy | |
| Royal Wedding- Donen | R |
| Show Boat- Sidney | R |
| Strangers on a Train- Hitchcock | MS/MP |
| Summer Interlude- Bergman | R/HR |
| The African Queen- J. Huston | HR |
| The Day the Earth Stood Still- Wise | R |
| The Diary of a Country Priest- Bresson | HR |
| The Enforcer- Windust | R |
| The Idiot – Kurosawa | R |
| The Lavender Hill Mob- Crichton | R |
| The Man in the White Suit-Mackendrick | R |
| The Mating Season- Leisen | R |
| The Prowler- Losey | R |
| The Red Badge of Courage- J. Huston | R |
| The River- Renoir | HR |
| The Steel Helmet – Fuller | R/HR |
| The Tales of Hoffman- Powell, Pressburger | |
| The Thing From Another World- Nyby, Hawks | HR |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-See- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
Do you think Marlon Brando should have won the academy award for best actor for A Streetcar Named Desire?
Poor Hitchcock, he’s fallen from grace.
So the best director in history went from having 3 best movies of the year to 1. 🙁
Unless somehow he also loses 58, as he lost 35 and 51.
I had no idea of Hitchcock’s changes.
@Aldo, does it really make a difference?
He’s still clearly made many incredible movies. Many great movies. What difference does it make if a film is #1 or #2 on a list?
@Aldo- I don’t make the decisions on which is the best film of the year
Perhaps Hitchcock was a bit unlucky in terms of cinematic years. His best 60s film (Psycho) came out in the best year for movies of that decade, while his best 40s films (Notorious and Rope) were released in the 40s’ two best years. Rear Window and North by Northwest are also from impressive years. However, Ozu was more fortunate: the years preceding his most acclaimed 40s and 60s films (Late Spring and The End of Summer) were certainly better than the ones in which they were released, and both 1954 and 1952 (debatable) were better than Tokyo Story’s 1953.
Thanks to everyone for your replies, merry christmas guys, if you celebrate it haha.
Yes, ultimately unfortunate. Somehow Psycho is not the best movie of 1960, even though it would be the best movie in 90+ years, that’s tough competition.
@Aldo- Merry Christmas to you as well. The years are too uneven for me to use “who had the most years with the best film” as a real indicator
I thought Othello was archivable. Came out in 1951? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othello_(1951_film)
From Jeff No. 2J
@Jeff No. 2– great catch. You’re right. I have it as a 1952 film but I’ll have to correct it.
I haven’t seen this version of Christmas Carol that came out in 1951.But if I am being very honest I don’t think anyone will surpass the great George C.Scott as the best Scrooge.
It’s casting to perfection and the Scott version came out in 1984.
I had not realized the dominance of Japan in early 50s cinema until reading this page. It seems you will surely have five Japanese films in a row as the best of the year, and Early Summer is the only one of the five which I have not seen. Perhaps the Japanese success in the early 50s is the greatest consecutive cinema run for any country outside of the United States. The major international film movements, including Italian Neorealism, the French New Wave, and German Expressionism, may have had a larger impact on the universal cinematic landscape, but they did not produce the best movie of every year like the Japanese did from 1950-54. Do you agree?
@Graham– yeah these two are just two of the absolute best of all-time, both from the same country, and both peaking (it is a sustained peak as they’re still really at the top of their game in the early 1960’s as well) at the same time. I think obviously you have Godard and Truffaut, I think Antonioni and Fellini did just about the same thing in Italy that the French were doing- but agreed- I’m not sure there is a run of best films from 1950-1954 like this. But I think of 1948 where the top 3 films were from one country (and one movement) and maybe that is the more impressive feat? Not sure.
But this is more of a coincidence, right? it’s not like they were a movement.
In fact Kurosawa and Ozu never met and they weren’t friends unlike the others.
For example Kurosawa won many awards and was recognized worldwide, while Ozu won almost none.
Maybe 1967, only two movies are American, the rest are French.
@Aldo- agreed– not really a movement. It does seem more like a coincidence. Ozu started way before the war— Kurosawa during it. Rarely did the actors work with both. They have very different styles. Kurosawa was sort of the “westernized” star internationally and Ozu appreciated more domestically.
@graham it makes sense kurosawa, ozu and mizogushi made their best films during this period and these three directors are now recognized among the best in the history of cinema. there is also a director like mikio naruse who makes a masterpiece like floating clouds in 1955.this period is the golden age of Japanese cinema.it’s the power of the decade 1950’s all the cinema around the world are exceptional.
very good choice for the number one spot.early summer is my favorite film of ozu after tokyo story.I don’t know if you agree but I think early summer is a bit underestimated compared to late spring or autumn afternoon(who are both masterpieces).i prefer the character of setsuko hara in early summer than in late spring.i would have put a mp on stranger on a train rather than MS/MP but it doesn’t matter.
@Malith- thank you for the grammar cleanup
It’s nothing special visually, but Benedek’s Death of A Salesman is absolutely worth seeing (especially when it’s free on Youtube). Fredric March’s turn as Willy Loman is utterly devastating, far more sympathetic and likable than the Lee J Cobb and Dustin Hoffman interpretations, and so convincingly deluded by his worldview that it’s heartbreaking when it all comes falling down. A flawed film for sure, but one of the best performances of the 1950s in my opinion.