The End of the Affair (1955)

Near the end of World War II, writer Maurice (Van Johnson) meets the wife of a civil servant, Sarah (Deborah Kerr), at a party in their London neighborhood. He is almost instantly smitten and soon they're spending lots of time together. When the building they're in is hit by a bomb, Sarah quickly ends the relationship, much to Maurice's confusion.

This is a complicated story involving faith and morality, but it fell quite flat in this telling. I think the biggest problem was that I didn't believe that Maurice and Sarah were in love. There was no chemistry in their actions. We were, apparently, supposed to simply take the script's word for their passion.

The 1999 remake with Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore puts this one to shame. I graded the newer film an A+. This one just gets a:

C+

I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)

Susan Hayward was just way too old for this role as I had no idea that her character was meant to be 18 when she had her first drink since, in reality, Hayward was closing in on 40 and looked it. But, even if the age had been right, the tone was hard to take unless you’re really into “shrill.” It pretty much played like a heavy-handed PSA on the perils of stage mothering and booze.

C-

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

I know I’ve seen this before, but I could only remember snippets so I thought it was about time to have another go. The initial police station scene is just too overwrought. But, once we see the characters in their more “normal” circumstances, it begins to feel like the classic you expect.

It’s waist-deep in the angst, cruelty, and short attention spans of teenagers as well as the ennui and confusion of the middle-ageds attempting to parent them -- or to remove themselves from that duty. 

Dean is mesmerizing.

B

Love Me or Leave Me (1955)

Doris Day is a girl with a dream and Cagney is a mobster with a hard-on for her, so he strongarms her onto the stage. She doesn’t like the way he does things, but she’s not above using him to gain the spotlight. Once she’s tired of it, however, she can’t shake him off.

It’s a pretty good movie with a great performance from Cagney, but the 8 or so full-length songs really slow things down.

B

Blackboard Jungle (1955)

We follow a new teacher in an inner city public school full of “juvenile delinquents” (according to the foreword). He’s shocked and dismayed at the lack of control and the apathy of his fellow teachers. He considers transferring, but is convinced to stick it out -- to not give up on the kids like everyone else has.

Even though it’s often preachy, it works.

B-

Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)

Jack Webb stars as Kelly, the leader of a jazz band in the ‘20s, strong-armed into paying protection money to the mob.

Not only does it star Webb, he directed it too -- and you can tell because it’s every bit as wooden as an episode of Dragnet. The girls are nuts, the guys are furniture, and Webb’s a big damn hero. Yawn.

D

Umberto D (1955)

Yes, yes. I know that this is supposed to be an affecting thesis about the way a country (and countrymen) can turn its back on the elderly -- how a pension just isn't enough to pay for even a meager existence.

I realize that I was supposed to experience a sympathetic feeling of shame as he tried to beg without getting "caught" by anyone he knew. I know my heartstrings should've been pulled as he resorted to faking an illness to be put up in a hospital, free of charge. I know I should've really felt for the guy as he forced himself to give away his beloved dog and contemplate suicide.

The problem? There's no reason to like the guy -- and it's hard to care about someone just because you should.

C-

Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1955)

About 10 years ago, I received a book for my birthday: 400 Videos You've Got to Rent! (yes, the exclamation point is actually on the cover). Because I've got a list-making/list-completing compulsion, this book has become a problem for me. You see, I've "GOT TO" watch the movies in this book. The ones I haven't seen are either in my Netflix queue or in my TiVo wishlist. I will get to all of these films. Why? Because I've got to.

So, I was pretty excited when TiVo informed me that IFC was showing the entire Samurai Trilogy -- all three of which are listed in the book and I've been unable to track down elsewhere. Unfortunately, the first installment was pretty "eh" and now my excitement has turned to "let's see if I can put off watching the other two until the TiVo gets so full they drop out of the Now Playing list and then it won't be my fault I couldn't see them."

Damn book.

C-

The Rose Tattoo (1955)

Woman lets herself go completely to seed after the husband she worshipped (undeservedly) dies. Somehow an idiot drunk shakes her out of her pity-party by making it known that he'd like to grope her at the earliest opportunity.

It seemed like half of the dialogue was screechy arguments (ugh) and Lancaster acted like a complete buffoon -- and not in an endearing way. It made me a little sick that our heroine was settling for such a complete loser.

I was genuinely surprised to discover that this is a Tennessee Williams play because it's not nearly as nasty as I find most of his work to be. But just 'cause it's not nasty doesn't mean I have to like it.

C

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck. Seedy story. Bad acting. Horrible direction. Case in point: what was up with that ooo-eee-ooo-eee-ahh hop run that propelled Mitchum to the barn near the end of the film? I feel quite sure that the direction he was given was "Hey, Bob -- remember when Bugs Bunny gave Elmer Fudd a hotfoot? Do what he did, but with a Yosemite Sam accent. OK -- Action!"

Ninety minutes that feel like several hours. I must've been in a really good mood the first time I saw it -- I can't think of any other reason that I gave it a "D-" rather than the lowest possible rating. At least I can be thankful that Charles Laughton never directed any other films.

F

M. Hulot's Holiday (1955)

A series of sight gags filmed almost silently…only some of which are even mildly amusing. Most are of the Mr. Bean variety, but played too gently to really take off. Not my thing.

D+

East of Eden (1955)

Thoroughly unenjoyable film. Cal's swings from no-good reject to pleaser to bitter reject are given little reason and the role of Kate is reduced too far to have an impact. Julie Harris is good, though.

D+

Interrupted Melody (1955)

Opera singer rises from nothing, marries a doctor, gets polio, becomes a pain in the ass, rises again. Bo-ring.

C

Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1955)

If I'm to believe this film…love is flat, lifeless, and damned depressing. The acting is stiff and the dialogue limp.

D