The Hustler (1961)

Eddie Felson is a successful, if small-time, pool hustler who sets his sights on Minnesota Fats, known to be the best there is. After he gets a crash course in humility, he's determined to get enough scratch together to try it again. There's so much desperation, cruelty and hopelessness woven through the story, but it's balanced with moments of hope.

Everything here -- the acting, the script, the direction, the gorgeous shots -- comes together to create a work of art. This is my second time seeing it (the first was at least 25 years ago) and it's still as powerful as I remember. We lost Piper Laurie this week, which is why we were rewatching, and she really earned her nomination here. Just a perfect performance in a truly perceptive film.

A

West Side Story (1961)

I've seen this at least 4 times (probably more) -- it was one of those films like Wizard of Oz and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang that, when it was on TV, the whole family gathered for it. On ad breaks, we'd spring up and dance our way to the kitchen for drinks or to the bathroom. Magic.

My guess is that it's been more than 25 years since I've seen this, but it really holds up especially in comparison to the 2021 remake. The dance fights seem inspired rather than silly and I had tears streaming by the end, which the remake didn't come near to generating.

A

Il Generale Della Rovere (1961)

During World War II, an Italian con man going by the name Grimaldi exploits the families of those arrested by assuring them he can help, if they'll give him money to bribe the German officers. Eventually, one of his victims turns him in.

Meanwhile, an important figure in the Italian resistance has been killed though the intent was to capture and use him as a bargaining chip. Grimaldi is promised release if he will pose as this man (General della Rovere) while in detention,  in order to expose his conspirators and their plans. Neither he nor the German Colonel who devised the scheme thought his conscience or sense of duty would be a factor in carrying out this assignment.

Though slightly overlong, this story really works. The growth is extremely believable and I was moved.

B+

Through a Glass Darkly (1961)

Karin, her husband, her brother, and her father are all gathered at their rough seaside home after her recent stay in a sanitorium. They are all, clearly, there for Karin -- hoping she's recovered herself -- but those hopes are in vain. She has several schizophrenic episodes in which she can see what no one else can and no longer wants to try to stay tethered to the real.

The cinematography is beautiful and the acting is solid. The story itself, however, is pretty seedy. At one point I'm pretty sure she had a romantic interlude with her teenage brother. I spent the entire time with my nose wrinkled.

D

Fanny (1961)

Young French woman pushes her boyfriend to fulfill his dream of being a sailor, only finding out she’s pregnant soon after his departure. Luckily, a rich older man has always fancied her and agrees to marry her despite the circumstances so that she won’t be disgraced and he can have the son he’s always longed for.

There was something kind of icky about this that only got solidified by the ending. The older husband is on his death bed and he tells his friends that he basically let Fanny remain unmolested by him and got his pleasure elsewhere… and makes it his last will and testament for the boy's biological father to take over hubby duties once he’s kicked the bucket. Perhaps that’s not as weird in France as it seems to my American mind?

C+

The Mark (1961)

Man released after three years in prison for intent to molest a minor tries to make a go of it professionally and romantically.

This is a sensitive movie with just the right amount of nervousness and not too much psychobabble -- and, anyway, the self-help speak is mostly delivered by Rod Steiger in an Irish Brogue, which makes it easy to take. I was rooting for the ex-con at the center of this extremely well-done movie.

B+

La Dolce Vita (1961)

A series of vignettes featuring a journalist in his various exploits with the elite in Rome.   Every bit as empty as it sounds.

D

Splendor in the Grass (1961)

Rich Bud and poor Deanie are teenagers in love in late-’20s Kansas.  So what's the problem?  Well, his blowhard dad wants something better for him (with a little bit of trash on the side to keep his desires satisfied) and her nervous mother wants to make sure she is sufficiently shamed for having “those kinds of feelings.”

I can see why the relationship wouldn't survive these obstacles, but the fact that Deanie's sanity snaps, causing a two-and-a-half year (!) stay in a mental sanitorium, doesn't really wash.  This movie was both too shrill and too dull to achieve the weight it apparently thought it carried.

D+

The Children's Hour (1961)

A child's gossip at a boarding school ruins the reputation of the two women who run the place together. This is a devastating movie, hindered only by a couple of performances: 1) the over-the-top "lead in the school play" style of the malicious little girl and 2) the barely-bothering-to-phone-it-in weirdness of James Garner.

Miriam Hopkins taking on the role of the flaky aunt (she played one of the teachers in the original version of the film) is a nice touch.

B+

Summer and Smoke (1961)

The fact that this film is based on a Tennessee Williams play was enough to have it languish in my TiVo's "Now Playing" list for months before I finally forced myself to watch it (I'm decidedly not a fan).

But, as Williams goes, this one is pretty palatable. Sheltered/inexperienced adult daughter of a preacher and embarrassingly senile mother gets a crush on her bad-boy neighbor, but has little idea of how to get his attention.

It's uncomfortable in places, but the mood is almost too safe to have any real impact.

C+

Scream of Fear (1961)

Fantastically atmospheric movie that involves a wheelchair-bound girl, a dead dad who keeps popping up, and a mysterious stepmother.

It's a short one, just 81 minutes, but I think it really hits its peak at about the one-hour mark. Though there are still a couple surprises in the last 20 minutes, nothing satisfies in the same way the first ending (or what I THOUGHT was the ending at the time) did.

Good performances in this crisp, very-little-nonsense thriller.

B+

The Innocents (1961)

Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr), though inexperienced, is hired as governess for Flora and Miles. Their Uncle, charged with their care since they were orphaned, wants someone he can trust to take complete charge of the children and not to bother him with any aspect of their care.

The estate is beautiful, the housekeeper friendly, and Flora's delightful and welcoming. When Miles is expelled from boarding school, Miss Giddens has a difficult time determining why -- but chooses to hope for the best and act as a fair and firm guardian.

As Miss Giddens learns more of the backstory of the estate and the children, she begins to fear for them and becomes convinced that she must protect them. The reactions of Miss Giddens reminded me quite a bit of George C. Scott's in The Changeling -- neither screamed nor froze; both were more curious and determined to force change. The difference is that the governess here seems less mechanical and more compelled -- she was palpably tense where Scott seemed simply cold.

The performances are top-notch (even from the children!) and the story's compelling and unpredictable.

A-

Yojimbo (1961)

Can't hold a candle to the far superior Seven Samurai -- but is certainly worthwhile.

My one, probably girly, complaint is that I was often confused as to who was on whose side. Even with the near constant feeling of not being quite in-the-know, I had a good time.

B

Peeping Tom (1961)

Today I had one of those headaches...the kind that might be a migraine or it might be an aneurysm. It was making me dizzy and sick to my stomach and, as this film played quietly on the TV, all I could think was "This is the last movie I'm ever gonna see? Gah!" I'm glad I'm feeling better...this being my last movie on earth would be even worse than eating liver and brussel sprouts as my last meal on death row.

So. There's this aspiring filmmaker who was tortured by his father -- a biologist studying and filming the effects of fear on a growing child -- and is now frightening and filming ladies as he kills them. I've never understood people who were abused thinking it's a good idea to abuse others...I mean, they know better than anyone else what a horrible idea it is. Still, I can't quibble with the evidence that it happens all the time, so I won't complain about the theory behind the madness of the leading man. I can, however, complain about the film as a work of art. But I don't really think it's worth the effort.

D

Two Women (1961)

Mother does what she can to keep her daughter safe and comfortable near the end of WW2 in Italy. Very nice performance by Loren, and the movie only really loses itself after the big climax (the girl gets worldly and belligerent way too fast, in my opinion).

B

Mysterious Island (1961)

Enjoyable enough survival movie…though things kind of slow down once Nemo shows up.

B-

Ballad of a Soldier (1961)

Heartwarming & heartbreaking.

We follow a soldier struggling to get home on a short leave and watch him as he interacts with those he encounters on the journey. By the 10-minute mark, I loved this guy and wished him everything good the world has to offer.

A

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961)

Does Williams not believe in the "happy ending"? Ever?!

Once again, Tennessee Williams reveals his utter disillusionment with humanity in his depressing story about an aging star and her relationship with a young buck for hire. Beatty is OK as Italian gigolo, although his accent seemed like an accent. Leigh broke my heart, but her last act was too rash for me to go along with it.

D+