{"id":93913,"date":"2023-12-10T00:12:26","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T07:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=93913"},"modified":"2023-12-30T13:59:49","modified_gmt":"2023-12-30T20:59:49","slug":"reflections-on-must-see-films-from-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=93913","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on Must-See Films From 1960"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Back in April of this year, I wrote a celebratory piece about <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=83540\">finally finishing reviews for every title in <em>GFTFF<\/em> released before 1960<\/a>. I reflected a bit on the 1950s as a cinematic decade, and enjoyed this process enough that I thought I might keep going &#8212; but this time, year by year. <\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_93918\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93918\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Psycho2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Psycho2-1024x564.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"353\" class=\"size-large wp-image-93918\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Psycho2-1024x564.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Psycho2-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Psycho2-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Psycho2-768x423.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Psycho2-490x270.png 490w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Psycho2.png 1272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-93918\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;She just goes &#8211; a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven&#8217;t you?&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Today, I posted a review on the final film left from 1960: Luchino Visconti&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=93876\"><em>Rocco and His Brothers<\/em> (1960)<\/a>. It&#8217;s a gorgeously mounted film, well worth the three-hour investment, but Luchino&#8217;s films are enough of a &#8212; well, shall we say, a <em>commitment<\/em> that I don&#8217;t tend to jump into them willingly. (I still have four of his titles left.) <\/p>\n<p>With that said, as I look over the chronological list of <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=84444\">all titles in <em>GFTFF<\/em> from 1960<\/a>, here are a few thoughts and highlights: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Out of the 67 total titles, I voted Yes on 32, which is nearly half &#8212; not a bad ratio! It&#8217;s these <strong>must-see titles<\/strong> I&#8217;ll focus on in this post.<\/li>\n<li>Of these 32 titles, 17 (more than half!) are non-Hollywood films, indicating a definite trend in what was becoming worth watching at that time. We see six Italian (one dubbed), six British, two French, one Indian, one Swedish, and one independently made title.<\/li>\n<li>Five of the remaining must-sees from 1960 are westerns, and four more are historical dramas set in different times. That leaves just five must-see American films set in contemporary times.<\/li>\n<li>Enough with the numbers! What else stands out as notable from this list? <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5177\"><em>Psycho<\/em><\/a> is the clear frontrunner, and wins Peary&#8217;s (and my) award as <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=2606\">Best Alternate Oscars Film of the Year<\/a>. It really can&#8217;t be topped, and is among my <strong>personal five favorite films of all time<\/strong> (<em>if<\/em> I HAD to narrow all the goodness of cinema down to such a minimalist list).<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5369\"><em>Village of the Damned<\/em><\/a> remains a creepy-classic-British-horror-cult-flick (that&#8217;s a mouthful) which I wouldn&#8217;t mind watching again at any moment. (That hair. Those stares.) <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/village-damned-cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/village-damned-cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"841\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-93921\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/village-damned-cinematography.png 841w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/village-damned-cinematography-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/village-damned-cinematography-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/village-damned-cinematography-768x438.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/village-damned-cinematography-473x270.png 473w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<li>Having just watched gorgeous Alain Delon in <em>Rocco and His Brothers<\/em>, I must point out that he also starred that year in <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=85697\"><em>Purple Noon<\/em><\/a> &#8212; a dishy, colorful Patricia Highsmith adaptation by Rene Clair, which was a treat to discover.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Purple-Noon-Identity-768x458-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Purple-Noon-Identity-768x458-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"458\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-93931\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Purple-Noon-Identity-768x458-1.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Purple-Noon-Identity-768x458-1-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Purple-Noon-Identity-768x458-1-128x76.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Purple-Noon-Identity-768x458-1-453x270.png 453w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<li>I&#8217;m a personal fan of Louis Malle&#8217;s delightfully surreal <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=12648\"><em>Zazie Dans le Metro<\/em><\/a>, which is probably my favorite of his oeuvre (though <em>Atlantic City<\/em> is a close second). It&#8217;s jam-packed enough that it easily lends itself to multiple viewings.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/zazie-surreal2-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/zazie-surreal2-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-93935\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<li>John Huston&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=84601\"><em>The Unforgiven<\/em><\/a> merits a broader look &#8212; especially given how often it&#8217;s shunted aside in favor of its more famous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0105695\/\">near-title-twin (<em>not<\/em> a remake) from 1992<\/a>. Lillian Gish had a few significant &#8220;wins&#8221; in her post-silents career, and this is one of them.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Unforgiven-Gish-Piano-768x324-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Unforgiven-Gish-Piano-768x324-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"324\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-93933\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Unforgiven-Gish-Piano-768x324-1.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Unforgiven-Gish-Piano-768x324-1-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Unforgiven-Gish-Piano-768x324-1-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Unforgiven-Gish-Piano-768x324-1-604x255.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<li>Deservedly praised (from all corners) is Billy Wilder&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=43961\"><em>The Apartment<\/em><\/a>, which has held up well on just about every front. Give it another look if you haven&#8217;t in a while.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Apartment-Maclaine.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Apartment-Maclaine-1024x438.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"274\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-93926\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Apartment-Maclaine-1024x438.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Apartment-Maclaine-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Apartment-Maclaine-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Apartment-Maclaine-768x329.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Apartment-Maclaine-604x259.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Apartment-Maclaine.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<li>Budd Boetticher gave us many fine, tight little westerns &#8212; including <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=73027\"><em>Comanche Station<\/em><\/a>, which has a surprisingly lump-inducing (and overall surprising) ending. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Comanche-Station-Ending.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Comanche-Station-Ending-1024x434.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"271\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-93928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Comanche-Station-Ending-1024x434.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Comanche-Station-Ending-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Comanche-Station-Ending-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Comanche-Station-Ending-768x325.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Comanche-Station-Ending-1536x651.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Comanche-Station-Ending-604x256.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Comanche-Station-Ending.png 1827w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<li>Finally, I&#8217;ll note that <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3623\"><em>The Savage Eye<\/em><\/a> &#8212; a pseudo-documentary &#8220;made on weekends over a year\u2019s time by a collective team of directors \u2014 Ben Maddow, Sidney Meyers, and Joseph Strick&#8221; &#8212; is a uniquely hypnotic film about loneliness and despair, and one I plan to revisit at some point (but maybe as a double-header with <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5146\"><em>Pollyanna<\/em><\/a> to round it out!)<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Savage-Eye-Depressed.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Savage-Eye-Depressed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-93932\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Savage-Eye-Depressed.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Savage-Eye-Depressed-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Savage-Eye-Depressed-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Savage-Eye-Depressed-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pollyanna-mills.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pollyanna-mills.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"830\" height=\"469\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-93939\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pollyanna-mills.png 830w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pollyanna-mills-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pollyanna-mills-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pollyanna-mills-768x434.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pollyanna-mills-478x270.png 478w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" \/><\/a>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I only have two more films left to review from 1961, so I&#8217;ll be back soon with my overview of that year in classic cinema! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in April of this year, I wrote a celebratory piece about finally finishing reviews for every title in GFTFF released before 1960. I reflected a bit on the 1950s as a cinematic decade, and enjoyed this process enough that I thought I might keep going &#8212; but this time, year by year. Today, I posted a review on the final film left from 1960: Luchino Visconti&#8217;s Rocco and His Brothers (1960). It&#8217;s a gorgeously mounted film, well worth the&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=93913\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogroll"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=93913"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94497,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93913\/revisions\/94497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=93913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=93913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=93913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}