This post is part of my ongoing project to create Top Ten movie lists for the years before I began this blog, working my way as far back as I can. Below, find my Top Ten films for 1943, unranked.
Carnival of Sinners - I can't resist a good genre picture, and "Carnival of Sinners" presents a great take on the Faust story. It's a French horror film via a dark fairy tale, where the hero has to battle with the devil for his soul, with the assistance of ghosts, saints, and an angel. The evocative visuals do most of the heavy lifting as this was one of the final films of Maurice Tourneau, one of the greats of the silent era.
Casablanca - You must remember this. "Casablanca" almost functions as a Rosetta stone these days, as it originated so many oft quoted lines and was the subject of so many parodies. The film itself, however, is still as tender and heart-rending as it ever was, with Humphrey Bogart's best performance front and center. And while I prefer Ingrid Bergman in other pictures, it was "Casablanca" that made her a star.
The Song of Bernadette - In the past, mainstream audiences could take faith-based stories like this at face value, but it's hard to imagine anyone making a film so earnestly credulous today, or any actress playing the young heroine the way that Jennifer Jones does, like a platonic ideal of a Christian piety. "Bernadette" is exceedingly well made, however, and still offers plenty of photogenic uplift.
Day of Wrath - And while we're on the subject of religious films, nobody made them better than Carl Theodor Dreyer. After taking nearly a decade break from filmmaking, Dreyer returned with a film about a 16th century witchcraft case, but is in essence a tense domestic drama. Some have also interpreted it as an anti-Totalitarian work. Slow, absorbing, and emotionally wrenching, it was worth the wait.
Jane Eyre - Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles are perfectly cast as Jane and Rochester, not only because they have good chemistry together, but because there's such an ambiguity to their relationship throughout the film, and both actors are so adept at navigating this. Welles' influence on the shape of the film is undeniable, but director Robert Stevenson deserves his share of the credit for its success.
Lassie Come Home - I didn't realize that there was a series of "Lassie" films that predated the television series until last year. The first movie is the best by a wide margin, because it's such a simple, unselfconscious enterprise. This is the perfect boy-and-his-dog story, or really a dog-and-her-boy story, because Lassie spends so much of the movie as a solo act - and her performance is excellent.
The Living Magoroku - One of Keisuke Kinoshita's wartime efforts is technically a propaganda film, but is functionally just a charming, well-made rural drama about a family being prodded out of old, superstitious ways, toward a brighter future. The cast is excellent, and the way that the different subplots and characters arcs all converge in the end is immensely satisfying to see play out.
Munchhausen - A fabulous piece of fantasy media that I like much better than the Terry Gilliam "Munchausen" movie. In spite of its unfortunate Nazi origins (yes, really) and some of the insensitive content, the film is a piece of pure escapism with gorgeously executed special effects. I especially enjoy the performance of Hans Albers as the title character, by turns silly and poignant and easy to cheer for.
Shadow of a Doubt - If Alfred Hitchcock made a Nancy Drew film, it would probably come out something like this. Teresa Wright establishes herself as a leading lady, but it's Joseph Cotten as the sinister Uncle Charlie who is the most memorable thing about the picture. Hitchcock claimed multiple times that this was his favorite film and I can see why - it's one of his simpler features, but every element is excellent.
Stormy Weather - One of two major African-American musicals released in this year, featuring so much talent that never got enough of the spotlight. I prefer "Stormy Weather" to "Cabin in the Sky" because its individual sequences are more memorable, and I'm more familiar with its cast. The Nicholas Brothers' "Jumpin' Jive" sequence is still one of the most impressive feats ever captured on film.
This Land is Mine - Finally, this is one of Jean Renoir's handful of American films, an anti-Nazi melodrama starring Charles Laughton as a school teacher in a town suffering under occupation. It's part morality play, part home front propaganda effort, and part character study of a weak man who finds his courage. The whole cast, including Maureen O'Hara and George Saunders, is doing some of their best work.
---
No comments:
Post a Comment