[JoshuaKaitlyn]

From 1959: part 2

North by Northwest - A great thriller that looks great on blu.

Ballad of a Soldier - Won the BAFTA Best film from any source award in 1962. Starts off ok with some good tank scenes but after that I kind of lost interest.

La Grande Guerra - Again I lost interest in this, over long!

Room at the Top - Winner of the BAFTA Best picture award, 1959. The first in a trilogy that also spawned a 70's TV show 'Man at the Top' wasn't too bad a picture.

Pork Chop Hill - Hmm! I expected more from this.

Tarzan's Greatest Adventure - With Sol Lesser having sold his interest in the series to Sy Weintraub the producers first crack at the whip is actually a fairly decent picture, starring Gordon Scott again, in his penultimate outing and Anthony Quayle with Sean Connery.

Apur Sansa - Satyajit Ray's final film in his Apu trilogy. Not Bad.

Sapphire - A cracking British movie that definatly needs either a BFI or MOC release. Its a fascinating insight into the attitudes of the British people in the 50's. Also won the BAFTA best picture award for 1960.

Solomon and Sheba - Its a little hard to judge if this is being played for laughs, George Sanders, (horribly miscast), limp wristed attemps at defending himself with shield and sword in the opening battle didn't help.

Der Tiger von Eschnapur - The first part of Fritz Lang's Indian Epic marks his return to German cinema. Comes off as a bit old fashioned but its a good adventure yarn.

Das indische Grabmal - The second part of the Indian Epic and again its equally as good as the first part. Plus its got Debra Paget in one of the skimpiest dance costumes I've ever seen in a 50's movie....Oh to be a costume fitter on this production!

We are the Lambeth Boys - An episode in the 'Free Cinema' movement. A interesting, documentary insight into the British 50's teenager lives.

And finishing the 50's decade off with a couple of Charlton Heston pictures:

Ben-Hur - The big budget multi oscar winning remake of the 1925 film that was also a remake of an even earlier 1907 short. Again on blu it looks spectacular, and that chariot race!

The Wreck of the Mary Deare - Here Heston plays second fiddle to Gary Cooper who plays a sea captain trying to prove that the owner of the ship that he's on is trying to pull a fast one with the insurance people. Not bad but not great either.