In my opinion, these are ten of the best, yet least appreciated films, listed in order of appearance.
Yellow Sky (1948): My favorite among the westerns directed by William (“Wild Bill”) Wellman, co-starting Gregory Peck, Anne Baxter, and Richard Widmark.
Beat the Devil (1953): Directed by John Huston, working with a screenplay written day-by-day by Truman Capote, this film seems to be an elaborate (albeit hilarious) practical joke with an all-star cast that includes Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, and Peter Lorre.
Edge of the City (1953): Two New York City longshoremen, Axel Nordmann (John Cassavetes), an Army deserter and Tommy Tyler (Sidney Poitier), an easy-going freight car loader, develop a close friendship threatened by Charles Malik (Jack Warden), a thoroughly repellent racist.
Paths of Glory (1953): Stanley Kubrick’s compelling indictment of war, starring Kirk Douglas in one of his finest performances as a French officer who is blithely betrayed by superiors in terms of title and nothing else, during the First World War.
The Horse’s Mouth (1958): Arguably Alec Guinness’s greatest performance as Gulley Jimson, a great artist. The visions in his head — inspired by William Blake — may not really satisfy him once realized, but the quest continues for the perfect wall on which to paint the perfect mural…and twice he comes close to doing that.
The Roots of Heaven (1958): In Fort Lamy, French Equitorial Africa, idealist Morel (Trevor Howard) launches a one-man campaign to preserve the African elephant from extinction, animals that he views as the last remaining “roots of Heaven.” Others who support him in his mission include characters played by Errol Flynn and Juliet Greco, journalist Cy Sedgewick (Orson Welles) who follows the story in the same manner that Lowell Thomas followed T.E. Lawrence’s adventures in Arabia, and Eddie Albert, a photographer.
Zulu (1964): After learning of the annihilation of the main British Army column, two lieutenants without any prior combat experience — Chard (Stanley Baker) of Engineers and Bromhead (Michael Caine) with only a 140-man contingent — defend their outpost at Rorke’s Drift against 4,000 Zulu warriors.
The Stalking Moon (1968): An army scout (Gregory Peck) retires and is en route to his farm in New Mexico territory when he encounters a white woman (Eva Marie Saint) and her half-breed son, recently rescued from indians. He reluctantly agrees to let them join him and they soon realize that they are being pursued by the boy’s father, a great Apache warrior. The tension becomes almost palpable. Note that Robert Mulligan also directed Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Hope and Glory (1987): Bill is a young boy living on the outskirts of London experiences the exhilaration of World War II. During this period, Bill learns about sex, death, love, hypocrisy, and the faults of adults as he prowls the ruins of bombed houses. Credit Director John Boorman with brilliant development of story and characters without melodrama and sentimentality during England’s “darkest hour.” The brilliant performances of Sarah Miles, David Hayman, and Sebastian Rice-Edwards deserve special praise.
Inside Moves (1980): After his suicide attempt fails, Roary (John Savage) is permanently crippled and begins to spend time in a neighborhood bar whose regulars are also crippled or wounded in one way or another. Even its bartender, Jerry (David Morse), who aspires to play for the San Francisco Warriors, has a lame leg. The plot sometimes sags or wanders but the characters and their issues are so fascinating that you become and remain engrossed until the end.
Thief (1981): A world-class safecracker (Frank, played by James Caan) has taken on assignments from the Chicago mafia so that he can retire to a normal life. Predictably, serious complications develop. Jim Belushi plays his partner, Tuesday Weld his wife, and Willie Nelson his mentor and friend, Okla. Michael Mann’s direction is seamless and the soundtrack by Tangerine Dream is superb.
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Your own additions and additions?