Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Ah! The overly dramatic dramas from the 50s! A reputation is on the line in this scandal layered story of a media tycoon and his flunky who is starting to develop a conscience. This is one of the great films that set a standard for morally ambiguous, down and out protagonists trying to do right. Plus it stars Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.

North by Northwest (1959)

Again, looking at these old crime thrillers is like looking at an era of innocence, and some of the earliest iterations of mystery film mechanics. Hitchcock is emulated so much today that very little that we see in his movies seems original today.

A case of mistaken identity throws Carey Grant into a dangerous spy game. He is on the run from both foreign spies and American police and guided by the CIA. The film begins on the east coast and ends in the northern midwest in a few tense scenes.

Really fun to watch if only for costumes, manners of speech, and to see Alfred Hitchock's master use of the camera.

IMDB

Ningen No Jôken (1959)

The Human Condition, a Japanese saga lasting 9 hours 39 minutes, gives a sobering look at empirialism, socialism, and humanism.

It is set during the 2nd World War in Manchuria where the Japanese have set up labour camps among the Manchus. Kaji, the lead character, is young and idealistic believing that the world can be better and people will respond well if they are only treated with basic dignity. He is placed as a supervisor over a team of coal miners and is continually at odds with his fellow supervisors. As such, he makes several enemies. The epic story takes Kaji away from his wife and into the infantry where he is put into training, then battle. The story spirals into despair as the Japanese lose ground and later the war. Kaji struggles with his ideals and how they collide with the brutality surrounding him.

The film is black and white and could be accused of being a little melodramatic, but the story and struggle is superb giving the viewer a lot to mull over.

IMDB

Vertigo (1958)

He got me. I was sincerely fooled by the master story teller Hitchcock. As far as the rest of the movie, kind of pointless.

The opening sequence explains why detective "Scotty" experiences severe vertigo when looking down from great heights. He is then hired on for a private job to tail a woman who seems to be taken over by a spirit of a woman long dead. The story takes off from there at a snail's pace, we the audience get fed small clues along the way only to have the rug pulled out from under us as happens to the P.I.

I was surprised as how one vein in the story was so poorly wrapped up. There is great build up and tension and then there is nothing more.

The makeup job is quite commendable as it plays a key role in the plot. It's old time dramatic music and obvious film track driving, but these add to the charm of this old film. I really enjoy watching James Stewart through the movie as a truly tortured soul too.

IMDB