#209 – Tokyo Twilight, (東京暮色), 1957, Yasujirō Ozu
Two sisters find out the existence of their long-lost mother, but the younger cannot take the truth of being abandoned as a child.
Tag: 1957
#213: Sweet Smell of Success
#213 – Sweet Smell of Success, 1957, Alexander Mackendrick
New York City newspaper writer J.J. Hunsecker holds considerable sway over public opinion with his Broadway column, but one thing that he can’t control is his younger sister, Susan, who is in a relationship with aspiring jazz guitarist Steve Dallas. Hunsecker strongly disproves of the romance and recruits publicist Sidney Falco to find a way to split the couple, no matter how ruthless the method.
#220: Wild Strawberries
#220 – Wild Strawberries, (Smultronstället), 1957, Ingmar Bergman
Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor’s own first love.
#285: Paths of Glory
#285 – Paths of Glory, 1957, Stanley Kubrick
A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.
JUMBO CACTUAR APPROVED FILM
#329: Throne of Blood
#329 – Throne of Blood, (蜘蛛巣城), 1957, Akira Kurosawa
Returning to their lord’s castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit’s prophecy comes true, Washizu’s scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit’s prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa’s resetting of William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.
JUMBO CACTUAR APPROVED FILM
#375: Nights of Cabiria
#375 – Nights of Cabiria, (Le notti di Cabiria), 1957, Federico Fellini
Rome, 1957. A woman, Cabiria, is robbed and left to drown by her boyfriend, Giorgio. Rescued, she resumes her life and tries her best to find happiness in a cynical world. Even when she thinks her struggles are over and she has found happiness and contentment, things may not be what they seem.
#399: The Cranes Are Flying
#399 – The Cranes Are Flying, (Летят журавли), 1957, Mikhail Kalatozov
Veronika and Boris come together in Moscow shortly before World War II. Walking along the river, they watch cranes fly overhead, and promise to rendezvous before Boris leaves to fight. Boris misses the meeting and is off to the front lines, while Veronika waits patiently, sending letters faithfully. After her house is bombed, Veronika moves in with Boris’ family, into the company of a cousin with his own intentions.
#461: The Bridge on the River Kwai
#461 – The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957, David Lean
The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson , the commander who supervised the bridge’s construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.
JUMBO CACTUAR APPROVED FILM
#541: Witness for the Prosecution
#541 – Witness for the Prosecution, 1957, Billy Wilder
When Leonard Vole is arrested for the sensational murder of a rich, middle-aged widow, the famous Sir Wilfrid Robarts agrees to appear on his behalf. Sir Wilfrid, recovering from a near-fatal heart attack, is supposed to be on a diet of bland, civil suits—but the lure of the criminal courts is too much for him, especially when the case is so difficult.
#660: A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era
#660 – A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era, (幕末太陽傳), 1957, Yuzo Kawashima
Saheji, a man-about-town, gets stuck at a high-class brothel when he can’t pay the bill. He makes the best of his situation by performing various tasks amidst the tumult of the end of the shogunate—but always by making sure to get a “commission” for his troubles.
Jumbo Cactuar Film Index 