The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

starring Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, Sam Jaffe 

written by W. R. Burnett, John Huston, Ben Maddow

directed by John Huston

113 minutes

A ragtag bunch of men hired by Alonzo Emmerich (Louis Calhern) and led by Doc Reidenschneider (Sam Jaffe), break into a bank and steal millions of dollars in jewels. One of them gets mortally wounded during the robbery. Redenschneider and the others, which includes Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden), find themselves in trouble when they discover that Emmerich doesn't have the money he promised them. Things fall apart fairly quickly as the police begin to pick up the pieces of the puzzle. Handley goes on the run with his gal, Doll Conovan (Jean Hagen), and manages to stay ahead of the long arm of the law but eventually succumbs to a wound received after the heist.

20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954)

20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954)

starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas

written by Jules Verne, Earl Felton

directed by Richard Fleischer

127 minutes

Sailor Ned Land (Kirk Douglas), and scientists Pierre Aronnax (Paul Lukas) and Conseil (Peter Lorre), the sole survivors of a submarine attack in the Pacific Ocean, become the reluctant guests of Nemo (James Mason), captain of the Nautilus, the submarine that sank the frigate on which they were traveling at the time. Aronnax develops a fascination with Nemo but Land and Conseil chafe to get back to dry land as soon as possible. They ultimately get their wish after the navies of the world locate Volcania, Nemo's island base.

Harakiri (1962)

Harakiri (1962)

starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsuro Tamba

directed by Masaki Kobayashi

Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai), in the year 1530, in an era when most samurai were being told that there services were no longer needed, knocks on the door of the powerful Iyi clan. He asks permission to end his life ritually and honorably via harakiri, in the clan's courtyard. They accept his request but before they allow him to go through with it, the man in charge tells him a story about Motome Chijiwa (Akira Ishihama), another samurai who visited the Iyi clan in the not too distant past with a similar request.

Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)

Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)

starring Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie

directed by Delmer Daves

101 minutes

Demetrius (Victor Mature) a free man, who was once a slave, is sentenced to the arena after he refuses to help the Roman Emperor Caligula get his hands on Peter (Michael Rennie) or the robe of Jesus Christ. He refuses to fight at first, because he is a Christian, but subsequently decides that he will kill if his survival depends upon it. He continues to be a follower of the faith that Jesus espoused until his lover Lucia is killed by one of the other gladiators.

The Seven Samurai (1954)

The Seven Samurai (1954)

starring Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura

directed by Akira Kurosawa

207 minutes

The villagers of a small farming community hire a group of Samurai to defend their village from a gang of bandits who have promised to return once the grain has been harvested to take lion's share of what the villagers gather up.

There are basically three acts to this film. The first focuses on the recruitment of the samurai, the second on the preparation of the village for the return of the bandits, and the third on the fight with the bandits. There is a little more to the story such than that. Most notable to me was the maturation of the youngest of the samurai which is expressed both through his relationships with the other samurai and his romance with one of the women from the village.

Anna Lucasta (1958)

Anna Lucasta (1958)

starring Eartha Kitt, Frederick O'Neal, Henry Scott

written by Philip Yordan

directed by Arnold Laven

Anna Lucasta (Eartha Kitt) returns home from San Diego and tries to put the pieces of her life back together after getting by as a prostitute. Randolph Slocum (Henry Scott) takes an interest in her as almost everyone in her family hoped he would but Joe (Anna's overbearing, alcoholic father) can't stand to let things be. On her wedding day he sabotages her life. Unable to deal with her father's behavior she runs off with Danny a cabbie she first met while she was living in San Diego.

Thoughts

There's more to this movie than my description entails. It is unclear how much time has passed since Joe ejected Anna from the Lucasta family home. 

Paths of Glory (1957)

Paths of Glory (1957)

starring Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready

directed by Stanley Kubrick

88 minutes

French Brigadier General Mireau (George Macready), in the midst of the First World War, indignant after one of his regiments fails to achieve, what was deemed from the outset to be an unachievable goal, insists on court martialing three rank and file members of the regiment. Major General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) agrees with Mireau's reaction to the defeat and thinks it will be good for morale if three soldiers are executed. Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), the regiment's commander, who was present on the battlefield at the time of the attack insists on defending the three men in what turns out to be nothing but a show trial in which he is given no opportunity to provide the three soldiers with a proper defense.

North by Northwest (1959)

North by Northwest (1959)

starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

written by Ernest Lehman

directed by Alfred Hitchcock

136 minutes

Two armed men, employees of Lester Townsend (James Mason), kidnap Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) thinking that he is George Kaplan. Thornhill tries to explain to them that he isn't Kaplan but they refuse to listen. Thornhill is taken to see Lester Townsend who tries to get information out of him. Thornhill has no idea what they are talking about. He continues to insist that he is Thornhill, not Kaplan. They force him to drink a lot of bourbon and are getting ready to kill in what will look like a drunk driving accident when Thornhill escapes.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

starring James Stewart, Doris Day

directed by Alfred Hitchcock

120 minutes

Ben (James Stewart) and Jo McKenna (Doris Day) are visiting French Morocco with their son when he is kidnapped by another couple. They learn that Hank, their son was kidnapped in order to keep them quiet about a plot to murder a prime minister who will be visiting London in the next couple days. Ben and Jo head to London. They say nothing when questioned by first the French authorities in Marakesh and then Scotland Yard in London about what's really going on.

The Trouble with Harry (1955)

The Trouble with Harry (1955)

starring Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred Natwick, Shirley MacLaine

directed by Alfred Hitchcock

99 minutes

Captain Wiles (Edmund Gwen) is out hunting in the woods in Vermont when he runs across the body of Harry Worp. He assumes that he must have shot the man accidentally. He tries to hide the body but people keep running across it while he watches from behind a tree trunk. Miss Gravely (Mildred Natwick) is one of them. The captain is trying to drag the body into the woods when she shows up. They chat, make a date, and then she goes on her way.

The Wrong Man (1956)

The Wrong Man (1956)

starring Henry Fonda, Vera Miles

directed by Alfred Hitchcock

105 minutes

Jazz musician Manny Balestrero (Henry Fonda), goes to inquire about borrowing some money against his wife Rose's (Vera Miles) insurance policy. She needs some dental work and the Balestreros are short on cash. Not long after that he is accused of robbing the insurance company at gun point, as well as several other businesses in his neighborhood.

The employees who were present at the time of the robberies, most notably the ones at the insurance company, all insist that he was the robber. The police arrest and charge him with the crimes. Rose, plus his sister and brother-in-law, rally around him and get him out on bail.

Scrooge (1951)

Scrooge (1951)

starring Alastair Sim

directed by Brian Desmond Hurst

82 minutes

Ebenezer Scrooge (Alastair Sim) loves his money and has no time for helping other people. Four ghosts visit him on Christmas Eve: the ghost of Jacob Marley (Scrooge's deceased business partner), the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Future. He gets to see how he became the person he is today, how the people he knows celebrate Christmas, and what is going to happen if he doesn't change his ways.

Ashes and Diamonds (1958)

Ashes and Diamonds (1958)

starring Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyżewska, Wacław Zastrzeżyński

directed by Andrzej Wajda

103 minutes

in Polish with English subtitles

Maciek (Zbigniew Cybulski) is part of a team of three men sent to kill Szczuka (Wacław Zastrzeżyński), a corrupt politician, just as World War 2 is coming to an end. The team kills the wrong man. They are given orders to correct their mistake but Maciek starts to have second thoughts after he meets and falls in love with Krystyna (Ewa Krzyżewska).

Throne of Blood (1957)

Throne of Blood (1957)

Starting Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura

directed by Akira Kurosawa

108 minutes

Washizu (Toshiro Mifune), commander of the First Fortress, and Miki, commander of the Second Fortress, friends since childhood, get lost in Spider's Web Forest while traveling to see Lord Tsuzuki. They ride around in circles until they find a spirit of the forest who tells them about their futures. The spirit vanishes suddenly and they resume their journey through the forest. They laugh about the future that the forest spirit foretold as they eventually make their way to Spider's Web Castle.

Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951)

Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951)

starring Ruth Roman, Steve Cochran

directed by Felix Feist

90 minutes

Bill Clark (Steve Cochran), murdered his father when he was just 13 years old. He gets out of prison after spending almost 20 years behind bars. He moves to New York City where he meets Catherine Higgins (Ruth Roman). She doesn't want much to do with him at first but they wind up fleeing the Big Apple together after she shoots and kills a corrupt police officer.

Catherine convinces Steve, who was unconscious at the time she pulled the trigger, that he's the one who killed the cop. She eventually grows to like him as they hitchhike from New York to California where they become migrant laborers. He picks lettuce and she works in the factory where the lettuce is cleaned and prepared for shipping. Everything seems to be looking up for them until his picture surfaces in a magazine article that offers a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Cry Danger (1951)

Cry Danger (1951)

starring Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming, William Conrad

directed by Robert Parrish

79 minutes

Rocky Mulloy (Dick Powell), fresh out of prison, tries to pick up his life where it left off. He was behind bars for five years. He tries to look after Nancy Morgan (Rhonda Fleming), the wife of his friend Danny, who is still behind bars.

Rocky figures he is owed a cut of the stolen money that got him sent to prison. He goes to Louis Castro (William Conrad) figuring that the bookie has the stolen loot hidden somewhere. Castro is less than accommodating and his attempt to "help" Rocky gets the ex-con picked up by the police for flashing lots of cash around town.

Rocky eventually finds out what's going on but not before at least one person is killed and his buddy winds up in the hospital in critical condition.

The Long Wait (1954)

The Long Wait (1954)

starring Anthony Quinn, Gene Evans, Peggie Castle, Mary Ellen Kay

directed by Victor Saville

94 minutes

Johnny McBride (Anthony Quinn) loses his memory in a car accident. Two years pass and he still has yet to figure out who he was before the accident. Following a trail of information that begins (unknown to him) with a picture from a wanted poster, Johnny makes his way to Lyncastle. There he quickly finds out that he is wanted for murder. He beats the murder rap but he still doesn't remember who he is.

99 River Street (1953)

starring John Payne, Evelyn Keyes

directed by Phil Karlson

83 minutes

Cabbie Ernie Driscoll (John Payne) finds out that his wife is cheating on him. When he goes to try and reconcile with her he finds her dead, in his cab. Aspiring Broadway actress Linda James (Evelyn Keyes) uses her acting chops to help him figure out who killed his wife and catch up to them.

Thoughts

I saw this movie as part of the 2025 edition of the Noir City DC film festival.

Hell's Half Acre (1954)

Hell's Half Acre (1954)

starring Wendell Corey, Evelyn Keyes, Elsa Lanchester

directed by John H. Auer

90 minutes

Donna Williams (Evelyn Keyes) travels to Hawaii in search of Chet Chester (Wendell Corey), whom she believes might be her husband whom she thought was killed at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941. She knew him as Randy Williams. They were only married for three days before he was shipped off to Hawaii.

Donna's quest gets sidetracked when Chet's girlfriend is killed. He had been arrested for the murder of a former business partner but Chet escapes from the police after identifying her body.

The Prowler (1951)

The Prowler (1951)

starring Van Heflin, Evelyn Keyes

directed by Joseph Losey

92 minutes

Police Officer (and general no goodnik) Webb Garwood (Van Heflin) wins over lonely housewife Susan Gilvray. He covets the success she has achieved by marrying a rich man. They start an affair which ends after he murders her husband, makes it look like an accident, and then convinces her to marry him.

Webb's plans hit a snag when on their honeymoon Susan tells him that she is pregnant, with his baby. There's no possibility of passing it off as her first husband's child because he was incapable of fathering a child.