The Viewing Files: What Were They Thinking?

56' really wasn't a good year for movies judging by the ones I've watched so far.  And 58 isn't that far behind.

Some oldies really should never been made.  Or at the very least should have been rewritten before being made.  Still I can now say I've watched them and will never do so again.

Oh for Princess Bride...

 

Carousel

Starring: Pretty good singers

Original release: 1956

Synopsis: Death and redemption and that truly annoying song

 

Good songs, terrible story. Like seriously this is not the kind of story that should be a musical.

 

Listen to the soundtrack instead and ignore the movie. You'll be grateful. 

The Searchers

Starring:  John Wayne and Natalie Wood

Original release: 1956

Synopsis: Westerns the way they shouldn't have been made

 

I think I fell asleep. Which pretty much sums up this movie for me.

The King and I

Starring:  Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr

Original release: 1956

Synopsis: A nanny in a foreign land

 

The colours are amazing, the performances are good and yet somehow it all just seems a bit flat and ho-hum. Not a film that works for me.

Bus Stop

Starring:  Marilyn Monroe

Original release: 1956

Synopsis: The Cowboy and the Singer

 

And nope, not the movie for me. The lead male character is just terrible in every way and even Marilyn's character got super annoying at times. What was that voice?

 

Every one involved deserved so much better. 

South Pacific

Starring:  Who knows, who cares

Original release: 1958

Synopsis: The racist musical you didn't want or need

 

I have no words, other than what the hell was that???

 

A mess on all fronts that not even a couple of good songs could save.

Gigi

Starring:  Leslie Caron

Original release: 1958

Synopsis: A teen girl is groomed to be a man's mistress

 

In theory I should like this movie and yet somehow I don't. Maybe because it's more than a tad icky what with a 16 year old girl being groomed to sell herself to the highest bidder. Not really the sort of musical you want.

Marnie

Starring:  Sean Connery and Melanie's mom

Original release: 1964

Synopsis:  The bully and the thief

 

A sado masochist and an emotionally traumatized woman cross paths and a battle of wills and dominance begins.

 

Well at least that's the story I watched...

 

Hitchcock at his most disturbing.