Night and Fog / Nuit et brouillard (1955, France, Resnais)

The greatest documentary about concentration camps and extermination camps I’ve ever seen.  A visual essay that looks back on the horrors of the recent past in a way that hits you like a half-forgotten nightmare forcing you to remember it. Watched it all.

Land of the Pharaohs (1955, USA)

Evil Egyptians plot and scheme, blah blah blah. Watched: 4 minutes. In pseudo-historical epics, the obligatory decadent banquet scene typically occurs around halfway into the movie. It’s usually the only interesting scene in the movie, but is outdone in this case by the astonishing finale, a burial scene that is truly worthy of Indiana Jones, and probably a direct influence.

Mister Roberts (1955, USA)

Military humor is all the same, half light-hearted absurdity, and half deadly. This one tries a little too hard, and James Cagney certainly does. He’s no Queeg, and the movie grinds to an embarassing halt the moment he opens his mouth. Watched: 45 minutes.

The Rose Tattoo (1955, USA)

It doesn’t look like Tennessee Williams has discovered how to tell a coherent story yet. Or maybe Hollywood hasn’t found out how to film his plays. Watched: 14 minutes.