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Post by Fox in the Snow on May 15, 2020 2:59:59 GMT
I've already seen and loved "the big four" (?) of his films:
In A Lonely Place, Rebel Without a Cause, Johnny Guitar, Bigger Than Life
What would you recommend next?
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Post by london777 on May 15, 2020 3:54:49 GMT
His first film, They Live by Night (1948) is a decent little noir. Maybe the first "crazy mixed-up teenagers" movie before teenagers had even been invented.  |
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Post by kijii on May 15, 2020 4:35:52 GMT
On Dangerous Ground (1951)
Knock on Any Door (1949)
The Savage Innocents (1960) is an interesting movie with Anthony Quinn as an Eskimo.
55 Days at Peking (1963) is set in China in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion--epic scale movie.
Party Girl (1958). As I recall, while going though my Nicholas Ray period, this movie is much better than its name might imply.
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Post by petrolino on May 15, 2020 8:19:27 GMT
Here's 4 more I'd recommend :
They Live By Night (1949)
A Woman's Secret (1949) On Dangerous Ground (1951) The Lusty Men (1952)
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Post by claudius on May 15, 2020 11:40:51 GMT
KING OF KINGS (1961) Biblical epic on the social & political environment of Roman-occupied Judea around the time of Jesus.
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Post by politicidal on May 15, 2020 21:24:29 GMT
Wind Across The Everglades (1958) with Christopher Plummer and Burl Ives.
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Post by cynthiagreen on May 16, 2020 6:58:37 GMT
Huge fan - yes - sadly I'd say you have already seen the two masterpieces (IALP & JOHNNY - I rate REBEL a notch lower and whilst I'd "recommend" BIGGER THAN LIFE I think it "overrated"), but of the rest I'd recommend
THEY LIVE BY NIGHT young lovers thwarted by society and fate
A WOMAN'S SECRET - minor but enjoyable ladynoir
MACAO - uncredited contribution patching together knockabout adventure fllic with most agreeable cast (2 years on shelf)
PARTY GIRL - incredibly stylish gangster piece - if you liked the colours in JOHNNY you'll be equally impressed with the pallette used here also happens to be my favourite ever trailer! Probably the best of those you have yet to experience.
55 DAYS AT PEKING - Gripping epic about Boxer Rebellion - streets ahead of most 60s blockbusters - involving script and excellent action set pieces... strong cast.... the "yellowface" casting of caucasian actors as Chinese may not sit well with today's audiences but I thought Flora Robson & Robert Helpmann were wonderful (Myrna Loy turned doown the Robson part).
I've seen all the others aside from the late documentaries and none else I'd "recommend", but I'd note most observers rate ON DANGEROUS GROUND, and SAVAGE INNOCENTS has its moments. the JESSE JAMES film has a juvenile appeal.
Difficult to find much positive to say about KNOCK ON ANY DOOR (why cast Bogart as second fiddle to John Derek???) or KING OF KINGS (or I WAS A TEENAGE JESUS as the Sunday Times refers to it!  )
Hope you enjoy some of them - let us know what you think
PS - the Eisenschitz Biography of Ray offers excellent analyses of each movie - incredibly detailed info on which bits of MACAO were directed by Ray and which were shot by Von Sternberg, for example.... but If you are reading for the dish on if and how he nailed Natalie though, you'll need to look elsewhere... Tis a fairly highbrow tome... 
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Post by Fox in the Snow on May 16, 2020 10:03:24 GMT
Thanks for all the recs everyone. I might try and get a hold of They Live By Night first. The beginning seems a good place to start.
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Post by claudius on May 16, 2020 10:51:49 GMT
Difficult to find much positive to say about KNOCK ON ANY DOOR (why cast Bogart as second fiddle to John Derek???) or KING OF KINGS (or I WAS A TEENAGE JESUS as the Sunday Times refers to it! ) Even though Jesus and Jeffrey Hunter were both in their early thirties.
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Post by cynthiagreen on May 16, 2020 12:29:08 GMT
Difficult to find much positive to say about KNOCK ON ANY DOOR (why cast Bogart as second fiddle to John Derek???) or KING OF KINGS (or I WAS A TEENAGE JESUS as the Sunday Times refers to it! ) Even though Jesus and Jeffrey Hunter were both in their early thirties. Thirty five years or seventeen - I'm sure all would agree that one holy dreamboat he was indeed - he looks as ready to break up a "rumble" as to give a sermon or lay his hands on the afflicted...
The Sunday Times goes on to say Ray was "miscast" as director..... as was the rest of the cast "its like a sick game to choose the least apt Hollywood hams for the divine parts". To be fair I don't think I've seen it for 40 or so years so should probably give it another go... not sure it was quite that bad. Mind you - it was better than THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD for sure 
EDIT - according to Eisenschitz Christopher Plummer, Keith Michell, Peter Cushing (!  ) and Max Von Sydow were considered for Jesus before Hunter cast, any or all of whom would have presented as less TEENAGE....Max making the cut for the George Stevens' version 4 years later... Fabian, John Saxon, Frankie Avalon or Tab Hunter might concievably been a more TEENAGE option than Jeff but Eisenschitz remains silent on whether they were considered..... I certainly hope they were...
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Post by kijii on May 16, 2020 14:16:57 GMT
Wind Across The Everglades (1958) with Christopher Plummer and Burl Ives. Interesting movie in that it was Plummber's second feature film
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Post by london777 on May 16, 2020 15:50:26 GMT
It is strange that whereas Hollywood has always been only too ready to cast Jewish actors as gentiles, Native Americans, orientals, latinos, aliens from space, and almost anything else you can think of, they have never cast a Jewish actor as Jesus, who was Jewish. Normally they cast a WASP, sometimes a latino, even a Maori, but never (as far as I can remember) a Jew. Why is that?
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 16, 2020 18:21:20 GMT
As one of the few Westerns purists on the board, I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't trumpet Run for Cover  You think you're the only one in the world ever got a raw deal... There's a lot of people in this world who've had a tougher time than you or me. Run for Cover is directed by Nicholas Ray and adapted to screenplay by Winston Miller from a story by Harriet Frank Jr. and Irving Ravetch. It stars James Cagney, Viveca Lindfors, John Derek, Jean Hersholt, Grant Withers, Jack Lambert, Ray Teal and Ernest Borgnine. A Technicolor/VistaVison production, with music by Howard Jackson and cinematography by Daniel Fapp. When Matt Dow (Cagney) and Davey Bishop (Derek) meet up they quickly become friends, but events conspire to see them wrongly suspected of robbing the train heading for Madison. Hunted down by a Madison posse, Bishop, a Madison resident, is severely injured and Dow taken to town for possible lynching. What unfolds is the truth comes out and the two men end up working as the law in town, but there is many more secrets to be unearthed in this part of New Mexico... Nicholas Ray brings a meditative state to the picture, ensuring the thematics of surrogate families, generation conflicts, mob justice and the corruption of youth, are all delicately handled by the great director, even dealing in Freudian textures for the key character relationship. There's a whiff of High Noon in how Matt will inevitably have to stand alone, and he will also have to fight inner turmoil about injustices and cope with disappointments as things refuse to go to plan under Madison's glaring sun. But this is a skilled character piece able to stand on its own terms. As a looker the film is quite simply stunning. Filmed out of Durango, Silverton and Aztec (the latter providing the finale set in the Aztec Ruins), the scenery is breath taking, Ray and Fapp surrounding the story with an imposing beauty that is hard to take your eyes from. Cast are led superbly by a restrained and reflective Cagney, who can say so much with just one glance of his eyes, and while Lindfors as Cagney's love interest is a bit wooden, she's at least given some decent scripting to work with. Elsewhere nobody fails in bringing their respective characters to life. Absolutely lovely Oater, one that may not break new ground with its formula of plotting, but comes out roaring regardless. It makes you wish Cagney had made more Westerns, Nicholas Ray also, while Fapp's photography here is alone worthy enough to consider catching this on any potential Blu-ray release. 7.5/10 |
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) and Max Von Sydow were considered for Jesus before Hunter cast, any or all of whom would have presented as less TEENAGE....Max making the cut for the George Stevens' version 4 years later... Fabian, John Saxon, Frankie Avalon or Tab Hunter might concievably been a more TEENAGE option than Jeff but Eisenschitz remains silent on whether they were considered..... I certainly hope they were...