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| Our ten winning films from 1950 - 1959 |
At the end of another decade, it's time for our decade-regular PAD (Paul and Doug) awards. A glittering ceremony with such stars as Bette Davis, James Stewart and Marlon Brando, we opened with the finest discount prosecco from Co-Op, and our first award... Least Favourite Film  Paul says: Gigi
Gigi is an obvious choice, perhaps, bearing in mind that it was my lowest mark. But From Here to Eternity came a close bottom-second. On reflection, the problem with Gigi is that it’s very much a musical of its time - so forcibly whimsical to the point where old men are singing about young girls, and the repression of women is a good excuse for a humorous vignettes and jolly songs. The story is trite and loses its way completely, and really its just a glossy mess. One saving grace is Leslie Caron’s efforts to engage us with the title character - it’s a shame that the script doesn’t give her a lot to work on.
 Doug says: An American in Paris
Looking back over the decade is an interesting experience as we’ve had some of the most vibrant, interesting pieces yet, which only serves to make it more obvious when we have a proper clunker land. An American in Paris feels on reflection to be a dated piece that doesn’t bother with character depth, and thinks by throwing lots of colour and light at the audience, they’ll be dazzled enough not to care that there’s nothing much behind it. And I’m sure at the time they were - after so many black and white films, we were grateful for a bit of a change. But this eventually turned out to be an elaborate facade and feels more empty every time I think about it.
Favourite Male Performance
Initially this was a toss-up between Ernest Borgnine in Marty and Alec Guinness in The Bridge on the River Kwai. However, one performance has stuck with me from the early films of the ’50s and it’s not even a leading role. I’ve always loved to gush over a supporting actor or actress who manages to surpass their leads. Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, Maggie Smith in Gosford Park and Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love are some prime examples. As such, my favourite male performance is James Stewart as the clown with a dark secret in The Greatest Show on Earth. He is a tender, nuanced counterbalance to the staggering, unsubtle spectacle that is the rest of the film. The character’s secret, when revealed, draws attention to a very controversial social issue that is still discussed with great contention today. It may be brief, but it’s memorable, and his eventual ending is by far the most powerful moment of the film.
Doug says: Ernest Borgnine, in Marty 
It’s the first time that I’ve been torn between a few male performances since we’ve started this project, and honourable mentions have to go to Alec Guinness (Bridge over the River Kwai) and Charlton Heston (Ben Hur) for their great turns. I was particularly torn by Sessue Hayakawa whose villainous Colonel Saito was beautifully rounded and deserved more from the script.
But ultimately there was one winner, and Ernest Borgnine played Marty with such tenderness and care that we rooted for him to pull through and find love within just over an hour. I think the moment I knew he would be this decade’s winner was the moment he broke down and delivered a speech about how he was ugly and hideous and didn’t deserve love. It’s a sentiment still very much around in today’s superficial world, and Borgnine caught the rage and tragedy of the sentiment with such accuracy, that I found myself close to tears. A quiet, unmissable turn that lasted a lot longer than some of the pyrotechnics of this decade.
Favourite Female Performance
On my first viewing of All About Eve many moons ago, Bette Davis was the face and voice that I recalled with obsessive detail. On my second viewing, she was just as fun, feisty and fabulous as before, but Anne Baxter as the titular Eve fascinated me far more. Her blank-faced, soft-spoken performance is sinister, addictive and sometimes downright frightening. You can see her very easily through the eyes of Bette Davis- she comes across nervous and innocent but soon becomes unnerving and untrustworthy in her unending devotion and enviable ability to appease everyone. Considering that my last decade’s top female was the phenomenally evil Judith Anderson in Rebecca, I obviously have a penchant for scary, snake-like women. Who knew?! Shout-out to Betsy Blair in Marty and the Queen Bette Davis herself in All About Eve.
Doug says: Bette Davis, in
All About Eve
There’s only one winner here for this. It’s remarkable because this is the decade that we’re discovering ‘naturalism’ in and it’s a performance rooted in melodrama that steals the win. But what Davis does with such extraordinary flair is match her over the top performance with tiny fragments of actual poignancy and realness, that we are thoroughly invested in her performance always. It’s a show of flouncing hair, devastating epithets, and swirling cocktails, and Davis at its core delivers a fiery performance that for me leaves everything burning in her wake.
Side note: A friend watched this on my recommendation and noted how utterly feminist a piece it is. Three women are at its core (Bette Davis, Anne Baxter and Celeste Holme) and the men are merely chess pieces. Even more reason to love it!
Favourite Film 
Paul says: Bridge Over the River Kwai
I gave two 10’s throughout the ’50s, to two very different films. Marty was a sweet-natured, simple, naturalistic depiction of awkward humans falling in love. And who wouldn’t be entranced by something as charming as that?! But what tipped the scale in favour of character-driven war epic, The Bridge on the River Kwai, were several factors. Firstly the stunning central performance from Alec Guinness who manages to make a jobs-worthy, rule-book-loving bore into a figure of admiration and support. Secondly, a structure and bearable length that both takes its time but builds incredible tension. And thirdly, the big questions the film brings up - how does one win a war? How should one fight a war? What is national superiority? And how on Earth can Western soldiers fight in trousers in that oppressive Malaysian heat? It’s deep stuff - and a terrific film for a Sunday afternoon.
Doug says: All About Eve
I thought about this one long and hard, and was so tempted to give the prize to The Greatest Show On Earth which was a piece I enjoyed heartily and was surprised by. Having said this, this is the one film that I remember the most, was drawn into, and want to watch again. Bette Davis delivers a star turn, but as Paul says - Anne Baxter matches her in her own sinister turn, and you have a host of characters including the sharp-tongued Birdie and a baby Marilyn Monroe in her first (terrified) screen performance. It’s a story of ageing, and fear of being replaced, and the savage ending makes it clear that Eve is only one in a chain of young actresses each trying to outdo the next. And perhaps the best thing one could do is…get out of the game altogether. The loud dramatic scenes are neatly curtailed by subtle quiet ones - I’m thinking of Celeste Holme and Bette Davis in their fur coats in a broken down car pouring out their hearts - and there’s enough camp lines to make a gay man purr. ‘Fasten your seatbelts,’ indeed - it makes for a wonderful night.
Average Film Scores
Paul: 7.05/10
Doug: 6
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