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Movie Quote of the Day – A Face in the Crowd, 1957 (dir. Elia Kazan)
Lonesome Rhodes: I’m not just an entertainer. I’m an influence, a wielder of opinion, a force. . .a force!
Movie Quote of the Day – The Tin Star, 1957 (dir. Anthony Mann)
Sheriff Ben Owens: You notice everything, don’t you?
Morg Hickman: I notice you’re wearing your guns too low.
Sheriff Ben Owens: That’s where Sheriff Parker wore his.
Morg Hickman: Parker’s dead.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Bridge on the River Kwai,1957 (dir. David Lean)
Colonel Saito: Do not speak to me of rules. This is war! This is not a game of cricket!
Movie Quote of the Day – Paths of Glory, 1957 (dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Maj. Gen. George Broulard: Aside from the inescapable fact that many of your men never left the trenches, there’s the troops’ morale, don’t forget.
Col. Dax: The troops’ morale?
Maj. Gen. George Broulard: Certainly. These executions will be a perfect tonic for the entire division. There are few things more fundamentally encouraging and stimulating than seeing someone else die.
Col. Dax: Well, I never thought of that, sir.
Movie Quote of the Day – Le notti bianche, 1957 (dir. Luchino Visconti)
Mario: Go to him. You mustn’t feel remorse. I was wrong to make you doubt him. Go to him. God bless you for the moment of happiness you gave me. Even a moment’s worth can last a lifetime.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Prince and the Showgirl, 1957 (dir. Laurence Olivier)
The Queen Dowager: Sweetly pretty. She should use more mascara. When one is young, one should use a lot of mascara. When one is older, one should use much more.
Movie Quote of the Day – Jailhouse Rock, 1957 (dir. Richard Thorpe)
Peggy Van Alden: I think I’m going to just hate you!
Vince Everett: No, you ain’t gonna hate me. I ain’t gonna let you hate me. [kisses her]
Peggy Van Alden: How dare you think such cheap tactics would work with me!
Vince Everett: [after kissing her again] That ain’t tactics, honey. It’s just the beast in me.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Incredible Shrinking Man, 1957 (dir. Jack Arnold)
Scott Carey: I was continuing to shrink, to become. . .what? The infinitesimal? What was I? Still a human being? Or was I the man of the future? If there were other bursts of radiation, other clouds drifting across seas and continents, would other beings follow me into this vast new world? So close – the infinitesimal and the infinite. But suddenly, I knew they were really the two ends of the same concept. The unbelievably small and the unbelievably vast eventually meet – like the closing of a gigantic circle. I looked up, as if somehow I would grasp the heavens. The universe, worlds beyond number, God’s silver tapestry spread across the night. And in that moment, I knew the answer to the riddle of the infinite. I had thought in terms of man’s own limited dimension. I had presumed upon nature. That existence begins and ends in man’s conception, not nature’s. And I felt my body dwindling, melting, becoming nothing. My fears melted away. And in their place came acceptance. All this vast majesty of creation, it had to mean something. And then I meant something, too. Yes, smaller than the smallest, I meant something, too. To God, there is no zero. I still exist!
Oscar Vault Monday – 12 Angry Men, 1957 (dir. Sidney Lumet)
I thought it would be fitting to follow up my in memorium Sidney Lumet post with a more prolonged discussion of one of his greatest masterpieces. Like I said in that earlier post, I saw 12 Angry Men for the first time on PBS a few years ago. I couldn’t believe I’d never seen it before. Part of what makes this an undisputed masterpiece is how timeless it feels. Yes, it’s filmed in black and white, but it feels as fresh as if it were filmed today. Amazing, considering it was Lumet’s first feature film. The only other directorial debut I can think of that is equally as amazing is Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. Surprisingly this film was only nominated for three Academy Awards and lost them all to The Bridge on the River Kwai (something tells me François Truffaut was not happy with the Academy’s decision that year; read his book The Films in My Life and you’ll see why I think this). The awards it was up for were Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. The other films up for Best Picture that year were Peyton Place, Sayonara, Witness For The Prosecution and winner The Bridge on the River Kwai. Regardless of its Academy history, the film is ranked #7 on IMDb’s user-generation Top 250 and is generally considered one of the greatest films ever made.
Movie Quote of the Day – 12 Angry Men, 1957 (dir. Sidney Lumet)
Juror #2: It’s hard to put into words. I just think he’s guilty. I thought it was obvious from the word, ‘Go’. Nobody proved otherwise.
Juror #8: Nobody has to prove otherwise. The burden of proof is on the prosecution. The defendant doesn’t even have to open his mouth. That’s in the Constitution.
the diary of a film history fanatic 