The Favorite Films Before My Lifetime: 1955

This is the year lightning struck the clock tower.  The "Enchantment Under The Sea" dance went over incredibly well and Calvin Klein inspired Marvin Barry.  People may not have enjoyed all of this back then, but their kids would go on to love it.

Best Picture Noms

WINNER - Marty 

Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing

Mister Roberts

Picnic

The Rose Tattoo

The clock tower strikes as I make my picks

East Of Eden

Great character work as well as a character study as well.  Its a terrifically performed film and James Dean really really shines in the only leading man role of his he lived to see released.

Kiss Me Deadly

It was always odd or weird for me watching a young Cloris Leachman here (her feature film debut I believe) as in my lifetime she's pretty much been an old lady.  This is one top notch film noir film and a must on the list of those first digging into them.

Night Of The Hunter

Thanks in part to the Criterion Collection, I discovered this absolute gem.  It wasn't well received upon its arrival.  But, its heavy German expressionism and style would lead to inspire many a director I fancy later on.

Rififi 

It was til just a month ago I saw this movie (Aaron Neuwirth had strongly recommended it to me early last year).  When I did I was blown away.  This film is outstanding and the film that all heist films after would strive to be.  The actual heist scene in the film is one of the great and best executed suspense sequences...like ever.  Thanks Aaron!

Rebel Without A Cause

I suppose this is THE seminal James Dean film and also one of the ultimate coming of age/youth in revolt stories.  Dean here is just as good as Eden, but there's a nice supporting turn by Natalie Wood here as well.  Odd, the teens in this movie all died at young ages (Dean, Wood and Sal Mineo).

To Catch A Thief

One of Hitchcock's "purdiest" looking films.  It did take home an Academy Award for its cinematography.  This film pairs two Hitchcock regulars together (Cary Grant and Grace Kelly - Kelly's final film with Hitch).  I've always thought of this as one of Alfred's more "cute" films.  And this was more of his "cute" year I suppose, as he released The Trouble With Harry the same year that I would also put in that category.