Party Girl - 1958 - USA

Party Girl - 1958 - 6/10 

 
Chicago chorus girl Vicki catches the eye of hood Louis, and mob lawyer Farrell. 
Mob boss Rico owns both men, Vicki, and the club where she dances.
Farrell arranges a raise for her, but she causes him to question his ethics.
Splashy film is categorized at Noir, it is not.  This is a homage to 1930’s gangster flicks.
The story is routine, yet the cinematography is eye-popping.
Pity this was an MGM release, as this genre was never their forté.

Passport To Shame - 1958 - UK

Passport To Shame - 1958 - 6/10
AKA - Room 43

 
So, how’d a nice French girl like Marie wind up in a London brothel?
Under the tutelage of steamy Vicki (very va-va-voom Diana Dors).
Brit Noir is a sleazy exploitation of prostitutes and handlers.
Innocents, vice and shame.

 
At one point, Marie is given a “funny cigarette” and spirals down a lurid dream sequence.
Yielding to the temptations of flesh and easy hedonism.
Strange to see Eddie Constantine as the romantic lead.
Keep an eye out at the quickie wedding site for a young Michael Caine.

A Flower In Hell - 1958 - S Korea

A Flower In Hell - 1958 - 6/10  
AKA - Jiokhwa // 지옥화

 
Dong-shik arrives in Seoul searching for older brother Yeong-shik.
The older brother has already fallen in with gamblers, prostitutes and criminals.
South Korea, following the war is a dog-eat-dog landscape.
The young Dong is naive, innocent, and attractive to the females.  
Older brother Yeong has a steady in Sonya, herself wildly popular with soldiers.
Nonetheless, Sonya quickly seduces Dong;  she is a piece of work.
After a slow buildup, this is a terrific period piece and the lead playing Sonya is treacherously unforgettable.

Anticipation Of The Night - 1958 - USA

Anticipation Of The Night - 1958 - 6/10

 
Experimental film spiraling from dusk to dawn.
Silent, no sound.  Blurred images, rapid pans, repeated settings.
From woodlands to what appears to be an amusement park, packed with children late at night.
I viewed with the mindset that this was a museum installation and I was OK with that.
My attention bounced from absorbed to bored to deep concentration to checking the clock.

Ambush At Cimarron Pass - 1958 - USA

Ambush At Cimarron Pass - 1958 - 5/10

 
Army patrol, decimated after an Apache attack, meets a group of ex-Confederates.
Likewise, damaged by Apaches who stole the horses they came to trade.
The Civil War fresh in some, tempers flare, whereupon the Apaches steal ALL the horses.
Fort Waverley is a six day march, during which the group are under guerilla attacks.
Horse-oater is routine B-film.  Watch and guess who the next corpse will be.
Early Eastwood credited part will lure many, although he swings from stiff to overbearing. 

Girl On The Run - 1958 - USA

Girl On The Run - 1958 - 6/10

 
The canary sings her last number, unaware that in five minutes she will witness a murder.
Subsequently, become the target of a persistent hitman.
Them’s the breaks, blondie.
So, she dyes her hair, relocates, and starts singing under a new identity, in a new club.
Yet the hitman, a jive hustling, cool-as-hell Edd Byrnes, tracks her down.
Middling Noir would become the pilot for the popular series “77 Sunset Strip”.
Most of the elements are here: Efrem Zimbalest, Jazz music, shady officials, the trendy vibe.

Black Cat Mansion - 1958 - Japan

Black Cat Mansion - 1958 - 6/10
AKA - Bôrei Kaibyô Yashiki  // 亡霊怪猫屋敷

His wife suffers from tuberculosis, so her doctor husband drives her to the country.
The family home, terribly dilapidated, damp (pouring rain outside), and haunted!
Her condition deteriorates, more once the deadly wraith arrives.
Eventually, the truth emerges.

 
The village priest relates the backstory or murder, rape, and the curse.
The vessel of vengeance?  The family cat.
Modern story is moody black and white.  Earlier tale in color, stylized sets.
The “cat-demon” will be the make or break for most viewers.

The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad - 1958 - USA

The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad - 1958 - 6/10

 
Sinbad and crew rescue a magician.
Not exactly the most grateful soul, the magician makes demands all the way to Baghdad.
Even as a child, I knew this ingrate had something up his sneaky sleeve.
Sure enough.
The plot is fantasy adventure with a dash of romance.
Even today, the special effects by Ray Harryhausen are jaw dropping.
Not to overlook a gorgeous Bernard Herrmann score.
And the acting!  It had to have been challenging.
Great when a film lives up to childhood nostalgia.

Mysteries Of Black Magic - 1958 - Mexico

Mysteries Of Black Magic - 1958 - 6/10
AKA - Misterios de la Magia Negra

 
Damnit, this has so much going for it!
His daughter drags Professor Eladio from his research to enjoy a magic show.
Where the professor, a specialist in superstition and witchcraft, recognizes a centuries old incantation.
Who is this Eglé?  How are her tricks so realistic?  Where did she learn her conjuring?
Long story short, he asks too many questions, alone, and does not fare so well.
Daughter and fiancée Raúl investigate to their peril.
One look at Raúl and the sorceress realizes she has a cozy chamber for him.
Gothic Horror has sets, shadows, fantastic camerawork, spooky atmosphere.
By the final act, it mirrors Haggard’s Ayesha and the tone weakens.

The Revenge Of Frankenstein - 1958 - UK

The Revenge Of Frankenstein - 1958 - 6/10

 
Not the “monster” but the scientist, Dr. Frankenstein.
Escaping justice, the medical man relocates and now goes by Dr. Stein.
Wealthy clientele pad the purse, and he does charity work among the poor (ready supply of spare parts).
With a new apprentice, experimentation into creating Life continues.
The plot moves in unexpected directions, and Peter Cushing and Francis Matthews make a strong team.
Solid Hammer film, glossy looking and intelligent.

The Vikings - 1958 - USA

The Vikings - 1958 - 6/10   

 
Unbeknownst to each other, heir apparent Einar and slave Eric are half brothers.
The Viking and English blood ties are muddled, as is the plot in this.
Very much a live action cartoon of battles, betrayals and blood.
Plenty of dismemberment in this (one wonders how many times George Lucas saw as a child).
Location filming boosts the look.  Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh were still in love at this time.
Best, however, is Kirk Douglas as the seething Einar.
Memorable theme, as well as the final storming of the battlements using axes.
Am I the only one who sees a homo-erotic element in this film?

Fiend Without A Face - 1958 - UK

Fiend Without A Face - 1958 - 6/10

 
US military base (in Canada?) experiments with radar and telekinesis.
Before you can wonder what could go wrong, an invisible “entity” starts killing.
Victims have their gray cells sucked out, brains and spinal cords.
Soldiers are hapless, the base is overrun!
Once exposed, the creatures are laughable and creepy, a weakness of the film.
Especially for young viewers who imagined them to be under the bed or in the closet.
Or teenagers at the drive-in, aware death is everywhere so they better get busy now.
Not one of those so-bad-it’s-good films, but creative yet underwhelming.

The Vampire's Coffin - 1958 - Mexico

The Vampire's Coffin - 1958 - 5/10
AKA - El Ataud del Vampiro

 
Why, why, why would anyone exhume the coffin of a slain vampire?
I suppose if you are a doctor, wanting to experiment on something new.
Just don’t go removing that wooden stake in his … oops … too late.
For a long time, I was utterly engaged in this followup.
The photography is superb, in many ways breathtaking.
Deep blacks, imaginative use of shadows.
German Robles, returning as the stylish Count Lavud, is a master of cape flourishing.
Unfortunately the romantic male lead has been rewritten as a skirt chasing lech who has had an IQ lobotomy.
Along with insufferable comic relief.

English subs = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3306697

The Old Man And The Sea - 1958 - USA

The Old Man And The Sea - 1958 - 6/10

 
Spencer Tracy in essentially a one man vehicle.
An elderly Cuban fisherman has not caught a “big one” in months.
Until he lands a huge marlin, larger than his boat.
Therein is the drama, how to bring catch back intact, with sharks about.
Not high adventure, but an existential struggle of Man vs. Nature.
Long at 90”, it feels slow, despite lush photography.
I am hardly a Tracy fan, and this is just one more of his films that left me flat.

The Bravados - 1958 - USA

The Bravados - 1958 - 7/10

 
Douglass arrives in the small town to watch a hanging.
Four outlaws.  The men Douglas had been tracking after they murdered his wife.
Instead of a hanging, the men escape, and Douglass leads the posse.
Hard-edged, violent Western of obsession and self-righteous vengeance.
Gregory Peck, who I usually view as a pompous ham, is exceptional as the man blinded by fury.
While not listed as such, this is a terrific Noir.
I grew up on the black & white version, and that is how I prefer to view this one.

War Of The Satellites - 1958 - USA

War Of The Satellites - 1958 - 5/10

 
Every time the Space Agency tries to place a satellite into orbit, boom!
Soon we learn, the Spiral Nebula Ghana has banned humanity from exploring space.
They take telepathic control of the agency chief.
Cheapo Roger Corman has no real plot, dime store sets, and only two of the players can act.
No matter.  This moves like mad.  You can only register one implausibility before another displaces it.
Thrilling entertainment when I was a kid.  Even now, watchable.

Earth Vs. The Spider - 1958 - USA

Earth Vs. The Spider - 1958 - 4/10

 
Wrong, Barney.  A more accurate title would read, Teenagers vs Big Spider.
Annoying teenagers, at that.  One longs for the arachnid to feast on twist-crazed, unhappy meals.
Anyhoo, our house sized predator chills in this ole spider cave.
Locals don’t seem to notice until, well, I guess it ran outta varmints, and now chomps on long pork.
Lessons for viewers include – DDT good, rock and roll bad.
Probably an excellent drive-in flick back when.  So boring, you will find other activities to engage in.

Darby’s Rangers - 1958 - USA

Darby’s Rangers - 1958 - 6/10

 
Hollywood tale of the formation of the 1st Army Rangers.
Major Darby is assigned to form and train a battalion based on the British Commandos.
Harsh and grueling training is offset by wartime romances.
Later combat appears filmed on indoor sets.
At times schmaltzy, at times flag-waving, this was once a staple of late night television.
Years later, I thought about the relationship between the prissy lieutenant and the feisty Italian girl.
Those sorts of impulse war nuptials resurfaced in countless Noir films and OTR mysteries.
Yarns where husbands and wives barely knew the other, and schemed murder.

The Night Affair - 1958 - France

The Night Affair - 1958 - 7/10
AKA - Le désordre et la nuit

The owner of a boisterous nightclub is troubled by partners, suppliers and women.
Most of his money stems from peddling drugs and flesh.
So, when a murder occurs, there is no shortage of suspects with motives.

 
Clues point to a young hostess, Lucky, pass-around companion and drug addict.
Moody film, set primarily during nights.  Hot jazz clubs, private parties, drunken fights.
Jean Gabin excellent as weary inspector who resists the easy path.
Solid French Noir.

The Bonnie Parker Story - 1958 - USA

The Bonnie Parker Story - 1958 - 6/10

Wild retelling of Bonnie & Guy (yes, Guy, not Clyde) and their spree in the panhandle region during the 30's.
Bonnie is the cigar chomping, tommy gun crazy, kickass boss of small time gang.

 
They knock over hardware stores, gas stations, diners until she bullies her crew into robbing banks.
Film is peppered with explosions, gun battles, car chases, and arguments.
Menfolk don’t stand a chance.
Music is 30's Swing combo, hillbilly, and 50's jukehouse.
Dorothy Provine landed this ultimate hard blonde role and rode it for all it was worth.
Even during lulls, she is electric.