1960s Challenge (Official, June 2020)

[Lilarcor]

Welcome to the 1960s challenge!



Goal
Watch as many movies as you can from the 1960s. Anything that has a year from 1960 to 1969 on IMDb qualifies.

Rules
- A feature film (anything over 40 minutes) counts as one entry.
- A total of 60 minutes of short films counts as one entry.
- For Mini-Series (40 minute episodes or longer) each episode counts as an entry.
- A total of 120 minutes of TV episodes count as one entry.
- Rewatches are allowed and good for your soul.
- Post the years of your watches, otherwise it is not counted in the tally in the OP.
- Do not edit posts to add new watches, just create a new one.
- Writing your thoughts about what you see is highly encouraged!

Bonus challenge


The 1960s had more than a fair share of wars, coups, nuclear threats, fights for independence and other events rocking the world as it had been established after the two World Wars - including new social and political movements that found its footing and fought old systems that did not work for one reason or another. The May 68 events in France directly affected the business of art cinema, as the Cannes that year was cancelled, and no awards were given. The bonus challenge for this month's 60s challenge is to watch films of the 1968 Cannes official competition. Which films would you have awarded the Palme d'Or and Grand Prix?

List of films on the official competition in Cannes 1968 on ICM


Official Lists

IMDb's 1960s Top 50

Unofficial Lists

CriterionForum Lists Project - 1960s
iCM Forum's Favourite Films of the 1960s
iCM Forum's Favourite Films of the 1960s - Nominations
Taschen's Movies of the 60's

(list suggestions are welcome)


Participants

Rank	Participant	Count	Bonus
1	jdidaco	110	2
2	blueboybob	73	-
3	flavo5000	67	-
4	sortile9io	41	1
5	allisoncm	36	-
6	sol	32	-
7	RogerTheMovieManiac88	31	-
8	AB537	28	1
8	Obgeoff	28	-
10	peeptoad	27	-
11	frbrown	23	-
12	Melvelet	18	-
13	OldAle1	17	-
14	maxwelldeux	16	-
14	Mochard	16	-
16	ororama	14	-
17	Lilarcor	11	-
18	cinephage	10	-
18	VincentPrice	10	-
20	hurluberlu	8	-
21	shugs	7	-
22	blocho	5	-
23	Ebbywebby	4	-
24	zzzorf	3	-
25	morrison-dylan-fan	2	-
25	sebby	2	-
25	vortexsurfer	2	-
28	connordenney	1	-
28	nimimerkillinen	1	-

[VincentPrice]

Sure

[Melvelet]

My main focus for next month. I made watchlist that ended up being of quite excessive length but it's simply the most exciting decade. If anyone has recommendations (including prioritization of movies not in the top 25 of this list), feel free to share

List suggestions for the first post:
iCM Forum's Favourite Films of the 1960s
iCM Forum's Favourite Films of the 1960s - Nominations
CriterionForum Lists Project - 1960s (does anyone have a newer version?)

[Lilarcor]

Thanks for the lists Melvelet!

The 1960s is indeed very exciting, I have a lot of films on the canon yet to watch from this decade and look forward to delving a bit deeper. As for your watchlist Melvelet there's so much good stuff there already that it is hard to pick recommendations. I could watch I compagni any day of the week though, delightful and funny film with masterful cinematography.


Any stats you would like to see for this challenge? I'll definitely steal previous ideas of keeping track of most popular years.

[allisoncm]

I'm in!

[sol]

Yay on a public holiday allowing me to be the first to contribute this month.

It starts! First in.

1. The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)



This boasts some excellent stunts and choreography, especially as two swordsmen drink from teapots while fending off various attackers. There are some neat special effects too, such as a slowing down of frames that creates an illusion of multiple swords. As a narrative though, this is tepid. The central mystery is always less engaging than the action, especially as the characters take to talking aloud to themselves in order to convey their ideas.

[sol]

Sixties

1. The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)

2. Strangers When We Meet (1960)



Kirk Douglas and Kim Novak turn in surprisingly down-to-earth performances here considering that the film that they are in feels like an overlong soap opera episode; the movie is also lusciously shot by Charles Lang with rich colours and lots of shadows (see above). Still, it is hard to get on the same wavelength as the characters since their romance results from sheer boredom and seemingly little more; Brief Encounter this is not. Annoying son too.

[sol]

An inevitable double feature - if you don't mind.

Who's Minding the Challenge?

1. The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)
2. Strangers When We Meet (1960)

3. Who's Minding the Store? (1963)



This is highly episodic as we go from one comedic mishap to another, with quite a few extended gags - especially trying on shoes - lasting too long. The gradually bonding between Jerry Lewis and John McGiver is excellent though and Lewis shows some real ingenuity in completing some of the hard tasks. The film's funniest sequence though, involving an out-of-control vacuum cleaner, feels like a pale imitation of the hose gag Rock-a-bye Baby.

4. Who's Minding the Mint? (1967)



This is slow to warm up with half the duration spent on getting recruits, all of which predictably have their own problems, which leads to more and more recruits being roped in. The actual heist, when it finally starts, is both suspenseful and hilarious though with some zany moments as they slide and crawl about the floors of the mint at night to the complete oblivion of all the security guards and cleaners on duty. There is funny loudspeaker here too.

[flavo5000]

I'll be in. Got some horror and cult movies from the '60s lined up to watch as well as some that overlap with other challenges this month.

[Lilarcor]

1. Blowup (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966) 8/10

Has such an interesting impulsive character, the film too seemed to be acting on impulsive until it turns out it wasn't. Thrilling watch and great start to the month!

[Lilarcor]

OP updated.

Year of release stats after 5 watches:


Country stats:
3 - USA
1 - Hong Kong
1 - UK

[blueboybob]

1. Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (1965)

[AB537]

1. Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969) 7.5/10

[ororama]

1. The Magnificent Trio (1966) * 104 min.

Good action from Shaw Brothers, a reworking of Three Outlaw Samurai.

*First time viewing.

[Melvelet]

1. Masculin féminin 1966 — a.k.a. Masculine-Feminine 6/10
I will read more about this alter today but I have a feeling this will blend in with a couple of other Godard movies in my memory, without any specific characters or statement remaining.

2. Carnival of Souls 1962 8/10
Some overacting (and over-the-top writing for the horny neighbour) but a pleasure to watch. Good for preparing my eyes for a lot of 60s aesthetics this month

[sol]

Love the daily stats idea, though don't feel obligated to post them that regularly if it is a lot of work.

Carrying on...

Challenge the High Country

1. The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)
2. Strangers When We Meet (1960)
3. Who's Minding the Store? (1963)
4. Who's Minding the Mint? (1967)

5. Ride the High Country (1962)



Initially this feels unfocused as it begins to hone in on a courtship between a young woman and the protagonist's partner, but her role in the plot ends up driving things more than anything else; the film actually ends up more about the treatment of women without agency in the times of the Old West. Yet while this focus makes this decidedly different from most westerns of its era, and while Mariette Hartley tries her best, I still found this a bit 'eh'.

[peeptoad]

Thanks for hosting, Lilarcor!

*rewatch
1. Mosura (1961) Mothra 6*
2. Rapture (1965) 8

[VincentPrice]

1. Spider Baby-1967: 10/10

[maxwelldeux]

Pot + No Haircuts

1. The Italian Job (1969)
Cars were neat, heistiness was fun, and the scenery/setting was awesome. Everything else was "meh", but the film was fun enough overall.

2. The Party (1968)
I'm not a fan of slapstick, so this was a bit of a drag to get through. Really enjoyable color palette and some cool sets/stunts, but it was more of a chore to get through than it was enjoyable.

[flavo5000]

1. La mano de un hombre muerto a.k.a. The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus (1962)


2. Dinosaurus! (1960)


3. Captain Clegg a.k.a. Night Creatures (1962)

Spoiler

1. La mano de un hombre muerto a.k.a. The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus (1962)
2. Dinosaurus! (1960)
3. Captain Clegg a.k.a. Night Creatures (1962)

[maxwelldeux]

3. Captain Clegg a.k.a. Night Creatures (1926)

I'm no historian, but I think 1926 happened before the 1960s... (I know you meant 1962).

[Lilarcor]

3. Captain Clegg a.k.a. Night Creatures (1926)

I'm no historian, but I think 1926 happened before the 1960s... (I know you meant 1962).

Great old-school poster though, would not be too out of place in the 1920s!

After 19 watches... who's gonna help 1964 out?



Semi-fun fact about today/tomorrow in 1964: On June 3, 1964 James Purefoy (Mark Anthony in the tv-series Rome) was born!


Country stats:
10 - USA
3 - UK
2 - Hong Kong
1 - France
1 - Italy
1 - Japan
1 - Spain

(counting The Italian Job as a UK film)

As for updates like this I'll try to do it regularly, usually around this time of the day (after my daily evening movie ).

[flavo5000]

3. Captain Clegg a.k.a. Night Creatures (1926)

I'm no historian, but I think 1926 happened before the 1960s... (I know you meant 1962).

Well, I mean it all depends on whether you prescribe to the concept of Eternalism and more specifically in the block time model and how it relates to the theory of quantum gravity by which time is postulated to be an independent variable that is not relative to a given observer but is static in nature and exists all at once. This would mean that within the state which we exist we just happened to witness 1926 happen before 1962, but it reality there are alternate objective states which may have indeed observed them in the opposite order assuming the state is in a non-linear timeline. I mean, I could be wrong though. I'm just a systems architect. Dunno jack about quantum physics stuffz.

But yea, fixed.

[VincentPrice]

2. Mad Monster Party!-1967: 8/10

Spoiler

1. Spider Baby-1967: 10/10

[Mochard]

1. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) - 1/10 - 2329 Checks - 2 Official Lists - 1.9/10 Average Rating

A family gets lost on the road and stumbles upon a hidden, underground, devil-worshiping cult led by the fearsome Master and his servant Torgo.

Twist and Shout - 1

1. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) - 1/10 - 2329 Checks - 2 Official Lists - 1.9/10 Average Rating

[Melvelet]

Then let's help out 1964 (and put India on the country list)

3. Charulata 1964 — a.k.a. The Lonely Wife 8-/10
Might have enjoyed it more if I had watched it in a more quiet environment and without a gf that got impatient because of the pacing. The swing sequence and the "Charulata writing inspiration" sequence were especially great.

Spoiler

1. Masculin féminin 1966 — a.k.a. Masculine-Feminine 6/10
2. Carnival of Souls 1962 8/10
3. Charulata 1964 — a.k.a. The Lonely Wife 8-/10

[sortile9io]

Not the best moment for me to embark on a challenge but I just can't resist my favourite decade, so here I go:



1. TINTIN ET LE MYSTÈRE DE LA TOISON D'OR (Vierne, 1961) — A dynamic adventure in the Eastern Mediterranean (Turkey and Greece), filmed after Tintin in Tibet, it summarises many of the elements seen in previous titles (journey to exotic places, ciphered message, hidden treasure, car chase, Calculus' invention, international gang mixed with state affairs, etc.), the live-action depiction of both characters and locations looks quite good (cars and ships, in particular), although (over-bearded) Haddock's role is often more prominent than Tintin's, due in part to the performance of an actor whose startling resemblance bears not enough charisma; it could have been easily one of the best books in the Tintin series and, as a lifelong fan of Hergé's masterwork, I quite enjoyed it. 7/10

[peeptoad]

3. Lady in a Cage (1964) 8

sixties seen

*rewatch
1. Mosura (1961) Mothra 6*
2. Rapture (1965) 8

[sol]

Dr. Terror's House of Challenge

1. The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)
2. Strangers When We Meet (1960)
3. Who's Minding the Store? (1963)
4. Who's Minding the Mint? (1967)
5. Ride the High Country (1962)

6. Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965)



This offers a decent wraparound story with a neat (if a tad predictable) ending that ties everything together well; as per horror anthology norm though, the individual segments vary in effectiveness. The fourth tale with an increasingly unhinged Christopher Lee is easily the spookiest and best acted, but the second tale is decent too with a more original idea (a killer intelligent houseplant) than the other three tales, which all tread familiar territory.

[VincentPrice]

3 Duel at Diablo-1966: 8/10

Spoiler

1. Spider Baby-1967: 10/10
2. Mad Monster Party!-1967: 8/10

[vortexsurfer]

1. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Ken Hughes, 1968)

[VincentPrice]

4 The League of Gentlemen-1960: 7/10

Spoiler

1. Spider Baby-1967: 10/10
2. Mad Monster Party!-1967: 8/10
3 Duel at Diablo-1966: 8/10

[maxwelldeux]

Pot + No Haircuts

1. The Italian Job (1969)
2. The Party (1968)

3. In the Heat of the Night (1967, USA)

Rewatch with the wife for NO PARTICULAR REASON WHATSOEVER. This actually rose in estimation for me - the whole atmosphere of the film was spot on, and Poitier and Steiger nailed the subtleties of acting those roles. Amazing performances by both. I was also interested to learn that despite being set in Mississippi, they didn't film it there because Poitier was terrified he'd be under constant threat. The one location scene they had to shoot there was cut short because of exactly that.

[Lilarcor]

Rewatch with the wife for NO PARTICULAR REASON WHATSOEVER.

After 29 watches:



Thanks to Melvelet and peeptoad for getting 1964 up and running.

Country stats:
15 - USA
6 - UK
2 - France
2 - Hong Kong
1 - India
1 - Italy
1 - Japan
1 - Spain

Great to see new participants, welcome all!

[VincentPrice]

5. War-Gods of the Deep-1965: 7/10

Spoiler

1. Spider Baby-1967: 10/10
2. Mad Monster Party!-1967: 8/10
3 Duel at Diablo-1966: 8/10
4 The League of Gentlemen-1960: 7/10

[flavo5000]

4. All the Sins of Sodom (1968)


5. Akibiyori a.k.a. Late Autumn (1960)


6. Marquis de Sade: Justine (1969)


7. Kipling's Women (1961)

Spoiler

1. La mano de un hombre muerto a.k.a. The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus (1962)
2. Dinosaurus! (1960)
3. Captain Clegg a.k.a. Night Creatures (1962)
4. All the Sins of Sodom (1968)
5. Akibiyori a.k.a. Late Autumn (1960)
6. Marquis de Sade: Justine (1969)
7. Kipling's Women (1961)

[peeptoad]

4. Blonde Köder für den Mörder (1969) Death Knocks Twice 8 much better than the IMDB average. (+1 for Testi and Celi.)

sixties seen

*rewatch
1. Mosura (1961) Mothra 6*
2. Rapture (1965) 8
3. Lady in a Cage (1964) 8

[Mochard]

2. The Queen (1968) - 6/10 - 83 Checks - 1 Official List - 7.3/10 Average Rating

The behind the scenes of a national drag queen contest in New York City, including the rehearsals leading up to the contest, the conversations in the dressing room and the jealousies that emerge before and after the competition.

Twist and Shout - 2

1. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) - 1/10 - 2329 Checks - 2 Official Lists - 1.9/10 Average Rating
2. The Queen (1968) - 6/10 - 83 Checks - 1 Official List - 7.3/10 Average Rating

[Mochard]

3. Käre John (1964) - 6/10 - 62 Checks - 2 Official Lists - 6.5/10 Average Rating

John is a shipmaster on a very small transportation boat which regularly attends a very small harbour to buy food, actually from Anna's father. She is a waitress and has a young daughter.

Twist and Shout - 3

1. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) - 1/10 - 2329 Checks - 2 Official Lists - 1.9/10 Average Rating
2. The Queen (1968) - 6/10 - 83 Checks - 1 Official List - 7.3/10 Average Rating
3. Käre John (1964) - 6/10 - 62 Checks - 2 Official Lists - 6.5/10 Average Rating

[VincentPrice]

6. Come Drink with Me-1966: 8/10

Spoiler

1. Spider Baby-1967: 10/10
2. Mad Monster Party!-1967: 8/10
3 Duel at Diablo-1966: 8/10
4 The League of Gentlemen-1960: 7/10
5. War-Gods of the Deep-1965: 7/10