JonTurner

A quick note:

• Some people are now saying it's before their time, so they haven't seen enough to vote... If you've seen even one film that you really liked from the year, and thus you consider it the best you've seen (even if it's the only one you've seen), go ahead and vote. Heck, I was born in '82, so yeah, it's before my time too, but I've still got a favorite from most years back at least through the 70s, even if I've just seen 2 or 3 from the year.

I know we've got polls like this all the time around here, but I figure this one will be a little more comprehensive and perhaps even informative.

This thread will be for your pick for best film released during 1957 (think Oscar considerations for what's eligible). I'm not making it a poll because whether you like it or not, that would influence some people's choice.

Results will be posted in this thread, and all subsequent threads for each year, and they will be ongoing... so you can still vote here even weeks after other year's polls have begun.

Please start your post with your #1 film from 1957 (try to limit it to one - after all, that's the point - two at the most (I'll split the vote)), and yes, discussions are more than welcome!

Current Leader -- The Bridge on the River Kwai

All Years:
2001 -- (currently) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2000 -- Requiem For a Dream*
1999 -- Fight Club*
1998 -- Saving Private Ryan*
1997 -- L.A. Confidential*
1996 -- Fargo*
1995 -- (currently) Braveheart
1994 -- Pulp Fiction*
1993 -- Schindler's List*
1992 -- Unforgiven*
1991 -- Silence of the Lambs*
1990 -- Goodfellas*
1989 -- Do the Right Thing*
1988 -- Die Hard*
1987 -- Full Metal Jacket*
1986 -- (currently) Aliens
1985 -- Back to the Future*
1984 -- Ghostbusters*
1983 -- Return of the Jedi*
1982 -- (currently) E.T.
1981 -- Raiders of the Lost Ark*
1980 -- The Empire Strikes Back*
1979 -- Apocalypse Now*
1978 -- (currently) Halloween
1977 -- Star Wars*
1976 -- Taxi Driver*
1975 -- Jaws*
1974 -- The Godfather: Part II*
1973 -- (currently) The Exorcist
1972 -- The Godfather*
1971 -- A Clockwork Orange*
1970 -- Patton*
1969 -- (currently) Midnight Cowboy
1968 -- 2001: A Space Odyssey*
1967 -- The Graduate*
1966 -- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly*
1965 -- Dr. Zhivago*
1964 -- Dr. Strangelove*
1963 -- 8 1/2*
1962 -- Lawrence of Arabia*
1961 -- The Hustler*
1960 -- Psycho*
1959 -- North by Northwest*
1958 -- Vertigo*
1957 -- The Bridge on the River Kwai*

If you haven't voted on the previous years, feel free to go back and do so.

*Poll closed, winner declared.

JonTurner

It's hard to vote against my favorite filmmaker when he's got a picture worthy of consideration, but I must go with something I finally saw a few weeks ago and was just amazed by the perfect performances from the entire cast, and amazingly tight script that kept surprising me over and over again:

1) 12 Angry Men - 9/10
2) The Cranes are Flying - 9/10 (the best Russian film I've ever seen)
3) Paths of Glory - 9/10
4) Sweet Smell of Success - 8/10
5) The Bridge on the River Kwai - 8/10

and the other two films I've seen from the year... call it blasphemous, but I couldn't find much to enjoy in either of Bergman's so called masterpieces of the year, Wild Strawberries - 6/10, and The Seventh Seal - 5/10.

Oscar Nominees for Best Picture:
The Bridge on the River Kwai - WINNER
12 Angry Men
Peyton Place
Sayonara
Witness for the Prosecution

Other notables: What's Opera, Doc?, The Nights of Cabiria, Kumonosu jo

garmonbozia

Wild Strawberries

with Paths of Glory and Bridge On the River Kwai a close second and third

Simpson Purist

The Bridge on the River Kwai

jdpatri

This is another tough, tough year... where were these movies in the early 60's? The IMDB gives 1957 release dates for both Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal... I thought they were released in consecutive years? If this is accurate, here's my list...

1. The Seventh Seal
2. 12 Angry Men
3. Throne of Blood
4. Wild Strawberries
5. Bridge on the River Kwai

...tough movies to leave off a top five list (aka the rest of the top 10)...

Nights of Cabiria
Cranes are Flying
Night of the Demon
Kanal (Wajda)
Paths of Glory

...also I've never seen the Satyajit Ray film from that year, The Unvanquished.

LBPound

Great year for movies...well at least those I've seen.

1) Bridge on the River Kwai
2) 12 Angry Men
3) Old Yeller
4) Paths of Glory

Dimension X

Top Ten:
1)The Bridge on the River Kwai
2)The Spirit of St. Louis
3)12 Angry Men
4)Jailhouse Rock
5)Man of a Thousand Faces
6)Paths of Glory
7)A Face in the Crowd
8)Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
9)Old Yeller
10)Night of the Demon

Some more movies from 1957:
20 Million Miles to Earth
The Astounding She-Monster
Attack of the Crab Monsters
The Brain from Planet Arous
The Curse of Frankenstein
The Delicate Delinquent
Dragstrip Girl
The Giant Claw
Hellcats of the Navy
I Was a Teenage Frankenstein
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Invasion of the Saucer Men
The Invisible Boy
Jet Pilot
Johnny Tremain
Loving You
The Monolith Monsters
The Monster That Challenged the World
Not of This Earth
Peyton Place
The Prince and the Showgirl
The Sad Sack
The Story of Mankind
The Three Faces of Eve
The Wings of Eagles

MST3K Fodder:
The Amazing Colossal Man
Beginning of the End
The Black Scorpion
The Deadly Mantis
I Was a Teenage Werewolf
Mr. B Natural
The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy
Untamed Youth
The Viking Women and the Sea Serpent

movielib

Some good movies this year. I think Witness for the Prosecution is the best movie made from an Agatha Christie story. 12 Angry Men, The Spirit of St. Louis, Paths of Glory and some others are fine films.

But the clear winner from this year has to be The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Geofferson

The Bridge on the River Kwai

ToddSm66

Not even close on this one. Without a doubt, the correct answer for 1957 is Sweet Smell of Success.


1. Sweet Smell of Success
2. The Bridge on the River Kwai
3. Witness for the Prosecution
4. The Seventh Seal
5. Paths of Glory
6. 12 Angry Men
7. A Face in the Crowd
8. 3:10 to Yuma
9. Love in the Afternoon
10. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

swamptours

Paths of Glory

Johnny Zhivago

Paths of Glory

evenflow

The Bridge on the River Kwai

wendersfan

Wild Strawberries

Damfino

Paths of Glory

HistoryProf

I caught Spirit of St. Louis on TCM a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it....so i think i'll give it my vote in order to provide some karma for a dvd release...

2nd would be Bridge on the River Kwai....

Ghostface180

1. 12 Angry Men
2. The Seventh Seal
3. Witness for the Prosecution

CCGoldRush

Seventh Seal
12 Angry Men
Bridge on the River Kwai

So difficult to choose between the 3...

xDareDevilx

12 angry men

Chad

The Bridge On The River Kwai

Ginwen

Sweet Smell of Success

Jaymole

Sweet Smell of Success

explosivej

Sweet Smell of Success

jdpatri

Why isn't anyone voting for 1957?

greatjedi

Dang, there were a lot of good movies that year. I'm caught between Paths of Glory and Bridge on the River Kwai. Those are two of my favorite war films of all time.

I think I'm gonna go with Bridge on the River Kwai on this one though.