Classic Film : John Huston - favorites, least favorites

John Huston - favorites, least favorites

full features filmography

The Dead (1987)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
Under the Volcano (1984)
Annie (1982)
Victory (1981)
Phobia (1980)
Wise Blood (1979)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
The MacKintosh Man (1973)
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
Fat City (1972)
The Kremlin Letter (1970)
A Walk with Love and Death (1969)
Sinful Davey (1969)
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
The Bible: In the Beginning (1966)
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)
Freud (1962)
The Misfits (1961)
The Unforgiven (1960)
The Roots of Heaven (1958)
The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (1957)
Moby Dick (1956)
Beat the Devil (1953)
Moulin Rouge (1952)
The African Queen (1951)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
We Were Strangers (1949)
Key Largo (1948)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Across the Pacific (1942)
In This Our Life (1942)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Favourites

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Key Largo
The Maltese Falcon
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Annie
The Night of the Iguana
The Dead
The Misfits
The African Queen
Prizzi's Honor




Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Several masterpieces, and from 50s - 80s several films I would count among best US films per decades. Never liked Maltese Falcon, Astor is horrendous to say the least, the plot is not exciting at all. Bette Davis repeatedly said that "In This Our Life" was her worst film, it's probably her worst WB film anyway; ironic that while she has many ok/generic films - with many lesser directors, 3 best ones she worked with (in the lead) are Wyler, Huston, Vidor - yet 2 of them directed her worst starring films
But back to Huston

Liked a Lot
The African Queen (1951)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
The Dead (1987)
Key Largo (1948)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Moulin Rouge (1952)

Liked
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Victory (1981)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
Fat City (1972)
The Misfits (1961)
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (1957)
A Walk with Love and Death (1969)
Moby Dick (1956)

So-So
The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)
Wise Blood (1979)
Across the Pacific (1942)
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
The Bible: In the Beginning (1966)
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)
We Were Strangers (1949)
The Roots of Heaven (1958)
Annie (1982)
The MacKintosh Man (1973)
Freud (1962)


Didn't Like
The Kremlin Letter (1970)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Unforgiven (1960)
Phobia (1980)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
Under the Volcano (1984)

Abyssmally Bad
Beat the Devil (1953)
In This Our Life (1942)

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites


Didn't Like
The Kremlin Letter (1970)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Unforgiven (1960)
Phobia (1980)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
Under the Volcano (1984)


While I can't say that I would go so far as to dislike The Maltese Falcon, I must insist that it's one of the most over-rated films in screen history. While it has unassailable assets (Astor, Greenstreet, Lorre, Patrick, Adolph Deutsch's eerie score, Arthur Edeson's moody camerawork, Orry-Kelly's superb wardrobe for Brigid), there are glaringly problematic issues that I can't overlook or forgive. Chief amongst them is Bogart's often vague and unfocused performance, which is 40% the fault of Huston's screenplay (not the source novel) and 60% the execution (Bogart himself). Like the movie itself, I don't dislike Bogart, in general, but I find him over-rated to the height of critical indiscrimination. While he can be, on occasion, quite marvelous (I shall forever point to Casablanca), his Sam Spade is dreadfully uneven. What cinematic moment is more grating than Bogart's irritatingly phony laugh when Lorre, as Joel Cairo, insists on searching Spade's office, once he retrieves his weapon? The fake laughter and the awkward stuttering would shame a 14-year-old actor in a junior high production.
There are moments in the movie that jar the viewer, breaking the fourth wall and reminding us that we're watching a film. The best example (worst, really) is during Sam and Brigid's climactic standoff. Huston may not be directly responsible, but who else can we blame? It occurs in the attached clip, in the two-shot when Astor says "I can't look at you..." She puts her hands to her face and turns away from him, but in the jump-cut, her hands are nowhere to be seen, giving this viewer whiplash every time. No matter how you look at it, Huston is to blame, whether it's because he didn't properly supervise the editing by Thomas Richards, or more likely, because he didn't provide enough coverage for a seamless cut. In any case, it makes Astor look bad, to an inexperienced viewer who doesn't have much knowledge of the mechanics of filmmaking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPT49WXC0Zo

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

see Edward, and you were surprised that I rated so-so on Cukor's film that you held in high esteem.
Truth is, if it was some minor film, I rarely see mentioned like Curtiz's "Unsuspected" (and I hope to do a post about Curtiz before the 20th), I would have liked it more. But with all this hype, I would expect something great on the level of Third Man or Hangmen also Die. Instead we get a mystery without any mystery, poorly acted, edited (I know the hands shot you are referring too), and on top of that ludicrously miscast.
Despite his cult mostly supported by his widow, Bogart was never a great actor., but sometimes he acts role minimally (like tired melancholy in Casablanca) and it works great, here he just doesn't work. Astor is terrible. Looking exhausted, with a double chin, she looks 15 years older than she really is. This 'femme fatale" wouldn't be able to swindle anyone for $5. For years I've seen folks on imdb call her matronly, "librarian" (as if librarian can't be attractive). One of the posters here has a theory, that she knows she's aging, and this is her cast case :-/ A theory completely unsupported by the script (let alone original novel). When Lee Patrick tells Bogart she's waiting, she says she's quiet a bute or something like it.
I remember the laugh as well

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

As with your Cukor list, I have to completely disagree with you about Mary Astor. I may be as gay as three cans of pink paint, but my opinion that she is one of the greatest beauties ever captured on film is supported by my many straight male friends, who all agree that she's strictly "babe" material. Her performance is one of the strongest assets of this over-rated movie.

(I suggest you check out Edward Goren's new, illustrated bio, Mary Astor's Purple Diaries.)

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

k, now I know why you was so supportive of Garland and her Star is Born ;)
So you are supposed to have great taste !
Well, as a straight married man, I have to say that Astor (while maybe beautiful, beauty is in the eye of the beholder), she's completely asexual. I look at her, looking so exhausted, in those unflattering costumes that would sute Dame Mae Whitty or May Robson back then, and my only desire is to ask if she's uncomfortable, maybe she needs 3 extra pillows for her rheumatism.
(actually I had similar issue with Garland, in SIB she looks sick, but unfortunately, she really was)

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites


k, now I know why you was so supportive of Garland and her Star is Born ;)
So you are supposed to have great taste !




I never mentioned A Star Is Born on the aforementioned thread, and, in fact, I take exception to many of his most respected films, which you listed as unlikeable. I challenge you to point out to me where I was "so supportive of Garland and her Star is Born". I am not, not have I ever been, a Garland fanboy. Be careful not to injure yourself wen jumping to conclusions.


EDITED.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

I looked, I listed 10 of his films as liked a lot, and 12 as liked. While not a large % of his filmography, still a large number.

The ones I listed I didn't like (Rich and Famous 1981, Wild Is the Wind 1957 ,
Heller in Pink Tights 1960 ,Winged Victory 1944 ,Susan and God 1940 , The Royal Family of Broadway 1930) while I am sure have their fans, are never referred to as his most respected films.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites


see Edward, and you were surprised that I rated so-so on Cukor's film that you held in high esteem.


If you examine your Cukor thread, you'll see that I never once mentioned any specific film on your "So-So" list:


So-So
A Star Is Born 1954
The Actress 1953
The Marrying Kind 1952
Justine 1969
Zaza 1938
Two-Faced Woman 1941
Her Cardboard Lover 1942
Adam's Rib 1949
The Chapman Report 1962
Travels with My Aunt 1972
The Blue Bird 1976
The Virtuous Sin 1930
Tarnished Lady 1931
Rockabye 1932
Our Betters 1933
Romeo and Juliet 1936
Keeper of the Flame 1942
Gaslight 1944
A Double Life 1947
A Life of Her Own 1950
Pat and Mike 1952
Let's Make Love 1960




What you did do was make an assumption (with your "I take it" phrase), without any basis:


>>My jaw is dropping at some of the entries on your "so-so" list
Looking forward to your list, since I take it you saw most of them.
I take it you mainly surprised at "Star is Born" ? Doubt there many fans of last films of Garbo and Shearer; Romeo and Juliet would have been much better without L Howard.


For whatever reason, you seem to want to argue with me, but I'm not playing that game with you. I can only guess it was over the fact that I disputed your incorrect claim that Girls About Town is an easily accessed movie, which it isn't. I'm aware of that fact because I'm an expert on the Cukor filmography, but most people who are followers of classic films can confirm that the vast majority of the pre-1950 Paramount library is being held hostage by Universal. Here's your comment regarding Girls About Town:


But its not a rare film at all, I often see it on internet.


Not true at all. It only made its first appearance in complete form recently, on YouTube. It has never been released on any form of home media, and every previous time someone posted it to YouTube, Universal quickly had it taken down, which will no doubt happen again to its current incarnation there.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Hi Elliot. I don't find Astor a knockout in the Maltese Falcon, but she is a star and she looks and acts in the movie.

Not one of the most profound comments I've ever had on the classic film board .

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - 10/10
The Misfits - 10/10
Fat City - 9/10
Wise Blood - 8/10
The Asphalt Jungle - 8/10
Key Largo - 8/10
The Maltese Falcon - 7.5/10
The Night of the Iguana - 7/10
Freud - 6/10
Reflections in a Golden Eye - 4/10
The Mackintosh Man - 4/10

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

EXCELLENT
The African Queen (1951)
Key Largo (1948)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Battle of San Pietro (1944)

VERY GOOD
Beat the Devil (1953)
Across the Pacific (1942)
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)

GOOD
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
Fat City (1972)
The Misfits (1961)
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (1957)
The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)

OK
A Walk with Love and Death (1969)
Wise Blood (1979)
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
The Bible: In the Beginning (1966)
We Were Strangers (1949)
The Unforgiven (1960)
Under the Volcano (1984)
The Dead (1987)
Moby Dick (1956)
Annie (1982)

Bleh
Victory (1981)
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
The Kremlin Letter (1970)
The Roots of Heaven (1958)
The MacKintosh Man (1973)
Freud (1962)
Phobia (1980)
The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)
In This Our Life (1942)

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Chronologically as always (but not for much longer!).

Favorites:

The Maltese Falcon
Across the Pacific
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Key Largo
The Asphalt Jungle
The Red Badge of Courage
Moby Dick
Heaven Knows, Mister Allison
The Man Who Would Be King


Next-most-liked:

In This Our Life
We Were Strangers
The African Queen
The Barbarian and the Geisha
The Roots of Heaven
The Unforgiven
The Misfits
Freud
The List of Adrian Messenger
The Bible: In the Beginning
Prizzi's Honor


Okay but not true faves:

Moulin Rouge
Beat the Devil
The Night of the Iguana
The Mackintosh Man
Under the Volcano


Don't care for or can't stand:

Reflections in a Golden Eye
The Kremlin Letter
Fat City
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
Victory
Annie


Never saw:

Sinful Davey
A Walk With Love and Death
Wise Blood
Phobia
The Dead


His best film in my view is The Asphalt Jungle, which I don't think he ever topped. This is followed closely by The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Maltese Falcon as my top three Huston favorites.

I like some of his more problematic films of the late 50s and early 60s -- The Barbarian and the Geisha, The Roots of Heaven, The Unforgiven, The Misfits, Freud -- because while they have issues they're at least stabs at something different and have good casts, location filming and original ideas. Even The Bible has its moments. But I've never been as wild about some of his most popular films as most people, notably The African Queen and Moulin Rouge, though I like them well enough. The allure of Beat the Devil eludes me but I rank it in the middle mainly for Bogart and the offbeat hash it is.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

don't worry, we can post this series in some quiet Classic Film group on facebook

I would highly recommends 'The Dead', based on James Joyce story is one of his best films.

Wise Blood is ok if you liked Flannery O'Connor's story, but on film whole style is gone, even though film can be as stylish as literature in a different way.

A Walk With Love and Death is a nice historical melodrama with teenage Angelica looking lovely

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

TOP 5

The African Queen
The Dead
The Maltese Falcon
The Red Badge of Courage
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

NADIR

Phobia

The Red Badge of Courage

I suspect original version must of been pretty good.
69 minutes that survived from it, are very disconnected

Re: The Red Badge of Courage

Though broken and disjointed, it's still great enough to be a work of art, like the Venus de Milo.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

One of the greats...


SUPERB
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
Key Largo (1948)
The Misfits (1961)

EXCELLENT
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

VERY GOOD
The African Queen (1951)

GOOD
Beat the Devil (1953) a low key but delicious parody of Bogart movies where apparently Bogart never got the joke... everyone else does especially Widow Selznick in a career best turn as compulsive liar - and flirt....
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Wise Blood (1979)

WORTH WATCHING
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)
In This Our Life (1942)

OF SOME INTEREST/WATCHABLE
The Kremlin Letter (1970)
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (1957)
The Unforgiven (1960)
A Walk with Love and Death (1969)
Across the Pacific (1942)

MEDIOCRE - OF LITTLE OR NO INTEREST - WATCHABLE BUT MORE THAN EQUALLY MISSABLE
The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
We Were Strangers (1949)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Fat City (1972)
Moulin Rouge (1952)
Under the Volcano (1984)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
The Dead (1987)

POOR
The MacKintosh Man (1973)
The Bible: In the Beginning (1966)

[b[ BAD [/b]
The Roots of Heaven (1958)


VERY BAD
Freud (1962)
Moby Dick (1956)
Victory (1981)

ABYSMAL
Phobia (1980)
Annie (1982)


NOT SEEN
Sinful Davey (1969)



























Tell mama, Tell mama all....

I havent seen Sinful Davey either

lets make a party next time I'm in London, with lots of beer, sushi - and watching 'Sinful Davey' ?

Re: I havent seen Sinful Davey either

Well the beer is fine but I like dead critters cooked. I can show you my collection of Jennifer Jones ephemera in the intermission

Tell mama, Tell mama all....

Re: I havent seen Sinful Davey either

make Jean Simmons (or Carroll Baker) and you got yourself a deal punk !
What is critters ???

Make a party?

You have a party, and don't make one. It's the guests who make (or break) a party.


https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/we-want-to-make-have-a-party-for-you.1927456/

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Liked a lot
Chinatown (1974)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Misfits (1961)
The Dead (1987)
Fat City (1972)
Key Largo )1948)

Liked
Moulin Rouge (1952)
San Pietro (1945)
Wise Blood (1979)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
Moby Dick (1956)
The Asphault Jungle (1951)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)

So so
The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
Annie (1982)
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
Across the Pacific (1942)
Beat the Devil (1953)

Not a fan
The African Queen (1951)
In this our Life (1942)
We Were Strangers (1949)

Really bad ... Victory (1981)

HM - for his great narration in Cannery Row (1982) what a voice!


Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

CHINATOWN.... OOH Glenn how could I forget his turn as one of the greatest villains in cinema history As Directors turned actors go he really did head the pack....

Tell mama, Tell mama all....

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Yes but Cannery Row has the Great Frog Hunt, which you can see here recreated beautifully using lego:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlZIscFZU4Q

I don't recall any frogs (or lego) in Chinatown.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Props as well for directing his Dad in an iconic role.

I'm sure there's many more examples, the only comes to mind is Nick Cassavetes and Gena Rowland in The Notebook.

Both Nick and her daughter Zoe directed Gena Rowlands multiple times

Nick - Unhook the Stars, Notebook, She's So Lovely, Yellow.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

I hadn't seen Heaven Knows, Mr Allison until very recently.
I did notice that it had similar elements to The African Queen.

I love both of them because they each team up unlikely men with proper unlikely women.
When these movies start, one can't see how these couples will work together.
Yet, in the end, they do......

I also like how these movies mix the scared (women) with the profane(men).

I also love to watch The Treasure of the Sierra Madre from time to time. It is still one of my favorite classics.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Roughly best to worst, with 4 or 5 OTHERS WHICH i HAVEN'T SEEN FOR TOO LONG -

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Key Largo (1948)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (1957)
The Misfits (1961)
The African Queen (1951)
Moby Dick (1956)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
The MacKintosh Man (1973)
Victory (1981)
The Unforgiven (1960)



"He was a poet, a scholar and a mighty warrior."

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

****
the asphalt jungle
the treasure of the sierra madre
the maltese falcon
moulin rouge - most underrated Huston
the man who would be king
prizzi's honor
fat city

***1/2
the dead
under the volcano
wise blood
the red badge of courage
key largo
moby dick
the misfits
the african queen

***
heaven knows, mr. allison
the unforgiven
beat the devil
the night of the iguana

**1/2
the list of adrian messenger
reflections in a golden eye
across the pacific

fail..
the life and times of judge roy bean
the barbarian and the geisha
the bible - like the Noah's Ark segment.
the kremlin letter
the mackintosh man
annie
victory

wanted..
in this our life, freud


Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

THE MISFITS - I was obsessed about it for a long time, when in my 20s.
HEAVEN KNOWS MR ALLISON
THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA
THE DEAD
THE UNFORGIVEN
THE MALTESE FALCON
MOULIN ROUGE
MOBY DICK
FAT CITY
KEY LARGO
THE ASPHALT JUNGLE
REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE
THE KREMLIN LETTER - what an eclectic cast ...

Not seen:
WISE BLOOD
A WALK WITH LOVE AND DEATH
SINFUL DAVEY
THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER
ANNIE
ESCAPE TO VICTORY

Acting; CHINATOWN / THE CARDINAL / DE SADE, enjoyably chomping the scenery. Oh, and MYRA BRECKINRIDGE !

Like De Sica in Italy, Huston always needed more money for his gambling, maintaining his estate in Ireland etc, so he must have taken any assignments going in his later years. THE MACKINTOSH MAN is a very dull thriler, he did do interesting oddities like ROOTS OF HEAVEN, THE BIBLE (saw it last week, he seemed to be having fun as Noah) and FREUD.
And it may be heresy, but I don't care for THE AFRICAN QUEEN that much, despite my regard for Bogart & Hepburn.

It was good to see the great storyteller in person at the London BFI in 1972 when FAT CITY was released and hear his stories and just be in the room with the man who made THE MISFITS and all those others .

They're on to you - I'm in your room.

http://www.osullivan60.blogspot.com/

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

how many others were in the room ?

no net heresy at all, you can't like everything :)
I for instance think that "Maltese Falcon" is a terrible film which reputation is completely undeserved.
(perseonally I get all the hype for 'Fat City' either

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Oh, it was a full auditorium, plus a walk near him along the corridor afterwards. He was certainly larger than life.

They're on to you - I'm in your room.

http://www.osullivan60.blogspot.com/

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

I've seen most but not all. My favorites:

The African Queen (1951)
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (1957)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

The time of the singing of the birds has come.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

Huston is one of those rare filmmakers who has followed be from childhood into adulthood and retained his place among my favourites, though many of the films I prize most from his oeuvre have changed.

Current favourites:

The Treasure Of Sierra Madre
The Misfits
The Man Who Would Be King
The Dead
Wiseblood

Those that have fallen for me though nostalgia keeps them alive:

African Queen
The Maltese Falcon
Key Largo
Moby Dick

Have seen most of the rest, but not that interested in ranking them.

Re: John Huston - favorites, least favorites

I love The Asphalt Jungle.

~~~~~
Proud to be Canadian! 🇨🇦
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