Yesterday on Twitter Terry Teachout — my favorite critic, of theater for the Wall Street Journal and at large for Commentary — commented on The Third Man, the compelling 1949 film. If you are a fan of the film, you will undoubtedly recall that it was written by Graham Greene and features a chilling star turn by Orson Welles. Terry touted the film as a scrupulous study in moral complexity. It is all that and more.
Thinking that he had just watched it on TCM as part of TCM’s annual 31 Days of Oscar, I asked what other blasts from the past he would recommend. He graciously responded with a list of his favorite underappreciated films coming up in the 31 days lineup in the order that they will play on the channel. I thought some readers might appreciate this as a public service announcement.
Here are ten favorites of mine (listed in the order that they’ll be shown on @tcm) that tend not to pop up on best-of lists:
Dodsworth
Here Comes Mrs. Jordan
The Naked Spur
One Way Passage
I Remember Mama
The Westerner
Theodora Goes Wild
Klute
Lust for Life
Anatomy of a Murder— Terry Teachout (@terryteachout) February 12, 2018
BONUS: In a follow-up tweet Terry added for what it is worth (to me, a lot) that Dodsworth is also one of David Mamet’s two favorite films. The other of Mamet’s favorites is The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.
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