Hollywood (and the English cinema) used to make a lot of intense, intelligent, rather quiet dramas about human suffering, human disappointments, human joys ... The films tend to be underrated, because they were never supposed to be blockbusters. They are also mostly in black and white, and when you watch them, it's hard to imagine them otherwise. The zenith of these dramas came late in Hollywood's Golden Age: I'd call it the Playhouse Decade, when what you had on the silver screen and on television were conceived first for the stage, or were conceived with the stage in mind. Here are my top 10 "playhouse" dramas, though I am certainly missing another 20 that could be here ... They were everywhere.
- On the Waterfront. Marlon Brando walks a Via Dolorosa. He's at his best, and the whole cast is phenomenal; Lee J. Cobb as the corrupt union boss Johnny Friendly; Eva Marie Saint as Edie, the sister of the young man whom Johnny has had killed; Karl Malden as a tough and courageous priest; Rod Steiger as Charlie, Brando's brother ... This one WAS supposed to be a blockbuster.
- Twelve Angry Men. Superb cast. Everybody remembers Henry Fonda. But the 12 men are sharply distinct, and every one of them has his moments. They're all good, but check out the 3 most stubborn holdouts for guilty: E. G. Marshall, Lee J. Cobb, and Ed Begley Sr.
- The Browning Version. NOT the remake in 1994. It will rip your guts out.
- Billy Budd. I've praised this movie before. Robert Ryan at his malevolent and intelligent best.... Again, a great cast all around; Peter Ustinov (who wrote the screenplay, produced, and directed it), Melvyn Douglas, Terence Stamp.
- Requiem for a Heavyweight. Anthony Quinn, Mickey Rooney, Julie Harris, and Jackie Gleason as the bad guy....
- Lilies of the Field. I should put this one higher... Beautiful movie, and a great movie that is powerfully subtle about racism in America, without being preachy.
- Days of Wine and Roses. Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick ... Almost unwatchable for people who have "been there" with addiction.
- A Raisin in the Sun. Sidney Poitier again. He had a run of about 10 years when nobody was a better actor than he was ... A couple of guys might have been as good, but nobody better.
- The Member of the Wedding. Ethel Waters, Julie Harris, and Brandon de Wilde all three starred in this play on stage, and then they also starred in the film. See them singing "His Eye is on the Sparrow."
- Goodbye, My Lady. Not really a playhouse film, because it happens all outdoors, but otherwise in the category, and underrated ... Walter Brennan, Phil Harris, and Brandon de Wilde again.
Honorable Mention: Fail-Safe; Seven Days in May; The Oxbow Incident