Top 30: January to June 2023

All the trade papers have cottoned on to the notion of doing half-yearly assessments of the movies on offer. Not suggesting they’ve stolen my idea, of course, but I always find it interesting to see which of my blogs attract more attention than others. So here’s the top-viewed films for January-June 2023.

1. The Swinger (1966). No surprises here since this movie is king of the all-time swingers. Ann-Margret stars as a wannabe writer living out her character’s adventures and, in passing, taking every opportunity to shake her booty.
2. Fireball XL5 (2022) The Gerry Anderson 1960s sci fi television series featuring Steve Zodiac,  colorized and winning over a new legion of fans.
3. Plane (2023). Pilot Gerry Butler goes Die Hard on a remote island where his plane crash lands and his passengers are taken hostage by terrorists. No word yet on a sequel but another Den of Thieves 2 is in production.
4. Fraulein Doktor (1969). German spy Suzy Kendall outwits British opposite number during World War One.
5. Vendetta for the Saint (1969). Roger Moore as Simon Templar taking on the Sicilian Mafia in a movie stitched together from two television episodes. Love interest supplied by Rosemary Dexter.
6. Pendulum (1969). George Peppard, charged with murdering adulterous wife Jean Seberg, must clear his name.
7. Sgt Ryker (1968). Lee Marvin creates merry hell in Korea. Another compilation of television episodes and revived to cash in on his success.
8. Stagecoach (1966). Ann-Margret, Alex Cord and Bing Crosby head the cast of a decent remake of the John Ford western.
9. 100 Rifles (1969). Raquel Welch and Jim Brown team up to drive out the ruthless Mexicans in a steamy, violent western.
10. Moment to Moment (1966). Jean Seberg caught up Hitchcockian skulduggery in the South of France.
11. Baby Love (1969). Linda Hayden as the object of too many people’s affections as she is taken in by a well-off London family.
12. Titanic (1997). The 3D version of the James Cameron classic, much in the news at the moment after the Titan disaster, which was reissued in advance of the Avatar sequel.
13. Sisters (1969). Nathalie Delon and Susan Strasberg in semi-incestuous Italian drama.
14. Mickey One (1965). Cult Arthur Penn existentialist thriller starring Warren Beatty and a stand-up comedian hiding out from the Mob.
15. Rage (1966). Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens battle a rabies outbreak in Mexico.
16. Sword of Lancelot/Lancelot and Guinevere (1963). Cornel Wilde writes, directs and stars in historical epic. Wife Jean Wallace has the female lead.
17. Beat Girl / Wild for Kicks (1960). Gillian Hills dips into the seamy side of London.
18. Charade (1963). Classic Hitchcockian thriller with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn at the top of their game with a host of rising stars and directed by Stanley Donen.
19. Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968). Provincial teenager Barry Evans tries to get his share of the Swinging Sixties with the help of Judy Geeson.
20. Lady in Cement (1969). Frank Sinatra as private eye Tony Rome makes the mistake of taking on mob moll Raquel Welch as a client.
21. Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness (1969). Anthony Newley warbles his way through cult musical, another actor-writer-director extravaganza this time mainlining on Fellini and with copious nudity.
22. The Invitation (2022). Nathalie Emmanuel finds her lover enmeshed in a Gothic conspiracy.
23. Once a Thief (1965). Ann-Margret again, this time in a more serious role as the wife of  reformed criminal Alain Delon sucked back into a heist. Directed by Ralph Nelson. Hip jazz score by Lalo Schifrin.
24. Hannibal Brooks (1969). Michael Winner World War Two comedy drama with Oliver Reed making best friends with an elephant.
25. Arabella (1967). Delightful Italian comedy with Virna Lisi trying to seduce various versions of Terry-Thomas.
26. Naked Under Leather / The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968). Chanteuse Marianne Faithful brings erotic heft to controversial movie, heavily cut for U.S. release. Co-star Alain Delon smokes a pipe.
27. King’s Pirate (1967). Decent swashbuckler starring Doug McClure and Jill St John.
28. The First Deadly Sin (1980). Superb performance by Frank Sinatra as cop hunting serial killer. Co-stars Faye Dunaway.
29. Whirlpool / She Died With Her Boots On  (1970). Creepy thriller from Jose Ramon Larraz sees top model Vivian Neves terrorized by photographer Karl Lanchbury. Lost for decades.
30. Giant (1956). Big screen revival of George Stevens’ oil epic starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean.

Author: Brian Hannan

I am a published author of books about film - over a dozen to my name, the latest being "When Women Ruled Hollywood." As the title of the blog suggests, this is a site devoted to movies of the 1960s but since I go to the movies twice a week - an old-fashioned double-bill of my own choosing - I might occasionally slip in a review of a contemporary picture. View all posts by Brian Hannan