Annual Top 30 – The Magnificent 60s

Ann-Margret is pipped to the post by…Ann-Margret. The Swinger and Stagecoach duked it out at the top of the All-Time Top 40 with the former taking it by a good margin. But it was the reversal in the annual stakes, with the western ahead just by a nose. The films viewed most this year. As ever some surprise picks.

Stagecoach (1966). Ann-Margret and Alex Cord in decent remake of John Ford classic western.
The Swinger (1966). Ann-Margret as novelist who tries to live up to the sexy persona she has invented.
The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961). Angie Dickinson as African missionary with Peter Finch and Roger Moore in thrall.
Fireball XL5. The famous British television series from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, now colorized. “My heart will be a fireball…”
Fraulein Doktor (1969). German spy Suzy Kendall out-foxes Kenneth More. Grisly realistic WWI battle scenes and a superb score from Ennio Morricone.
Vendetta for the Saint (1968) Roger Moore vs the Mafia.
Plane (2023). Gerard Butler channels his inner Bruce Willis in Die-Hard-on-a-desert-island adventure.
Baby Love (1969). Orphan Linda Hayden proves too much of a temptation for upper-middle-class London family.
The Best House in London (1969). David Hemmings goes into battle for sex workers.
The Sisters (1969). Nathalie Delon and Susan Strasberg in complicated love triangle of love and betrayal.
Pendulum (1968). Taut thriller with cop George Peppard accused of murdering unfaithful wife Jean Seberg.
Moment to Moment (1966). Jean Seberg investigated for murder in Hitchcockian thriller set in the South of France.
Rage (1966). Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens combat pandemic in Mexican town.
The First Deadly Sin (1980). Frank Sinatra’s cop chases down a serial killer.
Go Naked in the World (1961). Gina Lollobrigida finds that her profession (the oldest) and true love (with rich Anthony Franciosa) don’t mix. Great turn from Ernest Borgnine as a doting father.
Lady in Cement (1969). Sinatra as private eye Tony Rome who takes on gangster’s moll Raquel Welch as a client.
Champions (2023). Woody Harrelson as the basketball coach saddled with a bunch of misfits.
A Dandy in Aspic (1968). Cold War thriller with Laurence Harvey as a double agent who wants out. Mia Farrow co-stars.
She Died with Her Boots On / Whirlpool (1969). Sleazy British film from cult Spanish director Jose Ramon Larraz sees kinky photographer Karl Lanchbury seduce real-life MTA Vivien Neves.
Once a Thief (1965). Less glamorous role for Ann-Margret as wife of ex-jailbird thief Alain Delon who is forced into another job.
Diamond Head (1962). Charlton Heston chews the scenery in Hawaiian epic.
Titanic (1997). Reissue in 3D of the James Cameron box office smash.
Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humpe and Find True Happiness? (1969) Self-indulgence reaches new heights with writer-director-producer Anthony Newley’s autobiographical tale about stardom. Then-wife Joan Collins co-stars.
Sergeant Ryker (1968). Lee Marvin in Korean War courtroom drama.
The Misfits (1960). Clark Gable goes out on a high, ably supported by Montgomery Clift and Marilyn Monroe in John Huston tale of losers.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1969). Sergio Leone masterpiece featuring the stunning cast of Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson and that fabulous Morricone score.
In Harm’s Way (1965). John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in Otto Preminger WW2 epic set in Pearl Harbor and after.
The Invitation (2022). Gothic thriller starring Nathalie Emmanuel.
Beat Girl / Wild for Kicks (1960). Gillian Hills is tempted into joining the striptease game. Christopher Lee puts in an appearance.
100 Rifles (1969). Raquel Welch, Jim Brown and Burt Reynolds heat up the screen in Tom Gries western set in Mexico.

As is by now traditional (well, it’s the second full year) this isn’t my choice of the top films of the year, but yours, my loyal readers. This is a chart of the films viewed the most times over full calendar year of January 2022 – December 2022.

Jessica (1962). Angie Dickinson plays a young widow who turns so many heads in a small Italian town that their wives seek revenge. The film had debuted at No 30 in the previous year’s chart so showed remarkable staying power.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1969). Sergio Leone’s masterpiece now acclaimed as the greatest western ever made. Top class cast – Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda and Jason Robards – and one of the greatest scores ever written courtesy of Ennio Morricone.
The Swinger (1966). Ann-Margret sparkles as author reinventing herself by writing a sex novel.
Fraulein Doktor (1969). Suzy Kendall as German spy outwitting the British during World War One.
Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humpe and Find True Happiness? (1969). Fellini-esque musical with abundant nudity as writer-director-star Anthony Newley tries to unravel the meaning of life.
Father Stu (2022). Under-rated biopic with Mark Wahlberg as unlikely priest.
Blonde (2022). Andrew Dominik’s controversial reimagining of the life of Marilyn Monroe with Ana de Armas
For a Few Dollars More (1965).Sergio Leone re-teams with Clint Eastwood in the second in the spaghetti western trilogy with Lee Van Cleef as a rival bounty hunter.
A Place for Lovers (1968). Faye Dunaway and Marcello Mastroianni in Vittorio De Sica doomed romance.
Fade In (1968). Burt Reynolds disowned this romance filmed against the backdrop of making the Terence Stamp western Blue but it’s better than he thinks.
The Secret Ways (1961). Richard Widmark in spy thriller set in Hungary during the Cold War and adapted from the Alistair MacLean novel. Senta Berger has a small role. Top film for 2021, so demonstrating the ongoing popularity of films based on the author’s works.
The Sisters (1969). Complicated menage a trois that borders on the semi-incestuous starring Nathalie Delon and Susan Strasberg.
Pharoah (1966). Epic Polish picture about political shenanigans in ancient Egypt. Another film with legs – it was No 3 in the 2021 annual chart.
Water Gate Bridge / Battle at Lake Changjin II (2022). Another epic, non-stop action from the Chinese point-of-view in a sequel to one of the most famous battles of the Korean War.
Harlow (1965). Carroll Baker as the blonde bombshell who rocketed to fame in 1930s Hollywood.
Baby Love (1969). Morality tale as orphaned Linda Hayden tries to fit into an upper-class London household.
Moment to Moment (1966). Hitchockian thriller set in the South of France with adulterous Jean Seberg suspected of killing her lover.
Secret Ceremony (1968). Elizabeth Taylor, Mia Farrow and Robert Mitchum in atmospheric Joseph Losey drama.
Lady in Cement (1969). Gangster’s moll Raquel Welch steals the show in Frank Sinatra’s second outing as private eye Tony Rome.
Subterfuge (1968). Suzanna Leigh steals the show as a sadistic henchwoman trying to prevent Gene Barry uncovering a mole in M.I.5.
P.J. / New Face in Hell (1967). George Peppard taken to the cleaners as down-on-his luck private eye.
The Golden Claws of the Cat Girl (1968). Cult French movie starring Daniele Gaubert as a sexy cat burglar. This was No 6 last year.
The Gray Man (2022). Spectacular Netflix misfire with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans as rival assassins and Ana de Armas adding some spice.
The Brotherhood (1968). Martin Ritt Mafia drama sees siblings Kirk Douglas and Alex Cord falling out.
Some Girls Do (1969). Richard Johnson returns as Bulldog Drummond battling archvillains Daliah Lavi and Beba Loncar.
Pressure Point (1962). Prison psychiatrist Sidney Poitier treats racist patient Bobby Darin. Very unusual imagery.
The Double Man (1967). C.I.A. operative Yul Brynner battles Russian espionage in Switzerland with Britt Ekland providing the glamor.
Operation Mincemeat (2022). Re-telling of “The Man Who Never Was” World War Two plot that duped Hitler over Sicilian invasion plans.
Orgy for the Dead (1965). Bizarre cult horror tale where most of the female characters appear to be auditioning for a nudie film.
Texas Across the River (1966). Alain Delon acts against type in Dean Martin comedy western.

Category: Annual Top 30

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