Recommend a lesser known film!

[scarletlion]

'The White Reindeer' (1952)

Film from Finland. Folk Horror. Think American werewolf in London but set in snowy fells of Inari, Finland and involving a she-werevampire-witch character. Stunning visuals.

[DonB]

Ordnung (1980), by the great German-Iranian director Sohrab Shahid Saless.

[Hilliard]

The Window, from 1949.

A movie about a kid, Tommy, played by Bobby Driscoll, who likes to make up stories, witnesses an actual murder. It's absolutely incredible, and it reminds me somewhat of Rear Window, though I actually prefer this to it (though it has me thinking of watching that again). This is simply a must-see movie IMO.

A couple of IMDB reviews I saw now, that I like:

one without spoilers (but I'll use it anyway):

[Show spoiler]First saw this nail-biter when I was a kid. It still holds up. Based on a Cornell Woolrich story (as was REAR WINDOW), this one boasts some of the most stunning cinematography I've ever seen. Director Tetzlaff, himself a cinematographer of considerable skill (he shot Alfred Hitchcock's NOTORIOUS), milks this one for all it's worth. Bobby Driscoll (the kid underground comix artist Robert Crumb reveals his brother fell in love with in the documentary CRUMB) never once wavers under the camera's close scrutiny: his must be one of the greatest performances EVER by a kid in a feature film. In fact, it's his performance that carries the film. Paul Stewart is as creepy as they come; his performance, as good as it is, perfectly compliments the low-key desperation of young Driscoll. Absolutely must-see moviemaking.

and one with tons of spoilers:

[Show spoiler]This film is a masterpiece. It's one of the best movies of all times. It might be very old and in black and white, but I don't care and that fact doesn't bother me at all - it makes perfect sense, considering the generation it is from. It's an excellent piece of cinema, appreciate it for what it is without thinking about its age. Plus, a movie in black and white is an art form, no matter how "primitive" it might be. Many times the most simple things are the best and this very interesting motion picture is a very good example of this. This film is simple yet masterfully done. The plot is simple, easy to understand yet unpredictable and there isn't a single boring moment. The movie is visually simple yet visually fascinating at the same time. It's a suspense noir film, carefully made even in details. The pace is simply perfect. They don't make movies of this quality anymore. This is a RKO Pictures's production. All actors are great in their roles, but Bobby Driscoll steals the show. He is simply superb. In fact, Driscoll's extraordinary performance as Tommy Woodry earned him a well deserved special Academy Award as the outstanding juvenile actor. Bobby Driscoll does incredible things in this film. He climbs up the building's fire escape, runs entire floors (up and down), runs in New York streets... all stuff that require not only agility but also good physical shape. Plus, the character he portrays is the perfect example of someone who is being sincere but nobody believes because of his habit of making up fantasious stories (although he doesn't do for bad). His eyes are very expressive, as well as his expressions. Bobby Driscoll's cuteness and charm matches the character he portrays: a lively, nice and adorable kid. We really feel bad for his character. He knows the truth about the homicide he witnessed (commited by the Kellersons, his upstairs neighbors) and desperately tries to make people believe and no one does, not even the police. To make matters worse, the poor kid is accused of being a liar and even forced to apologize the murderers, locked and left all alone at home (despite begging many times not to be left alone), punished, every time he tries to do something things only get worse for him and ends up at the mercy of the killers. All of this makes his good parents seem almost as evil as the Kellersons. As for the police, it surprises me how incompetent and ignorant they are. In fact, the movie is very tense, dark, thrilling, intense and creepy. It's a fascinating movie experience. There are some terrifying moments combined with small but significant details that makes them deliciously more sinister. A particularly frightening moment is when the criminals take Tommy in a taxicab and the kid screams in despair to the taxidriver (who doesn't hear and is unaware of what's going on) and to a police officer (who is fooled by the murderers - they pretend to be Tommy's parents and make the policeman believe that the kid is paranoid). And then the Kellersons punch him in the face and put him to sleep with chloroform... and their cruel intentions after that. The final minutes are also extremely tense and a producer of nerves. The movie is quite short. The only repair it'd deserve is a wee bit larger ending and not so rushed as it is. But that is just a minor detail, the movie is perfect the way it is and takes many elements from Alfred Hitchcock's work. And I love the look of NY in the 40's and all those details showing the city's daily life, such as the Subway trains. The music of the film is marvelous, perfect for it. Bobby Driscoll is so amazing in this film that it makes me feel even more sorry for the disgrace his life became later. It's stupid that he was fired just because of acne and just because he reached the curse of growing up. His film career ended way too soon, in a time when he was so young and talented and still had so much to give. Plus, he did so much for Disney that he didn't deserve to be treated this way. This should definitely be on Top 250.

[ArtVanderlay]

Thanks for the recommendation for The Window. It led me to another great child actor performance - Margaret O'Brien in Lost Angel (1943). Bobby Driscoll even has a small part!

LOST ANGEL - Theatrical Trailer - YouTube

[Bucktastic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-S5n0JniDw

[Goh78]

[ArtVanderlay]

Originally Posted by Bucktastic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-S5n0JniDw

Thanks Bucktastic. Coincidentally I'm going through a Kim Ki-Duk-athon at the moment (brought upon by the recent Korean recommendation thread). Have watched 3-Iron, Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Spring, The Bow and Time so far. Almost like a Korean Lars Von Trier with his provocative work and I especially like his dialogue-less method of storytelling (in the aforementioned first three movies)

[Hindustani]

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[brighton17]

[Cardboard_killer]

Saint Ralph

[crutzulee]

One of my all time favourites... breaks my heart every time...

[ArtVanderlay]

Benilde or the Virgin Mother (1975) - Manuel de Oliveira

Recommended for fans of Ingmar Bergman's chamber pieces like Autumn Sonata and Cries & Whispers or Fassbender's Chinese Roulette. Unfortunately it's not available on physical media at the moment, and on the major streaming channel, the subs go out of sync after 70 mins :\

[John1701D]