We all have our favorite films by our favorite directors, whether it’s Hitchcock films like North by Northwest and Psycho, or Kubrick with 2001: A Space and Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange.
These movies are well-known for a reason: they represent the most famous examples of these great filmmakers working at the top of their game.
However, if you dig a little deeper into their filmographies, there are often many lesser-known gems that can be just as rewarding to watch.
I thought it would be an interesting idea to turn the spotlight on five lesser-seen but nonetheless very strong works from five master filmmakers. In many cases, these lesser-known works can be just as interesting as the acknowledged masterpieces because of the stylistic and thematic trademarks of the director that come through even in less characteristic subject matter.
Here are films by five major directors that – while not as often discussed as their most famous work – still must rank among some of their most interesting work:
I Confess (1953)
This psychological thriller from Alfred Hitchcock was made just before his “golden age” of films like Rear Window, Vertigo, and Psycho. But in many ways, I Confess is just as interesting as those other films. For one thing, it deals explicitly with Hitchcock’s favorite theme of the wrong man accused, though this time, he adds an interesting twist. Montgomery Clift plays a Catholic priest, living and working in Montreal, who listens to a confession of murder from one of the local citizens. This puts him in a terrible dilemma when he finds himself suspected of the murder, and of course is unable to reveal the confession that would save his name. By placing the “wrong man” theme within such a serious context, Hitchcock forces the audience to confront their own issues over religious faith, and the question of upholding personal vows even when the stakes are so high. Filmed in stark black-and-white and emphasized with a “realist” acting style that contrasts with the star performances of the likes of Cary Grant or James Stewart, I Confess is an interesting diversion from Hitchcock’s usual style. It also happens to be a very worthwhile one.
Lolita (1962)
This film by Stanley Kubrick usually provokes something of a mixed response from viewers. Despite working with such incredibly controversial subject matter (especially for the period), Lolita is really a dark (very dark) comedy that no doubt ends up making viewers more than a little uncomfortable. To deal with the subject of Nabokov’s novel (a middle-aged professor lusting after an underage girl) in a serious way is controversial enough; to approach it with a sense of humor is another thing altogether, and in 1962 it was considered practically beyond the pale. The film is less shocking today (it certainly isn’t explicitly graphic), yet it maintains its ability to make viewers uncomfortable by asking us to laugh at such situations as James Mason’s disappointment that the hotel at which he’s staying will provide him with a cot so that he doesn’t have to share a bed with Lolita. The film itself is beautifully shot, providing an interesting contrast with its subject matter. Kubrick is to be applauded for taking this subject and making a thoughtful and provocative film out of it, rather than turning it into a kind of message picture condemning its characters. Regardless of one’s opinion of how successful the film is as an adaptation of Nabokov, it is, at the very least, a very brave and original film.
Ace in the Hole (1951)
It’s perhaps a bit unfair to call this one “underrated”, since its reputation as a hard-hitting masterwork of director Billy Wilder has been cemented within cinephile circles. Yet it lacks the kind of popular attention enjoyed by films like Sunset Blvd. or Some Like it Hot. On the one hand, it’s easy to see why. Ace in the Hole is an unpleasant, ugly and in many ways brutal film to experience. The story involves an opportunistic journalist who prolongs a rescue mission to save the life of a worker trapped in a mineshaft in order to play up the media coverage for all its’ worth. Ahead of its time, Ace in the Hole is Wilder’s indictment of the media and news journalism. Perhaps the strongest praise one can give this film is that it is impossible to imagine it being made today.
The Whole Town’s Talking (1935)
When one thinks of John Ford, one does not think of screwball comedy. Yet one of the master’s most interesting films (one from the same year in which he gave us the powerful and Expressionistic The Informer) is actually a delightful comedy starring Edward G. Robinson. There are lots of similarities with the films of Frank Capra (it was, in fact, produced at Capra’s home base of Columbia Pictures, and was even written by Capra’s regular screenwriter, Robert Riskin, along with Jo Swerling). Robinson gets a chance to kid his own screen image, playing a small-town man who is the dead ringer for a wanted mob boss. It’s fair to say that Ford’s humor could often be quite heavy-handed, but here, he demonstrates a light, deft touch that is perfect for the comedy.
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
Frank Capra is known today by even the most casual movie buff as the director of It’s A Wonderful Life. Most know his classics: It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and You Can’t Take it With You. Rarely, however, is The Bitter Tea of General Yen mentioned in the same breath as those other titles, yet it is in many ways one of the most interesting films Capra made at a purely stylistic level. An exotic romantic drama, the film stars Barbara Stanwyck as a missionary held captive by a Chinese warlord, played by Nils Asther, whom she develops romantic feelings for. The film is startling in its depiction of the doomed romance, and Capra includes a number of stylistic flourishes (particularly a dream sequence) that seem more like something out of an avant garde film. While quite different from the films for which Capra would become a household name, The Bitter Tea of General Yen is an astonishingly bold artistic success.
