The 100 Most Underappreciated Films: Part Five.
By Darren Williams
11th September 2009

41. Alias Nick Beal (1949; John Farrow)

At times It feels like the Faust story may be the most frequently retold in art. You can understand the appeal, it can be updated, set in any time, any situation and it still has the pull of one of the great moral tales - be careful of selling your soul for fortune, how could that not appeal to an artist? Especially one who may have had to sell a little of themselves. Alias Nick Beal, one of the most unfairly overlooked versions of the legend, is also one of the most interesting. A crossover between horror and film noir, the film thrusts the Satanic into the world of politics, an honest politician Joseph Foster, (The ever brilliant Thomas Mitchell) joins forces with the mysterious Nick Beal, only he finds the deal he makes has darker consequences than he imagined. Ray Milland is our devil, simultaneously charming and chilling. Despite his Oscar win, Milland is often an overlooked figure, and here he's at the height of his powers giving what may just be his finest performance.

42. Baron Prasil (1961; Karel Zeman)

Munchausen is another story that's had many adaptations, the most famous is probably Terry Gilliam's visually magnificent but somewhat hollow 1988 offering. The most notorious is the one produced by the Nazis in the 40s. Zeman's is possibly the best. The Czech animator is responsible for some of the most visually beautiful and innovative fantasy films in the history of the medium, which makes his unknown status even more of a disappointment. An astronaut lands on the moon only to discover Baron Munchausen is already there, the Baron thinks he's a moon man and takes him to Earth to introduce him to the planet. Together they travel the world, having various adventures and rescuing a Princess who both men fall in love with. The film is basically a series of bizarre adventures, each one told with tongue firmly in cheek. Zeman was a director who delighted in special effects and actually knew how to use them to serve his story, here he takes Gustave Dore's classic illustrations to create visual wonderland and a one-of-a-kind fantasy.

43. The Intruder (1962; Roger Corman)

Captain Kirk joins the KKK in this Corman offering, sounds like simple exploitation, right? Far from it. This is a ferocious film, a desperate cry for equality. A pre-fame Shatner plays Adam Cramer, a bigoted ego-maniac who arrives in a small town as an agent of a far right political group, seeking to block the integration of black students into a high school. Cramer plays on the small-town hatred of "the other" to instigate violent opposition to the integration plans. He also spends his days seducing the women, including underage girls, of the town. Shatner is a revelation here, especially to those who think he can only do ham. It's a complex and charismatic performance and the film is honestly ahead of its time. Compare it to its contemporary, To Kill a Mockingbird, while Atticus and the gang feels safely liberal, Hollywood patting itself on the back, The Intruder feels angry, like it's on the side of the persecuted, and as if it really wants social change.

44. Made In Britain (1982; Alan Clarke)

Trevor (Tim Roth) is a teenage boy, he's highly intelligent and could have a good future ahead of him, if he wasn't a violent and repellent racist. The film undermines the stereotype of British skinheads being mindless thugs. Trevor is obviously highly intelligent, but he's in a pattern of repeat offending, frustrating the social workers and parole officers who try to help him and unable to focus himself into anything except hatred and finger pointing. Clarke was one of British cinema's great observers of society and he isn't interested in giving us easy answers here. He shows us the vicious circle that keeps someone like Trevor in this state of aggression and lets us know there's many others out there like him. Roth is brilliant in the lead, he's a fine actor in general but he would never do work this good again. American History X has nothing on this.

45. Miracle Mile (1988; Steve DeJarnett)

Harry (Anthony Edwards) makes a date with a girl, Julie (Mare Winningham), but he oversleeps. He rushes to meet her but she's already left. While looking for her he hears a telephone ring and makes the mistake of answering it. He gets a panicked warning about nuclear missiles being launched and there's only an hour left until the missiles strike. Unsure if the call was a hoax or not, Harry searches the city for Julie, desperately trying to find a way to escape. A gripping little tale that builds great tension from the fact that we're never certain if armageddon really is coming. But in all the uncertainty there's a sense of genuine urgent terror to the film.

46. The Rocking Horse Winner (1950; Anthony Pelliser)

A young boy discovers he can pick the winners in horse races while riding a rocking horse. This surprisingly chilling tale was adapted from a short story by D.H. Lawrence. Paul's parents live beyond their means, his father is a gambler and his mother thinks money is the most important thing in the world. Even the house itself seems desperate for cash as it whispers to Paul that there must be more money. Paul has to take on the responsibilities of his parents and provide money, he finds that when he rides his toy rocking horse, he's able to predict winners of big races. But the more money he wins, the more his parents spend, and the pressure begins to mount. It's an eerie and chilling story of parental neglect and the dangers of greed.
　
47. So Long at the Fair (1950; Anthony Darnborough, Terence Fisher)

A young British woman, Vicky (Jean Simmons) attends the 1889 Paris Exposition with her brother, Johnny, only to find him missing the next morning. She finds a brick wall where his bedroom door was and the hotel staff insist that neither he, or theroom he stayed in, ever existed. Desperate to find her brother and prove she's not going insane, Simmons enlists the help of an artist, George (Dirk Bogarde) who helps her investigate the disappearance. Based on an urban legend, this intricately told and fascinating film was a huge favourite of Hitchcock who liked the story so much that it was also adapted for an episode of his t.v. series. If it sounds in the same style as The Lady Vanishes that's because it is, although So Long at the Fair has more urgency in place of The Lady's comic charm.
　
48. The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973; Ivan Dixon)

A white senator, desperate to raise his profile with black voters, promises that the CIA will get its first ever black recruits. The agency goes out of its way to eliminate all the candidates, but Dan Freeman, a mild-mannered guy, survives the recruitment process and becomes their token black operative (although they only let him do the photocopying) Freeman's meek persona is hiding a secret agenda, he learns the techniques of urban warfare and then puts them in practise in the street, recruiting an army of urban guerrillas bent on revolution. Dismissed by many (usually those who haven't seen it) as just another blaxploitation film, The Spook Who Sat by the Door is actually closer in tone to Sweet Sweetback than Shaft. It's still a surprisingly radical film, one that was taken out of distribution for a long time for unknown reasons (although rumours suggest government concerns about it inspiring copycat uprisings) It's an incendiary film that pulsates with anger and political fury.
　
49. Three O'Clock High (1987; Phil Joanou)

Buddy Revell, a psychopathic teen has transferred into a new high school. Rumours quickly spread through the school halls about his reputation and the editor of the school paper is desperate for a story on him. Jerry (Casey Siemaszko ) is the unfortunate kid who has to get the interview. While attempting to interview the obviously aggressive Buddy, Jerry makes the mistake of touching him. Revell explodes, roughs up Jerry and tells him to be ready to fight after school. The rest of the film focuses on Jerry's day and the surreal events that unfold as he desperately tries to find a way to avoid fighting Buddy. Siemaszko is a joy as the lead and there's wonderful supporting performances from the likes of Jeffrey Tambor, Mitch Pileggi and Philip Baker Hall. This never seems to get talked about as one of the great 80s teen comedies, but it's a brilliant and original film that actually has a lot more to say for itself than most teen movies of the period.
　
50. The Woman in Black (1989; Herbert Wise)

Arthur Kidd is a young solicitor, ordered to Crythin Gifford, a small town on the east coast to attend to the estate of the recently deceased Alice Drablow. While there he finds the townsfolk hold a dislike for Drablow and for her home, Eel Marsh House, a secluded place that can be cut off from the town at high tide. Kidd settles down in the house to sort through Drablow's papers but he finds the house haunted by a mysterious woman in black who is rumoured to cause a death whenever she appears. Very much in the tradition of classic ghost stories from the likes of M.R. James, The Woman in Black has a good claim to the title of the scariest film ever made. It's a subtle and restrained piece, allowing the scares to build through atmosphere and character rather than shock effects, although there is at least one scene that can make you leap out of your skin. The script was adapted by the great Nigel Kneale, and while I'm not a fan of one or two changes he makes from the novel, he mostly does a superb job. The film is so good that you have to wonder why more filmmakers are unable to make films this tense, chilling and downright terrifying. And it's not even a tenth as frightening as the stage play of the story.