Terror of the Tongs (1961)

Terror of the Tongs (1961)

[3] The output from Britain's Hammer Films is usually surprisingly entertaining, but such is not the case for this dreadfully dull would-be thriller. Terror of the Tongs is about a sea captain (Geoffrey Toone) who stops at nothing to expose…
Cash on Demand (1961)

Cash on Demand (1961)

[6] Peter Cushing and Andre Morell, paired a few years earlier in The Hound of the Baskervilles, re-team for Hammer Studios in Cash on Demand. Based on a stage play, this is largely a two-man show with Morell playing a…
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

[8] Stanley Kramer (Inherit the Wind, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner) directs an impressive roster of talent in this dramatization of four Nazi judges on trial for war crimes in occupied Germany. Spencer Tracy leads the cast as the American…
West Side Story (1961)

West Side Story (1961)

[8] Tension between rival New York City gangs the Jets and the Sharks is wound to a tragic snapping point after one young Jet falls head over heels for the sister of the Sharks' leader. West Side Story is based…
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961)

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961)

[7] Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty star in this adaptation of Tennessee Williams's novel about an aging starlet (Leigh) who becomes a widow while vacationing in Italy. She reluctantly agrees to let a scheming contessa (Lotte Lenya) set her up…
The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)

The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)

[6] Rory Calhoun, or proto-George Clooney as I like to call him, stars in this kinda silly but kinda fun sword-and-sandals flick that earned Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars, Once Upon a Time in America) his first major directing…
The Children’s Hour (1961)

The Children’s Hour (1961)

[8] Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine co-star as women running their own private girls' school in The Children's Hour. Hepburn's character is about to get married to James Garner and MacLaine's character is pretty melancholy about it. But all their…
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

[8] You know how people often say such-and-such actor "lights up the screen?" Well, that phrase was made for Audrey Hepburn, because that's what she does in Blake Edwards' adaptation of Truman Capote's novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's. As Holly Golightly,…
Mysterious Island (1961)

Mysterious Island (1961)

[6] Civil War soldiers escape capture in a hot air balloon only to become stranded on an uncharted island inhabited by mutant creatures. Mysterious Island is more than just another showcase for effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen. I enjoyed the survival…
The Hustler (1961)

The Hustler (1961)

[7] Paul Newman plays Fast Eddie, an overzealous pool player who'll sacrifice everything to beat the renowned Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). This cautionary tale about obsession is the perfect showcase for several fine performances. It may be Newman's finest work.…