At the moment of truth, it requires writing about John Huston. It is something inevitable, after all We are talking about one of the great directors in the history of cinema, a boy whose filmography exudes the aroma of unbeatable classics, the greatness of unmistakable authors and the nostalgia for a cinema that will never return. Mistakes? None worthy of being highlighted, at most some small distracted work.
Able to convey in an almost unique way aspects such as ambition, envy, nostalgia, melancholy or the epic of the loser, Huston’s artistic gaze has given life to some truly fascinating masterpieces both in substance and in form. Always elegant, even when he throws himself into excess, attentive to details and capable of living a gigantic spectacle and an intimate drama with the same talent.
The best films of John Huston
1 “The Maltese Falcon”
It is almost impossible to imagine a better debut than “The Maltese Falcon”. John Huston directed his first film with an impulse reserved exclusively for the masters, demonstrating a truly overwhelming maturity, intelligence and style. His camera is hungry to devour this story full of twists, turns, unforgettable characters and constant intrigue. This completes an instant classic that ended up being positioned as one of the most well-rounded films by its director, one of the most celebrated interpretations of Humphrey Bogart’s career, the best adaptation of a novel by Dashiell Hammett and an unattainable peak of film noir. All the medals more than deserved for one of those proposals that you never get tired of seeing.
The Maltese falcon on eCartelera
Two ‘Largo key’
After signing that dazzling peak called “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, John Huston and Humphrey Bogart worked together again on another work with a superb result: “Cayo Largo”. The artistic couple, accompanied by the impressive works of a hypnotic Lauren Bacall and a magnificent Edward G. Robinson, repeated the artistic triumph with this film noir classic that trapped you mercilessly from the opening lines and didn’t let you go until its fantastic ending. Suspense and melodrama. Tension and romance. Surprises and style. A film that touches perfection with the fingertips.
Key Largo on eCartelera
3 ‘The treasure of the Sierra Madre’
It may be that the final stretch of “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” sums it up better than any other moment in his professional career, and see that there are options, each of the keys (and most outstanding virtues) of John Huston’s cinema. The ultimate gift of an absolute masterpiece guided by three interpretations of formidable precision delivered by Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston and Tim Holt, unforgettable trident, which resists without a hint of rust like one of the great films of history. Pure Houston. Pure cinema.
The treasure of the Sierra Madre in eCartelera
4 “The asphalt jungle”
Not a second wasted. Everything in “The Asphalt Jungle” coexists embracing the excellence, intensity, wisdom, style and grandeur of the best and most unforgettable cinema. Impossible to highlight one factor on the other within a set that reveals itself, together with the majestic ‘El Tesoro de Sierra Madre’, as the best and most complete work of John Huston’s career. A movie to see.
The asphalt jungle in eCartelera
5 “The queen of Africa”
Considered equally one of the most beautiful, complete, fun and dazzling adventure films in the history of cinema”The African Queen” remains a 100% reliable bet when it comes to spending just over a hundred minutes glued in front of the screen.
A perfectly balanced rhythm, a masterly direction by Huston, a magnificent soundtrack, a five-star photographic work and, above all, the capital interpretations of Humphrey Bogart, winner of the Oscar for his work, and Katharine Hepburn, immense as ever, there are too many indisputable elements in her favor not to celebrate ‘The Queen of Africa’ as she always has been: a fantastic classic.
The queen of Africa in eCartelera
6 ‘Moulin Rouge’
Just for its impressive opening, one of the most memorable moments in John Huston’s career, “Moulin Rouge” deserves to appear in this special. Fortunately, the rest of the film lives up to that overwhelming start it delivers a technical and dramatic show of the highest level. It does not reach the level of excellence of its big sister, Baz Luhrmann’s monumental “Moulin Rouge”, but it works like a spell in a dreamy double session of unbridled Parisian and bohemian aroma.
Moulin Rouge at eCartelera
7 ‘The Man Who Could Reign’
From its brilliant prologue, an authentic class of character presentation and story approach, “The Man Who Could Reign” indicates a masterpiece. And it’s more than compliant throughout the rest of the footage. Model adventure film in all its sections and raised to infinity by those called titans Sean Connery and Michael Caine, both responsible for simply perfect performances, this adaptation by Rudyard Kipling is an absolute joy. Marvelous.
The man who could reign in eCartelera
8 “Red Medal for Courage”
Although John Huston himself has said genuine barbarism in this regard, largely motivated by the changes the studio made in the editing room without his permission, “Red Medal for Valor” continues to resonate with the steadfastness of his best works. The duration of just over an hour is what the director needed to compose a visual poem in which the warrior and the human combine with a dreamlike balance. A short and great cinema lesson.
9 “Rebel Lives”
Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Eli Wallach and Thelma Ritter, an authentic gold quintet, have finished elevating “Rebel Lives” to the category of an undeniable classic. They are aided, of course, by a pure steel script signed by Arthur Miller and that unique ability of John Huston’s camera to capture the most melancholy corners of the soul of his characters. A proposal that conquers from the first to the last minute. Pride.
Rebel lives in eCartelera
10 “Dubliners (The Dead)”
The dreamlike cinematic testament. This is how we could define “Dubliners (The Dead)”, a tremendous farewell to John Huston who shot this adaptation of James Joyce’s work in minimal health. Led by a wonderful Anjelica Huston where we could easily celebrate with the best of her performances, this gem is filled with melancholy, beauty and desolation. A film that cuts to the bone and leaves the chills with one of the most beautiful and inspired final scenes in the history of cinema.
Dubliners (The Dead) on eCartelera
Director of extraordinary sensitivity who wanted to tell stories until practically the last day of his life, John Huston he will be eternally remembered as being responsible for some impressive works such as those that make up this special. Major works have been left out, something inevitable, but here are ten films that exemplify the indisputability of his legacy.
Source: E Cartelera
