BenLaw said:
Best of all was Bigger than Life. Directed by Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause) and the only film produced by James Mason, I'd recommend it for anyone interested in the portrayal of mental illness or in subversive critique of the American dream. It begins looking like simple Technicolour family drama but turns into a quietly complex little film with a brilliant performance from Mason at its heart. Definitely one of the best 1950s film I've seen.
What did you think of Bigger than Life stylistically, Ben?
Given the filmmaking approaches we've discussed, can you trace the film's stylistic origins? If so, what does this tell us about the filmmakers' intentions? Sorry, those are cruel questions!
Sirkian melodramas (Imitation of Life, Written on the Wind, and All that Heaven Allows, which inspired Far from Heaven) were critically derided on release and dismissed as "women's pictures."
Bigger than Life is of this mould. Decades later, through the prism of auteurist criticism, these films were given due attention and recognition.