SCFZ poll: Raoul Walsh

[flip]

Polling the films of director Raoul Walsh

The rules:

- your list can include no more than half of the Walsh films you've seen, up to a maximum of 5. So if you've seen seven of his films, for example, you can list only a top 3. It's only if you've seen ten or more of his films than you can list the maximum of five.

- i'll assume ballots are ranked unless you tell me otherwise. unranked ballots are fine.

- deadline for ballots: next Tuesday, in seven days, whatever day that is

- if anyone is watching films for these polls, then i'll extend the deadline three days, if someone requests an extension

- next poll: whoever posts the first ballot in this thread is free to nominate the director we poll next, unless you've nominated in this round already (everyone should get a chance). Already nominated this round: greg x, rischka, dt, silga, kanafani, brian d, greennui, ofrene, mesnalty, john ryan, roscoe, evelyn, thoxans, bure, oscarwerner, arkheia, caracortada, karl, umbugbene, st gloede, augusto, wba

umbugbene created an index on letterboxd of all of our previous polls here: letterboxd.com/umbugbene/list/index-of-all-scfz-director-polls/

one rule for nominees: at least 3 scfzers need to have seen 10+ of a nominee's films, or at least 4 scfzers need to have seen at least 8 of the nom's films, so if it isn't clear if that will be the case, we'll confirm that's true before moving forward

if 24 hours pass after a poll opens, and no one eligible to nominate has posted a ballot, then i'll nominate someone, and then we'll start over, and everyone will be able to nominate again

[flip]

seen ten (and a half) :

The Roaring Twenties
White Heat
Colorado Territory
High Sierra
Dark Command

[greennui]

Seen 3.

White Heat

[Lencho of the Apes]

Seen ten.

The Big Trail
Sadie Thompson
White Heat
The Bowery

[flip]

you can nominate our next director if you want, lencho!

[...]

Seen 38, some really great stuff, some odd stuff, and some real mediocrity as well.

Regeneration
Gentleman Jim
Manpower
Thief of Bagdad
The Horn Blows at Midnight

I'll probably change my choices after I think about it some more since there's a bunch I've got rated about the same, but for very different reasons

[Umbugbene]

Seen 6

1. High Sierra
2. College Swing

[kanafani]

King. Seen 14.

The Big Trail
Me and My Gal
Objective, Burma!
The Strawberry Blonde
The Roaring Twenties

[rischka]

i've got 17

the big trail
the roaring twenties
regeneration
sadie thompson
they drive by night (which is such a weird film but i have to include it!)

[wba2]

When he's good, he's... fantastic!

01. The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
02. The Big Trail [widescreen version] (1930)
03. Pursued (1947)
04. The Drive by Night (1940)
05. Regeneration (1915)


Walsh seen: 10

[mesnalty]

Seen 4:

1. High Sierra
2. The Roaring Twenties

[Lencho of the Apes]

I'll pass on the nomination, whoever's next...

[ofrene]

seen 11

White Heat
Manpower
The Roaring Twenties
Gentleman Jim
They Drive by Night

[Roscoe]

THIEF OF BAGDAD
WHITE HEAT

[Silga]

Seen 2:

They Drive by Night

[oscarwerner]

Seen 12:
1.White Heat (1949)
2.High Sierra (1941)
3.Pursued (1947)
4.They Drive By Night (1940)
5.The Roaring Twenties (1939)

[Caracortada]

Seen 7.

1. They Died with Their Boots On
2. The Thief of Bagdad
3. High Sierra

[---]

wow I've given exactly five 4/5 and nothing higher. ideal

Seen 12

Unordered list

The big trail
Gentlemen Jim
The strawberry blonde
Colorado territory
High Sierra

[ItsUhhMee]

Seen 7

White Heat
High Sierra
Roaring Twenties

[flip]

itsuhhmee - you can pick the director we poll next if you like!

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

The Strawberry Blonde
The Thief of Bagdad
Gentleman Jim
Me and My Gal
The Big Trail

[liquidnature]

Seen 3.

1. The Big Trail

which is dope

[brian d]

only seen 2

the big trail

[ItsUhhMee]

itsuhhmee - you can pick the director we poll next if you like!

I didn't see Elia Kazan on the list?

[flip]

yeah, kazan is one of the best known of the directors we haven't covered yet, so we'll poll him next!

[john ryan]

Seen 12

1. Colorado Territory
2. The Big Trail
3. High Sierra
4. White Heat
5.The Roaring Twenties

[nrh]

surprisingly seen only 10...

strawberry blonde
me and my gal
the world in his arms
sailor's luck
obective burma!

[St. Gloede]

Really surprised I am the one who has seen the most so far, 24. He made made over 100 films (and over 70 talkies), amazing career, and without a doubt one of the better directors of classic Hollywood. Top 5:

1. The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
2. The Roaring Twenties (1939)
3. Pursued (1947)
4. Manpower (1941)
5. They Died with Their Boots On (1941)

I would also strongly recommend Regeneration (1915), not as good as his best work, but inredibly impressive and creative for America in the mid-10s.

[MatiasAlbertotti]

Seen 6

1- The Big Trail (1930)
2- White Heat (1949)
3- Pursued (1947)

[Evelyn Library P.I.]

I'd seen only 5 at poll's open and wound up binging a bundle of Walsh's for the occasion. Now seen 24, and I'll try to fill in the rest this summer. His filmography has plenty of mediocrities but most of them are sufficiently oddball and distinctive to be worth a gander. I like Andrew Sarris's observation that "If the heroes of Ford are sustained by tradition, and the heroes of Hawks by professionalism, the heroes of Walsh are sustained by nothing more than a feeling for adventure." That doesn't make for the most profound thematics, at least next to Ford and Hawks, but it certainly makes for lively, entertaining aesthetics.

1. Northern Pursuit (1943, Warner Bros.)
2. Big Brown Eyes (1936, Walter Walter Productions / Paramount)
3. Sea Devils (1953, Coronado Productions / RKO)
4. Desperate Journey (1942, Warner Bros.)
5. Colorado Territory (1949, Warner Bros.)

Walsh fandom cheers from snowy Canada!