1961

The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) B
Ada (1961) C
All in a Night's Work (1961) C+
Angel Baby (1961) C+
Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961) C-
Babes in Toyland (1961) C+
Bachelor in Paradise (1961) C+
Back Street (1961) C+
Ballad of a Soldier (1961) B+
The Big Show (1961) C-
Blast of Silence (1961) B-
Blue Hawaii (1961) C+
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) A-
Bridge to the Sun (1961) C
By Love Possessed (1961) C+
The Children's Hour (1961) B
Claudelle Inglish (1961) C-
The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) C-
The Comancheros (1961) B-
Come September (1961) C+
Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) D+
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) C-
Days of Thrills and Laughter (1961) B-
The Deadly Companions (1961) C
The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) C
Doctor Blood's Coffin (1961) C+
El Cid (1961) B
The Errand Boy (1961) C+
The Explosive Generation (1961) C
Fanny (1961) B
Flower Drum Song (1961) B-
Francis of Assisi (1961) C
General Della Rovere (1961) B
Go Naked in the World (1961) C
Goodbye Again (1961) B-
The Guns of Navarone (1961) A
Hey, Let's Twist (1961) D+
Homicidal (1961) B-
The Honeymoon Machine (1961) C+
The Hoodlum Priest (1961) C
The Hustler (1961) A-
The Innocents (1961) B+
Il Posto (1961) A-
Judgment at Nuremburg (1961) A
King of Kings (1961) B+
The Ladies Man (1961) C-
La Dolce Vita (1961) A-
La Notte (1961) A-
The Last Sunset (1961) C+
Loss of Innocence (1961) C-
Lover Come Back (1961) B
A Majority of One (1961) B-
The Mark (1961) B
The Mask (1961) D+
Master of the World (1961) C
Mein Kampf (1961) C+
The Millionairess (1961) C
The Misfits (1961) B
Mr. Sardonicus (1961) B-
Mysterious Island (1961) C+
The Naked Edge (1961) C
One-Eyed Jacks (1961) B-
101 Dalmatians (1961) B+
One, Two, Three (1961) B+
On the Double (1961) B-
The Outsider (1961) C
The Parent Trap (1961) B
Paris Blues (1961) B
Parrish (1961) C-
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) B-
The Pleasure of His Company (1961) B-
Pocketful of Miracles (1961) B
A Raisin in the Sun (1961) B
Return to Peyton Place (1961) C-
Romanoff and Juliet (1961) C
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) B-
Salvatore Giuliano (1961) C+
Sanctuary (1961) C-
Scream of Fear (1961) B
The Second Time Around (1961) C
The Sky Above, the Mud Below (1961) C
Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961) C-
Something Wild (1961) C
Splendor in the Grass (1961) B+
Summer and Smoke (1961) B
Susan Slade (1961) B-
Through a Glass Darkly (1961) B-
Too Late Blues (1961) C
Town Without Pity (1961) C
Twist Around the Clock (1961) C
Two Loves (1961) C-
Two Rode Together (1961) C+
Two Women (1961) B+
Underworld U.S.A. (1961) C+
Victim (1961) B-
Viridiana (1961) B-
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) C+
West Side Story (1961) A
Where the Boys Are (1961) B-
Whistle Down the Wind (1961) B-
Wild in the Country (1961) C+
A Woman is a Woman (1961) B
Yojimbo (1961) A-
The Young Doctors (1961) B-
The Young Savages (1961) C+

(October 2010 - August 2011) A healthy mix of foreign and domestic films in my Top 10 is a great indication of how the year played out. More quality films came out of this year, including the awesome trifecta of The Guns of Navarone, Judgment at Nuremberg, and West Side Story, all magnificent films. La Dolce Vita, La Notte, Il Posto, Two Women, and General Della Rovere proved that Italian films had a monopoly on international cinema. Breakfast at Tiffany's showcased the lovely Audrey Hepburn in one of her greatest roles, while The Hustler featured Paul Newman in a tough, real performance. Yojimbo is both familiar territory and a departure for Akira Kurosawa and it succeeds on a level of unique entertainment. One of the most pleasant surprises of the year is The Innocents, a spooky British chiller starring Deborah Kerr. Definitely worth checking out all of these films and several others.  

Top 10 - Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Guns of Navarone, The Hustler, Il Posto, The Innocents, Judgment at Nuremberg, La Dolce Vita, La Notte, West Side Story, Yojimbo