I started this thread in July, when I already had over a dozen films to discuss. I never got caught up. Anyway, here are the rest of the old films I watched in 2006 that I thought were special, including two each from my beloved Ozu and Naruse that were quite hard to find.

SALVATORE GIULIANO (1961)
This film about the Sicilian outlaw/hero is, arguably, the best one directed by the formidable Francesco Rosi. The flasback structure was quite novel upon release. Considered a major influence on Gillo Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers). Rosi won the Silver Bear at Berlin.

GILDA (1946)
In Buenos Aires,Glenn Ford goes to work for the casino owner married to his old flame. She's played by the magnificent Rita Hayworth, and yes, this is the movie where she sings "Put the Blame on Mame". The script is very witty, with plenty of pansexual innuendo that somehow managed to escape the censors.

PETULIA (1968)
Julie Christie's best performance, as a shallow, unhappily married socialite who starts a affair with a middle-aged, recently divorced surgeon.Richard Lester's quick-cut, fragmented style a perfect counterpart to the character's ambivalence and the shifting moral compass of the late 60s. The last film lensed by Nicholas Roeg, who went on to direct Performance, Walkabout, and Don't Look Now.

SMALL SOLDIERS (1998)
War toys run amok in suburban Ohio. A smart satire of pop culture and the culture of violence directed by Joe Dante. Many critics unfairly dismissed it, seemingly based on the ad campaign aimed at kids and toy tie-in marketing. Dante recently directed the most cathartic protest against the Iraq war put on film: Homecoming, an episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror series.

YESTERDAY GIRL (1966)
Highly ambigious and multi-faceted portrait of a young salesgirl and college student, apparently Jewish, having difficulty adjusting emotionally and finding her place in the world. Award-winning film was directed by the renowed author and filmmaker Alexander Kluge, considered the first film artist to deal with Germany's nazi past. Yesterday Girl uses avant garde techniques to enrich what is essentially a character study. Challenging and compelling stuff, based on Kluge's own book "Story of Anita G."

WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? (Frank Tashlin/USA/1957)

SALESMAN (Albert and David Maysles/USA/1969)

THE 5000 FINGERS OF DR. T (Roy Rowland and Dr. Seuss/USA/1953)

THE DEVIL DOLL (Tod Browning/USA/1936)

HOUR OF THE STAR (Suzana Amaral/Brazil/1985)

PASSING FANCY (Yazujiro Ozu/Japan/1933)

BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE TODA FAMILY (Yazujiro Ozu/Japan/1941)

WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS (Mikio Naruse/Japan/1960)

LATE CHRYSANTEMUMS (Mikio Naruse/Japan/1954)