The Most Visually Beautiful Movies of All Time
Submitted by smi2le on Tue, 02/20/2001 - 09:17
Tags:
- 1. Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la bete (beauty and the beast)
- 2. Chris Marker's Le Jettee
- 3. Citizen Kane
- 4. The City of Lost Children
- 5. Dario Argento's Suspiria
- 6. Wings of Desire
- 7. Delicatessen
- 8. The Third Man
- 9. Alejandro Jordorowsky's Santa Sangria
- 10. Diva
- 11. Days of Heaven
Author Comments:
This list represents the combined opinions of two people: Channing Hansen and Lisa Gabrielle Mark.
These are movies where the cinimatography and/or sets, costumes, special effects, etc. are exceptionally spectacular. The acting, plot, whatever were not a consideration for this list.
Are you open to suggestions for additions to this list? If yes, I suggest WALKABOUT ['71, dir. Nicolas Roeg].
We are totally open to additions and suggestions. We just got back from seeing The Cell. It does not make the list despite some pretty sumptuous art direction and pretty costumes. Do you think the proliferation of rock-video directors making feature films will change the dominant aesthetics of film? Anyone care to respond.
And yes, Walkabout is a contender for the list but we'll save it for the upcoming list entitled, "The Most Poetically Beautiful Movies of all Time." (Channing has seen it. Lisa hasn't but will next time she goes to the video store.)
Re: the rock-video thing. I certainly hope not. I find music videos too pedantic, and the strobe-like scene switches are made for people with the attention spans of gnats.
Granted, the only movie I've seen where I knew that the director was previously a music video director was Stigmata, which was dreadful in just about every possible way. What bugged me most, though, was the tendency to uses the previously mentioned scene changes. Heavy on meaningless or too-obvious symbolism, very light on substance. Perhaps if I knew of a few more movies by video directors, I might change my mind. Can you mention a few (besides the Cell, which I have yet to see)?
I share your distaste for the cliche symbolism and millesecond edits that rock video directors seem to favour. Not to mention the overuse of slow-motion and "nostalgic" graininess. (Did anyone ever teach them that a little goes a long way?)
I don't know of too many rock video directors making the switch to the big screen, with the obvious exception of Spike Jonz, director of Being John Malkovich. But I have seen some interesting results of directors going the other way. The iconoclastic gay director Bruce LaBruce (Hustler White, Skin Flick) directed a great video for a Canadian band Rusty. I believe the song was "Misogyny". His aesthetic is all his own -- trashy all the way!
I had not realized Spike Jonze was a music video director. I'm duly impressed. I will have to see more movies by mvd's to make any further comments about their style. And you're right about the slo-mo and graininess. S-U-B-T-L-E-T-Y, please! I will try to check out the video you're talking about. I don't usually watch videos for all the reasons we've mentioned. But I'll look out for Misogyny.
I strongly suggest the work of Peter Greenaway in general, but most particularly the gorgeous amazing "Prospero's Books" (adaptation of "The Tempest") and the sexy lush "The Pillow Book" with collages of crazy images in beautiful array. Can you tell I love this guy's movies?
My favourite Peter Greenaway movie was "A Zed and Two Noughts." Some of his work is bit arch for me but I do admit that I love looking at his working drawings (as you probably know, he often publishes them in book form). He sure knows his 17th century genre painting.
I might also add The Mission. Shot in Columbia, with music by Ennio Morricone. Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons. Absolutely lovely.