Six Superb Movies You've Probably Never Heard Of
Submitted by bertie on Tue, 02/20/2001 - 09:13
Tags:
- 1. WALKABOUT [71, Dir. Nicolas Roeg]
- 2. THE WAGES OF FEAR [52, Dir. H.Clouzot]
- 3. BADLANDS [73, Dir. Terence Malick]
- 4. PLAYTIME [67, Dir. Jacques Tati]
- 5. ZELIG [83, Dir. Woody Allen]
- 6. LOCAL HERO [83, Dir. Bill Forsyth]
Author Comments:
1. Almost all the action takes place in outback Australia, but, ironically, the movie makes a hugely effective statement about city life.
2. You think you've seen all the greatest suspense movies? - not if you haven't seen this one.
3. Similar to NATURAL BORN KILLERS, except it leaves that movie for dead. Superb acting, and superb direction from a first-time director.
4. See my list "Ten Seriously Funny Movies".
5. Ditto.
6. An utterly charming comedy set in a small Scottish village. Burt Lancaster's in it, too.
I've seen Walkabout, which was excellent. I will have to check out the rest (although I have heard of Zelig).
Zelig was really a great piece of art. Woody spent years splicing all these people together...now with a click of a computer it would take minutes.
I agree completely about Wages of Fear. One would never think that this story could provide the suspense and tension that it creates. Clouzot is a master; check out Diabolique if you haven't already.
bufdet
Thanks for the suggestion re. DIABOLIQUE. I've been aware of its existence for several years but have'nt caught up with it yet.
I first saw THE WAGES OF FEAR on the big screen when I was quite young - about nine or ten, I think. Then I didn't get to see it again until decades later when it was shown on late-night t.v. But here's the thing: I wouldn't have caught it on t.v. if I hadn't recognised the title, which had stuck with me all those years. That's the sort of lasting impression this movie made on me.
I personally didn't love Zelig. I didn't find it all that funny and it's hard to appreciate the work that went into the movie in this day and age. On a side note I definitely need to check out Wages of Fear.
I can understand your comments about ZELIG. Humour is a very idiosyncratic thing, and it can even depend on your mood at the time. Move Heaven and Earth to find and see WAGES; it starts with a lengthy sequence that establishes the characters and their situation, but when the show gets on the road (literally) you'll feel like you're with them, and where they are is death-at-any-moment suspense.
Walkabout and Badlands are both amazing movies I wish more people heard of. I'm one of the few lucky i guess because I love Terence Malick and I really love Nicolos Roeg. I mean THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH is one of the 10 or 12 greatest films ever made. If you havent seen it please check it out and let me know what you think.
I did see TMWFTE many many moons ago (must have been when it was first released) when I was too young to fully appreciate it. I'll try and snag the video and give it another look. Thanks for the suggestion. Btw, I have the novel (by Walter Tevis) in my vast collection of science fiction paperbacks; I might give that another look too.
Did you ever notice the striking similarities between "Local Hero" and the TV series "Northern Exposure"?
I didn't have the opportunity to see more than six or seven episodes of NORTHERN EXPOSURE, but, now that you mention it, it would be easy to believe that its makers were influenced by LOCAL HERO.
Speaking of 'influence', I used to believe that this movie was influenced by this movie. But, if you look into the American movie's credits, you see that the British movie may have been 'influenced' by an American short story written by the famous O.Henry.
The Wages of Fear is a terrific film based on a terrific novel. You're right, it is one of the most suspensful films ever made. By the way, have you ever seen William Friedkin's remake, "Sorcerer"? I know it was trashed in its' initial release, but I think it's one of his better films. Not as suspensful as the original, but still packs a punch.
No, I've not seen SORCERER. When it was released (under that misleading title) I couldn't have known it was a remake of WAGES..., otherwise I'm sure I would have moved heaven and earth to see it. Can't recall having noticed the video anywhere, either (assuming it was re-released on video).
I've seen the video on sale at Amazon, and the moview was on cable just a few months ago. It's worth a trip to your local Blockbuster...hey, don't knock Blockbuster; just the other day I found a copy of "Carnival of Souls" (a sadly-underrated thriller and the source for "Night of the Living Dead"), and on DVD, no less!
I finally saw Wages of Fear! Very suspenseful, as promised. But I can't help thinking that there's more I'm supposed to take away from that movie beyond the suspense. My comments are here. Care to help me out?