Favorite Films
Submitted by Parable on Sun, 07/29/2007 - 01:37
Tags:
- The Mirror - Tarkovsky
- Metropolis - Lang
- Ikiru - Kurosawa
- Wild Strawberries - Bergman
- Touch of Evil - Welles
- The Deer Hunter - Cimino
- 2001 - A Space Odyssey - Kubrick
- The Godfather Part I & II - Coppola
- Taxi Driver - Scorsese
- Citizen Kane - Welles
- Blade Runner - Scott
- The Passion of Joan of Arc - Dreyer
- The Seventh Seal - Bergman
- Chinatown - Polanski
- 8 ½ - Fellini
- Raging Bull - Scorsese
- Underground - Kusturica
- Brazil - Gilliam
- Eraserhead - Lynch
- Wings of Desire - Wenders
- Ran - Kurosawa
- Mulholland Drive - Lynch
- The Holy Mountain - Jodorsky
- Nashville - Altman
- Rosemary’s Baby - Polanski
- The Wild Bunch - Peckinpah
- Aguirre, The Wrath of God - Herzog
- Rashomon - Kurosawa
- Blue Velvet - Lynch
- A Clockwork Orange - Kubrick
- Memento - Nolan
- Apocalypse Now - Coppola
- Dr. Strangelove - Kubrick
- Pulp Fiction - Tarantino
- The Trial - Welles
- Synecdoche, New York - Kaufman
- Vertigo - Hitchcock
- Persona - Bergman
- 3 Women - Altman
- All About My Mother - Almodóvar
- Straw Dogs - Peckinpah
- Kagemusha - Kurosawa
- Cries and Whispers - Bergman
- Mr. Arakdin - Welles
- Sunset Blvd. - Wilder
- The Piano - Campion
- Badlands - Malick
- Stalker - Tarkovsky
- Paris, Texas - Wenders
- Days of Heaven - Malick
- Schindler's List - Spielberg
- Hiroshima, Mon Amour - Renais
- M - Lang
- The Birds - Hitchcock
- Harold and Maude - Ashby
- Mean Streets - Scorsese
- Winter Light - Bergman
- L’avventura - Antionini
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Ford
A great list. Do you have the Criterian Passion of Joan of Arc?
I do. It's absolutely incredible.
I can't imagine how someone could live without that film. I know I certainly would never give it away, no matter what the circumstances.
Well, you certainly have more passion for it than even its most ardent fans. It is definitely one of the greatest films ever, and I too would never be so stupid as to give away my copy. Criterian did an excellent job indeed. One of their finest transfers.
Holy guacamole! Citizen Kane made a huge (deserved) leap, not to mention a few others.
Great list. Some films here that thoroughly need a re-watch by yours truly (Ikiru, Wild strawberries, Joan of Arc, Nashville). Apart from a lot of Bergman films (shame on me, I've only seen about 5), I've viddied about 80-90% on here. One fine list!
I'm liking the new format, thinking about doing the same with my list eventually. The only 9.5 I've seen is Metropolis, which I caught yesterday for the first time. I'd say it's easily a 9, quite possibly a 9.5. Ikiru is on its way from the library, but I cannot find The Mirror for the life of me. Others I'm excited to check out: Passion of Joan, Underground, Deer Hunter, Nashville, & Blade Runner (among others). It's a great list.
Thanks man. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Ikiru and The Mirror. If you're a fan of A Love Supreme and Rock Bottom (their musical equivalents, respectively), I'm sure you'll love both of those films.
I'm surprised that you're having trouble finding The Mirror. I found a copy at my local Hollywood Video; and I know for certain it's on Netflix. Try looking for it under it's Russian title, Zerkalo.
Wow, thank you for the tip! I searched for it under Zerkalo and found it, should be able to see it in the next 10 days (:
Glad to help :).
Have you seen La Dolce Vita?
Nope. It's been on my "to see list" for quite some time (at least 3 years, in fact), yet for some reason I haven't gotten around to seeing it.
The Silence an 8.0 eh? I'll have to rewatch it again in the next couple days. I loved the way it was filmed (very minimalist), but alas I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Through a Glass Darkly. What did you like about it particularly?
Bergman referred to The Silence as "God's silence, the negative imprint". It is the last film in Bergman's trilogy, and it's placement as such is very important in understanding the nature of the film.
The trilogy constitutes a dwindling spiral; while God is alluded to in the first two films, He has now vanished entirely. The Silence takes place in a world totally devoid of communication, that is, the total absence of God. The struggle of faith has ended; Man has lost and God is dead. All we are left with is booze, sex, war and a slow death.
Many Bergman films have dealt with themes of isolation and loss of faith, but few have done so with such stark clarity.
I can understand why you rate Ikiru so highly! It reminds me of Citizen Kane and I'd be shocked if Fellini & Bergman were not fond of this film. Actually, it's starting to dawn on me how ahead of it's time, how influential & trailblazing Japanese cinema really was, with Kurosawa leading the pack. I adore this film, that goofy woman from the guys office was such a treat to watch.
I can understand why you rate Ikiru so highly! It reminds me of Citizen Kane...
Kurosawa was a great admirer of American Cinema, and I'm sure Citizen Kane had a profound influence on him.
Actually, it's starting to dawn on me how ahead of it's time, how influential & trailblazing Japanese cinema really was, with Kurosawa leading the pack.
Absolutely; films like Seven Samuri, Rashomon and Yojimbo are some of the most influential films of the last 60 years.
I adore this film, that goofy woman from the guys office was such a treat to watch.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I love how the film manages to be deeply humane and profound without ever taking itself to seriously.
Eloquently put my good sir.
So, my first viewing of The Mirror and I can already see why it’s so highly regarded. I’m actually quite surprised that people appreciate a film as beautiful as this for the voice of beauty is gentle and appeals only to the awakened ones. The DVD I watched was oddly missing English subtitles so I was completely unaware of what was said, though it was somewhat cool focusing only on the images as it may have been overwhelming first time through with the dialogue and poetry. I'm not sure you could find a better pick for best film of all time.
If Giulietta Masina & Monica Vitti had a baby, it'd be Margarita Terekhova
I'm glad you finally got to see The Mirror. It's certainly very subtle in what it's doing, so much so in fact that I found the film to pretty dull on my first viewing. Luckily, I was sufficiently intrigued to give it another go. By the end of my third viewing I was sitting maybe 2 feet away from my TV in state of slack-jawed awe. I'm still in that state today, some two years later, although I have since pried myself away from the TV set.
As for the missing subtitles, that's a mixed blessing. Kino did a god awful job with the subtitles; there are entire lines of dialogue that they didn't even bother to translate. That being said, Tarkovsky's dialogue and his father's poems are as beautiful and mysterious as the film itself. I'm hoping that Criterion gets a hold of this film and gives it the treatment it deserves.
A list after my heart. The Mirror in its rightful place, Ikiru listed as Kurosawa's best and Dreyer's masterpiece being given its dues. The only real flaw is that Eraserhead is a tier too low... but I'm just nitpicking.
But really-- some extremely fine selections here. One thing you might be able to shed some light on for me is what's the big deal about Liberty Valence? Then again I've never seen why Ford is so popular. I enjoy his movies but nothing he's done has really resonated with me.
Thank you! I can certainly understand why you would think I was (slightly) underrating Eraserhead. Its certainly one of the most original, haunting and profound films I've ever seen.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is often considered to be the end of the classic Western, a style that Ford helped to pioneer. It's significance as such is more than just a historical footnote; the film is delivered as a eulogy, deeply mournful and nostalgic. John Wayne gives one of his best performances as the tragic hero, Jimmy Stewart exudes his usual charisma and Ford guides this little chamber piece along with graceful nonchalance.
There is a warmth to this film, a distinctly personal touch that isn't necessarily characteristic of Ford . Generally, I do see Ford as being highly overrated. He is a great filmmaker, but certainly not the greatest American filmmaker that ever lived (as some critics and historians would have you believe).
You need to do nothing less than as soon as you get the chance go out and acquire Tarkovsky's Nostlaghia by whatever means necessary, whether by order on Amazon or via Movie Madness or whatever...
This is THE film you've been longing for ever since cinema became an art form for you.
It is so astonishing it will send shockwaves through your entire list, not to mention the very soul your life depends upon.
"It is so astonishing it will send shockwaves through your entire list, not to mention the very soul your life depends upon."
You're talking about Nurse Betty, right?
That, and Boondock Saints of course.
Is that the "Final Cut" of Brazil you have on here, or is it the original?
btw, Boondock Saints 2 just came out!
Now all we need is both a Michael Bolton and Kenny G album to be released this week...titles could be something like "Nuthin But A Kenny G Thang" and of course, "Lightning Bolt From The Blue Sky Where We Carry On Our Monumental Love That Moves Endless Mountains And Vast Panoramas While Legions Of Horses Run Across Sand Dunes That Feature Brilliant Bonfires Beneath Cliffs And Canyons In The Desert That Dries Our Sunburnt Love, An Autobiographical Musical Ode To My Life By Michael Bolton, Part 1 of 4"...
"Is that the "Final Cut" of Brazil you have on here, or is it the original?"
I believe it was the 142 minute cut that’s on the Criterion edition. I believe the original theatrical release had a tacked-on happy ending, a la Blade Runner, which this edition was thankfully lacking. Anyways, AMAZING film.
"btw, Boondock Saints 2 just came out!"
Yes, it seems that the Q-pocalypse is finally upon us.
"Now all we need is both a Michael Bolton and Kenny G album to be released this week...titles could be something like "Nuthin But A Kenny G Thang" and of course, "Lightning Bolt From The Blue Sky Where We Carry On Our Monumental Love That Moves Endless Mountains And Vast Panoramas While Legions Of Horses Run Across Sand Dunes That Feature Brilliant Bonfires Beneath Cliffs And Canyons In The Desert That Dries Our Sunburnt Love, An Autobiographical Musical Ode To My Life By Michael Bolton, Part 1 of 4"..."
I refuse to type “LOL”, but that truly did make me laugh out loud. O my Lord, that may be the greatest album name ever.
Good, I'm glad you caught the 142 min version. That's the one I have on my list. Though the original is quite good, the 142 min version is definitely an upgrade.
...I guess Duffy scraped together enough finances and help to unveil his second masterwork of the decade...
I like how by printing that you refuse to type "LOL" you ended up typing it. LOL.
...I am afraid that Mr Bolton would go even bigger though...