Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Should France be in Algeria? If you answer ‘yes’, then you must accept all the consequences.


The consequences that Lt. Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin) refers is torture in Gillo Pontecorvo’s powerful masterpiece, The Battle of Algiers. An almost perfect depiction of the futility of having a perfect tactical response to terrorism, but where also that response with no real underlying political strategy leads to defeat even while winning the battle.

The escalation of violence by both the Algerians and French is perfectly done (an aside on George’s comment on the café bombing: as the event is historical and since we know the outcome in advance, there really can’t be any suspense—it would be an artistic error to even attempt such a spin—I was captured by the close-ups of the patrons and the dancing to Hasta mañana (until tomorrow—which will never come).

Supposedly this film was screened at the Pentagon—it seems that they missed the point.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Which might be true except that this isn't a documentary, and we all know that no film based on true events follows the truth 100%. I stand by my comments.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I agree with Lew.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

True enough that The Battle of Algiers is not a documentary and does not follow the truth with 100% accuracy.

Now even if you, like me first saw this movie when it was released, we are now viewing it 45 years after the events depicted and very far removed geographically and culturally. But when it was first shown in 1965 in Italy, the events that constituted the movie were very recent—the specific events happened in 1957 and the overall war was not over until 1962. Further, this was an Italian made movie with an European audience, who were well aware of the general unrest that occurred during the end of the colonial period and even more so of specific, seminal events that marked turning points in attempted rebellions (or liberation movements, depending on perspective). After all, Rome is closer to Algiers (536 miles) than Dallas is to El Paso (572 miles).

Given the currency of the bombings, the geographic proximity and general knowledge of the events extant in the target audience, it is not reasonable to suppose that any attempt at suspense would be successful. The audience knows that the bombs are going to go off in those locations and kill and wound civilians. Attempts to suggest that something else would happen, just would not be credible when this movie was made—most especially in Italy.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

There might also be the matter of where one's sympathies lie. In George's initial comment about the bombing scene, his point of view seemed to rest with the victims, people's fates:


Well, this may not be the PC thing to say, but I wanted these bombs to go off, and for me, the stake was the success of the mission. Suspense came from hoping no one would foil the plan. Settlers, the ultimate beneficiaries of any occupation, are not innocent bystanders (an expression that is thrown around far too often by those with the luxury of an overwhelming force) in my book...

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Yep.

I guess the one aspect of this is still that while clearly (IMO) there are films on the lists that aren't really one of the 10 best ever in the person's opinion, but just a film they wanted to champion, they still must be powerful enough/loved enough to make it into their "films I want to champion" list.

If you are a film enthusiast and have seen a ton of film and still find a certain film to be worthy of being championed, then there has to be some merit in there I think.


Much of what we come up against are just are trained H'wood narrative tastes. I'd bet most of us (anyone besides George) have had our tastes skewed a bit more away from H'wood expectations...and H'wood in this case does NOT mean schlock, it just means narrative structure which includes pacing, character structure, serving the story over the themes, characters, tone and so on.

I LOVE H'wood narrative. It's a great form. But honestly I think the biggest reason it's so popular is just that it won the battle early on and then got copied over and over. People have learned to watch films by watching films. So however the films they started with did it, that's what they come to expect the next time.

Nothing wrong with that, but I'd bet that if Bunuel had been king of the castle in 1915 and had his stuff getting duplicated everywhere, we all might be talking about the quirky methods of Spielberg instead. Of course the human interest in being told stories is a major factor too.

Pyassa - Kaagaz ke pool
I enjoyed both, but preferred Kaagaz, mostly for the songs. Both are hard melodrama.

Fanny and Alexander - Un Chien - well Bunuel is growning on me, but I've loved Bergman right from the start, so this film appealed to me a lot more. It's not as simple as "pretty shots are nice to watch", I do feel like he is telling me things throughout his films. I just feel comfortable with some of his "logic jumps", to me they typically make sense on a non-narrative level.

Actually it could be that they do have a narrative motive behind them, its just a more unusual narrative. Contrast that with Bunuel who clearly is trying to disrupt the semiotics the entire time. As I said before, as I've grown used to Bunuel's "patterns" I've enjoyed them a bit more.

Once you get out of the "story time" mood I think Bunuel goes over very well.


Adam
I am morally bound to suggest you punch yourself in the nuts for a couple of hours instead.
Okay, it's not that bad and at times pretty amazing, but I'm the HTF "Aguirre basher" mostly due to how amateurish it gets. I'm the only person on the board that feels this way I think. I've said my peace, just make sure to have some ice ready for those nuts.


Okay, hate to keep the long post going, but here are my latest entries. I've been lax in getting back on here. Gotta fix that.

The Passenger
Loved it. The camera work is really just briliant, and I don't mean the very clever long take at the end of the film. Two other scenes stand out to me. At the roadside cafe the camera leaves the couple to follow cars passing in the background, swinging hard one way then back the other for cars going in different directions.

What I find interesting about a choice like that is how he clearly deemphasizes the characters and puts our focus on that background, increasing it's importance. And while he has a clear, strong plot running in the film, the entire time the theme seems to be a demphasis on characters and narrative, which is exactly the quandry Jack's character is going through. He's detaching from his own personality and life track, trying to leave it behind and yet he's also not really trying to be the new character either.

He hits it even with the dialog when Jack asks about the details she can see out the window. The everyday occurances, life simply passing by like those cars, become the focus. And he does it without having to kick the narrative to the curb.

The other brilliant piece of direction is when Maria is in the car looking back as the drive down the tree lined road. The set of camera moves and the placement of the camera itself is just incredible work. When someone wants to know what "direction" is vs mise-en-scene, editing, cinematography and other jobs that get assigned to a director's style as much as direction itself does, this is the scene to start with.

Again he doesn't break the narrative in the least. It's not form over content, it's content with form.

I didn't get as much out of L'Avventura as The Passenger, but honestly this got me interested in giving it another look. I wrote so much because I really did just get a lot from it. I blew seeing it in the theater last year like an idiot.


Fear Eats the Soul
I also really love the direction here, though Fassbinder is not so careful to avoid form breaking into the narrative, leaving every scene "frozen" at the end and sometimes the beginning (quoted because it's not a single frame stopped, but the characters simply stop and look at the camera for 10-20 seconds at the end of scenes).

It is more obviously metaphorical at times with scenes representing the themes more than just acting out single anecdotes of them (the themes being racism, the need to be loved, stranger in a strange land, a few others).

I'm sure for some it might be too heavy handed, but it's far less form over function high art than a lot of stuff on the S&S list.


Rosemary's Baby
I had counted this already, but it had been so long that I wanted to see it again. Good thriller, some questionable character choices but generally a tight script. Enjoyable, but dwarfed by Chinatown in terms of overall brilliance.


My count is now at 239 and I see the sub-100 left club getting close.

I Vitelloni is in the house and I think is my last Fellini (thank god to be honest, not my fave really). I guess I should bump Algiers up my queue. L'eclisse is also here and after The Passenger I'm pretty excited to make some time for it.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Since Aguirre was mentioned and people were discussing how many films they enjoyed, my scale puts films at 6 still decent and watchable and 5 as the 50/50 point of good vs bad, films that are starting to become really unpleasant to deal with. I've only had 4 films score 5, 1 film scored 4.

Fives
Lancelot du Lac - Brook and I discussed just how amateurish and silly Bresson gets about form over function. Not truly a bad film, but as an elite film its awful.

To Sleep with Anger - nice TV movie, but as an elite its weak. The story itself has a ton of merit, but generally its lacking in anything particulary artful otherwise.

Performance - ugh, really pretentious and overly artful

Aguirre - see Lancelot du Lac, IMO only of course

The FOUR
The Tingler - yeesh. Okay, I see it's role in terms of concept of presentation, but Jaws 3-D isn't on the list.

200 of the films I've seen so far I've rated an 8 or better. I have 60 10's so far. I even have a Fellini and Bunuel at 9.5 (Olvidados and La Strada).

Of course I haven't compared ratings and really tried to sort them out in a proper manner, the "this vs that" direct comparison. So it would probably change a bit. The main point is that so far I've really enjoyed the S&S challenge, even if it does seem like work at times to get motivated. I always end up enjoying it more than I expected.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I guess what bugs me about this is the "I'll let someone else take care of the best films, so I can champion my choices" attitude. If everyone took that approach, you can bet that Citizen Kane, 2001, Vertigo, The Seventh Seal etc. wouldn't even make the list. How ridiculous would that be?

In some alternate universe, where I was asked to vote on the S&S list, if I took that attitude, then instead of voting for films like Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Rear Window, Dr. Strangelove, The Godfather, The Apartment, etc., I'd "champion" 10 films like:

Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Charade
Hopscotch
What's Up, Doc?
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
The Incredibles
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Mon Oncle
Closely Watched Trains

which would be stupid compared to listing my actual top 10, but would be far better than lists than include drivel like Performance, Written on the Wind and Don't Look Now.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

11/06/06: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988) ***

This is my fourth film from this celebrated animation artist; while I’ve always enjoyed his work, I still feel that it’s somewhat overrated. The ones I’d watched – PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997), SPIRITED AWAY (2001; his best, in my opinion) and HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (2004) – were all plot-packed, overwhelming visual experiences, so I was surprised to find this one much simpler, virtually kiddie-oriented and essentially plotless! It was still meticulously detailed and inventive, with two extremely likeable female protagonists and equally delightful anthropomorphic characters - not to mention an infectious title track. I’ve yet to catch up with quite a number of his films (TCM showed a retrospective of his work while I was in Hollywood late last year, but I didn’t have the time – or stamina – for them) but, given their basic similarity, I guess it’s best to approach them one at a time (my local DVD rental outlet does carry a few more titles, though)…

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Well, after a well deserved break, resuming the grind with an old standby...

#101 - Dr. Strangelove (1964) -

Dr Strangelove is so firmly rooted in the canon of film, that enthusiasts are almost expected to uniformly love it. Well, it is certainly hard to find fault with the film on any objective grounds, but much of the humour fell flat. The irony of the situation as a whole is gold, but the elements of slapstick, failure to appreciate the situation (Scott's character talking to his girlfriend from the war room) and any dialogue involving bodily fluids just didn't work for me. It also doesn't help that as a movie enthusiast only now finally getting around to seeing this, I was by and large familiar with the plot, most of the gags and quotes. It also doesn't halp that I watched this in less than ideal conditions.

But the craft is so good, I wish Kubrick had made more straight war flicks .

Kubrick so far:

*Eyes Wide Shut (1999) -
*Full Metal Jacket (1987) -
The Shining (1980) -
Barry Lyndon (1975) -
A Clockwork Orange (1971) -
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) -
Dr. Strangelove (1964) -
Paths of Glory (1957) -

(*) Not listed.

I have had Spartacus for a couple of years now, never got around to watching it, dunno why.

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Inspired by Holadem's recent dive into the S&S, I think I'll try the same. This has been a tremendously educational thread, so I hope I don't bring the overall GPA down...


The Tingler is actually my most recent viewing (during the October Scary Movie Challenge). I didn't actually realize it was an S&S member until I happened across it accidentally while perusing the list. I admit I kinda went "Wha?". It's not that it's a bad film - silly, but I quite enjoyed it as it had a pretty cool concept and some decent tension built. I can see that someone might've wanted to give some props to William Castle or Vincent Price, but wouldn't The House On Haunted Hill have been better for Castle or one of the Edgar Allen Poe Price movies? Even better would have been Price's The Abominable Dr. Phibes which was tons of fun. I certainly wouldn't rank it in the top anything, but there are far duller entries to the S&S list than The Tingler IMO.


Total is 170 seen (viewed ones in bold).


1 Citizen Kane Welles 1941
2 Vertigo Hitchcock 1958
3 Rules of the Game Renoir 1939
4 8 ½ Fellini 1963
5 2001: A Space Odyssey Kubrick 1968
6 Tokyo Story Ozu 1953
7 Godfather Part II, The Coppola 1974
8 Seven Samurai Kurosawa 1954
9 Rashomon Kurosawa 1950
10 Battleship Potemkin Eisenstein 1925
10 Singin' in the Rain Donen/Kelly 1952
12 Sunrise Murnau 1927
13 Searchers, The Ford 1956
14 Lawrence of Arabia Lean 1962
15 Godfather, The Coppola 1972
16 Bicycle Thieves, The De Sica 1948
16 Dolce Vita, La Fellini 1960
16 Passion of Joan of Arc, The Dreyer 1928
19 Avventura, L' Antonioni 1960
19 Breathless (A Bout de souffle) Godard 1960
19 Touch of Evil Welles 1958
22 Dr. Strangelove Kubrick 1964
22 Jules and Jim Truffaut 1962
22 Raging Bull Scorsese 1980
25 Atalante, L' Vigo 1934
25 Psycho Hitchcock 1960
25 Sunset Blvd. Wilder 1950
28 Fanny and Alexander Bergman 1982
28 General, The Keaton/Bruckman 1927
28 Godfather & Godfather Part II, The Coppola 1974
28 Mirror, The Tarkovsky 1975
28 Some Like it Hot Wilder 1959
33 Andrei Roublev Tarkovsky 1969
33 City Lights Chaplin 1931
33 Children of Paradise (Enfants du Paradis) Carne 1945
33 Grand Illusion Renoir 1937
37 Apartment, The Wilder 1960
37 Apocalypse Now Coppola 1979
37 Au hasard Balthazar Bresson 1966
37 Pather Panchali Ray, Satyajit 1955
37 Seventh Seal, The Bergman 1955
37 Taxi Driver Scorsese 1976
43 Casablanca Curtiz 1942
43 Chinatown Polanski 1974
43 Contempt (Le Mepris) Godard 1963
43 Third Man, The Reed 1949
43 Ugetsu Monogatari Mizoguchi 1953
48 Ivan the Terrible Eisenstein 1947
48 Metropolis Lang 1927
50 400 Blows, The Truffaut 1959
50 Intolerance Griffith 1916
50 M Lang 1931
50 Ordet Dreyer 1955
50 Wild Strawberries Bergman 1957
55 Amarcord Fellini 1973
55 Barry Lyndon Kubrick 1975
55 Conformist, The Bertolucci 1970
55 Modern Times Chaplin 1936
55 North By Northwest Hitchcock 1959
55 On the Waterfront Kazan 1954
55 Persona Bergman 1966
55 Story of the Late Chrysanthemum, The Mizoguchi 1939
55 Strada, La Fellini 1954
64 Age d'Or, L' Bunuel 1930
64 Battle of Algiers, The Pontecorvo 1965
64 Blade Runner Scott 1981
64 Gold Rush, The Chaplin 1925
64 Greed Von Stroheim 1925
64 Last Year at Marienbad Resnais 1961
64 Magnificent Ambersons, The Welles 1942
64 Man with a Movie Camera, The Vertov 1929
64 Napoleon Gance 1927
64 Nashville Altman 1975
64 Once Upon a Time in the West Leone 1968
64 Pickpocket Bresson 1959
64 Pulp Fiction Tarentino 1994
64 Rear Window Hitchcock 1954
64 Rio Bravo Hawks 1959
64 Sweet Smell of Success Mackendrick 1957
64 Wild Bunch, The Peckinpah 1969
82 City of Sadness, A Hou 1989
82 Clockwork Orange, A Kubrick 1971
82 Dekalog Kieslowski 1990
82 Goodfellas Scorsese 1990
82 Ikiru Kurosawa 1952
82 Leopard, The Visconti 1963
82 Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Ford 1962
82 Night of the Hunter Laughton 1955
82 Ran Kurosawa 1985
82 Sansho the Bailiff (Sansho Dayu) Mizoguchi 1954
82 Traveling Players Angelopoulos 1975
82 Viridiana Bunuel 1961
82 Voyage to Italy Rossellini 1953
95 Argent, L' Bresson 1983
95 Black Narcissus Powell/Pressburger 1947
95 Blue Velvet Lynch 1986
95 Breaking the Waves Von Trier 1996
95 Chimes at Midnight Welles 1965
95 Don't Look Now Roeg 1973
95 Double Indemnity Wilder 1944
95 Earrings of Madame De, The Ophuls, Max 1953
95 El Bunuel 1952
95 Gone with the Wind Fleming 1939
95 Gospel Accoring to St. Matthew, The Pasolini 1964
95 Grapes of Wrath, The Ford 1940
95 His Girl Friday Hawks 1940
95 It's a Wonderful Life Capra 1946
95 Lady Eve, The Sturges 1941
95 Letter from an Unknown Woman Ophuls, Max 1948
95 Matter of Life and Death Powell/Pressburger 1946
95 McCabe & Mrs. Miller Altman 1971
95 My Darling Clementine Ford 1946
95 Nosferatu Murnau 1922
95 Notorious Hitchcock 1946
95 Once Upon a Time in America Leone 1984
95 Pierrot le fou Godard 1965
95 Sherlock Jr. Keaton 1924
95 Shoah Lanzmann 1985
95 Stagecoach Ford 1939
95 Treasure of the Sierra Madre Huston 1948
95 Two or Three Things I know about her Godard 1967
95 Vivre sa Vie Godard 1962
124 Alexander Nevsky Eisenstein 1938
124 All About Eve Mankiewicz 1950
124 All About my Mother Almodovar 1998
124 Beauty and the Beast (Belle et la betek, la) Cocteau 1946
124 Brief Encounter Lean 1945
124 Canterbury Tale, A Powell/Pressburger 1944
124 Close Up Kiarostami 1990
124 Cries and Whispers Bergman 1972
124 Crimes and Misdemeanors Allen 1989
124 Duck Soup McCarey 1933
124 Earth Dovzhenko 1930
124 Eclipse, The (Eclisse, L') Antonioni 1962
124 Floating Clouds Naruse 1955
124 Gertrud Dreyer 1964
124 Jeanne Dielman Akerman 1976
124 King Kong Cooper/Shoedsack 1933
124 Late Spring Ozu 1949
124 Los Olvidados Bunuel 1950
124 Loves of a Blonde Forman 1965
124 Man Escaped, A Bresson 1956
124 Marnie Hitchcock 1964
124 Music Room, The Ray, Satyajit 1958
124 Red River Hawks 1948
124 Rome, Open City Rossellini 1945
124 Satyricon Fellini 1969
124 Solaris Tarkovsky 1972
124 Throne of Blood Kurosawa 1957
124 Time to Live and the Time to Die, The Hou 1985
124 To Kill a Mockingbird Mulligan 1962
124 Tristana Bunuel 1970
124 Umberto D De Sica 1952
124 Un Chien Andalou Bunuel 1929
124 Yi Yi Yang 2000
157 Aguirre, Wrath of God Herzog 1973
157 In the Realm of the Senses Oshima 1976
157 Ashes and Diamonds Wajda 1958
157 Badlands Mallick 1973
157 Belle de jour Bunuel 1967
157 Berlin Alexanderplatz Fassbinder 1980
157 Best Years of our Lives, The Wyler 1946
157 Black Dog, White Devil Rocha 1964
157 Bonnie and Clyde Penn 1967
157 Brazil Gilliam 1985
157 Bridge on the River Kwai, The Lean 1957
157 Broken Blossoms Griffith 1919
157 Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Wiene 1920
157 Celine and Julie go Boating Rivette 1974
157 Charulata Ray, Satyajit 1964
157 Chungking Express Wong 1994
157 Conversation, The Coppola 1974
157 Crime of Monsieur Lange Renoir 1936
157 Day for Night Truffaut 1973
157 Days of Heaven Mallick 1978
157 Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Bunuel 1972
157 Do the Right Thing Lee 1989
157 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Spielberg 1982
157 Exorcist Friedkin 1973
157 Exterminating Angel, The Bunuel 1974
157 Fear Eats the Soul Fassbinder 1962
157 Great Dictator, The Chaplin 1940
157 In a Year of Thirteen Moons Fassbinder 1978
157 In the Mood for Love Wong 2000
157 India Song Duras 1975
157 Jaws Spielberg 1975
157 Jetee, La Marker 1962
157 Kaagaz ke phool Dutt 1959
157 Kind Hearts and Coronets Hamer 1949
157 Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Powell/Pressburger 1943
157 Life of Oharu Mizoguchi 1952
157 M. Hulot's Holiday Tati 1954
157 Meet Me in St. Louis Minnelli 1944
157 Monsieur Verdoux Chaplin 1947
157 Mother and the Whore Eustache 1973
157 One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Forman 1975
157 Out of the Past Tourneur 1947
157 Paisa Rossellini 1946
157 Palm Beach Story, The Sturges 1942
157 Paths of Glory Kubrick 1957
157 Piano, The Campion 1993
157 PlayTime Tati 1967
157 Providence Resnais 1977
157 Pyaasa Dutt 1957
157 Rise to Power of Louis XIV, The Rossellini 1966
157 Rocco and His Brothers Visconti 1960
157 Salo Pasolini 1975
157 Spartacus Kubrick 1960
157 Spirited Away Miyazaki 2001
157 Stalker Tarkovsky 1979
157 Star is Born, A Cukor 1954
157 Star Wars Lucas 1977
157 Sullivan's Travels Sturges 1941
157 Taste of Cherry Kiarostami 1997
157 That Obscure ****** of Desire Bunuel 1977
157 Three Colours Trilogy Kieslowski 1994
157 Through the Olive Trees Kiarostami 1994
157 To Have and Have not Hawks 1944
157 Trouble in Paradise Lubitsch 1932
157 Unforgiven Eastwood 1992
157 Wages of Fear Clouzot 1953
157 Wind Will Carry Us Kiarostami 1999
157 World of Apu Ray, Satyajit 1959
157 Written on the Wind Sirk 1956
226 1900 Berolucci 1976
226 Accattone Pasolini 1961
226 African Queen, The Huston 1951
226 Age of Innocence Scorsese 1993
226 All that Heaven Allows Sirk 1956
226 And Life Goes On Kiarostami 1991
226 Angel Lubitsch 1937
226 Annie Hall Allen 1997
226 Apu Trilogy, The Ray, Satyajit 1959
226 Atanarjuat Kunuk 2001
226 Autumn Afternoon, An Ozu 1964
226 Baby Doll Kazan 1956
226 Bigger Than Life Ray, Nicholas 1956
226 Birth of a Nation, The Griffith 1915
226 Bob le flambeur Melville 1955
226 Bride of Frankenstein Whale 1935
226 Bringing up Baby Hawks 1938
226 Burnt by the Sun Mikhalkov 1994
226 Dames du Bois de Boulogne, Les Bresson 1945
226 Day of Wrath Dreyer 1943
226 Death in Venice Visconti 1971
226 Demoiselles de Rochefort, Les Demy/Varda 1967
226 Devils, The Russell 1971
226 Don't Look Back Pennebaker 1967
226 Double Life of Veronique, The Kieslowski 1993
226 Naked Childhood Pialat 1970
226 Eternity and a Day Angelopoulos 1998
226 Europa Von Trier 1991
226 F for Fake Welles 1976
226 Phantom of Liberty Bunuel 1974
226 Farewell My Concubine Chen 1993
226 Fargo Coens 1996
226 Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Meyer 1985
226 Woman Next Door, The Truffaut 1981
226 Fires Were Started Jennings 1943
226 Germany Year Zero Rossellini 1947
226 Godfather Trilogy, The Coppola 1992
226 Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Leone 1967
226 Great Expectations Lean 1947
226 Hate Kassovitz 1995
226 Hidden Fortress, The Kurosawa 1958
226 High and Low Kurosawa 1963
226 Hiroshima mon Amour Resnais 1959
226 Hotel Terminous: Klaus Barbie, His Life and Times Ophuls, Marcel 1988
226 I vitelloni Fellini 1953
226 Red Desert, The Antonioni 1964
226 Lacombe Lucien Malle 1974
226 Lady Vanishes, The Hitchcock 1938
226 Lancelot of the Lake Bresson 1974
226 Last Laugh, The Murnau 1924
226 Last Picture Show, The Bogdanovich 1971
226 Limelight Chaplin 1952
226 Lola Demy 1961
226 Love Me Tonight Mamoulian 1932
226 Ludwig Visconti 1972
226 Make Way for Tomorrow McCarey 1937
226 Maltese Falcon, The Huston 1941
226 Masculin Feminin Godard 1986
226 Mean Streets Scorsese 1973
226 Meghe dhaka tara Ghatik 1960
226 Miracle in Milan De Sica 1951
226 Moment of Innocence, A Makhmalbaf 1996
226 My Neighbor Totoro Miyazaki 1988
226 Nanook of the North Flaherty 1922
226 Navigator, The Keaton 1924
226 Network Lumet 1976
226 Nights of Cabiria Fellini 1957
226 October Eisenstein 1927
226 Odd Man Out Reed 1947
226 Oedipus Rex Pasolini 1967
226 Orlando Potter 1992
226 Orphee Cocteau 1949
226 Pakeezah Amrohi 1975
226 Pandora's Box Pabst 1929
226 Day in the Country, A Renoir 1936
226 Passenger, The Antonioni 1975
226 Performance Roeg 1970
226 Puppetmaster Hou 1993
226 Red Shoes, The Powell/Pressburger 1948
226 Region Centrale, La Snow 1971
226 Remains of the Day, The Ivory 1993
226 Riff-Raff Loach 1990
226 Rosemary's Baby Polanski 1968
226 Round-Up, The Jancso 1965
226 Rue Cases-Negres, La Palcy 1983
226 Sacrifice, The Tarkovsky 1986
226 Salvatore Giuliano Rosi 1961
226 Scarlett Empress, The Von Sternberg 1934
226 Schindler's List Spielberg 1993
226 Shadows Cassavetes 1959
226 Shane Stevens 1953
226 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Ford 1949
226 Shining, The Kubrick 1980
226 Short Cuts Altman 1993
226 Silences du palais, Les Tlati 1994
226 Steamboat Bill, Jr. Keaton/Reisner 1928
226 Still Life Saless 1974
226 Strangers on a Train Hitchcock 1951
226 Stray Dog Kurosawa 1949
226 Strike Eisenstein 1925
226 Thief of Bagdad, The Berger/Powell 1940
226 Thing from Another World, The Hawks/Nyby 1951
226 Three Colours Blue Kieslowski 1991
226 Time of Gypsies Kusterica 1988
226 Tingler, The Castle 1959
226 Shoot the Piano Player Truffaut 1960
226 To Be or Not ot Be Lubitsch 1942
226 To Sleep with Anger Burnett 1990
226 Topsy-Turvy Leigh 1999
226 Touch of Zen, A Hu 1969
226 Underground Kusterica 1995
226 Vampires, Les Feuillade 1915
226 Vampyr Dreyer 1932
226 Vidas Secas Dos Santos 1963
226 Weekend Godard 1967
226 Where is My Friend's House? Kiarostami 1987
226 White Heat Walsh 1949
226 Wind, The Sjostrom 1928
226 Woman under the Influence, A Cassavetes 1974
226 Xala Sembene 1975

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Hey, that's my job.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

#102 - The Battleship Potemkin (1925) -

A deserving landmark of film that is unfortunately not very interesting beyond an academic level. The famed Odessa Steps sequence did not disappoint, but it's not as flawless as I had hoped, take this example: Following a close up of the mother's face on the stairs, the next logical shot should be what she is starring at, which is it (the Cossacks), but that shot is not from her point of view, it's is from the side of the stairs instead (the lateral shot of the row of soldier’s feet), which was pretty confusing (I had to rewind to make sure she was on the stairs on not to the side). It happened more than once. Now this may sound nitpicky, but for one of the most revered scenes in cinema, the level of scrutiny is warranted. Or at least that was my frame of mind last night; this morning, it did occur to me that the Odessa steps sequence owes its place in cinema to having defined an essential aspect of film language, rather than perfected it… Other less ambitious scenes such as the lions of the Opera House and even the final naval "charge" (the one truly suspenseful scene) left a more lasting impression.

The closest thing to a character in the story having met an early demise (his martyrdom is a catalyst of the uprising at Odessa), this work of communist propaganda is an appropriately faceless tale. It is also so brazenly and shamelessly manipulative as to be comical at times. I do not at all fault this attribute since that is the entire point of a propaganda film, but the excessive button-pushing creates an emotional distance that proved impossible to overcome, as amusement took the place of empathy.

I recently discovered Shostakovitch, so recognizing the familiar notes of some of his work brought a smile to my face.

Potemkin was considered the best movie ever made until the advent of Citizen Kane. I wonder how that label survived the release in 1931 of Fritz Lang's M, which is one film I find near perfect. I guess the title is reserved for films which have pushed the envelope, rather than those where all the established conventions of the time perfectly comes together.

I wonder how many ignore lists these low rankings are gonna land me on .

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

#144 - The Thing From Another World - Another case of a film I enjoyed (though perhaps a bit less than I was hoping I would), but don't quite understand why it is on the S&S List. I suppose I may not have 1) the context of the times when the film was released (both political and state of the movies) as well as 2) fond memories of seeing the film at a younger age. Since I believe it only takes 2 votes to get into the lower rungs of the list, it makes logical sense...

The opening half of the film is fairly slow at times and drags a bit, but still does some good setup of character and place. The scene of the crash landing was particularly well done (forgetting for the moment the thermite bombs... ). And the use of the creature in the second half was measured and effective. Also, I really liked the style of dialog and the fact that many of the actors talked over each other at times and hysterics were kept to a minimum (and the female lead never once raised her hands to her face and went "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!").

But overall it kind of fell a bit short of what I expected. I never felt the real potential for destruction of humanity that was suggested or even much immediate jeopardy for the main characters.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Far fewer than me.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

It just occurred to me that posters used to write a lot about the 'ignore lists', and if they were on some.
Lately one actually never reads anything of the kind anymore.

Great thread, this, BTW! Fine contributions.
I very often agree with Lew, but then again, he's hardly ever contradicted, isn't he?


Cees

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Actually, In America, many film critics felt John Ford's "The Informer" was either the finest film ever made or the finest sound film made up to that point, surpassing such favorites as Potemkin, Birth of a Nation and Sunrise.

The problem with M is that it came out at exactly the wrong time. It was a German sound film released in 1930 and therefore was pretty much inaccessible in the thirties to most everyone. One of the first big foreign film successes in America in sound was Grand Illusion, which was nominated for Best Picture. But coming out so soon into the transition to sound meant M was not widely seen until post war.

Silent films were very easy to localize. that meant a lot more critics were familiar with international cinema than they were in the 30s. To further hamper any likely distribution. the studios consolidated, created the protectionist MPDAA, AMPAS and most of the unions and Wall Street began investing seriously in Hollywood in the 20s and 30s all of which led to severe limitations on distribution of international films, silent or sound.

The edits you noticed in Potemkin where they violate the 180 rule and matching rules were deliberately done as part of the aesthetic disruption that's equally important in the sequence, you should be overwhelmed and confused, as though you don't know where to look or what it is you're seeing.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Well, since you mentioned it... I think those who choose to place posters on "ignore" are often intolerant of differing opinions and opposite points of view, and are sometimes equally incapable of handling any type of friction which may periodically occur. Things don't always go smoothly between people each and every time in discussions.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

A long while ago (4 years I think), I started a thread with a less than enthusiastic evaluation of my first (and only) screening of Psycho (1960). Everyone wanted my head on a silver platter. I've never seen a thread grow so fast. Must be what it feels like to be George.

Just about the only thing worse would have been calling Kubrick a hack.

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I actually think Kubrick should have stopped at two war films and moved on to other subject matters.

Sorry that Strangelove didn't really work for you. Actually I don't remember being crazy about it upon first viewing either. Then, seen years later it really hit home, becoming one of my favorite films.

I think part of the difference was that I could relate to it more. Working in large corporations didn't hurt either (nor does working with government/military agencies).

I'd go so far as to say that Strangelove (now versus then) reflects my views on power, authority and large processes etc.

Naturally, humor is humor and what works for one person doesn't work for another. But, perhaps give it another try in a few years.

As far as Scott's character's "failure to appreciate the situation" by talking to his girlfriend from the war room. Far from it. I think a strong case could be made that he's the one closest to truly understanding the situation.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

#145 - McCabe And Mrs. Miller - I fully understand why this film is on the S&S list. The cinematography, the setting, Altman's typical unrushed yet constantly moving camera wandering through conversations and situations, etc. I love his style. Short Cuts, Nashville, The Company, and others are all great films in my mind and I can see revisiting them.

And yet I found McCabe dull and not something I intend to watch again. Maybe it was the characters (like the doltish and unsympathetic McCabe) or the snooze inducing Leonard Cohen soundtrack (I confess I just find Cohen musically boring even if his lyrics are poetic). The final half hour or so is actually much more compelling and moves toward a fitting end to the story, but it just couldn't make up for the previous 90 minutes. I kinda feel bad about not liking it, but there ya have it...



#146 - Rio Bravo - It'll be tough for anything to move The Ox-Bow Incident out of my favourite Western spot (even though I really haven't seen that many). This Howard Hawks film doesn't quite do it, but it sure was an entertaining way to spend 140 minutes.

Coming to classic films decades after their influence has already been felt can sometimes be tricky...The actors or situations have already left their mark and have sometimes moved into parody. This was my first film with Walter Brennan in it and I must say it was occasionally difficult to get past that voice that has been imitated so often. But the movie is strong enough in its characters and continually moving story and has a good sense of fun about it that it wasn't a problem. The bright colours gave some indication that we weren't necessarily in for an Ox-Bow style ending, but you still couldn't quite gauge the approach.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

EEK! Good grief I go away for a few months and y'all are dissing my man Nic Roeg. Performance may not have worn so well but it was an inflamatory, groundbreaking film in its time. (It changed my movie going life. Yes it did.)

OTOH, I feel Don't Look Now remains a masterpiece. And Dr. Strangelove gets better and better as the years past.

And YES, you bloody children, I saw them both WHEN they came out, lol.

OTOH, I was not around for the release of Potemkin, although I saw it as a teen. (A long time ago.) I suggest a second viewing.


Humph. Just call me a righteous old fart. Lew...where are yooou????

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I would hope not .

Of course there is going to be a second viewing at some point. But not after I get thru some (hopefully) more enjoyable films .

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

#103 - La Dolce Vita (1960) -

Every review, description or interpretation of La Dolce Vita proved more enjoyable than the actual experience of watching this movie. It's not for fault of not getting it, I did and do. I know what Fellini is saying, and can see how he tells it, but frankly, his language just rubs me the wrong way.

Marcello is a celeb photo journalist with "access", torn between the frivolities and decadence of the jet set, and his own higher aspirations of existential relevance. we see Marcello's search for meaning through a series of loosely connected real episodes (no dream or fantasy sequences here) exploring some aspect of his

La Dolce Vita is not quite as abstract as 8 1/2, but it's no La Strada either (which itself was no wonder of tight plot, but at least fit the simple template of a road movie). Some of the sequences are semi-enjoyable, such as his father's visit, where for a few hours Marcello gets a glimpse of a more meaningful connection before it is once again destroyed by sweet life. The film is bookended by scenes that are beauties of symbolism. But the rest of it I find insufferably grating.

A prime example is the interminable dance sequence near the beginning, where even the abundant bosom of the American actress was not enough to get me over my dislike for a scene which overstayed it's welcome by several minutes (and since that is the scene featured on the DVD menu, I can't get that dang song out of my head). With a few exceptions like Marcello's suffocatingly devoted girlfriend (that's nice for psycho), most of the characters are shallow, aimless wraiths who possess just enough self-awareness to know that something is wrong with their lives, but not enough to actually do something about it. Which is fine, and I do not doubt, true of the world Fellini is depicting, but doesn't make for an enjoyable or even an interesting experience.

The truth is, at this point, I don't think I am ever gonna connect with Fellini as an artist. I have had more fun watching less accessible work. His aesthetics are just not my cup of tea, and I found what are arguably his two most revered films a trial to sit through.

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

#104 - The Maltese Falcon (1941) -

This time around I made it all the way through, unlike my first attempt 3-4 years ago. The direction is irreproachable (with the exception of some bizarre edits), Bogart created a legend here, and... the extremely tight script lost me half way through, before I resigned myself to just letting go of any attempt at understanding every plot intricacies the first time. Evidently a second screening can only help in that regard.

It is remarkable that when one thinks about it, with the exception of the initial murder, nothing really happened on screen in this movie. The characters are in the middle of a set of events which is communicated almost exclusively through dialogue, but by the end, it feels like we've played a major part in a long and elaborate tale, when all we really did was witness Spade peel back layer after layer. That is probably my favorite aspect of the movie, the feeling of being thrown in the middle of a complex story already in progress.

The mystique of the title item, a McGuffin really, adds an unusual aura to these murky proceeding. Beyond the material, it is a search of something greater for these shadowy figures, much like search of the Ark in Raiders many years later. As such, the film would have been a bit diminished if they were looking for say, a truckload of gold from a 5 y/o bank robbery.

Noir is not my favorite genre, and The Maltese Falcon is no exception, hence the relatively low rating. It's a fine film, and I would never argue otherwise, it's just not for me… not until the inevitable revisit anyway.

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Good to see I'm not alone in my thoughts on La Dolce Vita (which I recently revisited). I like it more than Holadem does - it's an impressive piece of cinema - but yes, many scenes do drag on.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

#105 - L'Avventura (1960) -

In a curious coincidence, I watched this the evening before La Dolce Vita, with no idea that they were considered companion pieces until well after both screenings. I am not sure I agree with this grouping. Sure, they are both Italian, released in 1960 and feature wealthy people. But to me that's where the similarities end.

Claudia is an absolutely gorgeous woman (an understatement!), but also the kind of relatively quiet woman who has always lived under the shadow of her livelier, more assertive and presumably wealthier best friend, Anna. The latter's relationship with her boyfriend has seen better days, as she struggles to remain emotionally involved. The threesome takes a trip to some island with two other couples. At some point, Anna disappears without a trace. The rest of the film deals with the fruitless search by her boyfriend and Claudia, during which they grow closer, caught in a web of conflicting emotions -- though some will argue evidently not conflicting enough...

For the first hour or so, Antonioni had me completely bewitched. Every shot is carefully composed and just gorgeous to contemplate. One would be arguable that it’s hardly a feat to find pleasing images in these vistas, but it was more than that, I felt he was speaking directly to me in ways that are difficult to articulate (someone made the same observation about Fanny & Alexander, which I didn't connect with). “Pleasing” might not even be the right word, as the whole Island episode was subtly unsettling (a feeling underscore by the ominous music) long before Anna’s disappearance gave us a concrete reason to feel that way.

Unfortunately, the magic ebbed as we leave the island for earthier settings. The film meanders into a road movie of sorts as Sandro and Claudia treks across Italy in an increasingly reluctant search for Anna, dealing with their mutual attraction and encountering some strange folks.

Now that's the movie I saw and liked. But apparently everyone else saw another commentary on the idle rich? Perhaps… the elements are certainly there, Sandro is clearly bored with his professional life, bitter even (ink spill), and with the exception of Claudia, who is blossoming outside of her friend’s shadow, everyone seems to exist without any real passion. More disturbing is the remarkable ease with which everyone else deals with her disappearance.

I am unsure about the significance of the some of the subplots, such as the street mob pursuing an extremely beautiful lady of easy (if pricey) virtue, a bizarre sequence that I can only describe as… Felliniesque (ironic, I know). How about the young lady's affair with the painter. All it highlighted to me was just another example of Claudia's passive nature (she follows her to the guy’s place, then gets unceremoniously dismissed and entrusted with a message for her man), although the case could be made that it's symptomatic of the self-absorption which plagues these circles – hardly anyone seems to give a damn about the whereabouts of Anna at that point.

The ending was booed after the Cannes premiere, although critics have gotten evidently wiser since. I found it poignant. That may be because for me, this film is more about Claudia’s journey than anything else.

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

flip your ratings of La Dolce Vita and La Avventura and you've got my opinion of those two films. I for one agree with the critics at Cannes who booed La Avventura, it's the sort of filmmaking that gives art cinema its bad name/reputation.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

At the very least, the Monica Vitti / Lea Massari combo has to have kept your screening from being a total waste of time no? I saw the latter a few months ago in Malle's Murmurs of the Heart. I think Vitti is featured in at least one other Antonioni film on this list, can't wait, what a fiiiine woman .

Speaking of these two, there is this apparently innocent, yet erotically charged fleeting moment between these two on the yatch at some point... not sure what that's about but I wanted more!

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I don't care much for La Dolce Vita, but at least it ends. Fellini never had a problem finding a decent ending to a film. Antonioni wouldn't know how to end a film properly if his life depended on it.