Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club - Page 125

Martin Teller · 10-11-2008, 12:29 AM

#344 - L'Enfance nue

It's no shocker that Truffaut was a producer on this film, comparisons to 400 Blows are unavoidable. Both are about troublesome boys, both around the same age, both get picked up by the cops, and both end with an ambiguous future. Pialat's film is about a foster child, though, and he dares to make the character far more difficult to sympathize with. When taken in by an elderly couple, his warmer side surfaces, but he's still overcome by his nastier impulses. Pailat also does not share Truffaut's New Wave sensibility, instead he goes for a much more realistic approach, almost documentarian. The only stylistic flourishes are some time cuts that seem very sudden. I wasn't swept off my feet by this film, but I enjoyed it far more than Pialat's A Nos Amours. Rating: 8

And... that's it, I'm done! I wish I had ended on more of a high note, but good enough. I might throw together some best of/worst of S&S lists later. I wish it was 2012 already, I'm really curious to see how the DVD era will change the list.

Brook K · 10-11-2008, 02:06 AM

Congrats on being the first to finish this monstrosity Martin!

I lost momentum after getting The Silence of the Palace from the library and then returning it a few weeks later unwatched. Once the Horror Challenge is over, I expect I'll get Earrings of Madame de... and An Autumn Afternoon fairly quickly, but I don't know when I'll get to Palace and the other remaining titles the library has which are all lengthy.

rich_d · 10-11-2008, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Teller

#344 - L'Enfance nue
And... that's it, I'm done! I wish I had ended on more of a high note, but good enough. I might throw together some best of/worst of S&S lists later. I wish it was 2012 already, I'm really curious to see how the DVD era will change the list.

Congratulations Martin! Man, you really plowed through a bunch of films this summer. I'd be interested in your best/worst views.

The only good news about a 10 year wait is that (on average) a new film will have been around for 5 years before being voted on the list. Five years is a good amount of time for the film still resonates with audiences. As it is, I don't think voting for newer films was a significant factor in the 2002 list.

Of course, it will be interesting to see what modern gems replace old masters on the list. As far as the DVD era, I'm not sure for the cineaste (that's voting) that is the key issue as much as significant home video will be 30+ old by 2012. So, long term exposure to the majority of films (also with 3+ years to go) can't be a bad thing. As always the cream will rise to the top.

I have little faith or interest in the few votes for a bunch of films. If Sight and Sound wanted to improve the poll, they would eliminate all 2002 voters that were FAR from voting for the Greatest films but voting for statistical outliers and 'shout outs' to films. If they can't understand what the vote is about they shouldn't be voting.

Lew Crippen · 10-11-2008, 11:22 AM

I am both impressed and astonished Martin. Congratulations!

Actually I have liked watching some of the movies that were only mentioned by a few critics. Many I might not have seen otherwise. Of course some I could have done without.

Lew Crippen · 10-11-2008, 11:22 AM

I think I'll get married—Today!

Buster Keaton in The Navigator has plans for his intended, but they all go awry when he and his intended are trapped on a crewless steamship. Perhaps not the equal of The General, but very, very funny.

Martin Teller · 10-11-2008, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brook K

Congrats on being the first to finish this monstrosity Martin!

Am I? I thought Lew had seen them all, and was simply RE-watching them this time around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rich_d

I'd be interested in your best/worst views.

Here's one list... the 10 most glaring omissions (IMHO).

An Actor's Revenge (Kon Ichikawa)
Scenes from a Marriage (Ingmar Bergman)
Mahanagar (Satyajit Ray)
Satantango (Bela Tarr)
The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy)
Eraserhead (David Lynch)
The Scent of Green Papaya (Anh Hung Tran)
Subarnarekha (Ritwik Ghatak)
The Trial (Orson Welles)
An Angel at My Table (Jane Campion)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rich_d

I have little faith or interest in the few votes for a bunch of films. If Sight and Sound wanted to improve the poll, they would eliminate all 2002 voters that were FAR from voting for the Greatest films but voting for statistical outliers and 'shout outs' to films. If they can't understand what the vote is about they shouldn't be voting.

It's the "statistical outliers" that make this thing interesting and worthwhile. Does anyone need another list confirming that Citizen Kane, Vertigo, and The Godfather are great movies?

So here's my Top 10 From The Bottom (I've ignored stuff that's already represented higher up on the list, like "The Apu Trilogy").

A Woman Under the Influence (Cassavetes)
Nights of Cabiria (Fellini)
The Shining (Kubrick)
Time of the Gypsies (Kusturica)
Underground (Kusturica)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Leone)
Network (Lumet)
A Moment of Innocence (Makhmalbaf)
Love Me Tonight (Mamoulian)
Pakeezah (Amrohi)

And my Bottom 10 From The Top (anything ranked over 100):

The Searchers (Ford)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Ford)
Amarcord (Fellini)
The Travelling Players (Angelopoulos)
The Lady Eve (Sturges)
Once Upon a Time in America (Leone)
2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (Godard)
Gone With the Wind (Fleming)
The Grapes of Wrath (Ford)
Andrei Rublev (Tarkovsky)

(I would give Rublev another chance, I've warmed up a lot to Tarkovsky since I saw it)

Lew Crippen · 10-15-2008, 10:54 AM

I did decide to re-watch everything that I’d seen, but there were (and are still) a few that I had not (and still haven’t) watched.

And if The Traveling Players is still on the next list--well, I’ll give it a miss newt time.

I really liked looking at your worst of the best and best of the worst list Martin. I disagree with many of your bottom movies (except for the aforementioned, very long piece of drivel from Angelopoulos) but mostly agree with your top choices.

Adam_S · 10-15-2008, 01:00 PM

I didn't think anyone would ever finish all the movies. Congratulations on an incredible achievement.

Thi Them · 10-15-2008, 10:12 PM

Congratulations Martin!

~T

Adam_S · 10-18-2008, 05:32 AM

ugh, I just found out I missed a screening of The Round-Up tonight, now I'm pissed. Wished I'd heard about it earlier this week.