Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club - Page 99

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

The only commentary track on the Criterion Throne of Blood DVD is by Michael Jeck. He also did a commentary for Seven Samurai back in the laserdisc days, which was kept for subsequent DVD editions of that movie as well, including the new 3-disc release.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

You sir are correct. I must have mixed up the commentary with the two sets of subtitles, one of which is by Richie. Cool. So well, what did you think of Throne of Blood?!

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Throne of Blood is one of my all-time favorites. I'm glad you responded well to the fantasy stuff, as you put it, by which I assume you mean the ghost-story aspects, like the spirit they run into in the woods. But you say you were surprised to see that stuff--does that mean you hadn't read MacBeth, or seen any other interpretations of it, before seeing this movie? The ghost story elements come straight from the play, albeit with some Kurosawa twists here and there.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Here's what I've watched from the list and how I'd rate them:


1 Citizen Kane Welles 1941 ****
2 Vertigo Hitchcock 1958 (need another viewing) ****
3 Rules of the Game Renoir 1939 ****
4 8½ Fellini 1963 ****
5 2001: A Space Odyssey Kubrick 1968 ****
6 Tokyo Story Ozu 1953 (need another viewing) ****
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 (need another viewing) ****
16 Passion of Joan of Arc, The Dreyer 1928 ****
19 Avventura, L' Antonioni 1960 ***1/2
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 (need another viewing) ****
22 Raging Bull Scorsese 1980 (need another viewing) ****
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 Mirror, The Tarkovsky 1975 (need another viewing) ***1/2
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 ***1/2
37 Au hasard Balthazar Bresson 1966 ***1/2
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 ***1/2
43 Third Man, The Reed 1949 ****
43 Ugetsu Monogatari Mizoguchi 1953 ****
48 Ivan the Terrible Eisenstein 1947 ***1/2
48 Metropolis Lang 1927 (need another viewing but will soon get to the "Authorised Edition" DVD) ****
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 (need another viewing) ***1/2
55 Barry Lyndon Kubrick 1975 ***1/2
55 Conformist, The Bertolucci 1970 (need another viewing) ***1/2
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 (need another viewing) ***1/2
64 Age d'Or, L' Bunuel 1930 ****
64 Battle of Algiers, The Pontecorvo 1965 ****
64 Blade Runner Scott 1981 (need another viewing) ***1/2
64 Gold Rush, The Chaplin 1925 ****
64 Greed Von Stroheim 1925 ****
64 Last Year at Marienbad Resnais 1961 (need another viewing) ***1/2
64 Magnificent Ambersons, The Welles 1942 ****
64 Man with a Movie Camera, The Vertov 1929 (need another viewing) ***
64 Napoleon Gance 1927
64 Nashville Altman 1975 (need another viewing) ****
64 Once Upon a Time in the West Leone 1968 ***1/2
64 Pickpocket Bresson 1959 ****
64 Pulp Fiction Tarentino 1994 (no more viewings required) ***
64 Rear Window Hitchcock 1954 ****
64 Rio Bravo Hawks 1959 ***1/2
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 ***1/2
82 Dekalog Kieslowski 1990 ***1/2
82 Goodfellas Scorsese 1990 (need another viewing) ***1/2
82 Ikiru Kurosawa 1952 ***1/2
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 ***1/2
95 Argent, L' Bresson 1983 ***1/2
95 Black Narcissus Powell/Pressburger 1947 ****
95 Blue Velvet Lynch 1986 (need another viewing) ***
95 Breaking the Waves Von Trier 1996 (need another viewing) ***
95 Chimes at Midnight Welles 1965 ***1/2
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 ***1/2
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 ***1/2
95 Letter from an Unknown Woman Ophuls, Max 1948 ****
95 Matter of Life and Death Powell/Pressburger 1946 ****
95 McCabe & Mrs. Miller Altman 1971 (need another viewing) ***
95 My Darling Clementine Ford 1946 ****
95 Nosferatu Murnau 1922 ****
95 Notorious Hitchcock 1946 (need another viewing) ***1/2
95 Once Upon a Time in America Leone 1984 (need another viewing) ***1/2
95 Pierrot le fou Godard 1965 (need another viewing) ***
95 Sherlock Jr. Keaton 1924 ****
95 Shoah Lanzmann 1985
95 Stagecoach Ford 1939 ****
95 Treasure of the Sierra Madre Huston 1948 ***1/2
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 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
124 Beauty and the Beast (Belle et la bete, la) Cocteau 1946 ****
124 Brief Encounter Lean 1945 (need another viewing) ****
124 Canterbury Tale, A Powell/Pressburger 1944 ***1/2
124 Close Up Kiarostami 1990
124 Cries and Whispers Bergman 1972 ****
124 Crimes and Misdemeanors Allen 1989 (need another viewing) ***1/2
124 Duck Soup McCarey 1933 ****
124 Earth Dovzhenko 1930
124 Eclipse, The (Eclisse, L') Antonioni 1962 ***1/2
124 Floating Clouds Naruse 1955
124 Gertrud Dreyer 1964 ***1/2
124 Jeanne Dielman Akerman 1976
124 King Kong Cooper/Shoedsack 1933 ****
124 Late Spring Ozu 1949 ***
124 Los Olvidados Bunuel 1950 ***1/2
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 ***1/2
124 Satyricon Fellini 1969 (need another viewing) ***
124 Solaris Tarkovsky 1972 ***1/2
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 ***1/2
124 Tristana Bunuel 1970 ****
124 Umberto D De Sica 1952 (need another viewing) ***1/2
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 God, White Devil Rocha 1964 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
157 Bonnie and Clyde Penn 1967 ****
157 Brazil Gilliam 1985 ***
157 Bridge on the River Kwai, The Lean 1957 ****
157 Broken Blossoms Griffith 1919 ***1/2
157 Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Wiene 1920 ****
157 Celine and Julie go Boating Rivette 1974 (need another viewing) ***
157 Charulata Ray, Satyajit 1964 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
157 Chungking Express Wong 1994
157 Conversation, The Coppola 1974 ****
157 Crime of Monsieur Lange Renoir 1936 (need another viewing) ***1/2
157 Day for Night Truffaut 1973 ****
157 Days of Heaven Mallick 1978 ***1/2
157 Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Bunuel 1972 ****
157 Do the Right Thing Lee 1989 ***
157 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Spielberg 1982 (need another viewing) ***1/2
157 Exorcist Friedkin 1973 ***1/2
157 Exterminating Angel, The Bunuel 1962 ****
157 Fear Eats the Soul Fassbinder 1974
157 Great Dictator, The Chaplin 1940 ***1/2
157 In a Year of Thirteen Moons Fassbinder 1978 - owned on DVD but as yet unwatched
157 In the Mood for Love Wong 2000 ***
157 India Song Duras 1975
157 Jaws Spielberg 1975 ****
157 Jetee, La Marker 1962 (need another viewing) ***1/2
157 Kaagaz ke phool Dutt 1959 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
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 (need another viewing) ***
157 Meet Me in St. Louis Minnelli 1944 (need another viewing) ***1/2
157 Monsieur Verdoux Chaplin 1947 ***1/2
157 Mother and the Whore Eustache 1973 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
157 One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Forman 1975 ****
157 Out of the Past Tourneur 1947 ****
157 Paisa Rossellini 1946 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
157 Palm Beach Story, The Sturges 1942 ***1/2
157 Paths of Glory Kubrick 1957 ****
157 Piano, The Campion 1993 ***1/2
157 PlayTime Tati 1967 **1/2
157 Providence Resnais 1977
157 Pyaasa Dutt 1957 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
157 Rise to Power of Louis XIV, The Rossellini 1966
157 Rocco and His Brothers Visconti 1960 ***1/2
157 Salo Pasolini 1975 (no, this is not a misprint) *1/2
157 Spartacus Kubrick 1960 ***1/2
157 Spirited Away Miyazaki 2001 ***1/2
157 Stalker Tarkovsky 1979 ***1/2
157 Star is Born, A Cukor 1954 ***1/2
157 Star Wars Lucas 1977 ***1/2
157 Sullivan's Travels Sturges 1941 ****
157 Taste of Cherry Kiarostami 1997
157 That Obscure Object of Desire Bunuel 1977 ****
157 Three Colours Trilogy Kieslowski 1994 ***1/2
157 Through the Olive Trees Kiarostami 1994
157 To Have and Have not Hawks 1944 ***1/2
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 (need another viewing) ***
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 (need another viewing) ***1/2
226 Baby Doll Kazan 1956 ***1/2
226 Bigger Than Life Ray, Nicholas 1956 (need another viewing) ***
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 ***1/2
226 Day of Wrath Dreyer 1943 ****
226 Death in Venice Visconti 1971 ***1/2
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 (need another viewing) ***
226 Naked Childhood Pialat 1970
226 Eternity and a Day Angelopoulos 1998
226 Europa Von Trier 1991
226 F for Fake Welles 1976 (need another viewing) **1/2
226 Phantom of Liberty Bunuel 1974 ****
226 Farewell My Concubine Chen 1993
226 Fargo Coens 1996 (need another viewing) ***1/2
226 Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Meyer 1985 ***
226 Woman Next Door, The Truffaut 1981 **1/2
226 Fires Were Started Jennings 1943 (need another viewing) ***
226 Germany Year Zero Rossellini 1947 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
226 Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Leone 1967 ***1/2
226 Great Expectations Lean 1947 ****
226 Hate Kassovitz 1995
226 Hidden Fortress, The Kurosawa 1958 ***1/2
226 High and Low Kurosawa 1963 ***1/2
226 Hiroshima mon Amour Resnais 1959 (need another viewing) ***
226 Hotel Terminous: Klaus Barbie, His Life and Times Ophuls, Marcel 1988
226 I vitelloni Fellini 1953 (need another viewing) ***
226 Red Desert, The Antonioni 1964 (need another viewing) ***
226 Lacombe Lucien Malle 1974 ***1/2
226 Lady Vanishes, The Hitchcock 1938 ****
226 Lancelot of the Lake Bresson 1974 ***1/2
226 Last Laugh, The Murnau 1924 (need another viewing) ****
226 Last Picture Show, The Bogdanovich 1971 ****
226 Limelight Chaplin 1952 ***1/2
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 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
226 Miracle in Milan De Sica 1951 (need another viewing) ***1/2
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 ***1/2
226 Network Lumet 1976 ****
226 Nights of Cabiria Fellini 1957 (need another viewing) ***1/2
226 October Eisenstein 1927 ****
226 Odd Man Out Reed 1947 (need another viewing) ***1/2
226 Oedipus Rex Pasolini 1967 ***
226 Orlando Potter 1992
226 Orphee Cocteau 1949 ****
226 Pakeezah Amrohi 1975
226 Pandora's Box Pabst 1929 (need another viewing) ****
226 Day in the Country, A Renoir 1936 ****
226 Passenger, The Antonioni 1975 ***
226 Performance Roeg 1970 ***1/2
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 (need another viewing) ***
226 Riff-Raff Loach 1990
226 Rosemary's Baby Polanski 1968 ***1/2
226 Round-Up, The Jancso 1965
226 Rue Cases-Negres, La Palcy 1983
226 Sacrifice, The Tarkovsky 1986 (need another viewing) ***
226 Salvatore Giuliano Rosi 1961 (need another viewing) ***
226 Scarlett Empress, The Von Sternberg 1934 ****
226 Schindler's List Spielberg 1993 (need another viewing) ***
226 Shadows Cassavetes 1959 ***
226 Shane Stevens 1953 ****
226 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Ford 1949 ***1/2
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 ***1/2
226 Thief of Bagdad, The Berger/Powell 1940 ****
226 Thing from Another World, The Hawks/Nyby 1951 ***1/2
226 Three Colours Blue Kieslowski 1991 ***1/2
226 Time of Gypsies Kusterica 1988
226 Tingler, The Castle 1959
226 Shoot the Piano Player Truffaut 1960 (need another viewing) ***1/2
226 To Be or Not ot Be Lubitsch 1942 ****
226 To Sleep with Anger Burnett 1990
226 Topsy-Turvy Leigh 1999 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
226 Touch of Zen, A Hu 1969 - owned on VHS but as yet unwatched
226 Underground Kusterica 1995
226 Vampires, Les Feuillade 1915 (need another viewing) ****
226 Vampyr Dreyer 1932 ***1/2
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 (need another viewing) ****
226 Woman under the Influence, A Cassavetes 1974 **1/2
226 Xala Sembene 1975

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I knew I would have to explain this at some point .

You are correct, no MacBeth here. I had a vague idea of the story and that's it. This applies to much of Shakespeare's work actually. Now before you call me a philistine, know that this apparent glaring cultural hole is a result of having spent my formative years in a wholly different linguistic and cultural hemisphere where the likes of Corneille, Racine and Moliere enjoys much of the same status Shakespeare does here.

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Mario, is there anything on this list you didn't like?

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Heh, no problem, H. The reason I know MacBeth is simply that I had to read it in high school. That came in handy the first time I saw ToB, which was at a free screening at the local cinematech when I was in grad school. They actually swapped two of the reels by mistake, which would have made the whole thing incomprehensible if I hadn't already known the story!

The ghostly appearance of Miki's spirit at the dinner is directly equivalent to what happens with the corresponding character in MacBeth (his name is Banquo). And the spirit in the woods in ToB is parallel to a group of three witches in MacBeth, who were condensed into one character by Kurosawa, with the added twist of the spirit transforming itself into multiple personalities when Mifune's character sees it for the last time.

As with many Shakespeare plays, MacBeth is full of lines that you might recognize from their being referenced in many other sources. The witches have at least a few famous ones. One of the things they chant when they're casting a spell is:

"Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

And when MacBeth approaches to speak to the witches at one point, one of them says:

"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes."

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

which version of Fanny and Alexander did you watch?

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Definitely, such as:

Criterion DVD, 3h version. IIRC there is a 5 hour version out there? is it better? Should I care? .

I think you gave this one the highest marks? Wanna splain?

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I've not seen the five hour version, so I doubt it's essential.

I loved the family especially the first half. I loved the rhythms of the storytelling, the incredible photography. and the religious aspects of the story made the film more powerful as well.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Where have I heard this before?
Heh Heh Heh - I often ask Mario the same thing.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Quote (originally posted by Joe Karlosi):

"Where have I heard this before?
Heh Heh Heh - I often ask Mario the same thing."

I knew you'd get a kick out of Holadem's amazement, Joe! But, since we've been discussing that topic to death lately, you should know a thing or two about how I generally feel about the "Sight & Sound" list...

Anyway, for what it's worth, a disquieting percentage - out of those 70 films left for me to watch from the list - seem to hold very little appeal for me...which is probably why I haven't sought them out before in the first place!

Then again, Abel Gance's NAPOLEON (1927) is probably the one film I'd like to watch most but, so far, I can see no possibility of doing so other than springing for that Australian DVD of the "Coppola" version!!

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

#97 - Bob Le Flambeur (1955) -

Bob Le Flambeur has the classic elements of Film Noir, a genre which is not my favorite by a long shot. World-weary fellows thriving (nor not) in a seedy underworld, dark settings, even a femme fatale of sorts. But it's decidedly french in aesthetics as well, with the languid pace and absence of strong narrative thread which characterizes the first 40 minutes or so. When the story gets going, it initially covers familiar grounds but ends up managing to surprise while remaining faithful to the protagonist. Bob Le Flambeur owes it's place on this list more to it's blend of Noir tradition and french style than anything else IMO; it remains a solid, satisfying work.

[EDIT] Liked it a bit more than I gave it credit for, edited the rating.


#98 - Un Chien Andalou (1929) -

Proof that a movie can be very watchable without making any goddamn sense, as long as the scenes which comprise it are interesting enough by themselves, and lead into one another in creative ways . A surprisingly good (and wisely short) ride.

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I wanna post my rankings when I reach 100, but looking back at the list, I may have cheated a bit by counting King Kong, The Great Dictator and The Gold Rush, all of which I saw almost 20 years ago. I remember watching the last two several times (like only kids can do) and enjoying them a great deal but really, what kid wouldn't love Chaplin.

The problem is that this sort of movie holds NO appeal whatsoever to me today (especially without my siblings ).

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

That is a problem, but not with the films.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I do remember the gist of The Great Dictator more than I thought.

Starts with a battle scene or a plane crash,
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
...and a big mushy humanist speech at the end. Yeah, that's the one

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Here is another list this one from Film Comment Magazine written by writer/director Paul Schrader.

I haven't seen several films on the list so I found it helpful, so I'm posting it for all.

The article was an interesting read, at least to some degree. He talks about auditing courses at Columbia before selecting these films along with a very long winded approach to how he selected films. Fairly, he does discuss his biases which include (most) films from the last 30 years which he believes have not been around long enough to have an informed opinion on vis-a-vis where they fall in a century of film. He also meant the list to be a pretty serious list of films if only to somewhat balance from the flavor of the day polls that come out that are biased to the 'here and now' and to more 'popular' films. I don't really have a problem with that. At least he is self-aware of his selections.

The only eye-opening decision was allowing only one film per director. Sorry Paul, but directors are not all equal and some flat out deserve more films on a 'top film' list then others. There is no way around it.

Here is the full list:

1Rules of the Game1939
2Toyko Story1953
3City Lights1931
4Pickpocket1959
5Metropolis1927
6Citizen Kane1941
7Orphée1950
8Masculin-Feminin1966
9Persona1966
10Vertigo1958
11Sunrise1927
12The Searchers1958
13The Lady Eve1941
14The Conformist1970
158 1/21963
16The Godfather1972
17In the Mood for Love2000
18The Third Man1949
19Performance1970
20La Notte1961
21Mother and Son1997
22The Leopard1963
23The Dead1987
242001: A Space Odyssey1968
25Last Year at Marienbad1961
26The Passion of Joan of Arc1928
27Jules and Jim1962
28The Wild Bunch1969
29All That Jazz1979
30The Live of Oharu1952
31High and Low1963
32Sweet Smell of Success1957
33That Obscure Object of Desire1977
34An American in Paris1951
35The Battle of Algiers1966
36Taxi Driver1976
37Ali: Fear Eats the Soul1974
38Blue Velvet1986
39Crimes and Misdemeanors1989
40The Big Lebowski1998
41The Red Shoes1948
42Singin' in the Rain1952
43Chinatown1974
44The Crowd1928
45Sunset Boulevard1950
46Talk To Her2002
47Shanghai Express1932
48Letter from an Unknown Woman1948
49Once Upon a Time in the West1968
50Salvatore Guiliano1962
51Nostalghia1983
52Seven Men From Now1956
53Claire's Knee1970
54Earth1930
55Gun Crazy1949
56Out of the Past1947
57Children of Paradise1945
58The Naked Spur1953
59A Place in the Sun1950
60The General1927


I'm not going on a long rant picking apart individual selections too much, but here are two films on the positive and negative side.

Not too many lists have Orphée in the top 10 or 20. Great and underappreciated film. Also enjoyed seeing Sweet Smell of Success on the list - I don't think it makes that many.

On the eye-opening side ...

In the Mood for Love in at #17. Now I really like that film ... but even I don't think it is a top 20 selection from the last 30 years, let alone the last 100.

Very few musicals, comedies, and no animated films and then you select The Big Lebowski and put in at number 40? Please. Let me see The Big Lebowski or The Wizard of Oz ... The Big Lebowski or The Wizard of Oz ... The Big Lebowski or The Wizard of Oz ... The Big Lebowski or The Wizard of Oz ... The Big Lebowski or The Wizard of Oz

Must have been a gutwrenching call.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

If you like the 3 hour version, the 5 hour one is even better. If you don't like the 3 hour version, the 5 hour one probably won't change your mind.

Conversely, the edited version of Scenes from a Marriage is superior to the full-length version, IMHO.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

yeah I'd pick Big Lebowski too, a film with one of the few perfect scripts ever written and endlessly rewatchable, extremely funny and entertaining and overall I enjoy it more than Wizard of Oz (another very enjoyable film, but I"m not crazy about it). Funny how he somehow forgot to include a Spielberg.... oh wait, Shraeder's never liked Spielberg.

it's good that you like that he included Orphee so high, I for one think it just shows his list isn't all that relevant to me as I found it one of the least appealing films from this list I've seen. Choosing Orphee over Beauty and the Beast boggles the mind. and useless films like Letter from an Unknown Woman when you're leaving off David Lean are just choices I can't comprehend. but that's why these lists are always controversial. i don't have any beef with it, no outrage here, just civil disagreement.

still it's an interesting challenge. 60 titles, 60 different directors, best/most important films ever made, I kind of like the limitation on one film per director it prevents fetishizing a list with the bias of whoever is choosing.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I never made it to the end of the first, and will never sit through the second one again if I can help it. At least Oz looks like a million bucks... The appeal of Lebowski completely eludes me.

Agreed!

--
H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I was underwhelmed by the Big Lebowski, and truth be told am pretty underwhelmed by this list. I've seen most on the list, and what I haven't is already on my to rent list, with only two exceptions - Nostalghia and Seven Men from Now.

But while the list has a few of the usual suspects on the good side (e.g., Vertigo, Citizen Kane, Chinatown, etc.), it still has way too many films that don't belong on a list of top films in my opinion. Geez, the inclusion of Performance single handedly ruins any such list for me.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

#(not on the list - error) - Le Samourai (1967) -

Le Samourai is probably what many think of as the archetypal french film. Long takes of extremely ordinary scenes (it seems half of the movie is spent following the title character walking around), a direction completely devoid of any obvious flourishes, next to no action, even though this probably qualifies a thriller of sorts. Dialogue is very sparse: There is a good 10 minutes before a single word is pronounced, and the first real sentence comes 20 minutes into the movie. The intent behind the craft is evident, heck the theme of the loneliness of the Samurai is spelled out by a quote at the begining of the movie but frankly, it's just too slow for my taste. There are a few highlights such as the chase through the streets and subway of Paris (the similar sequence in The French Connection has to have been inspired by this), but they are not enough leave an overall positive impression. A bit of a dissapointment given that Bob Le Flambeur prompted me to rent this.

Alain Delon never did it for me. I've seen a number of his movies on TV in the 80s, including this one, but remember nothing of them. There was one popular saying though, one that at least this movie has reinforced:
(Gives away the ending!)
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I just realised this morning that Le Samourai isn't on this list . Can't say I am surprised. But then again, I am, if you know what I mean.

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

A Canterbury Tale - I don't get very excited for Powell & Pressburger, yet I liked this one despite myself. Very bucolic and infectiously optimistic, patriotic and stirring without being too hokey. The movie touches a lot of bases, but does so with a gentle breeziness that carries you along from one theme to another. Almost immediately I was attached to the characters and was pleased to share their journey. Not exactly "my" kind of film, but refreshing and satisfying nonetheless. 8/10

Play Time - A real masterpiece from Tati. A wonderfully comic, and at times gently melancholy, look at people constantly struggling against their modern, homogenized environments. Wide shots and long takes give you time to process how much is happening in any scene, while still leaving plenty to discover during subsequent viewings. The frame is loaded with sight gags, mellow slapstick, and social commentary. I must confess that as a fan of Hulot, I was a bit disappointed to see him in a smaller part, but I appreciate Tati's motivations in diminishing the role. The only problem with this is that few of the other characters are as intrinsically appealing as Hulot, and their comedy derives mainly from their interactions with antagonistic architecture and contraptions without contributing their own amusing mannerisms. 9/10


I think that brings me up to 232 seen.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I'm suffering a major case of deja vu.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

I don't get it .

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Check out post 2370 in this thread from a couple of years ago, and if you still don't get it, send me a pm.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Well, something marvelous just happened for me... after so many years of not being able to receive TCM as part of my regular cable package, I now finally have it! What this means for me is that I WON'T be going back to subscribing to Netflix after all, which means I also likely won't be seeing as many films from this Sight & Sound list as I intended a few posts back. So now I'm not sure how many of these films here I'll manage to see or how much I'll participate. Looks like there'll be more Turner viewings from me. But any time I do come across any films from this S&S list I'd like to add my reviews.

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Chicken.

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H

Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club

Why the air of secrecy? I'm Martin Teller, I came back, hello.