Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club - Page 15

Hey all. I've been looking for something like this for months. Out of the list, I've seen 24 films (All of them in the last 2 years), but plan on watching as many as I can now!

Films seen (Bold indicates I own it)
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
Casablanca (Getting SE on 8/6!)
Citizen Kane
Dr. Strangelove
E.T., The Extra Terrestrial
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
Great Expectations
It's a Wonderful Life
Jaws
The Maltese Falcon
North by Northwest
Psycho
Pulp Fiction
Rear Window
Schindler's List
Some Like It Hot
Spirited Away
Star Wars (VHS)
The Third Man
To Kill a Mockingbird
Vertigo

Welcome Clint, hope you enjoy yourself

Caught Annie Hall

I was actually surprised, I really liked this film. A Lot. In fact I downright loved it. A fantastic comedy. Its like a Capra movie that plays to the intellectual elite intelligence level and doesn't end happily. (oddly enough I write that and its not an insult but a sort of backhanded begrudging compliment). It manages to be pretentious without being offputting. And its hostile and bitter but yet affecting and sweet. Truly an astonishing movie, if only for the fact that its such a baffling ball of contradictions that it is amazing it actually works. not only that it works marvelously, brilliantly even.

To bring in a fishing metaphor, I started to take the bait with the Fellini guy, and got hooked on the Henry James Turn of the Screw joke. Allen does a marvelous job of capturing that which is most annoying about people that think they know alot but are nothing but bluff and bluster that they use to impress other people.

The subtitles, oh the subtitles, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

a movie I'll definitely be watching again.

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I don't think that it's on the list (I have to install Office again on this computer before I can get MY spreadsheet with the titles to work), but I watched Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live here anymore. THis film was simply marvelous, a joy to watch. Scorsese manages to take a female melodrama (a genre I generally loath) and make it visually interesting, with compelling characters that all rise above the stereotypes they began as. By the films end I truly cared for the characters, and not only that, I respected them. ANd most important of all, I got the very distinct impression that the filmmakers had a great deal of respect for these people as well, and I find it to be very rare that people like these characters (all of whom I've known in some form or another and are all marvelous wonderful people, except for the real scum like the first couple men) are treated with real compassion instead of simply played for jokes or stereotypes or treated with scorn and contempt. Very refreshing, and I think I would give it 3.5 stars if only so that it has room to grow on me, because I think it will.

Adam

John, don't worry about it, I actually like going through the list on the front page.

Adam, you just convinced me to watch "Alice." Being a big fan of Scorsese's post Taxi Driver work, I really need to catch up on everything before that.

The more I think about That Obscure Object of Desire, the more I like it. I don't know if Luis Bunuel is among my favorites yet--Kurosawa, Ozu, Murnau, Spielberg, Scorsese are--but his voice is so unique that I have to acknowledge him as a master. Half a year ago I had not seen any of his pictures, but Los Olvidados, Un Chien Andalou, Belle De Jour, Discreet Charm, and Obscure Object have left a strong impression. The next Bunuel coming up is Diary of a Chambermaid.

Hello everyone!

I just joined this forum and I'm hoping to join in on this little club. I really like the idea of watching the movies off this big list and discussing them. Thing is, I'm a big newbie with serious films like these (I mainly go for the more contemporary and mainstream stuff). So maybe this can broaden my horizens a bit. I've seen a grand total of six off the list:

Citizen Kane
Ran
E.T.
Spirited Away
Star Wars
My Neighbor Totoro

So I've got a LOT of stuff to experience. I think first of all I'll go back over the ones I've seen with a more critcal eye. I've read an Intro to Film study book and taken a jr. college class, so I know a bit about about the actual filmmaking stuff...

After that I think I'll stick with the big name American films on the list first; seems less daunting for a beginner than just grabbing one of the many foreign films from the list, plus there's several very famous ones I've never even seen (Godfather, Blade Runner, Lawrence of Arabia, Pulp Fiction).

So, hope to have some fun discussion here, I'll be back in a few days if I get accepted and with some updated thoughts on four of those I've already seen (don't own E.T or Ran).

Welcome clint and matthew. don't worry about having to catch up, just keep watching great films.
but, you better get on the ball to see Godfather and Pulp Fiction . "do you all know what movie that scene was from? because, if you haven't, i think you are going to be lost in this class." thats what my film professor said after showing the opening scene from The Godfather. those two films are part of our culture unlike most films on the list.

Heh, I think there's masses on that list that's part of your culture.

Anyway I'd like to add my welcome to Matthew and Clint, there's plenty in this list which is eminently watchable & entertaining. After all that's the primary function of film and even if you find you are not the sort to get all gooey over a particularly nice bit of framing (Ordet has that effect on me) there's still plenty to watch that I'm sure you'll enjoy. The godfathers are an excellent place to start.


I watched Les Vacances de Mr Hulot this weekend having managed to snag a French copy on ebay.

I've always loved the gentle, endearing subtlety of this film there's an innocence that you simply don't see often in films made these days. Despite the lack of any real narrative or spoken words and despite lacking the outrageous pratfalls or gags of a Marx brothers or Laurel & Hardy skit I find this film endlessly charming and viewable upon renewed acquaintance. It's a lot like My Neighbour Totoro in that respect.

I haven't seen anyone else discussing Jacques Tati's work elsewhere in this list (although I'm sure I've just forgotten) and I'd be very interested to hear what some of the other more academic film lovers who read this thread think of the film.

i knew i was going to get that. i know that there are plenty that are a part of our culture. but i am talking about movies that almost everyone knows about, movies that get reffered to all the time. not many on the list get notice like Godfather, and for my generation, Pulp Fiction. he said that he mostly saw mainstream movies, these are mainstream movies.

Just caught The Third Man last night. Great movie. I enjoyed the fact that Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) Reed certainly had a knack of building up suspense. The cinematography during the Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) must have been a template for later directors such as Frankenheimer.

Speaking of Welles, next to watch on that list for me is Touch of Evil. Looking forward to it!

No offense meant John, I was just a little suprised.
I can see your point though.

I'm all agog to hear if anyone in your class hadn't seen Godfather.

Well, after plenty of reading, I think it's time I joined this thread. I guess I'm actually already a semi-member since I was one of the first to sign up for the original version of the thread (started by JungWoo) that dealt with the 1992 list.

My current tally is: 172.

Most Recent Viewings

A Woman Under The Influence, Viewed on DVD

Shattering, realistic depiction of mental breakdown and the dissolution of familial harmony. The performances are wrenching and Cassavetes' highly volatile style compliments the emotions well. One I won't soon forget. A

Nanook of the North, Viewed on DVD

Obviously less a "documentary" and more a recreation or a docu-drama, this is still no less compelling than the majority of similar films that've come out in the eighty years since its release. It's funny (Nanook wrestling with the seal through the ice reminded me of Chaplin or Keaton), thrilling, informative, and unique. The ending is particularly fantastic and eerie (is this the first instance of a film ending with the ritualistic bedtime preparations?) and bears a distinct melancholy with the foreknowledge of Nanook's imminent demise. A

.

i was surprised to not see the manchurian candidate on the list too

.

Trouble in Paradise, is a pre-code, sophisticated comedy, that could not have been made for many years after the code was instituted. The take on love, sex and money is very European and not at all in the mainstream of Hollywood films of the time.

Early on for example we get this line, ‘You know, when I fist saw you, I thought you were and American.’

Lubitsch never puts a foot wrong and has made an almost perfect film.

Welcome Clint and Mathew. We look forward to your observations. I’d add not to worry about catching up, as you can join in (or initiate) discussions on what you have seen. And perhaps be tempted to see some films that you have never even heard of based on what you read in this thread (as well as other places in the forum).

This is an excellent place to get divergent views.

I often use this film as an example of how underlying truths can be presented in documentaries, even though much of what is on film is staged, recreated or just not (on the surface) true.

I’ve seen this a good number of times over many years, and it was not until I bought the Criterion DVD that I learned that Nanook’s family was not his family, but Inuits who were recruited by Flaherty (and paid by him as well—sort of making them actors).

Knowing this, does not change my very positive view of this film at all—it just explains a bit as to how the film was made.


I don’t think that we have had a discussion of Tati in this thread either, Matt. I don’t know if I feel up to an academic discussion , and I can only agree with your ‘endlessly charming’ description. This is for me one of the grand things about Tati—somehow he takes physical comedy to a sublime level—one where we become a part of M. Hulot’s world and feel that we have become a part of it and can see it as he sees it, not perhaps as it is.

For me, this is not the best of the Hulot films (that would be Playtime), but it is the one with which I feel the most connection.

Welcome newbies. You are in a better position than most of us because you still have ahead of you a lot more great first time viewing experiences.

Rather than looking at how low your seen count is, just relish how high your "great movies ahead of me" count is.

Oh to see Godfather or LoA for the first time again.

King Kong – Re-watching a film that its been years since I’ve seen. Still a great story which is why I enjoy it, even with the wonderfully dated special effects. This time around I really noticed the film score. It is really great. Possibly one of the first great film scores. The accompanying doc on the tape said that the studio didn’t want to pay for a score and Cooper paid Max Steiner himself to do the score. Very good move since it adds so much to the film.


Burnt by the Sun – A nice, enjoyable film. This is the first anti-Stalin film to come out of Russia in the 90s and for that it won the Academy Award and is probably why it is on this is. A rather lengthy film for what is contained it in. The first 100 minutes involve a family spending a day at a summer home in 1936 plays like something from Bergman or Fellini but without the depth that they would give it. This setup goes on far too long but is never boring mainly due to the very fine acting by everyone involved. The last 45 minutes shows the reach that Stalin had to ruin families has quite an impact.

Mr. Hulot's Holiday is actually my favorite Tati, and I think Roger Ebert does a very good job of describing the 'feeling' that the film gives you in his great films essay on it. http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/greatm...t_holiday.html I believe the version in his book is an extended one, but this is what he has online.

hey Matthew,
there are a lot of great American films on this list to kick start you, Pulp Fiction, Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia are all good places to start, and I figure it'll be obvious you want to pick up some of the top ten or twenty films that are also american (like 2001, The Searchers, Vertigo, Dr. Strangelove etc), but I'll list some of my favorite american films from lower on the list that you might skip over or not get to for a while that I think you'd like.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence - right now this is my favorite western (and it has Jimmy Stewart John Wayne Andy Devine and Lee Marvin, if you don't know that last name you will), although the SEarchers (also directed by Ford) is rapidly climbing my list since I saw it because of this challenge. This is just an all around great film, as a friend who I got to watch this for the first time said, "That movie has so many great moments it's nearly ridiculous; it's absolutely perfect." It's available on a very nice DVD from paramount.

City Lights This film ranks higher than Liberty Valance for me personally, it's possibly the most perfect romance I've ever seen, as well as one of the funniest films ever. Chaplin was truly a genius.

Great Expectations - Beautifully shot and brilliantly edited, not to mention some monumental performances. David Lean (director) is a personal idol and this is one of my favorites of his films, stunningly wonderful, most people are surprised how truly excellent it is.

It's a Wonderful life - Not at all what you think, not at all. You may have seen excerpts and bits and pieces of it, but you owe it to yourself to sit down and watch this masterpiece, truly a stunning, wonderful bit of work that is for the most part far darker than people give it credit for.

Jaws - Just an absolutely perfect movie. Incredible is one of the few words that will describe it. It's hard to convey the greatness of every scene with Quint and Richard Dreyfuss, the two people that really make the film, or quiet moments like the kid and the dad at the table. You must see this!

North by Northwest - My personal favorite Hitchcock. Cary Grant is fantastic, the whole film is absolute magic, marvelous wonderful and thrilling, great movie.

Paths of Glory - Sure practically every Kubrick film is on the list, but why not start with his best film outside of Dr. Strangelove. This is possibly the greatest anti-war film ever made, and it's not overtly anti-war. Beautiful, elegant perfect film I love to death.

The Apartment - My number three film of all time. This film is perfect (said that alot now). Seriously though, it's a romantic/corporate satire that is ridiculously brilliant with some of the best performances of all time from the amazing Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine. Just stunning.

Thanks for the link George. A very fine review. Just thinking about this film makes me smile and feel a bit warm inside.

To quibble just a bit Adam, Great Expectations is about as British film as is possible.

I’d still include it on your excellent list of suggestions.

shhhh Lew, it's in English. where it was made isn't quite as important as language for some people .

And here I thought I was going to slip it through.

Warm, wonderful, fun - all could describe Mr. Hulot's Holiday. A film I also enjoy very much, though I would say Mon Oncle is my favorite.

Tati's films would become more pessimistic and anti-modenist as he got older and reacted to the changes he saw in French society.

Another thing to look for in a more academic sense, is Tati's masterful use of sound in creating his gags. He was probably influenced by Rene Clair (see Le Million or A Nous La Liberte) in this regard.

Might finally see another one today or tomorrow. Atajarnut/Fast Runner is supposed to come today or tomorrow. I'm wondering how it instantly got on the S&S list?

Also my wife and kids are out of town until Sunday or Monday so I'm kicking off "Brook's Movie Extravaganza". If I don't take up too much time going to the theater or watching my new arrivals (Fassbinder/Coen Bros.), I should finally have time for some of those 2-disc Criterions that have sat on my shelf for months.

As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again

And if all of Gone with the Wind were as fine as the film to that point we would all be better served. It is pretty hard to criticize such a universally praised film, but I find much of the second half of the film to suffer from bad writing. For example, the death of Bonnie is as cheap an appeal to the audience’s emotions as anything found in a second-rate melodrama. It is further diminished, by the editing, where we are actually shown a flashback of Scarlet’s father’s death, caused by impetuously jumping over a barrier, right before we see Bonnie so the same thing. Did the editor think that the audience had no memory at all?

Even with the deficiencies of the second half of the film, this is still a must-see, if only for its stunning technical achievements. Plus, Scarlet is clearly a fine, early example of an iron-willed woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Of course this means that she must be punished (per the morés of the day). Even so, for me the ending indicates ultimate triumph.

Tomorrow is another day

I just did a copy & paste from my 30s post, as I felt that if I picked a second example of bad writing, I’d be accused of piling on and penalized 15 yards.

It's wonderful to see so many Tati fans out there, especially since I've always felt he is almost uniquely out of touch with most modern sensibilities.

I hadn't seen the film for ages and it was a joy to return to solely as a result of this list.

Up this weekend L'Age d'or. My very first Bunuel film, I'm not really sure what to expect.

George, Brook and I, Tati fans all, appear to have different favorites. Here are two rankings of his films: the first one is based on how good I find the film to be and the second is a ranking of how much the film touched me in a positive sense (I exclude Traffic from the list, as I’ve not seen that film).

1.Playtime
2.Mon Oncle
3.Mr. Hulot’s Holiday
4.Jour de fête

1.Mr. Hulot’s Holiday
2.Mon Oncle
3.Playtime
4.Jour de fête

I’d not really thought about it this way until reading Brook’s comments, as well as George’s.

What are your thoughts?

Hmmm, I've always admired Playtime although I've to confess I only ever saw it once. The achievement of manufacturing a mini city for the production is impressive and from what I can remember technically Jaques Tati was rightly proud of his achievement.

My personal favorite remains 'Mon Oncle'. Partly because it was the first Tati film I was ever shown (courtesy of my father) and partly because I find it as relevant as ever today. In my not so distant youth I recall empathizing with Hulot's nephew whilst nowadays thinking of the obsessive mother with her fish fountain I am uncomfortably reminded of myself and my large screen Home theater!

Unfortunately I've not had a chance to see either 'Mon Oncle' or 'Playtime' in several years. It's rare to see them on the Television in the UK and the Criterions are quite ludicrously priced wherever I've seen them.

Seeing sets of Playtime, Mr Hulot's Holiday and Mon Oncle part hands for $300+ on ebay makes me think it's time for a reissue.

Edit - Just realised I totally failed to answer the question. D'oh!

I stand by Mon Oncle as the film that puts the broadest smile on my face. Now if I could only find it on DVD for less than my house is worth I could really smile at it.

Chinatown (out of four)

Wow. what do you know? another stunning movie off of this list! amazing! who'd thunk it?

Chinatown is a wholely satisfying film experience, its convoluted and twisting and unexpected at every turn. just as you think you get a grasp on something, everything changes and you find out how little you really know. It also has a perfect ending. Great performances (amazing considering I just read in Easy Riders Raging Bulls how little Polanski directs actors and the amount of problems with Faye Dunaway on the film), and a truly stunning script, possibly one of the best scripts ever. This is just a flat out enjoyable film, marvelous work, I think LA Confidential (a personal favorite of mine for some time) owes a lot to this film, they're not much alike, but some similarities puts in smack in the same genre together, certainly not the sort of films you'd want to watch in a double feature.

My Tati rankings:

Mr. Hulot's Holiday
Mon Oncle
Playtime
L'ecole des facteurs
Soigne ton gauche
Cours du Soir

I have not yet seen Jour de fête

My first report! Since I've only seen 6 films off the list, I've decided to start from scratch. I don't own ET or Ran, so I'm going to get to those sometime in the future, but I did go through the other four.

Star Wars (A): I won't talk too much about this, since it's been discussed and debated to death. Wonderfully done atmosphere, fun characters, an incredible music score, "epic" plot that both stands alone well (in case it flopped at the box office I assume...) and still leaves it wide open for the sequels and does a great job of giving the feeling that this universe spans far wider than the glimpse we are given. C3PO is a far better comic relief character than Jar-Jar, IMHO. Despite popular opinion, I feel Empire Strikes Back is the weakest of the triliogy (B+) and Return of the Jedi the ultimate cumlination (A+), building on everything the first two films introduced. But I can definetely understand Empire being the most popular, with scenes like:

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

and

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

and despite my (slightly) prefering Return of the Jedi, I agree with the first movie being placed on the list, taking into consideration that it started the phenomenon of Star Wars and it's gigantic influence on science fiction films up to this day.

Spirited Away (aka Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) (A+): Being a big fan of japanese animation, I was delighted to see this and My Neighbor Totoro on this list (LOVED seeing Akira left off...). Hayao Miyazaki is sometimes called the Walt Disney of Japan, but I think Miyazaki's best surpasses Disney's (blasphemy, I know). This film is definetely one of Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli's masterpieces, though that can be said about almost all of their works. Breath-taking animation, enchanting characters, great musical score and a throughly involving, Alice in Wonderland-ish story that manages to have a ton of unique qualities so that it doesn't feel like a clone in the slightest. Despite my love of this film, I personally would have put one or both of Miyazaki's environmental epics Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) or Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) on the list. Their grand and epic scope, environmental commentary and neutral morality seem a better fit among the films on this list.

My Neighbor Totoro (aka Tonari no Totoro) (A+): One of Miyazaki's earlier films, I don't have a single complaint about this one being on the list. This is probably the single best children's movie ever created. I love that there's no tight narrative, instead it's a bunch of small adventures the kids have. And despite being a great film for even the youngest kids, it's an excellent and enthralling film for adults as well. Make sure to avoid the US R1 DVD though, it's pan-and-scan, dub only trash (the dub is quite good though).

On a final note about animation, I was kinda sad to not find a single Disney film on the list. I think Snow White deserves a place just for what it did for feature length animation, along with it's a very well done story.

Citizen Kane (A+): Even less needs to be said about this than Star Wars. It's on the top of (seemingly) 9 out of 10 "Best Films Ever" lists, and I don't disagree. While it's not my favorite film, or the one I get the most enjoyment out of, I can't deny how great an achievement it is. Story, Character, Music, Cinematography, Editting are all pretty much perfect. Every Intro to Film class should show this film (mine did!).

Ok, thats it for film's I'd already seen (for now). From now on it'll be fresh experiences! I'm gonna go sign up for Netflix I think, I don't really have the endless income to buy every movie off the list without knowing whether or not I'll enjoy them or ever want to see them again...

S&S List movies seen: 4

Adam_S: Thanks for the recommendations! I'll definetely be bumping those up on my "see first" list.