Directors The Complete CRiTeRioN CoLLeCTioN Tournament (1 Viewer)

[Brook K]

Ikiru

 

[Lew Crippen]

There are some great films from which to choose. I was only pointing out that the deck was loaded from the start. While I’m not exactly disagreeing with your suggestions for English language films, I do have some comments:

For me (and I think for many), Notorious is great, but still not so good as North by Northwest, Rear Window and Vertigo to name just a few. The point is that while Hitchcock is well represented by a single film (I would not put Rebecca in the first rank, and the two made in England while really good are not works of his maturity), his the numbers are just not there.

The same with Preston Sturges. I know that most on this forum are absolutely convincened that Sullivan’s Travels is his finest work, but for me (choosing from his masterpieces) it is not up to the standards of his other great films—The Palm Beach Story being on top for me. Again out of all of his films, there are only two in the Criterion Collection. I’m not sure about the comedic bias (you may be correct), but I’d note that none of the Tati movies made the finals either (and Playtime is (at least IMO) the equal of any of Sturges’ works).

I’d agree that a P&P movie might have made the cut—especially The Red Shoes, which I consider their best. Surprisingly, Colnel Blimp went the furtherest, and while I love the film, I don’t think that it ranks with some of the others also in the CC.

For me, The Third Man is not as good as any of the finalists.

I’m somewhat curious as to other tournaments, where I’m guessing that there are a very high percentage with only English language films in the final four. In many tournaments, it is hard to even get a foreign film in the tournment.

If this is true, it follows from your logic, that there is a bias against foreign language films.

 

[Jan H]

Ikiru

 

[Justin_S]

I would've been perfectly content with either That Obscure Object of Desire or The Seventh Seal winning this tournament, but oh well.

Final vote:

The Seventh Seal

 

[Nick Sievers]

Ikiru

 

[Ric Bagoly]

abstain

 

[SteveGon]

Ha, you're such a kidder!

Have to disagree with you on The Palm Beach Story which I just watched. It's a good flick, but definitely rates under ST, The Lady Eve and Unfaithfully Yours (which I've also recently screened).

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Ikiru

 

[george kaplan]

While I think the Criterion collection may not include many great English language films, it does include a number, most of which simply do not get the respect they deserve.

But hell, the best foreign language films by Criterion (such as the Tati films) don't get that respect either.

 

[Adam_S]

missed this tournement (I'd vote for Seventh Seal in this last round), but why not settle how the big foreign greats would compare against the american greats by grabbing the list of Criterion's laserdisc releases and doing a tournement from that list? or combine the two and add any films on criterion DVD that were never on criterion laserdisc for a massive overall list of everything released under the criterion banner.

Adam

 

[Jim_K]

Ikiru wins


thanks for playing

 

[Lew Crippen]

Great idea for a tournment Jim. Thanks—and at least for me, one of many deserving films won.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Glad I got in just in time to vote for the winner!

At least I made my single vote in this tournament count.

 

[Brook K]

Woo-hoo...The best film in the Criterion Collection

 

[george kaplan]

Charade won? All right!

 

[Nick Sievers]

I agree with Brook (well of the Criterion's i've seen).

 

[Ric Bagoly]

GREAT TOURNEY!!