The Prestigious Sight & Sound Poll (2022) The 100 Greatest Films Of All Time (4 Viewers)

[Thomas T]

A New Hope is a glaring omission, in my opinion. Another one is A Clockwork Orange (I would substitute it for The Shining).

My dislike for A Clockwork Orange knows no bounds and I'm not a fan of The Shining (the best thing about it is Shelley Duvall).

I would substitute both movies with Paths of Glory.

That one leaves me cold, too.

I think the S&S list got it right with 200l and Barry Lyndon, two of his very best. I wouldn't object to Lolita being on the list either.

 

[Robert Crawford]

My dislike for A Clockwork Orange knows no bounds and I'm not a fan of The Shining (the best thing about it is Shelley Duvall).

That one leaves me cold, too.

I think the S&S list got it right with 200l and Barry Lyndon, two of his very best. I wouldn't object to Lolita being on the list either.

Paths of Glory doesn’t leave me cold because it’s a reminder that war is stupidly.

 

[Jeffrey D]

My dislike for A Clockwork Orange knows no bounds and I'm not a fan of The Shining (the best thing about it is Shelley Duvall).

That one leaves me cold, too.

I think the S&S list got it right with 200l and Barry Lyndon, two of his very best. I wouldn't object to Lolita being on the list either.

I have 2001 on DVD- haven’t gotten to it yet (never saw it). Haven’t seen Barry Lyndon either. The Shining- love the performances, and the atmosphere of it, but the film just seems too long.

A Clockwork Orange- it’s a film I probably shouldn’t like (not much to like about a gang of young hooligans who unleash themselves upon society), but McDowell’s performance, and how the music is integrated with the film are the strong suits.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I have 2001 on DVD- haven’t gotten to it yet (never saw it). Haven’t seen Barry Lyndon either. The Shining- love the performances, and the atmosphere of it, but the film just seems too long.

Hell, Barry Lyndon leaves me cold, so much so I haven’t watched it in over 20 years. By the way, if you think The Shining is too long, I hate to see what you think of Barry Lyndon.

 

[Thomas T]

Paths of Glory doesn’t leave me cold because it’s a reminder that war is stupidly.

For me, other films have done it better: The Deer Hunter, The Thin Red Line, The Victors, None But The Brave to name just a handful.

 

[Robert Crawford]

For me, other films have done it better: The Deer Hunter, The Thin Red Line, The Victors, None But The Brave to name just a handful.

None of those movies are in "Paths of Glory" class so I think we can agree to disagree on that point.

 

[Thomas T]

By the way, if you think The Shining is too long, I hate to see what you think of Barry Lyndon.

At least, Barry Lyndon had an intermission (replicated on the DVD/blu ray) to give you a break.

 

[Thomas T]

None of those movies are in "Paths of Glory" class so I think we can agree to disagree on that point.

Disagree on your first point, agree on your second point.

 

[Robert Crawford]

At least, Barry Lyndon had an intermission (replicated on the DVD/blu ray) to give you a break.

It's about the only break I got with that film. Like I said, I haven't watched it since the DVD came out. I never bother to upgrade to Blu-ray. Now, if it came out on 4K disc, I might try to watch it again which would be my third view.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Disagree on your first point, agree on your second point.

That's why film appreciation is a subjective process.

 

[jayembee]

My dislike for A Clockwork Orange knows no bounds and I'm not a fan of The Shining (the best thing about it is Shelley Duvall).

That one leaves me cold, too.

I think the S&S list got it right with 200l and Barry Lyndon, two of his very best. I wouldn't object to Lolita being on the list either.

Now, see, my feelings about Lolita are pretty much the same as yours for A Clockwork Orange. That's what makes horse races.

As I said before, all lists like this are just the product of the opinions of individuals with differing experiences and tastes.

Makes me think of a quote from Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera:

"Without a doubt it was Dr. Urbino's most contagious initiative, for opera fever infected the most surprising elements in the
city and gave rise to a whole generation of Isoldes and Otellos and Aidas and Siegfrieds. But it never reached the extremes
Dr. Urbino had hoped for, which was to see Italianizers and Wagnerians confronting each other with sticks and canes during
the intermissions."

 

[jayembee]

A Clockwork Orange- it’s a film I probably shouldn’t like (not much to like about a gang of young hooligans who unleash themselves upon society), but McDowell’s performance, and how the music is integrated with the film are the strong suits.

That's what's in the movie, but it's not (in my opinion, and probably/possibly not in Kubrick's or Anthony Burgess's) what the movie is about.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

That's what's in the movie, but it's not (in my opinion, and probably/possibly not in Kubrick's or Anthony Burgess's) what the movie is about.

I've always found A Clockwork Orange a brilliant picture. Certainly one of the finest films ever made and I think when it arrived on movie screens there had never been anything like it and really, nothing has ever come close to it. The visuals, the use of language (thank you Mr. Burgess), the story...I think it's a bloody masterpiece in every way.

Oddly, I find it is incredibly relevant to our present day and to go along with that some people today totally misinterpret the picture and some seem to despise it. I think that will keep it off many lists like this one sadly. We are living through a time where "offensive" trumps thoughtful.

 

[Bryan^H]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind deserves to be on the list!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I also think Paths of Glory is a brilliant picture. I certainly don't find it cold. Douglas is incredible in it and certainly there is nothing cold about his performance. I would think it would be on a list like this, I don't think in terms of present-day attitudes there is anything that would keep it off...which is the issue for Clockwork. Kubrick was always examining aspects of the human existence in interesting and thought-provoking ways which made his pictures so fantastic. Any of them could make a list like this but I think some are much more likely to than others at this point in time.

As I understand it the picture that is now at number 1 on this list formally was at 37 on it. So, much closer to middle of the pack than the top. I had heard of it, had read and seen people speak about it. I never watched it because the subject matter did not particularly intrigue me. I love foreign films and have no issue with slow films so, I am sure I will enjoy it. The cutlet scene I posted I find beautiful to look at. However, I have great suspicions about how it made the leap from 37 to 1 and I think the reason has more to do with present day attitudes than the film actually being the greatest film of all time or deserving to make that leap.

Now, I am finally going to watch it, mainly because the people that made this list hiked it all the way up to number one and so now I feel like I should be able to discuss it. I hope I find it great and that I can make the reasonable argument that it belongs at the top of this list. I have my doubts but we shall see.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Some thoughts...

Kubrick has three slots in the list. I would have replaced The Shining with A Clockwork Orange which I think is the superior film and probably ranked it a bit higher in the list of 100 films. For me, ACO is a brilliant film. One of the most interesting aspects of the film is how it subverts the doctrine of Original Sin. The film argues, in the personage of a pastor no less, that without choice or freewill man cannot be good or evil. Another aspect of the film that has stuck with me all these years is how it reached into my mind and irrevocably altered the song Singin' in the Rain. I think that is a pretty powerful effect. I would also argue that the cinematography (at least in terms of memorable imagery) represents Kubrick at the top of his game.

Paths of Glory is a terrific film that I would have been fine with making the list. Cinematography and acting are both splendid in this feature. Thematically it is a very strong film. While I agree that the film argues against the futility of war, I do feel that one earlier WWI film makes a stronger impression (at least on me); namely 1930's All Quiet On The Western Front by Lewis Milestone.

As far as the number one film on the list goes, I'll probably give it a try some day, but honestly it doesn't really just grab me and say 'Watch Me!'

- Walter.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

One of the "all time greatest" lists I often look at is the They Shoot Pictures list and on that list Jeanne Dielman does make the Top 100 at number 85, probably a much more reasonable place for it to exist than at number one. I don't say that to knock the picture, I just think it has never really topped any lists in the past and I can't see how it would suddenly surpass so many other pictures that I believe are fairly universally thought to be magnificent. And believe me, I am not arguing that any specific film or films "must be" in the top 10 or 100 or 25 or whatever. This is all subjective and we all get to have our favorites.

TSPDT - The 1,000 Greatest Films (Films 100-1)

They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? is dedicated to the art of motion picture film-making and most specifically to that one particular individual calling the shots from behind the camera - the film director.

www.theyshootpictures.com

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[Thomas T]

Oddly, I find it is incredibly relevant to our present day and to go along with that some people today totally misinterpret the picture and some seem to despise it. I think that will keep it off many lists like this one sadly. We are living through a time where "offensive" trumps thoughtful.

I didn't find A Clockwork Orange offensive in the least. I just thought it a pretentious bore. No doubt there will be those who think, "Well, he just didn't get it". I got it all right, I just didn't want it. Unlike, say, Lawrence Of Arabia which I also find a bit of a bore, I totally get what others see in it and I can appreciate its artistry even though it's not my jam. I have to confess what others see in A Clockwork Orange totally eludes me.

 

[jayembee]

A friend of mine once said of A Clockwork Orange (and later, of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover as well), "It's one of the best movies I've ever seen in my life, and I hope to God I never see it again!"

I've felt similarly (but without quite so much fervor) about Leaving Las Vegas.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I didn't find A Clockwork Orange offensive in the least. I just thought it a pretentious bore. No doubt there will be those who think, "Well, he just didn't get it". I got it all right, I just didn't want it. Unlike, say, Lawrence Of Arabia which I also find a bit of a bore, I totally get what others see in it and I can appreciate its artistry even though it's not my jam. I have to confess what others see in A Clockwork Orange totally eludes me.

Oh no, sorry Thomas, I did not intend those comments to be about you. I meant I have read a lot of negative criticism of the film, not here but out on the wild world wide web. I think much of Kubrick's work no longer sits well with audiences that did not grow up with it. I mean, I think filmmakers still have great respect and interest in him, audiences, not so much. There are likely a lot of reasons for that, I think, from the simple idea that audiences find Kubrick's long takes and the editing of his pictures "slow and boring" to the idea that they feel uncomfortable with what he portrays and no longer feel the films align with how they feel women or others should be treated or portrayed.

It's not just Kubrick, I have seen The Searchers savaged by younger reviewers who feel the film is "disgusting" and "vile" and that the Wayne character is pure poison. I mean, many of the filmmakers that I love, that formed the way I think about film, are now seen as misogynistic scum whose pictures should no longer be shown for the good of the world. Which honestly, I find more than a little nuts but we don't get to tell other people how to feel about things so...such is life.