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100 Films for Newbies

By: Zachary George Najaria​n-Najaf​i

My goal with this list is to also make a list of films that could be an adequate starting point for anyone who wants to get into cinema. However this isn’t meant to be just another generic canon. Some of the usual suspects are here (an essential films list without Citizen Kane? BLASPHEMY!), but many have been pushed away in favor of other films. Casablanca doesn’t show up on here, yet Paradjanov’s Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors does. The essential auteurs are on here, but in choice of films I’ve taken a different route. Instead of the usual Seven Samurai and Rashomon for Kurosawa, I’ve chosen Yojimbo and Ran. For Kubrick 2001: A Space Odyssey is here, and yet I’ve chosen Paths of Glory and Barry Lyndon over some of his other films. There’s also a few films from the past decade as well, to shake things up. This list is meant to be just what it is, a starting point that will lead to other, exciting directions.

I’m counting The Three Colors Trilogy as one film, as well as the two parts of Ivan the Terrible.

 

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Maximilian Bercovicz

19Jun12

For someone who's just getting into cinema, a couple of these might be too "out there". But don't get me wrong - a very nice list

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Jake La Motta

24Aug10

well,good list,but I disagree with the Bergman choices.Not that I don't like these films(Persona is indeed my favorite),but I don't think they are appropriate for newbies,because they are quite difficult and complex films.I think that earlier Bergman,such as The Seventh Seal or The Virgin Spring,would be better choices for newbies.

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Kenji

24Aug10

2 by Mizoguchi is fine by me

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