make a list of your own…I can’t and I’ve tried.
Some good lists here though….
1. Chungking Express (Chungking Samlam) – Wong Kar-wai, 1994, Hong Kong
2. Lost in Translation – Sophia Coppola, 2003, USA
3. Synecdoche, New York – Charlie Kaufman, 2008, USA
4. The Trial (Le Proces) – Orson Welles, 1962, France/Italy/West Germany
5. Regular Lovers (Les Amants Reguliers) – Philippe Garrel, 2005, France
6. Before Sunset – Richard Linklater, 2004, USA
7. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold – Martin Ritt, 1965, UK
8. The Long Goodbye – Robert Altman, 1973, USA
9. The 400 Blows (Les quatre cent coups) – Francois Truffaut, 1959, France
10. Goodbye, Dragon Inn (Bu san) – Tsai Ming-liang, 2003, Taiwan
That’s what I ended up with. Oh shit. I forgot Wiseman. Knew something like that would happen. Oh well. Still, I DO love these movies! :D
EDIT: And, sorry that I forgot to include the original titles for the final two, RUS. :/
Savvy
Wow, Zach. It’s cool to see Lost in Translation & The Long Goodbye making somebody’s lists. I’m finding Marie Antionette and a couple of Altmans to be real contenders.
I really can’t decide whether to go with Greatest film I’ve seen or personal favorites. This is getting pretty hard.
Ricky, yeah, I love those two so much. This list is SUPER different from my greatest ever list, must admit, but I think all of them on this list are great, no matter. :)
Marie Antoinette is absolutely wonderful, and there are a bunch of great Altmans. Choose wisely! ;)
Savvy
Actually, it’s supposed to be your personal favorites.
Nevermind.
Savvy
Hmm?
My personal favorites don’t stay static from one minute to the next either. It’s still kind of fun to read other people’s lists.
S., I was going to say something, and then I realized that I was mistaken.
Ricky, well, mine doesn’t, either, trust me. I made that list full well knowing that those likely aren’t REALLY my favorite ten films I’ve ever seen, but, you know, I had to put SOMETHING. :P
Savvy
Histoire(s) du cinéma Jean Luc Godard, 1988-1998
Faces- John Cassavetes, 1968
Out 1, noli me tangere- Jacques Rivette, 1971
Chimes At Midnight- Orson Welles, 1965
A Brighter Summer Day- Edward Yang, 1991
Edvard Munch- Peter Watkins, 1974
The Scenic Route- Mark Rappaport, 1978
Lonesome- Pál Fejös, 1928
Untitled (For Marilyn)- Stan Brakhage, 1991
Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters- Paul Schrader, 1985
I’m jealous at the people who have been able to see Out 1.
1) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – Andrew Dominik – 2007
2) 2001: A Space Odyssey – Stanley Kubrick – 1968
3) North by Northwest- Alfred Hitchcock – 1959
4) Apocalypse Now – Fancis Ford Coppola – 1979
5) Seven Samurai – Akira Kurosawa – 1954
6) The 400 Blows – Fancois Truffaut – 1959
7) There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson – 2007
8) Spirited Away – Hayao Miyazaki – 2001
9) Children of Men – Alfonso Cuarón – 2006
10) The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Sergio Leone – 1966
Finishing out the 20:
11) Days of Heaven
12) The Passion of Joan of Arc
13) Citizen Kane
14) Hunger
15) Barry Lyndon
16) Young Frankenstein
17) Amélie
18) Psycho
19) Miller’s Crossing
20) Wall-E
I know my list isn’t as diverse as most of yours, but I haven’t seen nearly the amount of movies as most of you. I will get there one day, but this is it for now. A few months ago my list would have been entirely different, and it will be very different in the future.
I’m beginning to see how voting could get really political. I had initially thought about giving my tenth spot to Seven Samurai, which is on a shortlist of my favorite movies. But I thought I’d throw something that I feel often gets overlooked in The Wild Child. Now I’m almost regretting this decision, because it looks like Seven Samurai might have something of a chance at placing, unlike The Wild Child. Oh well, it looks like 2001 is going to be in one of the top spots…ugh.
1. Charulata (Satyajit Ray)
2. Jules et Jim (Francois Truffaut)
3. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles)
4. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese)
5. Talk to her (Pedro Almodovar)
6. Throne of blood (Akira Kurosawa)
7. Life of Oharu (Kenji Mizoguchi)
8. Days and Nights in the Forest (Satyajit Ray)
9. Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini)
10. Lola Montes (Max Ophuls)
Here is my shortlist off the top of my head. I will try and narrow this down before the deadline and think if theres any thing Ive missed. Not many votes for Fassbinder which I was surprised at.
Tall T
Playtime
Ali Fear Eats the Soul
Riffifi
Ugetsu
Sans Soleil
Rules of the Game
Touch of Evil
The Big Heat
Gun Crazy
The Innocents
Planes. Trains and Automobiles
Touch of Evil
Evil Dead 2
Sunrise
I’m beginning to see how voting could get really political.
But I thought I’d throw something that I feel often gets overlooked in The Wild Child. Now I’m almost regretting this decision, because it looks like Seven Samurai might have something of a chance at placing, unlike The Wild Child.
These are two crystal-clear reasons I won’t be participating. I thought the point of this wasn’t the final countdown but the overall collection of as many films as possible…I actually applaud your decision Nathan for not including Seven Samurai in favor of a masterful but alas, lesser-known Truffaut.
(but as Ricky said, it’s still fun to watch the lists)
I stopped thinking about it, spat ten films out, and they weren’t my favorites anymore when I was done. I’m struck with an odd guilt at their Americanness, but I think we tend to stick to mostly our own languages for comfort food. I feel like I ought to edit out the “important” ones and make more sentimental picks. I don’t think"favorite" and “greatest” always overlap. I hate discussing film in “I” terms, but I guess this is more sentimental than academic.
1. Boogie Nights (P.T. Anderson, USA, 1997)
As a film for entertainment value goes, Boogie Nights is my favorite. I see the seams as I get older, but it’s still genuine and joyful, with color and motion and music, sex and violence, comedy and pathos and melodrama. It’s totally indulgent, and I love it everytime.
2. Medium Cool (Haskell Wexler, USA, 1969)
I’m a sucker for time capsule films, and this is the best. I have mixed feelings about what the 60s left the US, and Medium Cool encapsulates that ( and America since.)
3. Sick: the Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist (Kirby Dick, USA, 1997)
Most of the people I’d lost in my own life went quickly. I saw Sick around the first time someone gradually died, and I think it actually helped by dispellingthe myths of “clean” or “dignified” death. This is more intimate than Thierry Zeno’s Of the Dead, the only thing I’ve seen that confronts actual death so plainly.
4._ La battaglia di Algeri_ The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, Italy, 1966)
The best narrative film about actual issues or events I can think of.
5. Harlan County, USA (Barbara Koppel, USA, 1976)
Regardless of an individual’s opinions of the major unions, it can’t be argued that “the bosses,” for lack of a better word, are always right. the working classes don’t seem to value themselves anymore, and we need to see that we’ve fought this fight before.
5.Sleeping Beauty (Les Clark/Eric Larson/Wolfgang Reitherman, USA, 1959)
The most beautiful film I can think of.
6. the Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, USA, 1955)
Another pretty and haunting fairytale, though it’s been suggested my personal background may affect this.
7._ A.I.:Artificial Intelligence_ (Steven Spielberg, USA, 2001)
A third fairytale and sci-fi epic, and effective as both. transcendent (I know I’m a minority in that.)
8. Nema-ye NazdikClose-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, iran, 1990)
Somehow feels like another fairytale while not being such. I can’t describe it, but it’s deeply human and decent.
9._ Do the Right Thing_ (Spike Lee, USA, 1989)
fascinating and vital, it’s not dated and not even New York exclusive.
10. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, USA, 1941) As a teenager I got an “A” for a paper burying Kane in high school. That was me working out my Kane spite. I love it for itself, not due to it’s status, and if I search my soul I love it more than the other Welles’ which I love (and I love those a lot.)
I try to limit posts by length, and I’m ashamed at some of what I love and left out, so I’m done for the night.
I hate myself for coming up with a concise list. I can’t even bring myself to number them, I feel so bad!
The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
Because of its display of the universal, excruciating, unanswerable question at its core.
Amadeus (Milos Forman, 1984)
Because of the classy and beautiful script, directing and performances. Because Salieri’s quest for greatness in the face of his own mediocrity is a fear that all artists have.
Vivre sa vie (Jean-Luc Godard, 1962)
Because Godard manages to suppress his provocateur instincts for once. Because of Anna Karina.
Land of Silence and Darkness (Werner Herzog, 1971)
Because documentaries are essential to filmmaking, and this is the best of them from the best maker of them.
Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)
Because, despite Woody Allen’s best efforts, it manages to be a poignant and subtle drama about the perils of intellectual living.
Close-up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990)
Because it’s so simple! Because it’s so complex!
Rebel Without a Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955)
Because all young people go through it, to one degree or another. Because of James Dean.
Still Walking (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2008)
Because, despite growing up in Australia, I find this Japanese film to be a brutally honest depiction of emotionally stilted family life.
Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog, 1982)
Because he is a crazy, beautiful man. Oh, and so is Kinski’s Fitzcarraldo.
Fargo (The Coen Brothers, 1996)
Because.
5 canonical choices
THE RIVER (1951, Jean Renoir)
THE QUIET MAN (1952, John Ford)
TOKYO MONOGATARI / TOKYO STORY (1953, Yasujiro Ozu)
VERTIGO (1958, Alfred Hitchcock)
RIO BRAVO (1959, Howard Hawks)
5 less-canonical choices
UNTER DEN BRÜCKEN / UNDER THE BRIDGES (1945, Helmut Käutner, GER)
poetry, realism and humor in a film shot in Berlin-1944 (!)
DER TIGER VON ESCHNAPUR & DAS INDISCHE GRABMAL / THE TIGER OF ESCHNAPUR & THE INDIAN TOMB (1959, Fritz Lang, FRG)
Lang’s approach to design, framing and editing at his best
DIVORZIO ALL’ITALIANA / DIVORCE ITALIAN STYLE (1961, Pietro Germi, ITA)
a satire by the most underrated Italian filmmaker
EL EXTRAÑO VIAJE / STRANGE VOYAGE (1964, Fernando Fernán Gómez, SPA)
one from my country, a sharp radiography of Franco’s Spain (the censored film had to wait until 1969 for a very limited release)
PALE RIDER (1985, Clint Eastwood, US)
a very important film for my cinephilia, before Eastwood’s canonization I saw glimpses of mastery in a dull remake of Shane
Well, it has been excruciatingly difficult omitting some of my dearest films, but here it goes:
1. L’ALBERO DEGLI ZOCCOLI (The Tree of Wooden Clogs), Ermanno Olmi 1978
2. L’ATALANTE, Jean Vigo 1934
3. VALE ABRAÃO (Abraham’s Valley), Manoel de Oliveira 1993
4. APARAJITO (Song of the Unvanquished), Satiajit Ray 1956
5. BAISERS VOLÉS (Stolen Kisses), Francois Truffaut 1968
6. ANDREY RUBLYOV (Andrei Rublev), Andrei Tarkovsky 1966
7. MIMÌ METALLURGICO FERITO NELL’ONORE (The Seduction of Mimi), Lina Wertmüller 1972
8. LES AMANTS RÉGULIERS (Regular Lovers), Philippe Garrel 2005
9. THE PASSENGER, Michelangelo Antonioni 1975
10. IL VANGELO SECONDO MATTEO (The gospel according to Saint Matthew), Pier Paolo Pasolini 1964
Struggled with leaving out Breathless, Au Hasard Balthazar, It’s a Wonderful Life, Decalogue, Rome Open City, The Spirit of the Beehive, Love in the Afternoon, Dreyer’s Passion of Joan of Arc and Last Tango in Paris. Maybe on another day these would be my top 10.
PMing list to RUS.
Here are my ten favourites. Each one has had me in awe from the very first time I saw it:
01. Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957, USA)
02. Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa, 1961, Japan)
03. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972, USA)
04. Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini, 1945, Italy)
05. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959, USA)
06. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006, Spain)
07. Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992, USA)
08. Week End (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967, France)
09. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925, USA)
10. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1943, USA)
List has been PM’d to RUS.
1> Sadao Yamanaka – Humanity and Paper Balloons
2>Guru Dutt – Thirst (Pyaasa)
3>Stanley Kubrick – Dr. Strangelove
4>Masaki Kobayashi – The Human Condition
5> Mikio Naruse – Floating Clouds
6> Guru Dutt – Paper Flowers (Kaagaz Ke Phool)
7> Woody Allen – Manhattan
8>Yasujiro Ozu – Early Summer
9>Hiroshi Teshigahara – Woman in the Dunes
10> Francois Truffaut – The 400 Blows
1. Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993)
2. The Piano (1992)
3. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1967)
4. The Taste of Tea (2004)
5. La Cienaga (1997)
6. The Deer Hunter (1978)
7. The Night Porter (1974)
8. The Island (2006)
9. El Topo (1970)
10. Apocalypse Now (1979)
I cried 5 tears of blood for leaving out Ben-Hur, Last Tango in Paris, Jesus Christ Superstar, all Bergman films and 2001. But the ones I left in probably changed my life. So.
my god, this is really hard, this is the best i can do :
- Kings of the Road ( Im Lauf der Zeit ) – Wim Wenders – 1976
- Even Dwarfs Started Small ( Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen ) – Werner Herzog – 1970
- Harvest: 3000 Years ( Mirt Sost Shi Ami ) – Haile Gerima – 1976
- Sunless ( Sans soleil ) – Chris Marker – 1983
- Mother Dao, the Turtlelike ( Moeder Dao, de schildpadgelijkende ) – Vincent Monnikendam – 1995
- Sátántangó – Bella Tarr – 1994
- The Wind Will Carry Us – Abbas Kiarostami – 1999
- The Golden Thread ( Subarnarekha ) – Ritwik Ghatak – 1965
- Au hasard Balthazar – Robert Bresson – 1966
- The Thin Red Line – Terrence Malick – 1998
1. Playtime – Jacques Tati (1967)
2. Every Man For Himself and God Against All a.k.a. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser – Werner Herzog (1974)
3. Tokyo Story – Yasujiro Ozu (1953)
4. Taxi Driver – Martin Scorsese (1976)
5. Syndromes & A Century – Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2006)
6. Heat – Michael Mann (1995)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey – Stanley Kubrick (1968)
8. Princess Mononoke – Hayao Miyazaki (1997)
9. Citizen Kane – Orson Welles (1941)
10. Modern Times – Charles Chaplin (1936)
Three gigantic honourable mentions to the following films:
Fitzcarraldo – Werner Herzog (1982)
Raging Bull – Martin Scorsese (1980)
Showgirls – Paul Verhoeven (1995)
1. La maman et la putain “The Mother and the Whore” (Jean Eustache / France / 1973)
2. Possession (Andrzej Zulawski / France, West Germany / 1981)
3. Ganga Bruta (Humberto Mauro / Brazil / 1933)
4. Goto, l’île d’amour “Goto, Island of Love” (Walerian Borowczyck / France / 1968)
5. Dzieje grzechu “Story of a Sin” (Walerian Borowczyk / Poland / 1975)
6. Kutya éji dala “The Dog’s Night Song” (Gábor Bódy / Hungary / 1983)
7. Wong gok ka moon “As Tears Go By” (Kar Wai Wong / Hong Kong / 1988)
8. Kuchizuke “Kisses” (Yasuzo Masumura / Japan / 1957)
9. Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimino / USA / 1980)
10. Les enfants du paradis “Children of Paradise“ (France / Marcel Carné / 1945)
^Yay for Heaven’s Gate, almost made my list. Must say, I’m quite pleased with how well Heat is doing.
Some great lists so far. Here’s mine:
1. The Battle of Algiers (La battaglia di Algeri), 1966, Gillo Pontecorvo
2. Dogville, 2003, Lars von Trier
3. Caché, 2005, Michael Haneke
4. Blade Runner, 1982, Ridley Scott
5. Midnight Cowboy, 1969, John Schlesinger
6. Blue Velvet, 1986, David Lynch
7. In the Mood for Love (Fa Yeung Nin Wa), 2000, Wong Kar-wai
8. Stalker, 1979, Andrei Tarkovsky
9. Yojimbo, 1961, Akira Kurosawa
10. There Will Be Blood, 2007, Paul Thomas Anderson
Impossibly difficult… limit one per director:
1. The Red Shoes – Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger (1948)
2. The Virgin Spring – Ingmar Bergman (1960)
3. The Decalogue – Krzysztof Kieślowski (1989)
4. Stalker – Andrei Tarkovsky (1979)
5. The Passion of Joan of Arc – Carl Theodor Dreyer (1928)
6. Rear Window – Alfred Hitchcock (1954)
7. Dr. Strangelove – Stanley Kubrick (1964)
8. Pulp Fiction – Quentin Tarantino (1994)
9. The Godfather – Francis Ford Coppola (1972)
10. Vivre sa vie – Jean-Luc Godard (1962)
greg x
Josh, Perceval definitely isn’t for all tastes, but I think its great. It took me about a third to half of the movie to get into its rhythm, but once I did it really provided a profound experience for me.
Robert, I’m glad you also liked Zombie, and Spirit of the Beehive certainly deserves more mentions. (It was on my short list.) The best way to do that of course is to make a list of your own…I’ll even promise not to hold you to it in future discussions, ’cause lord knows my list is just what suits me now and could have any of dozens of other films on it in place of some of these.