Faces
The Mother & The Whore
Agreed
Faces is brilliant
and The Mother and The Whore is VERY high on my “to watch” list
Raging Bull
Monster
Apocalypse Now
But I think Faces is very grounded in that you have to be of a certain culture to understand it
I think its amazing, I just dont think it rises from those boundaries
One word—PREDATOR!
There is maybe only one I would consider mandatory:
Nazi Concentration Camps (George Stevens, 1945)
Compilation footage of Nazi concentration camps in the immediate aftermath of World War II. The footage was gathered by the US Department of Defense as part of the effort to conduct war crimes trials.
I would add Claude Lanzmann’s “Shoah” (1985).
I fully agree with Grey Daisies answer.
@Grey Daisies, Apursansar: At least add something like Hiroshima mon amour to balance out that list a bit… the entire war was a tragedy, it wasn’t just the Germans.
You’re right, Anonymouse. I could think of “The Human Condition” as another possible addition. One I haven’t yet seen is Kobayashi’s later “Tokyo Trial”, but it might also qualify.
The Decalogue
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Sunrise
Sunset Boulevard
Notorious
Seven Samurai
Days of Heaven
Dancer in the Dark
Casablanca
The Naked Island
The House is Black
The Human Condition
Showing people great films for the sake of showing them great films is barely something that NEEDS to be done. I would tend to agree with Grey Daisies’s and Apursansar’s choices in that they teach us something very important about history. I think you could also add, though this isn’t as important as confronting the Holocaust, stuff about culture to help break down prejudices. For example I know a lot of people are very prejudiced against Iran and the surrounding areas, so showing them a deeply humanist film from Iran might help to make people realise that we really aren’t that different.
Ah yes, Iran; i agree it would do good for Americans and British in particular to see their films, which would surely come as a surprise. Films should be seen to break down national barriers, reduce bigotry and hatred, better understand and appreciate different cultures and histories, while increasing feelings of shared humanity- in other words, help make the world a better more peaceful place. Vietnamese indigenous films would also be well worth seeing by people fed a diet of dehumanising violence from a US perspective; well, many countries have been neglected despite having excellent intelligent and humanist films. Dominance by dumb Hollywood rollercoaster violence (especially with partisan reactionary messages) is deeply damaging. Film is an international language that should bring us all closer together, underlining marvellous variety with unity
so,
Sansho the Bailiff
Sunrise
The White Balloon
When the Tenth Month Comes
Pather Panchali
The Battle of Algiers
Lucia (Solas)
Hiroshima mon Amour
it’s high time there was a major film covering the romany holocaust- these are a powerless degraded despised people still. I see it as a form of holocaust denial to leave them out
we could also do with more masterpieces with a clear green environmental message
Grand Illusion
Make Way For Tomorrow
Duck Soup
Umberto D
Twelve Angry Men
The Shop Around The Corner
Odd Man Out
The Wages Of Fear
Midnight
Nights Of Cabiria
Following Cecil’s point about humanist fims from Iran, I propose a couple of sports films from combat zones.
A nice little documentary about the Afghan cricket team called Out of the Ashes, where the only person featured with a rigorous hardline ideology was one Geoffrey Boycott. (poor joke alert)
Aso an Iraqi Kurdish football movie about breaking down ethnic barriers through a makeshift fictional football tournament called Kick Off
As naive as it is, I would have to say Notre Musique.
Insight into the divisiveness of history’s dualism, cultural identity, and knowledge (technology, language) might cause people to think.
Notre Musique speaks truth to power.
Zerkalo (1975)
The Pear Tree (1998)
El sur (1983)
Three of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen for the ways that they have impacted me emotinally like no other.
INCEPTION BECAUSE IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND DAWG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111
But seriously, I’m not if I could say what is essential for everyone to see, but the films that I’ve gotten the most from include -
“The Devil and Daniel Webster”
Kore-Eda’s “After Life”
Herzog’s “Aguirre, Wrath of God”
David Gordon Green’s “George Washington”
Everything Stanley Kubrick made between the years 1957 and 1987
Most of what John Cassavetes made between the time he started directing and time he stopped directing (you can leave out that one episode of “Columbo”)
At least something by Alain Resnais
Chris Marker’s “Sans Soleil”
Jonas Mekas’ “Diaries Notes and Sketches”
“Starship Troopers”, “Robocop” and “Escape From New York” for good measure.
I realize this will sound snobbish in the extreme, but is their any point in someone seeing something they have no context for understanding. I understand the exercise but the films I would want everyone to see would be wasted on most people. That isn’t a judgement of their character or even their intelligence, it’s simply a result of poor cinematic education, at least in the U.S.
Otherwise, I’d say every movie on my favorites list.
Do The Right Thing. I feel very strongly that this be shown to all people between 14-18, to the point that I managed to get my Civics and Government teacher to show it my senior year.
“I realize this will sound snobbish in the extreme, but is their any point in someone seeing something they have no context for understanding. I understand the exercise but the films I would want everyone to see would be wasted on most people. That isn’t a judgement of their character or even their intelligence, it’s simply a result of poor cinematic education, at least in the U.S.”
“their” should be "there and the first sentence should end in a question mark. Talk about a poor eductation! Whatever, I still have no edit function.
If there was just one film for the whole world to see, I would choose something escapist and fun, something to help everyone just smile for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Why not The Wizard of Oz. We don’t need to see a great drama, cause we all have enough drama in our lives. We don’t need to learn anything. We shouldn’t consider film technique or anything like that. Fuck all film snobbery here, let everyone laugh and share in some fun. Maybe Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or Toy Story. Just a respite from the everyday toils.
“We don’t need to learn anything.”
Uli, I don’t think there is a film out there that we don’t learn something from so we may as well learn something worthwhile from great dramas. I’d say there’s too much respite from everyday toils. We’re entertaining ourselves to death.
“I don’t think you go to a play to forget, or a movie to be distracted. I think life generally is a distraction and that going to a movie is a way to get back, not go away.” – Tom Noonan
Royal Tenenbaums
-“Did you just say you’re on mescaline?
-I did indeed. Very much so.”
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
-“It’s in the basement of The Alamo”
Children of Heaven
-“Sarah Connor?”
that’s all for now folks
Mike, fair and granted, but do starving familes in Africa need to see some drama, or maybe, just maybe, if they are gonna see One film as they eat a meal, it can be something fun.
The OP says Human Race, not just the people who can afford to watch some drama unfold, but everyone, All people. Give them something to laugh at, it may be the only film they ever get to see. Let them be entertained, cause a vast Majority of people I think would rather be entertained to death, then starve to death or be tortured to death.
Just saying.
I hear what you’re saying and I wouldn’t want to presume to know what someone in an extreme situation would want to see. On the other hand, i wouldn’t assume they are all starving for escapism. Some of them may very well be moved and entertained by seeing a little of their own real lives on screen.
They may be moved, granted, but getting away from that for a while is a good thing too. I’d much rather cry from joy, then cry from pain.
Jason Miller
Anyone
name the films that you think should be shown to everyone everywhere
for me:
-2001: A Space Odyssey
-Rashomon
-Ran
-Seven Samurai
-Pickpocket
-Night and Fog
-Vertigo
and maybe There Will Be Blood
lemme know what you think!
(i can always go for more recommendations when it comes to movies)