This is a masterpiece, one of several that David Lynch has made, and the truest and most powerful film on the subject of child abuse that I’ve ever come across.
If you think it’s all just weirdness and surrealism then you just haven’t seen what Lynch is up to. Empty weirdness & surrealism are the hallmarks of his imitators, who forget to imitate the heart of his films, the humanity, compassion and psychological depth.
Fire Walk With Me is one of the most serious of horror movies, a REAL horror movie about a REAL LIFE monster. An abusive father raping his daughter is so appalling an idea that it has to be suppressed, and translated into abstraction and metaphor, and its narrative obscured. This is a psychologically accurate depiction both of perpetrators and victims of child abuse. This concept, made more explicit in the movie, provided the underlying tension throughout the TV series (although the TV network’s insistence that the identity of Laura’s killer be revealed at the end of the first season caused that tension to disippate somewhat).
I think he is the cleverest filmmaker around. And the craftsmanship here is impeccable, particularly in the opening half hour or so, although there are many outstanding sequences later on as well. The way he constructs a scene, the sense of rhythm, the sound design, the production design etc etc.
He is also as good a script writer as Harold Pinter in my opinion, and I don’t say that lightly.
There is little that can be said in defence of work like this against people who are simply insensitive to its richness. The thing is, he doesn’t just give it to you on a plate. Like all the best stuff, you have to come half way towards it and actively engage with it – imaginatively and intellectually – for it to become fully resonant, and for the emotional depth to become apparent. Very few other filmmakers have given me such mind-stretching experiences as this.
For some of us who do appreciate it, this film has been a continual inspiration and reference point for our own work over the years.
Mike Spence is right – Lynch’s recent films are some of the least ‘sloppy’ I can think of. However, none of his films can be called ‘non-narrative’. His work often seems bewildering on a first viewing, but you just have to pick up the rules of the game as you go along. He uses plenty of metaphors that require interpretation, and doesn’t signpost a ‘flashback’ or a ‘dream sequence’ in a conventional way, but there is always a very strong narrative which does become crystal clear after you learn how to read it. He has never ‘abandoned plot’ as Mike seems to suggest. The simple human story at the core of each of his films is what powers them.
If you don’t enjoy these films on the most basic level and therefore aren’t inclined to revisit and engage with them, then you’ll just have to take my word for it that they are constructed with ingenious care and without exception contain perfectly coherent narratives, constructed according to a profound logic. If they aren’t your cup of tea, then that’s fine, but don’t just dismiss them as indulgent weirdness just because you haven’t the inclination to figure them out.
Lastly, I’d like to say that this film should be seen big and loud. A television won’t do it. Anyone who has watched this film small and quiet should not be allowed to post comments here!
I haven’t seen this in about 13 years. I remember really liking it. Gielgud was sweary, and his hands were hairy. The ending was a knock-out, but much of what went before has not stayed with me. I was just a schoolboy when I saw it, so I’d really like to see it again.
What other Resnais films are worth getting hold of? Besides the best known – Last Year at Marienbad, Hiroshima Mon Amour and Night and Fog
I reckon I VITELLONI is probably the best, but my personal favourite is AND THE SHIP SAILS ON – that is a very special, utterly charming movie with a unique mood. The camerawork is ravishing and the use of music delightful. If you ever get the chance to see it on a big screen, then take it. The great British character actor Freddie Jones is in it (sadly with his extraordinary vocal talent dubbed into Italian) and it also features the most notable film performance by the late great Pina Bausch.
got to mention SATYRICON too – amazing
and CASANOVA
But I really don’t like LA STRADA much at all. There are just a couple of passages that impressed me – the little boy in bed, the horse walking down the street. I don’t understand why their street clowning act is so bad, I don’t believe they could actually make a living from it, and Basehart is also quite annoying. I seem to remember a tiny violin that on the soundtrack sounds like a full-sized one? Now that really pissed me off.
Poised between his earlier neorealism and his later fantasies, I just don’t see why LA STRADA is one of his best known. I BIDONE is much better.
But the thing about Fellini is that even his lesser films contain some brilliant ideas, touches of genius.
I nominate Janusz Kaminski’s photography of any number of Spielberg’s films. You can almost see the light, everything seems to be shining. Unpleasant, off-putting. For example: I remember quite enjoying MINORITY REPORT, but I didn’t like the feel of it, blue light, cold and shiny. For the whole film. I don’t feel like seeing it again, and I think the shiny Kaminski texture is the reason why.
Compare this with John Alcott’s lighting in THE SHINING, which in spite of the title, has a look that is beautifully muted, rapturous in its banality. The power of the atmosphere of the Overlook Hotel arises from that ordinariness. When I watch a picture such as this, I don’t want to blink! It’s as if the screen is gently sucking my eyes. Whereas Kaminski’s photography distances me, which surely can’t be Spielberg’s intention.
Spielberg’s a clever fellow, so I don’t understand why he always has his films look this way.
Such a shame that all the DVD releases of these are really really low quality. Is it the case that decent DVD companies don’t restore and release these films because they think nobody will be willing to spend money on a more expensive copy when there are so many cheap editions available?
I for one would give good money for a good copy of these two.
I’d give good money for a copy of that, and DETOUR and ONE EYED JACKS. All marvellous films.
Why won’t a decent DVD company put out these films in decent transfers? Is it because they don’t think enough people will want to pay more for a watchable copy, when there are so many cheap editions available?
If anybody wants any of the following films let me know. I’ve just seen several of these mentioned above. I frequently sell copies of these to buyers in all parts of the world. Most are DVD transfers from VHS. On nearly all of them the quality is really good, even when projected onto a big screen. The silent films are all restored with the correct tinting. I can email you screencaps so you can get an idea of the quality. Send me a message if you are interested and would like more information.
Abel Gance’s NAPOLEON
King Vidor’s THE CROWD / THE BIG PARADE
Erich von Stroheim’s GREED / THE WEDDING MARCH
Rex Ingram’s THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
DW Griffith’s INTOLERANCE / THE BIRTH OF A NATION
Raoul Walsh’s THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD
Sam Fuller’s UNDERWORLD USA / VERBOTEN!
Nicholas Ray’s WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES / PARTY GIRL / THE LUSTY MEN
Orson Welles’ CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT
Satyajit Ray’s THE MUSIC ROOM
Hugo Fregonese’s THE RAID (a very underrated Western!)
I think it’s cheating to allow more than one film per director!
I’m having to do this very quickly and instinctively, choosing according to which film made the biggest impression on me personally
John Ford- The Long Voyage Home
Budd Boetticher- Buchanan Rides Alone
Max Ophuls- Le Plaisir
Josef von Sternberg- The Scarlet Empress
Erich von Stroheim- The Wedding March
FW Murnau- Sunrise
Jules Dassin- Night and the City
Jacques Tourneur- I Walked with a Zombie
John Huston- Treasure of the Sierra Madre
William Wyler- Roman Holiday
Howard Hawks- Twentieth Century
Billy Wilder- Sunset Boulevard
Fritz Lang- Scarlet Street (not Scarlet Letter Andre!)
Otto Preminger- Where the Sidewalk Ends
Douglas Sirk- Shockproof
Anthony Mann- Bend of the River
Sam Fuller- Shock Corridor
Nicholas Ray- In a Lonely Place
Joseph Mankiewicz- Suddenly, Last Summer
VIncent Minnelli- The Bad and The Beautiful
Elia Kazan- Baby Doll
Robert Rossen- The Hustler
Cecil B. DeMille- The Ten Commandments
Robert Aldrich- Emperor of the North Pole
Richard Brooks- Elmer Gantry
Alfred Hitchcock- Vertigo
George Cukor- Let’s Make Love
D. W. Griffith- Intolerance
Raoul Walsh- The Roaring Twenties
Robert Flaherty- Nanook of the North
Charles Chaplin- City Lights
Buster Keaton- Steamboat Bill Jnr
Sam Peckinpah- Cross of Iron
Blake Edwards- The Party
Ernst Lubitsch- To Be or Not To Be
Stanley Kramer- don’t know any of his films
Ida Lupino- The Bigamist
Busby Berkeley- can we allow Gold Diggers of 1933? (That way Mervyn LeRoy can be added to the list with I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang)
Stanley Donen- Singin’ in the Rain
Chuck Walters- Easter Parade
Frank Tashlin- Artists and Models
Martin Ritt- Hud
Oscar Micheaux- don’t know any of his films
J. Lee Thompson- Ice-Cold in Alex
King Vidor- The Crowd
Charles Vidor- Gilda
Orson Welles- Touch of Evil
Sidney Lumet- The Verdict – but he’s hardly golden age Hollywood! He’s still making films
I insist on adding
Preston Sturges – The Miracle at Morgan’s Creek
Mervyn LeRoy – I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Frank Capra – You Can’t Take It With You
Deckard: I’d be interested to know which performances you considered misses and which hits…
There are some really strong hits in my opinion. Ray Wise and Grace Zabriskie are both amazing as Laura’s parents.
And I reckon this is one of the great HARRY DEAN STANTON’s finest acting jobs. Watch him after the strange woman appears at the door of the trailer he and Chris Isaak are standing in. Beautiful work, so subtle and immeasurably tender, hinting at all sorts of who knows what in his character’s past. Haunts me!
I think Klaus Kinski went straight from making a hardcore porn film in Japan – called something like FRUITS OF DESIRE – to his wonderful performance as FITZCARRALDO.
I think it’s good to see his films in the order they were made.
A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE is definitely the most accessible of JC’s films.
But I would say that A KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE is my favourite.
However, could the disparity in responses to this film have anything to do with the fact that there are 2 very different cuts in existence. Both are in the outstanding Criterion box. The longer cut is far far far far better than the later, shorter one. Thank heavens I opted to see the longer one first. I was blown away, and then watched the shorter cut in dismay.
Somebody said on a board somewhere round here that they wish there was a bit less of the cabaret antics – No! It’s only for the sake of those risible routines that Gazzara does everything else in the movie – without them you’d lose the whole point of his existence and the movie’s existence! That premise – the guy keeping his bizarre am-dram going at ANY cost – is why this is one of my favourite films. It’s a portrait of a true artist – just not a very good one.
I also loved FACES.
LOVE STREAMS is the other masterpiece, but you should save it til last. I’m amazed at the big Cassavetes fans here who haven’t seen it yet! They’ve got a major treat in store.
Let’s not nominate films that have actually been included in the list of films on this website.
underseen, underknown, underrated. All of the following should be given some more love.
THE CARETAKER – Pinter’s play directed by Clive Donner – I think it’s known in the US under the weak title The Visitor. One of the best British films ever made, it features career-best performances from two great actors: Donald Pleasance and Robert Shaw. Photographed by Nicolas Roeg. Available on DVD from the BFI.
MIRACLE MILE – directed by Steve de Jarnatt (?). The less you know about this film before you see it, the better. Even the image on the DVD gives too much away. Suffice to say it fits into the Bad Night Out mini-genre that also includes After Hours, Into the Night and Eyes Wide Shut
THE MUSIC ROOM – Satyajit Ray
KANSAS CITY – Robert Altman
THE LUSTY MEN and WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES – Nicholas Ray
THINGS CHANGE and HOMICIDE by David Mamet
THE LEGEND OF THE HOLY DRINKER Ermanno Olmi
POSSESSION Andrzej Zulawski
LOVE STREAMS by John Cassavetes
SUNSET ACROSS THE BAY – outstanding TV movie by Alan Bennett, directed by Stephen Frears
EL – Luis Bunuel
NUTS IN MAY – maybe Mike Leigh’s best film! Even fewer people have seen the also excellent GROWN UPS
WAITING FOR GUFFMAN by Christopher Guest. Loads of people have seen Best in Show, yet hardly any have even heard of this far funnier film. Annoyingly the UK DVD doesn’t include the deleted scenes, many of which ought never to have been ‘deleted’ in the first place.
PARK ROW Samuel Fuller
I HIRED A CONTRACT KILLER – Aki Kaurismaki
O MEGALEXANDROS Theo Angelopoulos
FAMILY LIFE Ken Loach
THE VERDICT Sidney Lumet
SHOCKPROOF Douglas Sirk (written by Sam Fuller)
CONTRABAND Michael Powell
THE TIGER AND THE SNOW Roberto Benigni
YOUNG ADAM David Mackenzie
THE MIST Frank Darabont
THE RAID – Hugo Fregonese
ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW – Robert Wise
FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO and KISS ME STUPID and ONE TWO THREE – Billy Wilder
ORPHANS – Peter Mullan
TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. – William Friedkin
UNFAITHFULLY YOURS and THE MIRACLE AT MORGAN’S CREEK and THE SIN OF HAROLD DIDDLEBOCK by Preston Sturges
THE RED AND THE WHITE and THE ROUND-UP – Miklos Jancso
CUL-DE-SAC – Roman Polanski
THE FLAVOUR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE – Yasujiro Ozu
BELLS ARE RINGING – Vincente Minnelli
INVINCIBLE or COBRA VERDE by Werner Herzog (not to mention numerous of his documentaries. ok I’ll mention one: THE WHITE DIAMOND)
STEAMBOAT ROUND THE BEND John Ford
THE BIG CLOCK – John Farrow
and I wouldn’t say it was criminally underrated, but I enjoyed Woody Allen’s THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION far more than I was expecting to.
I also really like four films for which a lot of people reserve special scorn: Eyes Wide Shut, A.I., The Gangs of New York, Titanic
Herzog’s style might well appear ‘boring’ to the unaccustomed ear and eye. He doesn’t give it to you on a plate. You have to come halfway towards the film, and actively read meaning into the images. I think that’s why he will often hold a shot for longer than is usual – to force your mind to respond somehow. If you don’t engage in this way with his films, and you are just letting it wash over you while you wait for the next plot point, they might appear empty of interest. But once you are tuned in to his style, his body of work can be more rewarding than any other filmmaker’s. If you had to choose one filmmaker’s ouevre to put in a capsule to be jettisoned into space as a representation of life on earth, it would have to be his. What other filmmaker has captured so many cultures, so many landscapes, languages, musics, animals, stories?
There are about 60 films to date I think, and all of these films speak to each other. Motifs and phrases recur and resonate. The more you see of his work the more you will appreciate it. Even the lesser works are crucial components of the whole.
I do hope you watched Aguirre and Fitz loud and on a big screen. The power of the images is inevitably reduced on a small one.
I recommend you watch LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY – that’s the one that first got me in
Then LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS and THE GREAT ECSTACY OF THE WOODCARVER STEINER. Watching these 2 I felt my understanding of the world being stretched and deepened. Almost no other films have changed the way I think about the world.
But my favourite of his films are probably STROSZEK and LESSONS OF DARKNESS.
Also, listening to the hugely entertaining commentary tracks on the Anchor Bay DVDs will probably give you a better understanding of a film like AGUIRRE or FITZCARRALDO.
And if all those don’t do it for you, then give in – Werner’s not for you!
PLEASE nobody watch LESSONS OF DARKNESS without the use of a projector and a fairly decent sound set-up.
If you don’t have the facility to make it big and loud yet, do yourself a favour: resist the temptation, be patient and wait for an opportunity to see it properly.
It really upsets me to think of that power being confined, weakened and diminished on a measly little TV or computer screen.
I would get the Criterion box set and watch those in the order in which they were made. That’s what I did and I was really glad I did it that way. After that, get hold of HUSBANDS and the others. See LOVE STREAMS last, as it is his final masterpiece and has a valedictory quality to it.
If anybody wants a DVD of LOVE STREAMS, then send me a message – I can help you.
I also have the rather rare TOO LATE BLUES, if anybody’s interested.
I don’t think he’s made a bad film. Because of the unique working practices he’s developed, and the fact that as a film dramatist his heart’s always in the right place, all of his films are worthwhile, albeit to varying degrees.
I think his least good films are Happy Go Lucky and Career Girls. I was also indifferent to Vera Drake. I rather hated Happy Go Lucky, but I wouldn’t call it a bad film, because a) it contained some excellent work, for example Eddie Marsan’s performance was brilliant, and b) I had to think about it for days afterwards and have had numerous conversations about it since, and anything that provokes so much discussion can’t be bad.
Even a relatively weak Mike Leigh film is far better than most of the rubbish that gets churned out.
And in a few years’ time, hardly anybody will care to watch it anymore. It will be forgotten, rather like some of the garlanded Hollywood epics of the 50s and 60s such as The Robe or Cleopatra or Ben Hur.
Don’t see Burden of Dreams before you’ve seen all the Kinski films – it contains too many excerpts from them ! For example – it shows the endings of Aguirre, Nosferatu and Cobra Verde, and gives away too much of the story of Fitz.
My first Herzog was LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY, closely followed by LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS – I was hooked immediately and forever, and so those two would be the films I would recommend you to start with.
One more piece of advice – try and see these films on as large a screen and with as loud a sound system as possible. This applies particularly to Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre: The Wrath of God.
In particular DO NOT watch Lessons of Darkness – my favourite of his films, along with Stroszek – on a television.
BEZRUC: ‘Natural’ is not the same thing as ‘Aesthetical’ – they are often opposed in fact. Approximating natural human vision as accurately as possible is not necessarily the ideal of beauty – otherwise nobody would find beauty in monochrome images, which are obviously artificial.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me almost 3 years ago
This is a masterpiece, one of several that David Lynch has made, and the truest and most powerful film on the subject of child abuse that I’ve ever come across.
If you think it’s all just weirdness and surrealism then you just haven’t seen what Lynch is up to. Empty weirdness & surrealism are the hallmarks of his imitators, who forget to imitate the heart of his films, the humanity, compassion and psychological depth.
Fire Walk With Me is one of the most serious of horror movies, a REAL horror movie about a REAL LIFE monster. An abusive father raping his daughter is so appalling an idea that it has to be suppressed, and translated into abstraction and metaphor, and its narrative obscured. This is a psychologically accurate depiction both of perpetrators and victims of child abuse. This concept, made more explicit in the movie, provided the underlying tension throughout the TV series (although the TV network’s insistence that the identity of Laura’s killer be revealed at the end of the first season caused that tension to disippate somewhat).
I think he is the cleverest filmmaker around. And the craftsmanship here is impeccable, particularly in the opening half hour or so, although there are many outstanding sequences later on as well. The way he constructs a scene, the sense of rhythm, the sound design, the production design etc etc.
He is also as good a script writer as Harold Pinter in my opinion, and I don’t say that lightly.
There is little that can be said in defence of work like this against people who are simply insensitive to its richness. The thing is, he doesn’t just give it to you on a plate. Like all the best stuff, you have to come half way towards it and actively engage with it – imaginatively and intellectually – for it to become fully resonant, and for the emotional depth to become apparent. Very few other filmmakers have given me such mind-stretching experiences as this.
For some of us who do appreciate it, this film has been a continual inspiration and reference point for our own work over the years.
Mike Spence is right – Lynch’s recent films are some of the least ‘sloppy’ I can think of. However, none of his films can be called ‘non-narrative’. His work often seems bewildering on a first viewing, but you just have to pick up the rules of the game as you go along. He uses plenty of metaphors that require interpretation, and doesn’t signpost a ‘flashback’ or a ‘dream sequence’ in a conventional way, but there is always a very strong narrative which does become crystal clear after you learn how to read it. He has never ‘abandoned plot’ as Mike seems to suggest. The simple human story at the core of each of his films is what powers them.
If you don’t enjoy these films on the most basic level and therefore aren’t inclined to revisit and engage with them, then you’ll just have to take my word for it that they are constructed with ingenious care and without exception contain perfectly coherent narratives, constructed according to a profound logic. If they aren’t your cup of tea, then that’s fine, but don’t just dismiss them as indulgent weirdness just because you haven’t the inclination to figure them out.
Lastly, I’d like to say that this film should be seen big and loud. A television won’t do it. Anyone who has watched this film small and quiet should not be allowed to post comments here!
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Favorite Films in Public Domain almost 3 years ago
Detour?
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Alain Resnais' PROVIDENCE (1977) almost 3 years ago
I haven’t seen this in about 13 years. I remember really liking it. Gielgud was sweary, and his hands were hairy. The ending was a knock-out, but much of what went before has not stayed with me. I was just a schoolboy when I saw it, so I’d really like to see it again.
What other Resnais films are worth getting hold of? Besides the best known – Last Year at Marienbad, Hiroshima Mon Amour and Night and Fog
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BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL almost 3 years ago
Certain moments in WOYZECK when Kinski looks right at you on certain lines. And in AGUIRRE too, come to think of it.
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IF WE IGNORE 81/2 AND DOLCE VITA, WHAT'D BE THE BEST FELLINI MOVIE? almost 3 years ago
I reckon I VITELLONI is probably the best, but my personal favourite is AND THE SHIP SAILS ON – that is a very special, utterly charming movie with a unique mood. The camerawork is ravishing and the use of music delightful. If you ever get the chance to see it on a big screen, then take it. The great British character actor Freddie Jones is in it (sadly with his extraordinary vocal talent dubbed into Italian) and it also features the most notable film performance by the late great Pina Bausch.
got to mention SATYRICON too – amazing
and CASANOVA
But I really don’t like LA STRADA much at all. There are just a couple of passages that impressed me – the little boy in bed, the horse walking down the street. I don’t understand why their street clowning act is so bad, I don’t believe they could actually make a living from it, and Basehart is also quite annoying. I seem to remember a tiny violin that on the soundtrack sounds like a full-sized one? Now that really pissed me off.
Poised between his earlier neorealism and his later fantasies, I just don’t see why LA STRADA is one of his best known. I BIDONE is much better.
But the thing about Fellini is that even his lesser films contain some brilliant ideas, touches of genius.
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Films with Distracting Cinematography almost 3 years ago
I nominate Janusz Kaminski’s photography of any number of Spielberg’s films. You can almost see the light, everything seems to be shining. Unpleasant, off-putting. For example: I remember quite enjoying MINORITY REPORT, but I didn’t like the feel of it, blue light, cold and shiny. For the whole film. I don’t feel like seeing it again, and I think the shiny Kaminski texture is the reason why.
Compare this with John Alcott’s lighting in THE SHINING, which in spite of the title, has a look that is beautifully muted, rapturous in its banality. The power of the atmosphere of the Overlook Hotel arises from that ordinariness. When I watch a picture such as this, I don’t want to blink! It’s as if the screen is gently sucking my eyes. Whereas Kaminski’s photography distances me, which surely can’t be Spielberg’s intention.
Spielberg’s a clever fellow, so I don’t understand why he always has his films look this way.
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Favorite Films in Public Domain almost 3 years ago
DETOUR is marvellous. As is ONE EYED JACKS.
Such a shame that all the DVD releases of these are really really low quality. Is it the case that decent DVD companies don’t restore and release these films because they think nobody will be willing to spend money on a more expensive copy when there are so many cheap editions available?
I for one would give good money for a good copy of these two.
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Favorite Films in Public Domain almost 3 years ago
and SCARLET STREET !
I’d give good money for a copy of that, and DETOUR and ONE EYED JACKS. All marvellous films.
Why won’t a decent DVD company put out these films in decent transfers? Is it because they don’t think enough people will want to pay more for a watchable copy, when there are so many cheap editions available?
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11 great films hard to find or not available on dvd in USA--name your own or comment on these 11.. what are your great films hard find or not available in in US format? almost 3 years ago
If anybody wants any of the following films let me know. I’ve just seen several of these mentioned above. I frequently sell copies of these to buyers in all parts of the world. Most are DVD transfers from VHS. On nearly all of them the quality is really good, even when projected onto a big screen. The silent films are all restored with the correct tinting. I can email you screencaps so you can get an idea of the quality. Send me a message if you are interested and would like more information.
Abel Gance’s NAPOLEON
King Vidor’s THE CROWD / THE BIG PARADE
Erich von Stroheim’s GREED / THE WEDDING MARCH
Rex Ingram’s THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
DW Griffith’s INTOLERANCE / THE BIRTH OF A NATION
Raoul Walsh’s THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD
Sam Fuller’s UNDERWORLD USA / VERBOTEN!
Nicholas Ray’s WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES / PARTY GIRL / THE LUSTY MEN
Orson Welles’ CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT
Satyajit Ray’s THE MUSIC ROOM
Hugo Fregonese’s THE RAID (a very underrated Western!)
Luis Bunuel’s LOS OLVIDADOS / EL
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Documentaries that need to be made almost 3 years ago
I wish Herzog had made a documentary of Michael Jackson. I suppose it’s too late now.
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GREAT FILMS DEPICTING INSANITY AND MENTAL ILLNESS almost 3 years ago
Ken Loach’s best film is one of his most seldom seen: FAMILY LIFE.
Although the protagonist is not really mentally ill, her family think she is, so the film is dealing with this issue. It’s horrible!
Outstanding film.
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BEST FILMS BY CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD DIRECTORS almost 3 years ago
I think it’s cheating to allow more than one film per director!
I’m having to do this very quickly and instinctively, choosing according to which film made the biggest impression on me personally
John Ford- The Long Voyage Home
Budd Boetticher- Buchanan Rides Alone
Max Ophuls- Le Plaisir
Josef von Sternberg- The Scarlet Empress
Erich von Stroheim- The Wedding March
FW Murnau- Sunrise
Jules Dassin- Night and the City
Jacques Tourneur- I Walked with a Zombie
John Huston- Treasure of the Sierra Madre
William Wyler- Roman Holiday
Howard Hawks- Twentieth Century
Billy Wilder- Sunset Boulevard
Fritz Lang- Scarlet Street (not Scarlet Letter Andre!)
Otto Preminger- Where the Sidewalk Ends
Douglas Sirk- Shockproof
Anthony Mann- Bend of the River
Sam Fuller- Shock Corridor
Nicholas Ray- In a Lonely Place
Joseph Mankiewicz- Suddenly, Last Summer
VIncent Minnelli- The Bad and The Beautiful
Elia Kazan- Baby Doll
Robert Rossen- The Hustler
Cecil B. DeMille- The Ten Commandments
Robert Aldrich- Emperor of the North Pole
Richard Brooks- Elmer Gantry
Alfred Hitchcock- Vertigo
George Cukor- Let’s Make Love
D. W. Griffith- Intolerance
Raoul Walsh- The Roaring Twenties
Robert Flaherty- Nanook of the North
Charles Chaplin- City Lights
Buster Keaton- Steamboat Bill Jnr
Sam Peckinpah- Cross of Iron
Blake Edwards- The Party
Ernst Lubitsch- To Be or Not To Be
Stanley Kramer- don’t know any of his films
Ida Lupino- The Bigamist
Busby Berkeley- can we allow Gold Diggers of 1933? (That way Mervyn LeRoy can be added to the list with I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang)
Stanley Donen- Singin’ in the Rain
Chuck Walters- Easter Parade
Frank Tashlin- Artists and Models
Martin Ritt- Hud
Oscar Micheaux- don’t know any of his films
J. Lee Thompson- Ice-Cold in Alex
King Vidor- The Crowd
Charles Vidor- Gilda
Orson Welles- Touch of Evil
Sidney Lumet- The Verdict – but he’s hardly golden age Hollywood! He’s still making films
I insist on adding
Preston Sturges – The Miracle at Morgan’s Creek
Mervyn LeRoy – I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Frank Capra – You Can’t Take It With You
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11 great films hard to find or not available on dvd in USA--name your own or comment on these 11.. what are your great films hard find or not available in in US format? almost 3 years ago
oh also Sam Fuller’s PARK ROW
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Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me almost 3 years ago
Deckard: I’d be interested to know which performances you considered misses and which hits…
There are some really strong hits in my opinion. Ray Wise and Grace Zabriskie are both amazing as Laura’s parents.
And I reckon this is one of the great HARRY DEAN STANTON’s finest acting jobs. Watch him after the strange woman appears at the door of the trailer he and Chris Isaak are standing in. Beautiful work, so subtle and immeasurably tender, hinting at all sorts of who knows what in his character’s past. Haunts me!
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Biggest Quality Shifts almost 3 years ago
I think Klaus Kinski went straight from making a hardcore porn film in Japan – called something like FRUITS OF DESIRE – to his wonderful performance as FITZCARRALDO.
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cassavettes query almost 3 years ago
I think it’s good to see his films in the order they were made.
A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE is definitely the most accessible of JC’s films.
But I would say that A KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE is my favourite.
However, could the disparity in responses to this film have anything to do with the fact that there are 2 very different cuts in existence. Both are in the outstanding Criterion box. The longer cut is far far far far better than the later, shorter one. Thank heavens I opted to see the longer one first. I was blown away, and then watched the shorter cut in dismay.
Somebody said on a board somewhere round here that they wish there was a bit less of the cabaret antics – No! It’s only for the sake of those risible routines that Gazzara does everything else in the movie – without them you’d lose the whole point of his existence and the movie’s existence! That premise – the guy keeping his bizarre am-dram going at ANY cost – is why this is one of my favourite films. It’s a portrait of a true artist – just not a very good one.
I also loved FACES.
LOVE STREAMS is the other masterpiece, but you should save it til last. I’m amazed at the big Cassavetes fans here who haven’t seen it yet! They’ve got a major treat in store.
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Underrated Films... almost 3 years ago
Let’s not nominate films that have actually been included in the list of films on this website.
underseen, underknown, underrated. All of the following should be given some more love.
THE CARETAKER – Pinter’s play directed by Clive Donner – I think it’s known in the US under the weak title The Visitor. One of the best British films ever made, it features career-best performances from two great actors: Donald Pleasance and Robert Shaw. Photographed by Nicolas Roeg. Available on DVD from the BFI.
MIRACLE MILE – directed by Steve de Jarnatt (?). The less you know about this film before you see it, the better. Even the image on the DVD gives too much away. Suffice to say it fits into the Bad Night Out mini-genre that also includes After Hours, Into the Night and Eyes Wide Shut
THE MUSIC ROOM – Satyajit Ray
KANSAS CITY – Robert Altman
THE LUSTY MEN and WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES – Nicholas Ray
THINGS CHANGE and HOMICIDE by David Mamet
THE LEGEND OF THE HOLY DRINKER Ermanno Olmi
POSSESSION Andrzej Zulawski
LOVE STREAMS by John Cassavetes
SUNSET ACROSS THE BAY – outstanding TV movie by Alan Bennett, directed by Stephen Frears
EL – Luis Bunuel
NUTS IN MAY – maybe Mike Leigh’s best film! Even fewer people have seen the also excellent GROWN UPS
WAITING FOR GUFFMAN by Christopher Guest. Loads of people have seen Best in Show, yet hardly any have even heard of this far funnier film. Annoyingly the UK DVD doesn’t include the deleted scenes, many of which ought never to have been ‘deleted’ in the first place.
PARK ROW Samuel Fuller
I HIRED A CONTRACT KILLER – Aki Kaurismaki
O MEGALEXANDROS Theo Angelopoulos
FAMILY LIFE Ken Loach
THE VERDICT Sidney Lumet
SHOCKPROOF Douglas Sirk (written by Sam Fuller)
CONTRABAND Michael Powell
THE TIGER AND THE SNOW Roberto Benigni
YOUNG ADAM David Mackenzie
THE MIST Frank Darabont
THE RAID – Hugo Fregonese
ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW – Robert Wise
FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO and KISS ME STUPID and ONE TWO THREE – Billy Wilder
ORPHANS – Peter Mullan
TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. – William Friedkin
UNFAITHFULLY YOURS and THE MIRACLE AT MORGAN’S CREEK and THE SIN OF HAROLD DIDDLEBOCK by Preston Sturges
THE RED AND THE WHITE and THE ROUND-UP – Miklos Jancso
CUL-DE-SAC – Roman Polanski
THE FLAVOUR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE – Yasujiro Ozu
BELLS ARE RINGING – Vincente Minnelli
INVINCIBLE or COBRA VERDE by Werner Herzog (not to mention numerous of his documentaries. ok I’ll mention one: THE WHITE DIAMOND)
STEAMBOAT ROUND THE BEND John Ford
THE BIG CLOCK – John Farrow
and I wouldn’t say it was criminally underrated, but I enjoyed Woody Allen’s THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION far more than I was expecting to.
I also really like four films for which a lot of people reserve special scorn: Eyes Wide Shut, A.I., The Gangs of New York, Titanic
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Underrated Films... almost 3 years ago
Yes Joe!
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Best Films with NO soundtrack almost 3 years ago
THE HILL
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Where can I watch this? almost 3 years ago
I have a much better version – the Kevin Brownlow Photoplay restoration with score by Carl Davis. It’s spread over 2 discs.
Contact me if you would be interested in a copy.
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I can't get into Werner Herzog over 2 years ago
Herzog’s style might well appear ‘boring’ to the unaccustomed ear and eye. He doesn’t give it to you on a plate. You have to come halfway towards the film, and actively read meaning into the images. I think that’s why he will often hold a shot for longer than is usual – to force your mind to respond somehow. If you don’t engage in this way with his films, and you are just letting it wash over you while you wait for the next plot point, they might appear empty of interest. But once you are tuned in to his style, his body of work can be more rewarding than any other filmmaker’s. If you had to choose one filmmaker’s ouevre to put in a capsule to be jettisoned into space as a representation of life on earth, it would have to be his. What other filmmaker has captured so many cultures, so many landscapes, languages, musics, animals, stories?
There are about 60 films to date I think, and all of these films speak to each other. Motifs and phrases recur and resonate. The more you see of his work the more you will appreciate it. Even the lesser works are crucial components of the whole.
I do hope you watched Aguirre and Fitz loud and on a big screen. The power of the images is inevitably reduced on a small one.
I recommend you watch LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY – that’s the one that first got me in
Then LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS and THE GREAT ECSTACY OF THE WOODCARVER STEINER. Watching these 2 I felt my understanding of the world being stretched and deepened. Almost no other films have changed the way I think about the world.
But my favourite of his films are probably STROSZEK and LESSONS OF DARKNESS.
Also, listening to the hugely entertaining commentary tracks on the Anchor Bay DVDs will probably give you a better understanding of a film like AGUIRRE or FITZCARRALDO.
And if all those don’t do it for you, then give in – Werner’s not for you!
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I can't get into Werner Herzog over 2 years ago
PLEASE nobody watch LESSONS OF DARKNESS without the use of a projector and a fairly decent sound set-up.
If you don’t have the facility to make it big and loud yet, do yourself a favour: resist the temptation, be patient and wait for an opportunity to see it properly.
It really upsets me to think of that power being confined, weakened and diminished on a measly little TV or computer screen.
DON’T DO IT!
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questions on John Cassavetes over 2 years ago
I would get the Criterion box set and watch those in the order in which they were made. That’s what I did and I was really glad I did it that way. After that, get hold of HUSBANDS and the others. See LOVE STREAMS last, as it is his final masterpiece and has a valedictory quality to it.
If anybody wants a DVD of LOVE STREAMS, then send me a message – I can help you.
I also have the rather rare TOO LATE BLUES, if anybody’s interested.
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most disturbing film ever seen over 2 years ago
For me it’s a toss-up between Ilya Khrjanovsky’s 4 and Richard Williams’ Raggedy Ann & Andy.
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Has there ever been a bad Mike Leigh film? over 2 years ago
I don’t think he’s made a bad film. Because of the unique working practices he’s developed, and the fact that as a film dramatist his heart’s always in the right place, all of his films are worthwhile, albeit to varying degrees.
I think his least good films are Happy Go Lucky and Career Girls. I was also indifferent to Vera Drake. I rather hated Happy Go Lucky, but I wouldn’t call it a bad film, because a) it contained some excellent work, for example Eddie Marsan’s performance was brilliant, and b) I had to think about it for days afterwards and have had numerous conversations about it since, and anything that provokes so much discussion can’t be bad.
Even a relatively weak Mike Leigh film is far better than most of the rubbish that gets churned out.
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Has there ever been a bad Mike Leigh film? over 2 years ago
What does flinty mean?
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Roman Polanski - which is his best film? over 2 years ago
Cul-de-Sac and Chinatown.
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How mad will you be if Avatar wins Best Picture? over 2 years ago
No, it is actually a very poor film indeed.
And in a few years’ time, hardly anybody will care to watch it anymore. It will be forgotten, rather like some of the garlanded Hollywood epics of the 50s and 60s such as The Robe or Cleopatra or Ben Hur.
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First Herzog over 2 years ago
Don’t see Burden of Dreams before you’ve seen all the Kinski films – it contains too many excerpts from them ! For example – it shows the endings of Aguirre, Nosferatu and Cobra Verde, and gives away too much of the story of Fitz.
My first Herzog was LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY, closely followed by LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS – I was hooked immediately and forever, and so those two would be the films I would recommend you to start with.
One more piece of advice – try and see these films on as large a screen and with as loud a sound system as possible. This applies particularly to Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre: The Wrath of God.
In particular DO NOT watch Lessons of Darkness – my favourite of his films, along with Stroszek – on a television.
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Why is it that the best looking films were shot in 1.33:1? over 2 years ago
BEZRUC: ‘Natural’ is not the same thing as ‘Aesthetical’ – they are often opposed in fact. Approximating natural human vision as accurately as possible is not necessarily the ideal of beauty – otherwise nobody would find beauty in monochrome images, which are obviously artificial.
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