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Post by afriendlychicken on Aug 1, 2012 16:45:10 GMT -5
Well, for the miniscule few of us who care Sight & Sound has released their new best films of all-time list and shocker of shockers, Citizen Kane has been replaced in the top spot by Hitchcock's Vertigo. Here's a link to the Top 50 List: www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-timeI've never been a Coppola fan so I'm glad The Godfather has left the top 10, but I do understand why it's on the list. The only films I shake my head at as being on this list are Mulholland Dr. and Some Like it Hot. I would think other American films like Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven or Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove would be above these two films. And only one western? There's Some Like it Hot but only one western on this list? Go figure. As you can tell I've never found Some Like It Hot to be a very funny film. But of course lists like this are very arbitrary, and the fact that I agree with most of it is quit surprising. |
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 1, 2012 23:32:23 GMT -5
Interesting. I also am not as fond of Coppola as many are... but they still managed to get a lot of his on the list (Godfather would be the only one of his I'd put on a top 50) I'd have dropped Godfather II and put Chinatown on instead. Looks like I'll have to watch La Règle du jeu - As with Coppola, Jean Renoir has never clicked for me, but I guess I should give it a go. Oddly, the only Renoir that drew me in was one that's not as highly rated (when compared to Grand Illusion and others). That was The River (though it is Scorsese's favorite from the director). A lot of interesting, and great pictures there. Surpised to see Jeanne Dielman - as experimental cinema it's facinating - it was probably one of the most challenging movies I ever sat through, simply because it's so monotonous and looooong. Can't say I ever want to watch it ever again in my life, but I'm glad I experienced it once  Gertrude is another surprise. I love Dreyer, but I have never been able to get through that movie. It always puts me to sleep. I know what to expect from Dreyer, he always takes his time - but even then, that one pushed the limits. Thanks for sharing Oh and "Congrats to Hitch. Top O' the world Alfred!" |
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 1, 2012 23:42:36 GMT -5
Oh wait, La Règle du jeu is Rules of the Game... yeah I've seen it. It was okay, wouldn't make my top 100, let alone my top 50. Renoir: Wish I could get into him like others do. I feel left out.
Oh, and while I like Some Like it Hot, I beleive The Apartment blows it out of the water. That would have been my Wilder film of choice for the list.
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Post by afriendlychicken on Aug 2, 2012 1:13:11 GMT -5
I'm kind of with you on Renoir. His supposed best films, The Rules of the Game and Grand Illusion, left me a bit flat, while I liked The River, Boudu Saved from Drowning and his American film Woman on the Beach. His adaptation of The Lower Depths can't even compare to the Kurosawa version of it. I do agree with your Wilder choice. I'm not a big fan of his either but The Apartment is definitely better than Some Like it Hot. And I'm about to type something that may surprise some. I've stated often how much I really don't like Steven Spielberg films but how can David Lynch have a film on this list but none from Spielberg? No matter how much I dislike Spielberg he's still a better director than David Lynch. That being said I've seen or own forty out of those fifty films. Not bad. And I'm glad Francois Truffaut was represented with The 400 Blows and not Jules and Jim. "With three Tarkovskys, two Kurosawas and a Tati in a nice list!" Thank you!  By the way, did you notice which director had the most films on the list? Jean-Luc Godard. I'm not so sure about that. |
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 1:39:02 GMT -5
Godard, really? That's surprising.
And I'm a bit cool to Jules and Jim - I prefer 400 Blows and Day For Night from Truffaut.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 3:15:13 GMT -5
A few more thoughts… Very happy to see 8 ½ , Man With A Movie Camera and the Passion Joan of Arc in the top 10. Surprised by all the Tarkovski – and none being Solaris (which I liked). Andrei Rublev is another one of the most challenging films I’ve ever… almost seen. I’ve never finished it. Parts of it are as brilliant as anything ever presented on film – the opening bit with the balloon is Felliniesque, the sequence in the woods with the witches is brilliance personified… but it jumps around so much I get lost. All of a sudden there’s a battle, an army is killing a village full of people and I have no idea who is what or why they are doing what they are doing. If the movie wasn't so long I’d have gone through it again. Still, once I find the time I plan to watch it – with commentary first. And I hope the commentary is great and helps give me some clarity. After which I’ll watch it straight. Fred & Ginger’s Swing Time is a greater song and dance musical than Singin’ in the Rain! There, I said it and I’m glad I said it. It's about time someone said it and stopped toeing the company line. What, no Casablanca, no Third Man? No freakin Buñuel? Not even Viridiana? Too much Godard, especially when considering what was left out. And it’s missing one of my Godard favs, Masculine, FeminineI've never seen a film by Satyajit Ray and that makes me sad. Yes, more westerns, off the top of my head... Red River, Unforgiven, Once Upn A Time in the West, McCabe and Mrs. Miller (was there any Altman on the list?) |
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Post by BJ on Aug 2, 2012 15:24:16 GMT -5
Top # lists and the internet, a match made in hell.
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Post by afriendlychicken on Aug 2, 2012 17:42:24 GMT -5
Top # lists and the internet, a match made in hell. Can you imagine if the internet existed back in 1952 when Sight and Sound made their first list? The Greatest Show on Earth probably would have been number one at that time. TP, you noticed the same films in the top 10 that I did. I was so happy to see Dreyer's Passion of Joan of Arc listed. The first time I saw that film was about ten years ago on TCM, and it moved me beyond belief. Probably the most amazing experience I've ever had watching a film. And I have no qualms over any movie that is in that top 10. I agree with you about Swing Time over Singing in the Rain. My personal favorite musical is Love Me Tonight. Any movie that C. Aubrey Smith gets to sing in has to be great! I did notice the missing Casablanca and The Third Man but didn't notice Bunuels absence. Off the top of my head I believe there were at least fifteen French films on the list and no British films. And one Bergman. Three Coppola, one Bergman. And I also agree with all your Western picks. As for Tarkovsky, I understand your problem. Most of his films are mostly plotless, and Andrei Rublev with a running time of 3 1/2 hours can be pretty hard to follow. The fact that the main character isn't even in half of the film can get confusing. It's pretty much just vignettes of Tarkovsy's view on Russian history in the 14th and 15th century. I would say just keep up on it because when you reach The Bell sequence, it'll become extraordinarily powerful. Yea, and where was Solaris? It's just as good as Stalker. |
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 23:14:53 GMT -5
Top # lists and the internet, a match made in hell. If you take them too seriously, yes. But if you relax, take it in the spirit of having fun, and as an opportunity to engage in some interesting discussion - and viewing it as a chance to get some ideas on seeing movies you might have never seen before, they can be a match made in heaven. It's all a matter of perspective. For example, I've never seen Love Me Tonight. But because of this thread and chicken mentioning it, I'll seek it out. |
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Post by TheNewMads on Aug 2, 2012 23:27:19 GMT -5
i rather thought the whole point of top-number lists was to vehemently disagree with them.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 23:32:23 GMT -5
That's is job #1. It helps if you scream, stomp around and pull out your hair while doing so.
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Post by TheNewMads on Aug 2, 2012 23:38:44 GMT -5
That's is job #1. It helps if you scream, stomp around and pull out your hair while doing so. WRONG!! it's JOB #2! |
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 23:43:05 GMT -5
See, interesting debate. I feel enlightened already. |
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Post by BJ on Aug 3, 2012 2:14:40 GMT -5
I'm just totally burnt out on arbitrary lists. It seems like 95% of all articles posted online are lists, and it's lazy writing. As Newmads said, the whole point of their existence is to get people to complain because that grabs attention. I remember when the AFI list came out in the mid 90s, and I hated it even back then. Every idiot suddenly had a strong opinion of Citizen Kane, even if they'd never made it past the news reel.
It's tough enough to evaluate the best films in any given year, even within genres. When you go into the greatest-of-all-time category, it's just a subjective mess of nonsense. La Jetee and 12 Monkeys are so different, they don't even feel like they're part of the same art form. Yet both films tell the same story. If I can't compare their relative worth, I don't know how I'm going to compare every movie ever made.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus 
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Posts: 15,420
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Post by Torgo on Aug 3, 2012 2:29:00 GMT -5
That's is job #1. It helps if you scream, stomp around and pull out your hair while doing so. WRONG!! it's JOB #2! This entire thread is #2. |
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